The Brahma fowl: a monograph
™iK«iii®w^.^-;:A<yv^^^^^^ '•' •' i^^^" t^ts Wright, MEMORIAL POULTRY LIBRARY. COftNEU UNIVERSITY "tHE GJff Of W. D. Termohlen >y»V*VV»v»vWv»VJy»VVM»vmw»v«^«' __ Cornell University Library SF 489.B8W95 1870 The Brahma fowl:a monograph.By Lewis Wri 3 1924 003 111 451 The original of tliis book is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924003111451 BmrnhyECLsms. J.liTOS.LitliD.Biistiil. LIGHT BRAHMA HEN, BRED & EXHIBITED BY M? F, CROOK, THE BRAHMA FOWL A MONOGRAPH. LEWIS WRIGHT, AUTHOR OF "THE PRACTICAL POULTRY-KEEPER." LONDON : "JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER" OFFICE, 171, FLEET STREET; AND CASSELL, FETTER, AND GALPIN, LUDGATE HILL. 1870. fi 4i63 PRINTED BY J. WRIGHT AND CO., STEPHEN STREET, PREFACE. This little work, whatever its merits or defects, was not written from a poultry-fancier's mere unconsidered enthusiasm for his favorite fowl. After much study of many breeds, and •considerable experience in many ways, we had come to the conclusion that the Brahma — though not perfect, or even suitable for every purpose — is upon the whole best adapted to the English climate, and occupies a position among poultry similar to that of the Shorthorn among other races of cattle. It will thrive and pay where no other can be kept in health ; and as a purveyor — not of the very choicest — but of choice, honest, solid food, it is what Miss Watts has said, " about the best fowl we have ever had." We have however found that the breed has been often misunderstood, both as to its qualities and management, so that even its merits have been converted into defects. We have found also, that no fowl is more difficult to breed to an exhibition standard ; and we still have dozens of complaints from purchasers who have procured the very best birds quite IV. regardless of expense, and have only succeeded in breeding "trash," for want of knowledge how to mate them. And these two branches of the subject are intimately connected. We have long been fully persuaded that the knowledge, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance of the fancier are highly necessary to improve and maintain any breed in perfection for even the utilitarian. This fact is often forgotten, and the statement of it may be met with ridicule now. But we do assert that even the poultry-fancy may be carried on in the reverent spirit of earnest work, and that we know some who are really seeking in this way, not alone to amuse their leisure, but in the fear of God to benefit the community of which they form a part. And therefore we have thought it worth while to give time, and thought, and labor, even to a book about " nothing but Brahmas." We hope to help the mere fancier. But we hope also, indirectly to increase the resources of the farmer : we hope to add to the luxuries of the breakfast-table : we hope — far, far more — to cheapen, if it may be, wholesome food, for some striving middle-class families. Whether any personal apology be needful for attempting such a task, we do not know. Cut off hitherto by the dis- advantages of a very small town yard from most of the honors of exhibition, we can only say that we have studied the fowl quietly and lovingly at very close quarters, often stroking down a favorite pullet as we would a cat. We have found there was much to learn about them — much character in them. By degrees our opinion has come to be valued and sought : we have had opportunities of study and comparison in many other yards : and many a cup has been ascribed — in terms much beyond our real desert — to the slight services we have been enabled at different times to render. The personal solicitations of friends thus acquired, are partly answerable for the publication of this book. We have, however, to acknowledge assistance from many, especially those whose names appear in different places ; and to Mr. Teebay in particular our obligations are much greater than can be here expressed. Much of our own earliest and soundest knowledge of the fowl has been derived from him ; and he has taken an interest in this attempt at an exposition of his old and favorite breed, which could have been less expected of a fancier than of a personal friend. This might indeed be said of almost all, and has cheered us on in an undertaking, which has greatly exceeded in extent either our intentions or expectations when we began. Some one once wrote a good essay "Concerning things which cannot go on," including his own composition amongst the number ; and so, very possibly, our readers may think VI. that our long preface had better stop. We will only add that this work has been written in intervals snatched from other more important literary labors, and often interrupted by ill- health ; and that from these causes combined, nearly two years have elapsed between the printing of the first pages and the last. The delay has enabled us to add an important appendix: we trust in some degree it will account for the somewhat fragmentary character, and other faults of the book as a literary production. Here we are, then, at the end of our labor. We can truly say it has been a labor of love, undertaken as it was without the slightest prospect of pecuniary reward ; and it has yielded to ourselves, in the midst of some " weariness of the flesh," both pleasure and benefit in many, many ways. If the result shall 3neld to the reader any fair proportion of either, we shall have no reason to regret having attempted this treatise on "The Brahma Fowl." Kingsdown, Bristol, February ist, 1870. