76 
THE POULTRY ROOK. 
•vvitli ease. The weight of the hens should not he less than seven and a half 
pounds, good specimens being even as heavy as ten pounds. 
In carriage and form, Malays are strikingly distinguished from all other varieties 
of domestic poultry. The cocks are exceedingly long in the neck and legs ; their 
carriage is particularly upright, the back being almost always at an angle of 45°, 
except when they are eating ; the wings are carried very high, and firmly closed. 
Malays are very bulky across the shoulders, and, from the closeness of the plumage, 
the fore part of the wing stands away from the body, as it does in the carrier pigeon. 
The body narrows very rapidly indeed towards the tail, which is very small, and droops 
in the cock so as nearly to form a straight line with the hack ; the thighs are long, 
strong, and well developed. The longer and stronger the legs the better, if length 
be combined with an easy gait in walking. The head is carried very high ; and 
from the short and very scanty nature of the hackle-feathers, the neck looks much 
longer than in any other variety of fowl. The form and carriage of the hen are 
generally similar to those of the cock ; but from the hackles being still shorter, the 
extreme prominency of the yungs is even more visible. 
The plumage in Malays is short and close, but exceedingly brilliant and glossy. 
Every feather, observes Mr. Hewitt, is peculiarly narrow, and possesses far less 
down towards the root than do the feathers ’of any other known variety; the 
plumage therefore, lies as closely as do scales upon each other ; and, consequently, 
should the bird be taken in hand, it always proves much more weighty than is 
anticipated. The extraordinary lustre of the entire plumage in well-bred and 
high-conditioned birds is remarkable. 
The head in the Malay is long and snaky, the brow projecting over the eye so as 
to give a peculiarly hard expression to the face. The eyes should be bright fiery 
red, as according best with the restless and vindictive expression of the face ; but 
pearl eyes are found in good specimens. The beak is very strong and hooked. 
The comb is very small, low, and flat, and is attached closely to the head, without 
any tendency to fall over to either side. It should be covered over with small 
warty prominences, and end abruptly over the eye, not projecting in a peak. 
Malays are remarkably characterized by the very slight development of wattles 
and ear-lobes ; but the skin of the face and upper part of the throat is red, 
and, from the scanty nature of the plumage, this redness becomes a marked 
feature of the breed. The countenance has been justly described as very skinny. 
In colour Malays vary considerably. The varieties generally exhibited partake 
of the colour of black and brown breasted red game. In these, the hackle and 
saddle in the cock should be dark glossy red ; the breast black, or black slightly 
mottled with brown. The back and shoulder coverts are deep rich maroon ; the bar 
across the wings wide, and well marked with a bright metallic or purplish green 
black tint. 
The flight- feathers or quills she aid be dark red, and the tail-feathers small, 
black, and glossy to an extreme degree, being resplendent with purple and green 
metallic reflections, as the light plays upon them in the movement of the bird. 
