372 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 24,1857. 
CHARACTERISTICS OF GAME FOWLS. 
I am glad to find that some one has at last taken up the 
subject of tlie Game fowl in The Poultry Chronicle, and 
having been a breeder of that variety of poultry for about 
fifteen years, I venture to offer a few observations in reply to 
the “ North Country Amateur.” Having bred Black¬ 
breasted Reds, Brown Reds, and Duckwiugs (both Grey and 
Yellow), in the time above specified, I decidedly agree with 
your correspondent in most of bis statements, and consider 
the exterior qualifications of a good Game cock to be nearly 
as follows— 
Head thin and long, or, if short, very taper; large, full 
eye; beak crooked and stout; neck long; body short and 
compact, nearly Aeari-shaped when looking down from above 
on his back, or, perhaps, more nearly approaching the form 
of a box-iron for ironing linen—broad at the shoulders and 
narrow at the tail; breast round, as a sharp-breasted cock 
carries a good deal of useless weight about him, and never 
has a “fine forehand;” thighs short, firm, and stout, and 
placed well up to the shoulder, under the broadest part of the 
body, which will make a cock stand wide on his legs, and 
give him a more commanding appearance; besides, when 
a cock has long thighs, which hang dangling behind 
him, he never has a good carriage, Legs rather long and 
stoutish, and if corresponding nearly fith the colour of the 
beak, or under beak, so much the better; feet spreading and 
thin, with long claws and nails. With regard to carriage he 
should be upright, but not stiffly so; walk stately; wings 
well prolonged, protecting the thighs; tail long and well 
sickled. What are vulgarly termed “ higli-rumped ” birds 
are objectionable, as the whole back should be straight. 
Birds that carry their wings upon their backs, like Geese, 
are also objectionable, as are those with white gills or “ deaf 
ears,” as they are technically termed. Cocks weighing from 
5 lbs. to 5§ lbs. are generally the most symmetrical, as com¬ 
bining activity with strength, 
The hen ought to correspond with the male bird in all 
the above particulars. Your correspondent is right in 
insisting that a “ fine head”is essential for a deservin'] prize 
bird; but I cannot agree with fiiiq ip liking white or blue 
legs for any variety of Game, they being too much like the 
common Barn-door fowl, the legs of which are nearly always 
white or blue. 
Yellow and olive, or willow, are, in my opinion, the best 
colours; but the olive, or willow, are most decidedly the 
general favourites, and have taken almost all the cups. In 
the midland counties yellow legs are disliked, for what rea¬ 
son I never could understand. I consider a bright yellow¬ 
legged Black-breasted Red cock to be the perfection of a 
Game fowl, if he “ cuts out” darkish, has dark nails to his 
claws, and the fluff or down at the root of the tail not white, 
but of a dusky colour, harmonising better with the red 
plumage, the bright yellow legs showing off the black breast 
so well. This description of bird ought not to have a single 
white feather about him, which many of them have from inju¬ 
dicious crossing with the Piles. 
With regard to Duckwings, if a Yellow Duckwdng cock, he 
ought to have a clear straw-coloured hackle, copper or straw- 
coloured saddle, and a perfectly black breast and tail (as 
your correspondent says), and with yellow legs; but if a 
Grey Duckwing he should have, in my opinion, a. clear white 
hackle, saddle as pale, or as near white as possible, perfectly 
black breast and tail, with olive legs. There is a great dis¬ 
tinction between the grey and yellow varieties of Duckwing 
Game, the yellow having been originally bred from the 
Black-breasted Red cock and Grey Duckwing hen, crossed 
again with the Yellow Birchen cock—not a Duckwing. The 
true grey fowls, as may be perceived from their “ cutting 
out” so dark, are more closely allied to the black varieties, 
| as also are the Brown Reds, which are nearly black when 
just hatched, whereas the Black-hrea.sted Bud chicken when 
hatched is yellow, with a dark byown stripe down the back ; 
Duckwing chicks when hatched being of a paler yellow, with 
the stripe nearly black. As to the hens, hackle nearly white 
for Yellows, striped with black; body, Ac., slaty or bluish 
grey, with a yellow leg and a “ robin breast.” The Grey 
Duckwing hen, hackle quite white, with more black in it, and 
a much paler breast.; legs olive. 