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. The Origin of Brahmas ... ... ... ... pp. 9 — ^40 CHAPTER II. Economic Qualities and  Light Brahmas as bred for Exhibition PP- 57-85 CHAPTER IV. The PRAcncAL Breeding, Rearing, and Management of Brahmas for Exhibition .. ... ... ... ... pp. 86 — 128 CHAPTER V. The Judging of Brahmas... ... ... ... pp. 129 — 140 APPENDIX. Origin of Brahmas ... ... ... •• PP- 141 — 144 THE BRAHMA FOWL. CHAPTER I. The Origin of Brahmas. NO subject has caused so much, so long, and such angry- discussion in the poultry world as the origin of the Brahma fowl, though the variety was unquestionably first in- troduced into England as late as the year 1852, when two pens were shown at Birmingham by Mrs. Hosier Williams and Dr. Gwynne. On the one hand it was said that the fowl was a new breed, or at least a new sub-variety with distinct charac- teristics, originally imported from India ; whilst on the other side it was contended that the birds were either a cross between the Cochin and Malay, or at best, if a pure race at all, with nothing but color to distinguish them from Cochins. For several years the controversy was carried on with great ability on both sides, until at length the public grew weary of the subject ; and though each party claimed the victory, the matter has never been really settled yet ! After so long an interval, it may appear presumptuous to reopen the question ; and were it merely one of interest to the Brahma fancier, we certainly should not have done so. But such is by no means the case. The correct decision of this 10 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I. matter has an important bearing upon the question of the formation of new varieties and the origin of species, and is so quoted by Mr. Darwin, who in his last work * — a work we know not whether to regard as most remarkable for the extraordinary amount of gratuitous assumption with which it abounds, or the number and great value of the facts which it contains — cites this very breed as part of the argument in favour of his well-known theory, stating (vol. ii. p. 96.) on the authority of Mr. Tegetmeier, that " Dark Brahmas, which are believed by some fanciers to constitute a distinct breed, were un- doubtedly formed in the United States within a recent period by a cross between Chittagongs and Cochins." Hence the solution of the question becomes of some interest to the naturalist, and even to the theologian. And having entered upon an investigation of the matter some time since from simple interest in the breed, it appeared to us possible even yet to throw some additional light upon the subject, and with the valuable aid which, as will be presently seen, Mr. Darwin's own recent researches afford to the inquiry, to point with almost certainty to a scientific and rational conclusion. It will first of all be necessary to examine the personal testimony which bears upon the subject, and which we think has never hitherto been properly investigated. And first, to quote by far the most able exponent of the Cochin theory, Mr. Tegetmeier says,f "There is not a particle * The Variation of Animals and Plants under Domestication ; by Charles Darwin, M.A., F.R.S. London; 1868, + The Poultry Book, p. 55, Chap. I.] Origin of the Brahma. 1 1 of evidence to show that they came from India. The banks of the Brahma-Pootra have long been in the possession of the British, and no such fowls were ever seen in the locality. In fact, Brahmas originated, not in India, but in America ; and the two varieties of the breed now known as Dark and Light had unquestionably very distinct origins!'* He then goes on to say that the Light Birds "undoubtedly originated in, or were identical with, those grey fowls that from the very first came over from Shanghae with the buff and partridge birds now universally known as Cochins," and, as undoubted evidence of this, quotes Mr. Burnham's "amusing and unscru- pulous work," entitled A History of the Hen Fever, published at Boston in 1855. In this work Mr. Burnham, who, it will be remembered, sent over some of the earliest so-called Brahmas as a present to Her Majesty, which arrived in January, 1853, affirms in effect that he originated them, relating how, out of a Tiundred Cochin fowls " of all colours, grades, and proportions," brought over by an enterprising captain, he selected " a few grey birds, that were very large and consequently very fine." These he bred with other grey stock he had, and " soon had a fine lot of birds."