352 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
increasing in breadth to the saddle, which should be very full and rise well from between the shoulders; the 
wings short, and well tucked up: the tail abundantly furnished with side-hangers, having no hard quill feathers, 
the true tail being also composed of soft feathers, the quills of which should be fine and thin, and unresisting to 
pressure. The whole tail should fall nicely in an unbroken curve with the back and saddle ; the under-fiuff 
should be very full, and standing well out ; the thighs short, broad, and set wide apart ; the shanks thick and 
short, and the whole legs and toes covered abundantly with soft feathers. The hen should have a small 
head, surmounted by a thin, straight, well-serrated, and perfectly erect comb ; ear-lobes, face, and wattles 
rich bright rod ; eyes, red or yellow, the former preferred ; neck, short, the hackle full and long ; body feather 
very abundant, soft, and fluffy ; wings, short and well tucked up at the sides ; cushion, globular as possible ; 
tail, extra small, being almost hidden by the cushion feathers ; legs, short, the legs, feet, and toes being 
covered with soft feathers in abundance. The body should be very close to the ground, giving the bird an 
appearance of plumpness. 
Most of the Cochin Bantams rarely develop full shape or full feather till after the first adult moult, the 
birds at two years making up a lot, so that a bird wanting in cushion or feathering while under a year and a 
half old should not be discarded, as frequently these birds turn out by far the best. 
In selecting Cochin Bantams for breeding, a lot of future success rests on the tail and hock feathers of 
the stock birds, which should be soft in t/ic qiiill, the feathers having a tendency to curl inwards. This trait 
is sure evidence of being well bred, especially if accompanied with abundant feathering. 
The legs and feet of all Cochin Bantams, except Blacks, should be as yellow as possible, the more leg 
and toe feathering the better, though the Blacks would look better also with yellow legs, but they are mostly 
shown with dark legs, which is quite allowable. 
In mating the Buff Pekin for colour, a rich, solid-coloured cinnamon cock, mated with clear, even-shaded 
Buff hens, their whole body colour running two or three shades lighter than the cock's breast, will throw 
chickens all desired, both cockerels and pullets. 
If a pair are matched for breeding, such as a cock described with a hen the colour of an ordinary Buff 
Cochin cock, the cockerels so bred will be far too dark, and the pullets would be almost a dark cinnamon. 
If the lighter Buffs are mated, the tendency is just the opposite, the chickens each generation becoming 
lighter and lighter, until they become mealy and worthless. 
Black Pcki)i or Cochin Bantams are, next to the Buffs, the greatest favourites ; and, as we remarked, 
the colour of the legs is but a matter of taste. We, however, incline to the yellow leg, as setting off the 
plumage better. The latter should be as lustrous as possible — one uniform beetle-green, as seen in the Black 
Hamburg. The under-feather, or fluff, should be black at the roots, the head points corresponding with the 
other varieties of the Pekin Bantam. In breeding the Black Pekin, the same system of mating to produce 
cockerels and pullets must be followed as laid down for the breeding of Black Rose-comb Bantams. 
Cuckoo Pekin or Cochin Bantams should have yellow legs and beaks ; the latter slightly stained is no 
fault, harmonising with the plumage. The latter in different birds varies considerably— from a pale, almost 
white ground, with cloudy and indistinct markings, to a beautiful soft French grey ground, with bars of dark 
slate ; of course, the more clearly defined and the finer the markings the better. The marking required in 
Cuckoo Pekins is a series of clearly-defined bars across each and every feather throughout both cock and 
hen, the leg and toe feathering being marked exactly the same. The greatest fault the Cuckoo Bantam is 
liable to is white feathers in the tail and wings, which is very objectionable, and one of the very hardest 
faults to breed out when once it is in a strain. This must be borne in mind when mating Cuckoo Bantams, 
one of the parent birds at least must be free from the white feathers, or the chickens will be worthless ; and, 
if possible, in selecting birds see that the cock is sound-coloured. The hen being foul-marked will not be of 
such grave importance. 
The Partridge Cochin or Pekin Bantam should be similar in every respect save size to the large 
Partridge Cochin, that is, the cock should be a perfectly sound glossy black in breast, tail, thighs, and 
