406 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
The White-crested Black Polish is pronounced by almost all who have kept it to be an 
extremely delicate variety, very subject to cold and roup, and constitutionally weak in other 
respects ; but Mr. Peter Unsworth, one of the most successful exhibitors of the present day, gives 
the breed a different character altogether, writing to us of his fowls as follows : — 
“ They are, I find, extremely hardy, and prolific layers of medium-sized eggs. It is an error 
to suppose they cannot be successfully kept on damp or clayey soil, as my place is both damp and 
a heavy clay soil, surrounded by what are called flood-meadows or marshes, which are covered with 
water for almost six months of the year ; yet I find no difficulty in breeding and rearing them, or 
keeping them in health, under these circumstances. The cock should be about six pounds in 
weight when in good condition, with a noble upright carriage, and the hen five pounds. The crests 
should have as few black feathers as possible, and those only in front over the beak. In breeding 
for exhibition, the chief thing is to put together birds with the largest crests you can get.” 
We are bound to say that this opinion as to the hardiness of Black Polish is not borne out by 
the experience of any other fancier we are acquainted with. 
Besides the three leading varieties now described, various other breeds of Polish are occasionally 
seen at shows, nearly all of which are handsome fowls, and worthy of more extensive cultivation. 
The most commonly met with is the Buff or Chamois Polish. In this variety the ground- 
colour is buff, or, rather, light gold, somewhat like the Golden-spangled breed, but the spangling 
is white, instead of black. The effect is rather pretty, though a little sickly-looking. In most of 
the specimens we have observed, the white marking is hardly so much laced in character as in the 
Golden-spangled birds, partaking more of a spangled character. The white should be as sharp, 
clear, and regularly put on as possible, and the ground-colour as even and rich as can be obtained, 
a pale buff being very inferior in effect. There is little doubt that this breed was originated by a 
cross between the Golden-spangled and the White ; at least this cross often produces the colour 
exactly, converting the black marking into white without much changing the ground-colour, 
precisely as the cross between Black-red and White Game produces a Pile. The variety can 
therefore be easily bred and shown by any one who may possess good White specimens ; and, in 
spite of its delicate appearance, is very hardy. 
White Polish are generally very large and fine birds — perhaps the largest of all existing Polish 
varieties. They are not so often met with now as formerly. It is thought they sprang originally 
from the Silver-spangled. The White-crested Black birds occasionally throw pure white chickens, 
but these, of course, are small, and have no beards, like the parents ; while the true White Polish is 
large and fully bearded. 
There was formerly a breed of Black-crested White Polish , but it has not been seen now for 
many years, which is the more to be regretted, as from all accounts it appears to have been the 
largest and hardiest variety of all. The last seen specimen of the genuine race appears to have 
been a hen found by Mr. B. P. Brent, at St. Omer, in 1854, which he describes as dwarfing even 
Malays (which were large fowls in those days) in the same yard, but inquiries he made leave some 
hope that even yet the breed may perhaps be recovered from the Continent. These, too, were 
bearded fowls. The mere colour might easily be obtained by perseverance, as has been proved by 
every one who has attempted it ; choosing for the purpose such White Polish fowls as show (which 
many do) even a very slight tendency to black in the crest ; according to the principle long since 
discovered by both breeders of animals and cultivators of floral varieties, that the first step towards 
any desired variation, and the most difficult, is to get the parent or normal stock to vary at all. By 
this means Mr. Vivian succeeded in approaching the desired colours, and a similar measure of 