-)- We have thus two very definite statements * These Italics are our own, the statement being of some importance. + Grey Shanghaes were frequently met with, in America as well as England, both before and after Brahmas were introduced. Mr. White, of East Randolph, Mass., is considered by United States fanciers to have been the first who imported this variety, and h,e never pretended for a moment that they were identical with the Brahmas. Their color is more what is called in America "Dominique,"' or resembling the "Dominique" fowl : and is not what we call pencilling, but almost exactly the color and marking of the Cuckoo Dorking or Scotch Grey. In feet they are often still shown as Cuckoo Cochins. 12 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I. by Mr. Burnham : first, that lie was the founder or original breeder of Brahmas ; and secondly, that the Light variety were pure, uncrossed grey Cochiits. On the other hand, of the Dark breed, which Mr. Tegetmeier has already affirmed to be of "very distinct origin" from the Light, he writes simply, " Mr. Burnham states that they were grey Chittagongs crossed with Cochins. ' Of this,' he says, ' no one now entertains a doubt.' " As this single line, however, by no means does justice to the illustrious authority quoted as decisive, we transcribe from The Hen Fever the entire passage. It will at all events amuse the reader, and is also useful as showing how far Burnham's description agrees with or differs from that of a genuine or real Brahma. "When, in 1850 and '51, the ' Bot/ier' ems' began to be brought into notice, I saw at once that, although this was bubble number two, it ought to have been number one decidedly. "Never was a grosser hum perpetrated than this was, from beginning to end, even in the notorious hum of the hen-trade. There was absolutely nothing whatever in it, about it, or connected with it, that possessed the first shade of substance to recommend it, saving its name. And even this could not have saved it, but from the fact that nobody (not even the originator of the unpronounceable cognomen himself) was ever able to write or spell it twice in the same manner. "The variety of fowl itself was the Grey Chittagong, to which allusion has already been made, and the first samples ■Chap. I.] Origin of the Brahma. 13 of which I obtained from 'Asa Rugg,' (Dr. Kerr) of Phila- delphia in 1850. Of this no one now entertains a doubt. They were the identical fowl all over — size,, plumage, and characteristics.* "But my friend the Doctor wanted to put forth some- thing that would take better than his ' Plymouth Rocks ;' and so he consulted me as to a name for a brace of grey fowls I saw in his yard. I always objected to the multiply- ing of titles,; but he insisted, and finally entered them at our Fitchburg Dep6t Show as ' Burrampooters,' all the way from India. "These three fowls were bred from Asa Rugg's Grey Chittagong cock, with a yellow Shanghae hen, in Plymouth, Mass. They were an evident cross, all three of them having a top knot! But, n'importe. They were then 'Burram- pooters.' * As the Chittagong has been affirmed by others besides Bumhain to be identical with, the Brahma, it may be as well to state, what is not perhaps generally known, that Dr. Bennett was a great admirer and breeder of this fowl before he obtained his Brahma stock, and could not have failed to detect any similarity. In the American Poultry Book of 1850, he gives a detailed description of it, stating the cock to be of a grey color in the body, and the legs usually quite clear, but occasionally feathered, with very frequently nine or ten toes between them, and the comb large aTtd single. No evidence could be plainer of a Dorking cross ; and accordingly Dr. Kerr, another well-known breeder of the variety, who is alluded to by Bumham in this very paragraph, describes it as "a mongrel, and like all mongrels, of little real value." Both he and Geo. Smith, Esq., of Philadelphia, unite in describing the birds as "poor layers and bad sitters," very lazy, and subject to gout in the feet. These testimonies from the two gentlemen who have bred the Chittagong most extensively in America, must be of far. more weight than the opinion of any in England who have never seen the bird ; and the assertion that a fowl possessing the qualities described, by a lucky cross originated the Brahma, makes larger (lemands on our credulity than almost any other theory which could be advanced. 