432 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
DOMINIQUES. — This is perhaps the oldest of the distinctive American breeds, being 
mentioned in the earliest poultry-books as an indigenous and valued variety. In general 
chaiacteristics it closely resembles a rose-combed Cuckoo Dorking with four toes, or rather the 
Scotch Grey, but with brilliant yellow legs, which the Americans seem to admire in all their 
fowls. The comb should be a neat rose, resembling that of the Hamburghs ; face, wattles, and 
deaf-ears red ; legs bright yellow ; and the plumage what English fanciers call cuckoo-colour, which 
is composed oi a light bluish-grey ground, crossed with bands of a darker grey or blue. The shape 
is Dorking, and the size medium, averaging perhaps seven to eight pounds in adult cocks and six 
pounds in hens. Americans call this colour Dominique, hence the name. 
Figs. 93 an d 94 represent the feathers of Dominique cock and hen, and will also represent 
those of Plymouth Rocks. The shade of colour varies, the darker bands in some specimens 
being nearly black ; but a medium colour is preferable. Whatever the shade, however, the hackles 
and shoulders of the cocks should partake of the same character, and be free from reddish or 
golden feathers, which are blemishes very apt to occur, but which may be guarded against by 
careful breeding. These remarks, the drawings of the feathers, and the description of the plumage 
will apply to a large class of poultry, called by the French, as by ourselves, Coiicou, from its 
resemblance to the plumage on the breast of that bird. Cuckoo Dorkings, Cuckoo Cochins, 
Anconas or Cuckoo Spanish, Cuckoo Polish, Gueldres or Cuckoo Bredas, Scotch Greys, &c., all 
have this plumage ; which differs from that of Pencilled Hamburghs, to which it bears some 
resemblance in the transverse character of the markings, in that the pencillings or bars are much 
larger or coarser ; and more essentially (since mere size of marking could soon be modified by 
breeding) in the bands being in this case shaded gradually dark into light, instead of presenting 
the sharp contrast of marking and ground shown by what are called Pencilled birds. 
This breed was at one time popular in America, and had many plain, useful qualities ; but 
both there and here it has since been practically superseded by that next mentioned. 
PLYMOUTH ROCKS. — The variety now known by this name has not been correctly described 
in previous works on poultry ; all hitherto published, both in England and America, confounding 
it with a creation of Dr. Bennett’s some twenty years ago, and described by him in his well-known 
American work on fowls. This description is highly curious, and well illustrates our opening 
remarks on some American so-called “breeds.” “I have given this name,” he says, “to a very 
extra breed of fowls, which I produced by crossing a Cochin China cockerel with a hen that was 
herself a cross between the Fawn-coloured Dorking, the Great Malay, and the Wild India. Her 
weight is six pounds seven ounces. The Plymouth Rock fowl, then, is in reality one-half 
Cochin China, one-fourth Fawn-coloured Dorking, one-eighth Great Malay, and one-eighth Wild 
India. Their plumage is rich and variegated, the cocks usually red and speckled, and the pullets 
darkish brown. They are very fine fleshed, and early fit for the table. Their legs are very large, 
and usually blue or green, but occasionally yellow or white, generally having five toes upon each 
foot ; some have the legs feathered, but this is not usual.” 
It is only necessary to read the above description to see that this very extra breed of fowls, 
which bred legs yellow, white, blue, or green, feathered or clean, five-toed or four-toed, could not 
possibly last long. It was too “extra” for this world, and even the inventor could not “run the 
machine” long, so complicated was it in its various parts. This Plymouth Rock, then, naturally and 
inevitably disappeared from simple disintegration of its heterogeneous materials, and though Dr. 
Bennett’s old description has been copied by all poultry authors who have noticed the fowl at all 
up to the present date, this has arisen simply from ignorance, first of the fowl itself, and, secondly, 
