.156 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
carried well out, and no fluff, Lell their own tale. \Vhen one compares the Langshan with the Cochin or the 
iBrahmgi, we would be inclined to say no Cushion and no fluff, but both are really there. The true Langshan 
.carries its tail high, especially in its more imposing moods. There will, then, be but a very slight incline 
fronvthe top of the comb to the tip of the tail. The Langshan is a bird of many moods, and it uses the 
tail to, express them in a remarkable way. It will carry it so low as to sweep the ground ; it will also carry it 
:h,ofizontally, or nearly so, but the high carriage is typical of the breed. I have seen it in no other living 
bird, nor in illustrations of any known breed. It is not " squirrel tail,"' but "unique." The Judge's baton 
would, no doubt, bring out this particular pose, which is a combination of grace and stateHness. Perhaps he 
may not succeed in the case of a sick bird, or one overcrowded with fat, when, of course, the movements 
would not be elastic ; in the latter case, all idea of figure is frequently lost sight of. During the latter part 
of last Summer, the Autumn, and this Winter I have received letters asking me fof cheap pullets. Many of 
my correspondents have told me that a few coloured feathers would not matter. Now, a Langshan Pullet 
never sports coloured feathers, and I can only come to the; conclusion that the admirers of a Game cross 
had allowed the birds to pass out of their hands that did «ot, as my correspondent expressed it, come 
"nice," either by sale or gift, and thus the mischief has spread. The danger of entertaining these crosses as 
pure is this : Wc can never hnoiv ivhcrc it will end,, or wlmt tfie next move on the hoard will he. As every 
Annual Meeting of the Club comes round, new alterations may be suggested th^t would improve the 
Langshan off the face of the earth. I earnestly entreat the Langshan breeders and mernbers of the 
Langshan Club to set the matter right, and stop the fast and loose game that is going on." 
" Miss Croad speaks of admiring the long legged birds as well as the short. I gather from numerous 
letters that she has written that she does not mean &tiltv birds, but tall or long-legged in comparison. I 
incline to a happy medium. Again, in a letter Miss Croad says : ' When the Langshan Club shows its desire 
to breed for long and yet longer legs, I decided to agree to any se'ection made, provided the breed was kept 
within the bounds of purity; but I have more than once suggested that a class should be given for the bird 
with a medium length of leg as a Table Fowl. The taller bird is equally good in quality of flesh,, but, 
having bone and sinew to consider, it does not mature so early, and, therefore, does not pay its owner so 
well. ' Both are handsome birds. The latter type of Langshan is one we prognosticated would have many 
admirers, but we must not entirely lose sight of the useful.' A most trenchant piece of criticism on this 
celebrated breed appeared in Poultry, October 26, 1894, under the heading of 'Dots,' about the Dairy Show, 
England : — ' After all the years belauding their merits as table and laying fowls, it was almost heartbreaking 
'to see the pitiful array of ^/o;'/^-//>^^? birds doing duty for the breed. The boys who went about on stilts at a 
country fair were "low down" to some of these short tailed shanky things. Never do we remember in all 
■our experience to have seen a worse case of " Fancier breeding " deterioration. Had such birds been those 
■imported, we should never have written a line to induce the public to take up the breed. The Langshan 
Club has worked wonders. It has helped to destroy the excellency of one of the best "all-round" breeds 
•we know. The medium, and the short-legged square-made birds with flowing tails are the Langshans to 
keep. These arrive at early maturity ; these are the layers, and they carry the best and most breast meat, 
•and the cocks of these are the most fertile. There is no leg-weakness in these, no sitting on their hocks like 
Malays, no gawky, straddling things among these close-made, square, short-legged " selections." Yes ! these 
.are the sort to keep, and not the " ostrich uglies " that are now obtaining prizes. There were a few 
•" comely," however — one pullet in particular, but, of course, unnoticed. As we have written long for the 
breed, and maintained its good qualities against all comers, so we do now as faithfully warn the public not to 
■hcep the black storks now held to be the breed by the Langshan Club and their weak-kneed Judges. We 
solemnly protest against " the pattern," and proi)hesy that if the Judges acting in the Langshan classes 
persist in giving awards to the storks, then the day is not far distant when there vvill not be classes filled 
sufficiently to induce Committees to offer prizes for them. Many of those shown at the Dairy Show were an 
outrage on the breed, and we strongly advise the public to have nothing to do with such, but only buy and 
keep the short or medium legged birds. Better the Langshan Club had never existed than attempt to foster 