14 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. L " Subsequently these fowls came to be called ' Buram- pootras,' 'Barram Putras,' ' Bramapooters,' 'Brahmas,' 'Brama Puters; 'Brama Poutras/ and at last 'Brahma Pootras.' In the meantime, they were advertized to be exhibited at various fairs in different parts of the country under the above changes' of title, varied in certain instances as follows : ' Burma Porters,' ' Bahama Paduas,' ' Bohemian Pudras,' ' Bahama Pudras ;' and for these three last named, prizes were actually offered at a Maryland fair in 1851 ! " Peter Snooks, Esq. it appears had the honour to be the fortunate possessor of this invaluable variety of fancy poultry in its unadulterated purity of blood. He furnished from his own yard samples of this rare and desirable stock for His Royal Highness Prince Albert, and also sent samples to several other noted potentates, whose taste was acknowledged to be unquestionable, including the King of Roratonga, the Rajah of Gabblesquash, His Majesty of the Cannibal Islands, and the Mosquito King. Peter supplies the annexed description of the superior properties of this variety of fowls : — '"The 'Bother' em Pootrums' are generally hatched from eggs. The original pair were not ! they were sent from India^ by way of Nantucket, in a whale ship. "'They are a singularly picture-squee fowl from the very shell. Imagine a crate-full of lean, plucked chickens, taking leg-bail for their liberty, and persevering around Faneuil Hall at the rate of five miles an hour, and you have an idea of their extremely ornamental appearance. "'They are remarkable for producing bone, and as re- Chap. I. ] Origin of the Brahma. 15 markable for producing offal. I have had one analysed lately by a celebrated chemist with the following result — Feathers and Offal 39"oo Bony Substances So"00 Very tough Muscle and Sinew 9*00 Miscellaneous Residuum z'oo 100 "oo' " A peculiarly well-developed faculty in this extraordinarily fine breed of domestic fowl is that of eating. ' A tolerably well-fed Bother'em will dispose of as much corn as a common horse,' insists Mr. S . This goes beyond me; for I have found that they could be kept on the allowance, ordinarily, that I appropriated daily to the same number of good sized store hogs. As to affording them all they would eat, I never did that. Oh no ! I am pretty well off, pecuniarily ; but not rich enough to attempt any such foolhardy experiment as that! "But Snooks is correct about one thing. 'They are not fastidious or particular about what they eat.' Whatever is portable to them is adapted to their taste for devouring. Old hats. India-rubber, boots and shoes, or stray socks are not out-of-the-way fare with them. They are amazingly fond of com, especially a good deal of it. They will eat wheaten bread rather than want." This matchless effusion was at the time considered by many to settle the question as to the origin of Brahmas ! By some it may be thought to do so still : others will wonder whether any one would like to hang a house-cat upon such evidence : 1 6 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I. for ourselves, we shall simply bring Mr. Burnham's state- ments, as we would any other, to the test of facts. And first it may be well to quote the account of the matter given in The Poultry Yard, being a quotation from a letter written by Mr. V. Cornish, of Connecticut, U. S. Mr. Cornish says : " In regard to the history of these fowls very little is known. A mechanic, by the name of Chamberlain, in this city, first brought them here. Mr. Chamberlain was acquainted with a sailor, who informed him that there were three pairs of large imported fowls in New York ; and he dwelt so much upon the enormous size of these fowls, that Mr. Chamberlain furnished him with money, and directed him to go to New York and purchase a pair of them for him ; which he did at a great expense. The sailor reported that he found one pair of light gray ones, which he purchased ; the second pair was dark- coloured ; and the third pair was red. The man in New York, whose name I have not got, gave no account of their origin, except that they had been brought there by some sailors in the India ships. The parties through whose hands the fowls came, as far back as Ihave been able to trace them, are all obscure men. I obtained my stock from the original pair brought here by Mr. Chamberlain, and have never crossed them in the least. These fowls were named Chittagong by Mr. Chamberlain, on account of their resemblance, in some degree, to the fowls then in the country called by that name ; but it is certain they never bred until they reached this town." •Chap. I.] Origin of the Brahma. 