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Chapter XXII. 
DORKINCxS. 
The Dorking can safely claim to be the English Fowl par excellence, as outside of mere fancy value for 
exhibition purposes the breed holds a world-wide popularity for its economic virtues. Strange that the 
Dorking has not been fostered to any extent in the Australasian colonies, and this may, possibly, be attributed 
to one or other of the following causes : — First, the extreme difficulty in acclimatising them under the widely 
different climatic surroundings of Australia and that of Great Britain, and the difficulty experienced b) 
fanciers here in obtaining fresh blood, the long voyage and necessarily close confinement being a great draw 
back, besides which few, if any, arrive with their feet and toes in sound condition. 
The advent of Poultry Shows has certainly done much to improve the feather properties of the Dorking, 
but it is a very open question whether the so-called improvements have or have not caused a deterioration in 
their economic qualities. The first, or early Dorkings, were of a grey colour, the hens being of a neat grey 
speckled colour on the upper part of the body and wings, and were not nearly so large as the besf 
present day specimens, the general shape being also somewhat different. At this time the White 
variety was much fostered, and recognised as the true Dorking, but the skill of breeders has now mastered 
the difficulty of type and feather, and the Coloured and Silver-Grey varieties have now outstripped their 
progenitors in the essential points of the breed. 
Coloured Dorkings. — That this variety has been cultivated to its now high standard of excellence by 
the aid of a distinct cross is without dispute. They are bred and exhibited with both single and rose combs, 
though the latter are rarely seen in the Coloured variety. The colour of the Dark or Coloured Dorking 
cock is hackle and saddle-hackle, white or straw, well striped with black in the centre of the feathers, 
especially distinct towards the ends ; the back a mixture of cream and rusty brown straw, more or less 
intermixed with black ; shoulders, coverts, and wing-bow a mixture of white, black, and grey ; wing-bar glossy 
greenish-black ; wing secondaries, white on the outer web, black on the inner web ; breast, thighs, and under- 
parts as black as possible, though a slight mixture of white or brown feathers is admissible ; tail black as 
possible J face, comb, lobes, and wattle brilliant red ; legs and feet a delicate white, with a pinky shade. 
The hen to match is similar in face, comb, lobes, legs, and feet ; the hackle white or of a very pale straw 
colour, each feather striped with black, this latter marking varies in density in different specimens, in some 
being quite black, while in others more of a greyish shade ; breast a salmon red, with the outer edges of the 
feathers more or less tipped with a greyish black, also of various shades of density ; the rest of the body 
feathers being dark grey, almost black, the shafts of the feathers being creamy white, with the edges of the 
feathers of a paler shade on the back and cushion, the feathers on the wings and sides having a tendency to a 
dull brownish tinge, minutely pencilled with a darker colour, the feathers being laced with a still darker colour, 
almost black, the tail coverts are similar to the back and cushion, the true tail feathers being almost black. 
Still another colour of hen also shown with some success, and considered by many to be even more handsome, 
has the body feathers pencilled with brownish grey in the centre, with black lacing round the edges, the 
hackle being a trifle lighter, and the breast a shade lighter salmon colour. To breed cockerels to feather 
points, hens, as secondly described, will produce them uniformly if mated with a standard coloured cock, but to 
breed pullets of the first mentioned marking, it will be necessary to use a cock with heavily striped hackles, 
the darker the better, also avoiding as much as possible white in breast or tail. 
Silver-Grey Dorkings. — This variety is the most popular of the whole family, and this is not to be 
wondered at, as the plumage of both sexes is so beautifully clear and distinct. There is little doubt that 
