The cock has a large, upright, single, deeply-indented
comb, very much resembling that of the Black Spanish, and,
when in condition, of quite as brilliant a scarlet; like him,
also, he has sometimes a very large white ear-hole on each
cheek, which, if not an indispensible or even a required quali-
fication, is, however, to be preferred, for beauty at least. The
wattles are large, wide, and pendent. The legs are of a pale
flesh-color; some specimens have them yellow, which is objec-
tionable. The feathers on the breast and sides are of a bright
chestnut-brown; large and well-defined, giving a scaly or im-
bricated appearance to those parts. The hackle of the neck is
of a light yellowish brown; the lower feathers being tipped
with dark brown, so as to give a spotted appearance to the
neck. The tail-feathers are black, and darkly iridescent; back,
scarlet-orange; back-hackle, yellow-orange. It is, in short,
altogether a flame-colored bird. Both sexes are lower in the
leg thaa either the Black Spanish or the Malay.
^5^ POULTRY.
The hen approaches in her build more nearly to the Dork-
ing than to any other breed, except that the tail is very small
and proportionately depressed; it is smaller and more hori-
zontal than in any other fowl. Her comb is of moderate size,
almost small; she has, also, a small, white ear-hole. Her color-
ing is flat, being composed of various shades of very light
brown, with light yellow on the neck. Her appearance is
quiet, and only attracts attention by its extreme neatness,
cleanliness and compactness.
The eggs average about two ounces each. They are smooth,
of an oval shape, equally rounded at both ends, and of a rich
buff color, nearly resembling those of the Silver Pheasant. The
newly-hatched chickens appear very large in proportion to the
size of the egg. They have light, flesh-colored bills, feet, and
legs, and are thickly covered with down, of the hue commonly
called "carroty." They are not less thrifty than any other
chickens, and feather somewhat more uniformly than either
the Black Spanish or the Malay. It is. however, most desir-
able to hatch these — as other large-growing varieties — as early
in the spring as possible even so soon as the end of February.
A peculiarity in the cockerels is that they do not show even
the rudiments of their tail-feathers till they are nearly full-
grown. They increase so rapidly in other directions that
there is no material to spare for the production of these dec-
ora ive appendages.
The merits of this breed are such that it may safely be
recommended to people residing in the country. For the in-
habitants of towns it is less desirable as the light tone of its
plumage would show every mark of dirt and defilement; and
the readiness with which they sit would be an inconvenience,
rather than otherwise, in families with whom perpetual layers
are most in requisition. Expense apart, they are equal or
superior to any other fowl for the table; their flesh is delicate,
white, tender, and well-flavored.
The Cuckoo — ^The fowl so termed in Norfolk, England is,
very probably, an old and distinct variety; although they are
generally regarded as mere barn-door fowls — that is, the
merely accidental result of promiscuous crossing.
Tk$ name probably originated from its barred plumage,
POULTRY. 253
Page 175
Presented as published in 1883. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
The cock has a large, upright, single, deeply-indented comb, very much resembling that of the Black Spanish, and, when in condition, of quite as brilliant a scarlet; like him, also, he has sometimes a very large white ear-hole on each cheek, which, if not an indispensible or even a required qualification, is, however, to be preferred, for beauty at least. The wattles are large, wide, and pendent. The legs are of a pale flesh-color; some specimens have them yellow, which is objectionable. The feathers on the breast and sides are of a bright chestnut-brown; large and well-defined, giving a scaly or imbricated appearance to those parts. The hackle of the neck is of a light yellowish brown; the lower feathers being tipped with dark brown, so as to give a spotted appearance to the neck. The tail-feathers are black, and darkly iridescent; back, scarlet-orange; back-hackle, yellow-orange. It is, in short, altogether a flame-colored bird. Both sexes are lower in the leg than either the Black Spanish or the Malay.
The hen approaches in her build more nearly to the Dorking than to any other breed, except that the tail is very small and proportionately depressed; it is smaller and more horizontal than in any other fowl. Her comb is of moderate size, almost small; she has, also, a small, white ear-hole. Her coloring is flat, being composed of various shades of very light brown, with light yellow on the neck. Her appearance is quiet, and only attracts attention by its extreme neatness, cleanliness and compactness.
The eggs average about two ounces each. They are smooth, of an oval shape, equally rounded at both ends, and of a rich buff color, nearly resembling those of the Silver Pheasant. The newly-hatched chickens appear very large in proportion to the size of the egg. They have light, flesh-colored bills, feet, and legs, and are thickly covered with down, of the hue commonly called "carroty." They are not less thrifty than any other chickens, and feather somewhat more uniformly than either the Black Spanish or the Malay. It is. however, most desirable to hatch these — as other large-growing varieties — as early in the spring as possible even so soon as the end of February. A peculiarity in the cockerels is that they do not show even the rudiments of their tail-feathers till they are nearly fullgrown. They increase so rapidly in other directions that there is no material to spare for the production of these decorative appendages.
The merits of this breed are such that it may safely be recommended to people residing in the country. For the inhabitants of towns it is less desirable as the light tone of its plumage would show every mark of dirt and defilement; and the readiness with which they sit would be an inconvenience, rather than otherwise, in families with whom perpetual layers are most in requisition. Expense apart, they are equal or superior to any other fowl for the table; their flesh is delicate, white, tender, and well-flavored.
The Cuckoo — The fowl so termed in Norfolk, England is, very probably, an old and distinct variety; although they are generally regarded as mere barn-door fowls — that is, the merely accidental result of promiscuous crossing.
The name probably originated from its barred plumage,