I have only attended one Poultry Show this season (that 
of Colchester), at which I remarked that the first-prize 
single cock was awarded to a Black-breasted Red with a very 
clumsy head, a bird that ought not even to have been com¬ 
mended. The hens, also, in the first-prize pen of adult Reds 
were very clumsy about the head. The first prize in Black¬ 
breasted Red chickens was well awarded, as was also the 
first prize for adult Piles. It is clear to me that Game fowls 
ought to be judged separately from the other classes by a 
known, old, and good breeder of their kind, insisting on a 
“ good match ” being th & first, consideration; and some of the 
Judges, though they may do their best, are utterly incom¬ 
petent to judge Game fowls, as even in the single cock pens, 
where no match is required, prizes have been awarded to the 
wrong birds. 
I may as well remark that, having been iu India, Sumatra, 
and Java, and having seen the Indian Game fowls, as well as 
several of the wild species, I consider our English Black¬ 
breasted Red breed to be very little removed from the 
original and primitive wild stock. The Indian Game are 
nearly one-third smaller, the Indian cock being invariably in 
all specimens that I have seen a yellow-legged Black-breasted 
Red, but with dusky-coloured “ down or fluff ” at the root of 
the tail; the hens Partridge-coloured, with blue or willow 
legs. Some of the hens I have seen approached very nearly 
to the colour of the Yellow Duckwing hens, but the majority 
are like our Black-breasted Red Game hens in colour. 
What the “North Country Amateur” says about the 
white-legged Game being while fleshed I consider holds good 
with every variety of English Game fowls. I myself like to 
see the skin yellow, but then the flesh is invariably white. I 
fancy the yellow-skinned birds are the “ fieriest,” and their 
hens generally lay eggs approaching to a buff colour, which 
I prefer to a white egg. 
I will now just enumerate the kinds of Game fowl most in 
vogue in these eastern counties, They are—Black-breasted 
Reds (1); Brown Rpcls (2); Yellow Duckwings (3); Berry- 
birchen Yellows (4); Silver Duckwing Greys (5); Dark 
Greys ((>); Red D.qns (7), and Orange Piles (8). The 
Yellow-legged Black-breasted Reds seem to be peculiar to 
the northern and eastern counties (including Lancashire), 
though I have seen them in Devonshire. 
I cannot conclude this very long dissertation better than 
by doing so in the words of your correspondent: “ Having no 
better apology to offer than the interest I take in the old 
English Game breed, which I firmly believe for beauty, and cer¬ 
tainly for utility and economy, is entitled to the first, position 
among English domestic poultry, the hens being excellent 
layers and mothers, the eggs richer than any other variety, 
and the chickens more delicate for the table. Cock chickens 
certainly give a little trouble from their constitutional pug¬ 
nacity, but that every good breeder knows how to overcome.” 
—Newmarket. 
P.S.—Any information that the “ North Country Ama¬ 
teur ” thinks I can give him I shall be most happy to do 
through the medium of your paper, or by name if required. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
A North Country Amateur, whose communication appeared on 
the 3rd instant relative to “ Game Fowls,” will oblige us by sending 
his direction to us. We have a letter for him from a gentleman, who 
requests us to forward it. 
Golden Polands.— A Poultry Lover has a pullet of this breed only 
four and a half months old which laid five eggs weekly during the 
winter. Apply for eggs to some one who advertises ; there is no defi¬ 
ciency of choice. Give your poultry whole barley every morning, and a 
mixture of barley-meal and pollard every evening. You will have 
seen what has been said lately about the crest of the Golden Poland. 
Eggs sent by Rail (A. Z.J.—If properly packed they will travel for 
many hundreds of miles, and produce strong chickens afterwards. 
Canaries. —Will any friend kindly favour a brother fancier with the 
required points of prize birds in the Belgium varieties ? Also point out 
the merits of the successful birds at any of the late Canary Exhibitions.— 
C. C. 
Rotten Feathers in Pigeons (J. Elliot ).—Rotten feathers arise 
from several very serious internal complaints ; but it is impossible to 
state what the disease is in these cases without further information. If 
a dead Pigeon be forwarded to the office I shall be willing to examine it, 
and state the nature of the disease.—W. B. Tegetmeieb. 
London: Printed by Hugh Barclay, Winchester High-street, in 
the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar ; and Published for the Proprietors 
at The Cottage Gardener Office, No. 20, Paternoster Row, in 
the Parish of Christ Church City of London.—February 24, 1857. 
