CHAPTER XIIT. 
PENCILLED HAMBUEGHS. 
approacliing the consideration of those varieties of poultry now known as Ham- 
burghs, w^e are entering upon a subject that has given rise to warmer contro- 
versy than almost any other within the whole range of poultry literature. At the 
present time, at the great majority of poultry exhibitions, classes are arranged 
and prizes offered for five varieties included under the general name of ITamburghs, 
namely. Gold and Silver pencilled Hamburghs, Gold and Silver spangled Ham- 
burghs, and Black Hamburghs. Erroneous as this nomenclature undoubtedly is, 
its general recognition is an established fact : it is employed at nine-tenths of our 
poultry shows, and understood by the great body of exhibitors and breeders. Such 
being the case, we are afraid that any attempt at alteration would be injurious in 
the extreme, and attended by almost inextricable confusion. 
The correctness of such a system of nomenclature is entirely another question. 
There is no doubt that these fowls had originally no title whatever to the name 
of Hamburghs, wdiich w^as in the first instance given to them by some gentlemen 
connected with the early Birmingham shows. It is true that the pencilled birds 
formerly were, and still are, imported in considerable numbers from Holland, under 
the names of Pencilled Butch, and Butch Every-day Layers; but the spangled birds 
appear to be exclusively English fowls, and are essentially distinct varieties, dif- 
fering in size, plumage, and in the formation of the skull, and lastly, the 
name of Hamburgh had previously been applied to one of the varieties of feather- 
crested fowl, now, with an equal absence of geographical correctness, known as Polish. 
A more unfortunate selection of a name could scarcely have been made ; but having 
come into general use, it would only render ‘‘confusion worse confounded ” to 
attempt to introduce any fresh alteration ; and of the old names which were super- 
seded, it is not too much to say that the majority of them were equally objectionable 
to those in present use. 
The only alteration which could be made without extreme confusion, would be 
that suggested some time since by a writer in the Field newspaper, namely, to sub- 
stitute the term “fowls,” for that of “ Hamburghs,” when the varieties w'ould be 
classified as the Gold and Silver pencilled fowls, and Gold and Silver spangled 
fowls. This would do away at once with the very objectionable and absurd name of 
Hamburgh, the no less erroneous one of Pheasant fowls, and a whole host of ill- 
understood provincialisms that are merely of local employment. But unfortunately 
there are serious objections to this proposal : in the first place, tw’’0 very distinct breeds, 
namely, the Lancashire Mooneys and the Yorkshire Pheasant fowls are included 
