THE POULTRY BOOK. 
79 
Game,’ evidently possess all the principal characteristics of this class of poultry. 
Unless frequently crossed to obtain fresh blood, closely bred Malays quickly lose 
size so materially that, in a few generations only, they become but very little 
larger than common fowls. Even when thus degenerate, however, a couple of 
years of well planned and careful cross-breeding (with fowls of their own class) 
at once will raise the progeny to the original gigantic standard. They should be 
renewed frequently, for this reason, at farthest once in three years.” 
The subject of ^^in and in breeding” has always been one of great dispute 
between different rearers of live stock of all descriptions ; one party, like Mr. 
Hewitt, maintaining that it is fatal to hope for large size and constitutional vigour if 
it is persisted in ; their opponents, on the other hand, asserting that when you 
have obtained perfection, in and in breeding must be partially followed in order 
to preserve it. Mr. Ballance, one of the highest authorities on all points concerning 
Malays, has favoured us with his views on the matter. He states — There is one 
remark I should like to make for the benefit of amateurs, now that my oppor- 
tunities for exhibiting are likely to be few and far between. It has reference to 
what I believe has been the secret of the success I have experienced with 
Malays, both coloured and white, for a period of nearly thirty years. During 
the whole of this period I have never allowed the introduction of any fresh blood 
by crossing with any other strain of Malays, but have kept entirely to my 
own; and as I have succeeded in winning more prizes with Malays than any 
other fancier of these much-abused but most valuable birds, in all parts of the 
kingdom, I think my experience is not to be despised, as testifying to the fact that 
breeding in and in does not necessarily deteriorate the birds who may be subjected 
to this operation; but then all depends upon how the breeding in and in is 
managed. If a person has one yard only, and allows the produce to continue 
breeding without any discrimination, then the worst effects will follow, and the 
birds get small and weedy ; but my plan has been to keep about five or six distinct 
runs, and to rear about two to three hundred chickens each year, and select the 
best birds from each run for crossing to make up my yards the next season. I 
thus secure sufficient crossing to prevent deterioration, and by judiciously selecting 
about two dozen birds, the pick and choice of nearly three hundred, I have been 
able to produce each year specimens for -exhibition superior to their parents of the 
year preceding, and leaving all other competitors far in the distance. I believe the 
same management would apply and be found to answer with any other breed.” 
The Kev. A. G. Brooke, of Buyton-Eleven-Towns, a well-known and most suc- 
cessful exhibitor of this variety, has furnished us with the following valuable notes 
on the rearing and general management of these birds in ranges of limited extent. 
He writes : — About eight years ago I purchased a pen of light Malays ; with 
these I won the silver cup at the Bath and West of England Show, held at Barn- 
staple in 1859, and with the same birds the silver cup at Dorchester in 1860. The 
chickens bred from these birds were all light ; and finding that the judges at 
various shows passed them by in favour of dark ones, I disposed of them, and 
