274 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
upstanding bird, good shape, rather twisted in hackle. Hens : Mr. S. R. Watkins, ist, did not handle so 
well as she looked, rather long in feather, very tall ; Mr. W. H. Webb, 2nd ; Mr. J. Hurford, 3rd. Cockerels: 
Mr. T. Gardiner, ist, a tremendous bird, grand long neck, good square, well-carried shoulders, good body 
very long legs, enormous thighs, and great bone ; good tail. This was one of the best cockerels ever penned. 
He was not perfect in toes, and his head might have been a little longer. Mr. Gardiner might well be proud 
of having bred such a bird. He had the sympathy of many at not winning the Cup for best Australian Game 
Cock or Cockerel in the Show. Mr. J. Carpenter, 2nd, a good short-feathered bird, rather dark ; Mr. J. Hull, 
3rd, grand colour, rather round on shoulders. Pullet: Mr. J. Carpenter, ist, a fine large, good-coloured bird ; 
Bonaventure Poultry Farm, 2nd, baggy and coarsely-pencilled on secondaries ; Mr. J. Hull, 3rd, a good 
sound partridge-coloured pullet, ought to have been 2nd easy. The 1896 Show of the New South Wales 
Poultry, Pigeon, Canary, and Dog Society brings us up to date, and with it some of the greatest surprises the 
Australian Game Fowl breeders ever had. In cocks, Mr. Brown was astonished to find he had won ist with 
the same bird that Messrs. Silcox and Campbell got 3rd with the previous year. Mrs. W. H. Webb was 2nd, 
with the great bird Mr. Gardiner scored with in cockerels in 1895 ; and Mr. W. Wynne came 3rd, with his 
fine coloured bird. Mr. S. R. Watkins was much disappointed to find his ist Prize and Cup winner of the 
previous year, although in splendid form, actually unnoticed, and beaten by two birds he put down the 
previous year. For a Cup winner, penned in splendid condition, to come down so low as to be unworthy of 
a card in one year surprised many. In hens, Mr. S. R. Watkins " got home " with a very reachy one ; Mr. 
J. Hurford, 2nd and 3rd. Cockerels found new blood in Mr. J. House, ist, with a smart, close-feathered, 
well-made bird, set on the best of legs, and perfect feet; Mr. F. J. Riordan, 2nd ; Mr. J. James, 3rd ; all 
three new men at this Show. I trust their success will encourage them to try again. Pullets : Mr. F. J. 
Riordan, ist, a great surprise, as she carried a Malay comb, was deformed, and absolutely unable to stand 
up in the pen ; Mr. S. R. Watkins, 2nd, by far the best in the class, a raking, stylish bird, good head and 
eyes, and one of the best ever penned; Mr. J. T. Town, 3rd, a very nice one. Mr. W. Heron penned a 
sensational Duckwing cockerel at this Show.* Fearing space was limited prevented my dealing with 
Duckwing, Pile, Black, and White Australian Game. 
" I feel that no account of the Australian Game Fowl would be complete without giving the Hon. E. 
Greville, M.L.C., President of the New South Wales Poultry, Pigeon, Canary, and Dog Society, every credit 
for the several handsome cups he has so liberally presented for open competition. These cups brought 
about the keenest competition, and many Australian Game Fowl breeders feel very grateful to that ever 
genial and kind donor for the great impetus he gave the breed, which, after all, is Australia's only Fowl." 
The following remarks are kindly added by Mr. James T. Campbell, equally well known as an 
enthusiastic admirer, breeder, and successful exhibitor of the variety. Mr. Campbell writes : — 
" My experience of the ' Colonials^ as they were called, dates back to my early boyhood days, and birds 
of that type were kept by my father for many years previously. The hen fever attacking me, I gave my 
parent no peace until he built a house and run for the accommodation of my birds, independent of his own, 
stocking mine with a few of the Game Fowls of the period. Shortly after I had the good fortune to obtain 
a pure Malay cock from Mr. Philip Clark, Flaggy Crossing, Glenmore, via the Oaks, who had at the time 
imported some specimens of the Malay from the Mauritius, placing this cock with Game hens, some of the 
Old Style British, and others of the old stamp of Colonial Fighting Game ; and after breeding the pullets 
back to the cock, and the cockerels to the hens, again crossing the progeny thus bred, produced some 
' thumping big Colonials,' all more or less of the present-day Black-Red type. For some years following I 
chose my largest, tallest, and best coloured cockerels, putting these up to the best hens I could procure, and 
occasionally breeding the pullets thus produced back to their father, culling out each year birds faulty in 
comb, eye, or colour, aiming all the time to obtain length of limb ; the hens brown on top of the head, 
yellow and black hackle, brown body colour, and wings without the pencilling now often seen on the variety, 
the hens in those days being ever so much darker and harder-feathered than the general run of present-day 
• This bird won the Greville Challenge Cup for Australian Game, open to all colours. — Ed. 
