THE POULTRY BOOK, 
43 
The legs and feet of both sexes should be perfectly yellow, well-feathered down 
the outside of the legs and on the outer and middle toes ; the feathers should be the 
same self-colour as the body, without any admixture of black or grey whatever. In 
very highly-conditioned birds, the inside of the legs and webs of the feet assume 
a decidedly pinky hue. If short upon the legs, the stronger in the bone the better. 
“ The comb in both cock and hen should be flat, evenly serrated, and stand 
perfectly erect on the head, without any inclination to either side ; any curvature 
whatever is a serious defect. The wattles of the cock should be thin, flne, without 
coarseness, and perfectly florid in colour. Those of the hen should be thin, fine, 
and delicate. 
“The ear-lobes of both cock and hen must be exceedingly well developed, very 
long, thin, and fine ; they frequently hang as low or even lower than the wattles ; 
any disposition to white is a decided defect, as they should be entirely florid in 
colour, and perlectly devoid of coarseness. In the hens the same traits of character 
exist, but on a smaller scale. 
“ The eye of the cock should be yellow-ochre coloured ; the bill also perfectly 
yellow. In the hen, the eyes are often a little darker than those of the cock, 
and are exceedingly expressive, mild, and docile in appearance.” 
It should be remarked that depth and shade of colour in Buff Cochins varies 
from rich deep buff to pale lemon ; all shades are admissible as exhibition birds, 
but it is imperatively necessary that they should match in the show pen. The 
variety termed Silver Buffs are of a very pale light silvery tint, almost approaching 
to that of the breed known as Silver Cinnamons, but wanting the well-defined 
coloured hackle and tail of that variety. 
The other varieties of Cochins will not require at our hands so lengthened a 
notice, inasmuch as their general characters are, or should be, precisely identical 
with those of the Buffs, differing only in the markings of the plumage. 
The Cinnamon Cochins, which are now always classed with the Buffs at the 
poultry shows, are characterized by the rich dark reddish cinnamon colour of the 
hackle and saddle feathers of the cock, the colours extending over the back and 
wings. The tail should be rich bronzy black, the side feathers edged with cinnamon, 
and the breast, thighs, and fluff the colour of wetted or dark cinnamon. In the 
hens the same wetted cinnamon colour prevails throughout the entire plumage. 
The Silver Cinnamons, if well marked, constitute an exceedingly beautiful variety. 
In the cocks the hackle and saddle and tail feathers are cinnamon, varying from a 
light to a rich bright tint, and slightly striped with white ; the thighs, breast, and 
fluff being a pale buff. In the hens the hackle is of a deep cinnamon, and the rest 
of the plumage of a very pale buff, which in many specimens is so light as to appear 
almost creamy white. The contrast of the light body with the dark hackle is 
exceedingly pleasing. 
The darker varieties of Cochins are distinguished and known as Partridge and 
Grouse Cochins. In these birds the cocks should have bright red hackles and 
saddles, with a well-defined black stripe down the middle of each feather ; the 
