Persistency of “Blood” in Games. 
28c 
differences have only been exaggerated of late years. In general, it may be said that the old style 
of bird was more compact and stout in make, with thicker bones and rather shorter neck, and tail 
somewhat more upright and spreading. Up to a certain point the change did not spoil the appear- 
ance, and it is the opinion of many of the best judges that nothing was lost in other points ; indeed, 
as many of the most successful exhibitors were still, “on tire sly,” enthusiastic fighters, they could 
not fail to detect any falling off in the old sturdy qualities of their fowls. There was at least no 
want of birds whose purity and “gameness” of blood were undeniable. The change has lately, 
however, been carried to such an extreme that this can no longer be said, and the good table and 
laying qualities of the old breed have vanished from the stilty, Malay-like competitors at recent 
shows. The opinion of their admirers as to their beauty is certainly not shared by the general 
public, and economic merit these delicate and weak-kneed birds have none. 
For our earlier notes on the breeding and exhibition of the modern Game Fowl, we are 
indebted to the kindness of Mr. John Douglas, whose knowledge of both the old and modern 
type of fowl is well known, and who has bred, both for the Duke of Newcastle and on his own 
account, many of the very best winning birds. His instructions were the first which had ever 
appeared in print respecting the breeding of this noble bird to exhibition standards, and they were 
fully up to the standard of twenty years ago. The transformation in all breeds during that period 
has, however, been shared by the Game fowl in a more marked degree, and has rendered necessary 
some revision, which has been kindly undertaken for us by Mr. W. F. Entwisle, of Bawtry, 
Yorkshire, whose authority and competence, both as a breeder and judge of the modern fowl, are 
well known. In a very few details it has been thought well to correct Mr. Douglas’ original text, 
to avoid mistakes ; otherwise Mr. Entwisle’s own remarks will show what difference exists in the 
more modern canons. 
“ The law that ‘ like produces like ’ is only true if the birds are of pure and known blood, and 
this is the great secret in breeding. For colour we chiefly look to the hen in Game, and to the cock 
for style and symmetry ; but the most wonderful point is the suddenness with which any change 
of cocks in a run will change the blood and apparently reverse this rule. I have proved this by 
setting the fourth egg after change, having put a Brown-red to Black-red hens, taking away 
the same evening the Black-red cock. The fourth egg produced a splendidly coloured Brown-red 
cockerel ; and wonderful to say, from one hen of pure Black - red blood I thus obtained nine 
Brown- reds, and not one Black-red. Nevertheless, the rule will generally hold good, of depending 
on the hen for colour. The self-same hen two years before, when a pullet, was left without a 
mate after the first two eggs were laid, and every egg of the batch produced a good Black-red. 
This is the mystery, how suddenly the influence of one cock seems destroyed by the introduc- 
tion of another in the run ; and there is no way of proving this so well as breeding the different 
colours in Game. 
“ As an instance of how birds with any admixture of blood will retain it and ‘ throw back,’ 
even after twenty years have passed, I may mention the following : — A short, very hard-feathered 
Spangled cock having been put to a Black-red hen, a cockerel from this cross, put to the mother, 
threw some of the finest Black-reds ever seen in England. A cockerel from this cross, put to the 
hens from the first cross, gave a second family, which were bred backwards and forwards as 
required, and kept the colour well for twelve years. At the end of this time a cockerel and pullets 
being mated of the same hatch, produced a few Spangles , which were shown and won the first prize 
in the ‘Any Variety’ class of Game, at Birmingham. Again, nine years later, by putting together 
a cockerel and pullets from the same hatch, and from the same bfood, I had a still greater number of 
