230 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
cockerels and pullets, and one which takes his brains to make the birds for the purpose. One has but to 
inspect the exhibits at the big Shows in this class to note the vast difference there is existing in the colours 
shown. 
" The correct colour for a cock of this variety, according to the awards at our leading Shows for several 
years past, is : — Eyes, orange red ; face and throat, rich bright red ; beak and legs, willow ; head feathers and 
neck hackle, silvery white ; back, a rich maroon, approaching to crimson, shading off to a rich straw colour 
on the saddle hackles. In my opinion, this is not correct, as the saddle hackles should be as nearly silver 
white as possible to match the neck hackles, and it is very seldom that there is a bird exhibited approaching 
this. The shoulder coverts should be a bright, brassy colour, clear and distinct, and not running into the 
black of the wing-butts, or into the steel-blue wing-bar below, the white coverts showing the clear white 
marking. The wing-butts should be perfectly black, the breast having a steely-blue slieen, and the tail black 
and glossy. 
" The hen should match the cock in eyes, beak, legs, and face. The head feathers should be a light 
grey, not showing rusty markings above the eyebrows ; hackle, silver-grey, having a black stripe each side of 
the shaft; breast, a bright salmon red ; back. and wings, slaty-grey, -with much small wavy-black pencillings, 
free from rusty or shafty markings ; the tail, dark grey, nearly black. 
" In order to retain the hardness of feather, and keep up the colour of the cockerels bred, it is impera- 
tive to cross with the Black-Red, and I have found that the best cockerels are produced in this manner ; but 
the pullets so bred are not fit for the Show pen, the Black-Red blood showing out in the rusty markings and 
brown cap on the head. In order to breed the Show pullets, Duckwings must be used on both sides, and 
even then the cockerels thus bred will often show some Black-Red markings. This colour of Game does 
not receive the attention in Australia which they deserve, as they are, without doubt, one of, if not the most, 
handsome and attractive of all. 
" The next Standard colour is that of the Brown-Red, and although this breed when seen at its best is 
one of the most beautiful of all the colours of Game, yet we find that, within the last few years, the exhibits, 
in point of numbers, have been gradually falling off, very few Fanciers taking the trouble to breed them. My 
experience is, that there is a something in these birds that none of our Fanciers seem to understand. I have 
bred the Standard colours often, but as for getting the shape, style, and reach of the Modern Game into 
Brown-Reds, well, it has simply beaten me — and, I am sure, many others. I have imported tall, reachy 
birds, and expected to get something to look at, but always suffered disappointment. There seems to be a 
disposition in these birds to become short and thick-set, and a general deterioration ; in fact, they are a class 
of birds that the great difficulty of breeding them for the Show pen prevents them becoming favourites in 
this country, though in Great Britain they are highly prized. 
" The Brown- Red cock should have eyes black ; beak, legs, and feet, as dark as possible ; face, purplish 
black ; head, golden ; neck hackle, bright lemon, striped with black ; back, bright lemon, evenly striped 
with black ; the saddle hackle, shading off to bright lemon ; the shoulder-coverts and wing-bows, bright 
lemon ; breast, rich black, each feather from the throat to the thighs being evenly laced around the edge 
with gold colour, not too heavy, giving ihe bird the appearance of having a front of golden chain mail ; the 
rest of the body, including the tail, rich black. 
"The Brown-Red hen should match the cock in face, eyes, beak, legs, and feet. Her back wings and 
tail should be of the brightest green-black colour, showing no lacing or marking ivhatcver on the back, ivings, 
or tail ; black breast, lightly and evenly laced with lemon ; the neck hackle should be black, edged with 
lemon, richly and evenly distributed throughout, but on the head the feathers should be a darker gold. I 
find that these birds do not breed true to colour, and no doubt this is the cause of Fanciers not breeding 
them. From a pair of prize birds I have got birds of all shades of colour, and they never can be depended 
upon. The best of this colour I ever bred were from a Lemon cock and a Birchen hen, that is, a hen with 
