294 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
of steel-blue feathers on the wing, which gives the whole class of these fowls the name of 
Duckwing, being similar to the bar on the mallard’s wing. The under parts of the body were 
black, and breast black with a slight blue cast ; tail black, sickles sharp and fine, and secondary 
sickles short, and standing or carried just one touching the other, with a green bronzy-black 
appearance, very little tail-coverts being carried in this breed. They were in general a hard-fleshed 
fowl, short in feather, and carrying very little of what is termed offal, that is, any clumsy weight 
where not required ; they were also noted for their quickness and long endurance in fighting, 
and I have seen cocks of this breed kill four and five adversaries before leaving the pit. The 
hens to match are of a quiet colour, almost approaching to some coloured Brown-reds, being of a 
dark grey body, striped with silver slightly on most feathers, giving it more of a laced colour ; the 
breast being a little more starling-marked ; hackle dark, laced with silver ; tail black, the outer 
feathers slightly brown ; legs dark willow or black. These colours are different from what are 
sometimes given for the hen ; but the fact is the breed has not been shown for nine years, when 
Mr. Dixon showed the last pen of them at Preston ; hence they have been described by people who 
did not know them. They were, in fact, a true breed, which needed no crossing to get the colours, 
and so the hen was always darker and duller than the yellow Duckwing. Feathers from a Silver- 
grey Duckwing hen are shown in Fig. 73, and by comparing with the yellow Duckwing feathers 
on the preceding page, the difference will be readily seen. These feathers were plucked from a 
beautiful hen belonging to Mr. James Fletcher, of Stoneclough, near Manchester. 
“ What are termed Birchen Duckwings are merely birds bred from Duckwings on both sides, 
and sometimes will come from the cross of Brown-reds and Duckwings. This breed cannot be 
admired, for the simple reason that there is no purity of feather. The nearest description that 
can be given is as follows : — Head and hackle dark straw, mixed with rusty brown ; breast, creamy 
brown, a “ hodge-podge ” colour of cream and rusty brown straw ; saddle, straw and rusty brown ; 
wing-butts, dull brown ; bow, copper-brown ; coverts, mottled rusty brown and claret, with a dash of 
straw ; tail black, slightly bronzed ; legs willow or carp. Hen to match, a dirty dark grey, almost 
a brown — in fact, the Silver-grey hen in all points, only browner, and few distinguishing colours or 
markings, the shoulders being a little greyer than the back. They never had many admirers, not 
being bred for, but coming from crosses ; and not being tried for, and no one seeming to wish to keep 
the breed up, it is seldom now to be met with. 
[A few good Birchens have been shown at Birmingham and the Crystal Palace late shows, the 
colours being more clearly defined than the above description ; in fact, very near the modern 
Brown-red marking. — W. F. E.] 
“PILE GAME. — This is a breed very much admired, and always was. There are several 
varieties which merely vary in a few different-coloured feathers, such as the Worcester Piles and 
Cheshire Piles, having a few black feathers intermixed in body and tail ; whereas the Lancashire 
Pile is of pure colours, being white where a Black-red is black, and such we will describe, although 
a siightly-marbled breast is highly prized if not too heavy: — Symmetry a little lighter or more 
sprightly than a Black-red in general ; head a chestnut-red, hackle running a little lighter in colour 
than the head ; face a rather brighter red, and the chestnut carried right to the point of the hackle. 
Back, chestnut and claret colour ; shoulder-coverts and bow of the wings a rich claret red ; breast 
white, or each feather lightly laced with a pale chestnut ; wing-coverts white edged with red 
chestnut ; the tail white or merely a slight tick of black in the sickles, both in great and small 
sickles ; thighs white ; under part of body white ; eyes red ; legs yellow, white, or willow. 
The Pile Game hen’s head is a light golden chestnut ; hackle white, faced with yellow 
