340 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

sometimes, I would like to ask if it would not have been 
policy, yes even a good thing, to have just said the cock 
may be all over the color of milk, with some little fixing 
about the neck and tail?’ Then you would have a style of 
feathering none could fail to hit, and would have been a great 
saving of words, and would have given us a standard broad 
as any political platform, which could be narrowed up 
or lengthened out to meet the requirements of any set of 
fanciers who might need the assistance of a standard to 
judge of the merits or demerits of a fowl. 
But as this is all the defence I have seen of the so-called 
new standard, and as it is from one of the various commit- 
tees, I suppose it is the best they can give. Therefore I 
think it might be a good plan to try once more, and do it 
in the usual manner of doing such things in America, 
adopting some such plan as I have named in the beginning 
of this article. eel plas 
NEw Haven, Conn., May 15, 1874. 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
Tue American Standard of Excellence excludes B. B. Red 
Games with yellow legs; hence they will be ruled out by 
committees in awarding premiums. 
Now, is this to be approved of or submitted to by the 
majority of breeders of Game fowls? I, for one, protest 
against it, when no satisfactory reason can be given why 
the yellow legs are not equal to the willow legs, both for 
gameness and beauty. Some of the most beautiful Game 
fowls I have ever seen on exhibition have been the B. B. 
Reds with yellow legs. Game fowls should be judged by 
their fighting qualities. Can any one tell me what advan- 
tage in the pit a B. B. Red with willow legs will have over 
a B. B. Red with yellow legs. I can prove that some of the 
best fowls ever fought in this country have been the B. B. 
Reds with yellow legs. I believe the new standard to be a 
one-sided concern, got up for the benefit of the few. I have 
heard a number of poultry fanciers express their opinion in 
regard to the standard, and have yet to hear of one who is 
not dissatisfied with it. S. L. CuMMINGs. 
Row Ley, Essex Co., Mass. 






Pouttry DEPARTMENT: 
PEKIN DUCKS. 
WE should like to learn more of the facts in relation to 
the actual merits claimed for, but not yet substantiated, of 
this new breed of water fowl. 
We have heard of them growing well, and promising 
great weight when a few months old. It is now over a year 
since they were imported, one trio only of which survived 
out of the lot. It is claimed that they suffered from the 
hardships of the voyage, and were consequently dwarfed, 

but that they are good layers, and the young resulting from 
incubation, which lasts only twenty-five days, appear to be 
one-third larger than Rouens or Aylesburys when they leave 
the shell, and grow more rapidly through the season. 
The last we heard from them, as to size and weight, it is 
said that the largest pai on exhibition at the Connecticut: 
Poultry Show (where they excited a good deal of interest), 
exceeded the old ones in size, and weighed fifteen pounds at 
five months old, and were in good growing order, which is 
good weight, but scarcely better than that of the Rouens or 
Aylesburys which they are expected to exceed. Mr. Fowler 
writes the editor of the Fanciers’ Gazette, April 2d: ‘* We 
have an Aylesbury duckling (drake) barely ten weeks (two 
and a half months) old, which weighs exactly eight pounds,” 
a weight not yet excelled nor approached by the Pekin in 
this country, and we doubt if in any other, at 2} month’s 
old, The Pekin ducks are described as having long bodies 
and necks, heads rather large, wings and legs short, the 
bills yellow, and the legs of a deep orange or reddish color. 
Their plumage is white with a creamy tinge under the 
feathers, which are remarkably abundant, giving them the 
appearance of extra size. They are said to moult like geese, 
as indicated by the great quantities of feathers thrown off 
constantly through the summer in places where they most 
frequently resort. It is therefore probable that they may, 
like them, be ‘‘ plucked ’’ with equal profit if they are as 
large and fluffy or downy as it is said they are. ‘They are 
entirely hardy, bearing well, so far, our variable and extreme 
climate, minding neither snow, rain, or sun;” excellent 
foragers, though easily kept in small inclosures, providing 
they have water constantly before them, and regularly fed. 
Their general shape is peculiar, though their motions on the 
water are easy, and their long graceful necks and large 
bodies make them an attractive and ornamental feature. 
The drawing is said to represent them well. The stock is 
in the hands of a breeder, who is interested in their intro- 
Cuction to the notice of amateurs and fanciers generally, 
and we hope to learn, soon as practicable, the result of the 
experience of those who have given them a fair trial. 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
G. P. BURNHAM—THE ORIGIN OF THE 
BRAHMA FOWL. 
In one of the earlier numbers of your Journal, G. P. 
Burnham, in his ‘‘ Reminiscences of the Hen Fever,” gives 
what he claims to be a true account of the origin of the 
Brahma fowl. This account, I believe, after reading both 
Burnham and Wright, to be entirely erroneous. Many of 
your readers take a deep interest in the breeding of Brahmas, 
and would like to know as much as possible about them. I 
would refer those who wish to investigate the matter to 
“Wright’s Illustrated Book of Poultry,” or to his “ Brahma 
Fowls.” Mr. W. is very generally acknowledged to be the 
best living authority on this breed of fowls. 
As many of your readers have not access to these works, 
and in order that they may see how highly Mr. Burnham’s 
opinion is valued on the other side of the water, I request 
you to publish the following extract from “Wright’s Illus- 
trated Book of Poultry,’ pages 243 & 244: 
‘We have already seen that Mr. Cornish’s statement was 
published long before Mr. Burnham’s. It gives a perfectly 
clear, consistent, and simple account of the origin of certain 
birds which are proved by independent testimony to have 
been all obtained from the State of Connecticut; and the 
obvious question is, by what testimony, save of the clearest, 
ee en en il cai a i 
