220 
THE POULTRY BOOK. 
fowls for family purposes, carrying a great amount of flesh on the breast, but 
they are rather too small to furnish first class-fowls for the markets — at least 
in this country, where full-sized poultry always commands a more than propor- 
tionate price. 
The manager of the National Poultry Company describes Guelders as 
‘'handsome birds of Cuckoo plumage, close fitting, like that of the La Fleche. 
They are not quite as large as the Houdans, hut equally hardy. They are 
abundant layers of very fine, large, fertile eggs, and also good table fowls. It 
would he difficult to say which do better, the Houdan or Guelder chickens. I like 
this breed so well that I class them next to the Houdans. 
La Bresse are the fat poultry of France, and that is all I can say for them, 
they have no thoroughly marked characteristics.” 
The remaining French breeds resemble the La Bresse in being destitute of any 
specially marked characters. Thus the fowls of Mans, well known in the French 
markets, are closely allied to the Crevecoeurs. In the catalogue of the collection 
in the Jardin Zoologique B’Acclimatation they are thus described : — “ The fowls of 
Mans have a small crest of feathers falling over the back of the head ; the comb, 
double and very large, is formed of small excrescences grouped together. The 
wattles are rounded and of medium length ; the plumage is in general black with 
green reflections. These fowls are of moderate size ; they lay large eggs, but do 
not sit. They furnish very good table poultry, fattening very readily when cooped.” 
Several other breeds are also described in the French poultry books, but they do 
not appear to possess any decided individuality that calls for special attention ; in 
fact, as described, it is difficult to distinguish one breed from another. 
