Modern Game Fowls . 
299 
“ Referring now to the colours, the desired plumage of the Black-red Game cock should 
be described as follows : — Head and neck-hackle bright orange-red, free from black or dark 
stripes ; back, wing - bow, and shoulder coverts rich crimson, or bright claret, shading into 
orange on the saddle hackles ; shoulder butts, breast, and thighs, rich black, with steel 
shading ; wing bars, or coverts, steel blue, free from rustv colour ; secondaries, clear bay, the end 
of each feather tipped with black ; tail, black ; sickles and secondary sickles, either blue-black 
or with greenish shading, the former preferred ; the under parts of body and fluff, dense black, 
quite free from rust. This is the most perfect and fashionable colour, which we will call, with 
Mr. Douglas, No. 1. The great difficulty is to find this bright colour free from red in the fluff or 
under feather of the breast, thighs, and hocks. 
“ The next best colour, and which is generally more reliable for pullet breeding, is as follows : — 
The head and neck-hackle is a darker red, almost a bay ; back, a deep rich red ; wing-bow and 
shoulder coverts, rather a brighter shade than the back ; saddle similar to hackle ; in other points 
similar to No. 1. The black is generally very sound in this shade of bird ; and it is equally useful, 
with No. 1, for breeding purposes. There are other shades frequently seen in Black-reds, but they 
are not to be encouraged, and therefore need no description, further than to say that in the darker 
Reds a few slight stripes of black in the lower part of the hackle are of no disadvantage in pullet 
breeding, but rather otherwise. 
“ The colour of the Black-red hen should be as follows : — Head and neck-hackle, golden in 
the shaft and margin of each feather, with a black stripe on each side of the shaft, as represented 
in Fig. 69 ; back and wings, and outer top feathers of tail, partridge brown, the markings being 
very fine and small, and even throughout, any coarse pencilling being highly objectionable ; the 
rest of the tail black, slightly marked with partridge brown ; breast, salmon-red or red fawn 
colour, shading off to ashy grey on the thighs. In a perfect specimen, when the wings are open, 
the same shade should be observed right across wings and back, no foxy or rusty feathers 
showing. This is the standard or Ai colour. More frequently, however, we find shown at present 
birds with rather less of the black stripes in the hackle, and more or less of the foxy or clay shade 
on the wing-bow, otherwise closely resembling No. 1. These usually are the closest and hardest- 
feathered birds, and consequently show the best style, and they are the best breeders of the bright- 
coloured cockerels. They are as successful as the more perfect coloured birds, owing to their hard, 
stylish appearance ; but No. 1 should have the preference when the birds are otherwise equal in 
merit. A third shade, and still very useful for breeding bright cocks — in fact, the most useful colour 
to mate with a cock of the dark shade in order to breed winning cockerels — is, head and neck- 
hackle golden yellow only, slightly striped with black ; back and wings, very light partridge, and 
breast almost creamy white, though showing a slight greyish or ashy shade towards the thighs ; 
the outer top tail feathers very light partridge, like back, and rest of tail black. 
“ The red Wheaten hens, so called from the resemblance of their colour to red wheat, are very 
scarce now, and not so highly prized as formerly, although they can be depended upon to breed 
the brightest colours both of Black-red and Duckwing cocks. The colour should be as follows, 
although seldom now so seen except in Game Bantams, owing to the frequent crossing with the 
partridge-feathered Reds, by which the old wheaten type is almost lost : — Head and neck, clear 
cinnamon or buff, or very slightly striped with black towards shoulders ; back and wing, light 
cinnamon, or red wheat colour; breast and thighs, creamy white; tail, black, the top outer feathers 
edged with buff. There are intermediate shades between this and the light Partridge Reds, which 
are generally termed wheatens, but they are seldom so hard-feathered as the pure Wheaten, nor are 
they so good looking. Two or three good specimens were exhibited at Birmingham and else- 
where recently. The legs of the Wheatens are usually a very bright but light willow. 
