Australian Game (Modern Type). 
269 
whatever being paid to the mating of the stock outside of actual fighting qualities. We have come into 
contact with many old-time patrons of the sport, and their unanimous opinion is, that the class of Fowl bred 
for the Pit in this country could just about whip creation. This is no idle boast, as many importations of 
the best from other parts have been tested with them. Mr. Phil. ^Villiams, a well-known breeder of Colonial 
Fighting Game, while on a visit to Great Britain some time back, visited many of the more prominent 
cockers' yards in that country, with the intention of bringing out to Australia some of the best Old Style 
British fighting stock, but was by no means favourably impressed with the class of birds used for the purpose, 
mentioning the fact to the writer that the best of them he saw were not to be compared with the stock here. 
He, however, bought some " Tassells," renowned as a wonderful fighting strain, but on trying them, would 
not bring them home. The origin of the Fighting Colonial Game is somewhat obscure ; but it is definitely 
certain that the old-fashioned, white-legged British Game, the Malay, and the true Indian Game Fowl (the 
Aseel) were used in their composition. The various strains, being crossed and re-crossed, produced a 
nondescript Fowl in colour, but of undeniable Game qualities. For Pit purposes they are bred rather small. 
From a Photograph). 
Mr. W. Heron's Australian Duck wing Game Pullet. 
an average weight for cocks being 5 to 6 lbs. (size being restricted by the cockers breeding from small hens), 
though they will at times reach great weights, even up to 10 and 11 lbs., without any special care in mating. 
Birds of this size are difficult to match, any bird weighing 7 lbs. or over being termed a " turn out," or " shake 
bag." These large ones are fought at "catch weights," the others being matched to an ounce. 
Their chief merits, in addition to their fighting capabilities, are handsome appearance and sprightly 
action, extreme hardiness, easily reared, the hens good layers and best of mothers, as a Table Fowl scarcely 
surpassed, and, if given a good range, always in excellent condition for the table. 
In breeding any of the varieties for the Show pen, it will be understood that birds only of good size, style, 
symmetry, and close, hard, lustrous plumage should be selected as breeding stock, discarding any bird which 
is constitutionally weak, or possessed of bodily deformity in any form, or which has a tendency towards the 
angular stilty type of the Malay, especially avoiding in the hens those in ivhich the neck hackle bunches, as 
it were, behind and below the back of the head, then finishing off suddenly to a point an inch or so short of 
