186 
THE POULTRY BOOK. 
in which the black spangle of the Golden bird is changed into the white spangle 
of the Buff, the ground colour remaining almost unchanged. 
The Black-crested White Polish may next claim our consideration, as there is 
abundant evidence to prove that such a breed formerly existed. Mr. R. Palmer 
Williams, of Dublin, a gentleman who has paid great attention to the history of 
the different varieties of crested fowls, has favoured us with the following remarks 
on these birds : — The breed, up to about thirty years ago, was to be had in some 
parts of Ireland, as I have been informed by friends who knew it well and described 
it as a very superior one ; they were extinguished, I may say, in consequence of a 
famine and there being no Poultry Societies in those days. A few years after this 
time, I heard of the breed, and tried to procure it ; and having heard that it was 
to be had at Bordeaux, I went specially for it, but was informed that there, as well 
as at Paris, the breed had been, but was not then, to be met with ; so that it would 
appear that about the same time it vanished everywhere. From time to time I 
picked up birds from which I thought to have recovered the breed : and had I had 
the fine specimens of Crested White fowl now to be obtained, I think the breed 
might have been recovered. The last of those I had, a hen, is now in the 
museum of the Dublin Natural History Society. Her crest is black, and a few of 
the haclde-feathers black. The parties who last had the Black-crested White in 
Ireland were the descendants of the French Huguenots at Portaiiington and 
Maryborough, which would lead me to expect the breed came from France, if not 
from Holland.” 
Mr. B. P. Brent also states respecting them : — The last good specimen I 
saw was in the year 1854, at St. Omer in France; it was a hen, and belonged to a 
boat-builder, who lived by the canal. She was of large size, so that the Malays in 
the same yard appeared small in comparison ; her colour was white, with a large 
black top-knot, some few of the feathers of which were, however, tipped with white : 
her bill and feet were dark slate-colour, shape very plump and round. Her owner 
described her as an excellent layer, the eggs being also of large size. He had 
endeavoured to get others of the same breed, especially a cock, but hitherto without 
success, although they were said to exist in Brittany.” 
The Editor of the present edition of the “Poultry Book,” Mr. Tegetmeier, 
endeavoured for a series of years to reproduce this breed by crossing the different 
varieties of Polish — having as his foundation a white hen that showed a tendency 
to dark in the crest. The experiments v/ere only partially successful : there was no 
difficulty in producing white chickens with black crests ; but white feathers made 
their appearance in the crests the first autumn, and increased in number at every 
subsequent moult ; so that after a few seasons the birds lost all beauty of 
appearance. Still it may be regretted that the experiment' was not continuously 
persevered with, as doubtless it Vvould have required but a few more years of 
careful selection to have resuscitated one of the most beautiful of all the orna- 
mental breeds. 
