1849. 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
51 
“ The head ought to be small, the eyes large and 
brisk, and the beak strong and hooked at the setting on 9 
its color ought also to answer to that of the principal 
or general color of the feathers, whether they be yel- 
low, reddish, or gray. The beam of his leg ought to 
be very strong, and according to his plumage either 
blue, gray or yellowy and the spurs ought to be rough, 
long and sharp, a little bending and pointing inward. 
The three colors esteemed in a game-cock are gray, 
yellow, &nd red, with a black breast,” 
“ It is not,” says Martin, “ for its pugnacious quali¬ 
ties that the game fowl is to be noticed—it yields to no 
breed, nay, perhaps is superior to most in the whiteness 
and sapidity of its fleshy the hens are excellent layers, 
and the eggs, though of moderate size only, are remark¬ 
able for the delicacy of their flavor. The game-cock 
is very attentive to his female train, and ever ready to 
do battle in their defence, but not infrequently he be- ; 
comes savage mid dangerous. We have ourselves more 
than once been fiercely assailed by a game-cock, and be 
it observed, a blow from his spur is no trifle 9 several 
instances have come under our notice in which children 
have been severely injured, and we have read and heard 
of cases in which children have been killed, 
u Of all the breeds, in our eyes, the game breed is 
the most beautiful, whether we look t© contour or to 
colouring; the cock carries himself proudly yet grace¬ 
fully 9 his port and bearing proclaim his fiery spirit; his 
undaunted mettle, which endures even to his last breath , 
for while postrate and mortally wounded he will answer 
the insulting crow of his victorious rival, and make a 
last effort to revenge himself before the spark of life is 
extinct. No wonder that the gallant eock should have 
been chosen as the emblem of courage.” 
The game fowl has been introduced into this country 
and is bred by several amateurs in great beauty and 
perfection. 
Great Majlay Fowl. —This is undoubtedly descend¬ 
ed from the Galius giganteus , which is a native of Ja¬ 
va, Sumatra, and probably, of other parts of .southern 
Asia. It is still found in the islands named. But we 
are informed by various travellers that it is kept in a 
domesticated state not only in India, but in the Malay 
peninsula, in Cochin-China, and China. It has long 
been known in Europe and America. It is unquestion¬ 
ably the parent stock of the kinds known under the 
names of Malay, India, Chittagong, Java, St. Jago, 
Cochin-Chinese, Chinese, and in some parts of America, 
as the Bucks County, and Ostrich fowl- A cross of it 
probably prevails in all the larger breeds. The trifling 
differences which appear in the kinds mentioned, Mar¬ 
tin attributes to the influence of domestication and ac¬ 
cidental or designed crosses. 
The accompanying portrait, (fig. 16,) is given by 
Martin as representing the truest type of the species— G. 
giganteus . He gives the following excellent descrip¬ 
tion of the bird: 
“ The male, in his natural attitude, often considera¬ 
bly exceeds two feet in height, from the ground to the 
crown of the head. The comb extends backwards in a 
line with the eyes; it is low, thiek, destitute of serra¬ 
tions, and has the appearance as if its ridge had been 
cut off. The wattles hanging from the under mandible 
are small, and the throat is bare. The neck is long, 
and covered with hackles of a pale golden reddish color, 
which extend to the upper part of the back. The mid¬ 
dle of the back, and the lesser wing coverts are of a 
deep chestnut, and the webs of the feathers are disuni¬ 
ted ; the greater wing coverts are glossy green; the se¬ 
condaries and quill-feathers are of a pale reddish yellow 
on their outer webs. The hackles of the rump are 
long and drooping, and are of a pale reddish yellow. 
The tail feathers are of a glossy green. The under 
parts are generally Gf a glossy greenish black, with 
high reflections, each feather being of a deep, chestnut 
at the base, producing somewhat of a mottled appear¬ 
ance, especially if the plumage be a little deranged. 
The body is stout, and the legs are long, but very ro¬ 
bust. In proportion to the size of the body, and length 
of the neck and limbs, the head seems small, and is 
far from being pleasing in appearance, the curtailment of 
the comb and wattles seeming the result of injury or 
malformation. The gait is heavy and destitute of alert¬ 
ness, aud the bird, as we have frequently seen, often 
reposes resting on the tarsi or shanks, their whole 
length being applied to the ground. The emeu rests 
in the same manner. The attitude is uncouth, and gives 
the idea of the bird being oppressed with its own. 
weight. It is very probable that this gigantic fowl is 
less disposed to mount the trees and roost on the bran¬ 
ches than most others of the genus; and this strange 
attitude may be the ordinary mode of taking repose. 
The crow of the cock, instead of being a clear ringing 
tone, heartily delivered as if in defiance of every rival, 
16—KUI.M OR MALAY FOWL-' 
like the blast of the knight’s clarion on the listed field, 
is short, hoarse, and monotonous, more like a croak 
than a crow.” 
As before remarked, this race, in a domestic state, 
presents considerable variation of characters; but we 
agree with the author above quoted, that the stock re¬ 
presented by the cut shows the greatest purity, and in¬ 
dicates the least departure from the original. The 
breed in its pure state is generally not handsome, either 
in form or plumage, and its flesh is coarse and wanting 
in flavor. It is chiefly valuable for crossing varieties, 
in which increase of size is desirable. Much, however 
depends on the manner of breeding. By care and judg¬ 
ment in selecting the best formed and finest boned spe¬ 
cimens for propagation, the breed can be greatly chan¬ 
ged and improved in the course of a few generations. 
Several instances of this kind have occurred under our 
own observation. The celebrated Cochin-China fowls 
kept in Queen Victoria’s aviary, are regarded by Mar¬ 
tin as only a sub-variety of the great Malay. 
Valuable stocks have originated by crossing different 
branches of the Malay with other breeds. Dickson 
thinks it is very probable that the Dorking originated 
by a cross between the Malay and tlie game fowl. A 
writer in the Scottish Quarterly Journal of Agricul¬ 
ture is of the same opinion. The Jersey-blue indicates 
a similar mixture. 
As we commonly see the Malay, it possesses but lit¬ 
tle spirit and courage; yet a variety of the race is cul¬ 
tivated in India, which is game. We saw some speci 
