288 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
style of hens that we find most useful in all our crossing to get what we want for the show-pens 
in colour, beginning with style and symmetry, which will do for all three useful colours, or, I may 
say, shades of colour, as all are really one. Beak to be stout where set on the head, curved 
slightly, and sharp at the point ; upper mandible same colour all over, viz., dark horn ; comb small, 
thin, straight, and evenly serrated ; head rather long, neat, and snake-like ; eyes red and 
prominent, with a fiery expression, as much as to say, ‘ I won’t easily submit’ (which we sometimes 
see in larger game of the same sex) ; face bright red and thin ; deaf-ear red and small ; wattles 
thin and neatly rounded ; neck inclined to be long, slightly curved, and short-feathered, the 
feathers meeting at a point between the shoulder when the neck is extended, and not so long as 
to form a sort of tippet ; back in shape similar to the cock, but in the old hen inclined to be 
rather more broad and flat, tapering off to the tail ; wings not inclined to be long, but to seem cut 
Hackle. Flat of Wing. Back. Saddle. 
Fig. 69. — Feathers of Black-red Hen. 
short in body, and powerfully made — as these are not birds meant for continual flight, they are not 
so long in comparison as in a bird of passage, but have very strong butts and rather short pinion 
or flight-feathers. The wings should be carried rather high, and close in to sides. Tail moderate 
in length, and nicely ‘Venetianed,’ that is, each feather lapping a little over the other, like a Venetian 
blind, to give it a nice, neat, compact form, not open and fan-shaped. The hen should carry it a 
little above the horizontal line. Breast broad and prominent ; thigh-bone inclined to be long, but 
well kept close along the body, and not stilty, with great muscle, feeling firm in the hand, so 
that when you have her in your hand she well fills it up. Shank clean, and scales smooth ; a 
moderate length of bone, finishing off with good, flat, wide-spread toes ; the hinder one coming 
out level from the foot. Carriage upright, neat, quick, and active. 
“ The colour of Black-red hens is as follows : — Head and neck golden, streaked with black, 
but not the gold and black run into each other ; body-colour partridge, or as near to a partridge- 
colour as possible, even to run up the outside or top-feathers of the tail ; salmon-red breast, 
commencing under the throat, running off to ashy colour on thighs, without any coarse or large 
pencilling on flight-feathers in the wing. This being the principal and proper exhibition colour. 