17 It should be remembered that this was the. first published liistory of the matter ; but by advocates of the Cochin theory- it was supposed to be disproved by that of Mr. Burnham, and Tio inquiry seems to have been made by either party as to how far either account was corroborated or confuted by other testimony ; though it will at once be seen that this is the ■question upon which almost everything depends. Here, there- fore, we commenced our investigation ; and must in justice Acknowledge our great obligations to Mr. F. Crook, who has aided us by making special inquiries in America on our behalf regarding circumstances and facts now nearly forgotten, and by information obtained in reply from various correspondents .afforded us assistance, the value of which, in a question of this kind, it is very difficult to estimate. It appears then, both from the statements of private cor- respondents and from various papers of the period, that the first public exhibition of Light Brahmas took place at the Fitzburg Poultry Show, on October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, 1850. They were chickens, and were the property of Dr. J. C. Bennett, of Great Falls. This pen was considered magnificent in every way, and was the principal attraction of the show. The obvious question at once occurs, from whom did Dr. Bennett procure these birds ? and it is impossible to doubt his own statement, made in answer to every enquiry, that he had " purchased them, at a very high figure, from Mr. Cornish, of Connecticut" A portion of Mr. Cornish's letter, not quoted in The Poultry Yard, states that Chamberlain, brought his fowls into the State in the early part of 1849 : and it will be seen that these facts and dates, though entirely independent. 1 8 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I. corroborate Mr. Cornish's account in every particular, and Mr. Burnham's general claim to have been the first breeder of Brahmas at once falls to the ground. Dr. Bennett bred from this pair of chickens shown' at Fitzburg, and the produce were of the first order; for in November, 1851, he again exhibited chickens of this breed, as did also Mr. Parkinson and Mr. S. O. Hatch, all of Connecticut. Again these Brahmas were the centre of attraction ; but on this occasion Mr. Hatch beat the Doctor, who straightway purchased all of Mr. H.'s birds at the show. These facts also strongly, though indirectly, corroborate Mr. Cornish's- account, proving on the one hand that, for at least two' seasons, Connecticut was the head quarters of the breed, and on the other, that from the very first it bred with extreme purity as regards all the characteristics. We also find distinct evidence as to Mr. Burnham, who, it appears, was a large professed dealer in and breeder of poultry as a matter of business. He visited the New England Society's Show in 1850, and endeavoured to purchase some of the Brahma stock there exhibited, but failed. On this occa- sion he admitted, both to Mr. Cornish, who was also there, and to Mr. Morse, the Secretary, that he had never seen any-^ thing like them before, and again that he " had never seen the pure Brahma-Pootras before," although he had (as we also- find) been selling birds he called Brahmas before this, and at high prices. Amongst other testimony to the latter fact, and also to the essential difference at this date between Burnham's sham Brahmas and Dr. Bennett's genuine ones, at the same Society's (New England) Show in 1852, Dr. De Gray stated Chap. I.] Origin of the Brahma. I9» that he had previously bought some of Mr. Burnham's so- called Light Brahmas, and they were " no more like the true Brahmas than an owl is like a hawk 1 " and that having just afterwards purchased a pair of Dr. Bennett's strain, for whicb he gave fifty dollars, "he was actually offered 150 dollars for them, which he refused ! " It appears, therefore, indisputable, that up to 1852 Mr, Burnham had no real Brahmas in his possession ; but having a. large number of Cochins, of all colours, that he endeavoured to imitate for business purposes a fowl he found so popular and valuable, at the same time being perfectly aware of the great difference between the real strain and his own. What he may have done after that date is uncertain : it is believed that at the Boston Show in 1852 some of the real Brahmas were purchased for him, though not in his name ; and in singular contrast to the amusing passage above quoted, we accordingly find him writing concerning these birds : " the- specimens exhibited at the late fair in Boston, 1852, were extraordinary specimens, both old and young — they are really an extraordinary race, and cannot fail to become popular." Regarding the question of personal testimony, therefore, as between Mr. Cornish or Dr. Bennett on the one hand, and Mr. Burnham on the other, there cannot now be two opinions. That Burnham bred, many tolerable imitations before he got possession of real Brahmas, is likely enough, and the distribu- tion of these birds has done more to complicate the whole question than anything else ; as they have been not only bred inter se, but crossed in all good faith with the genuine race, so giving rise to strains of all degrees of purity and shades of 30 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. l, character. Thus, the difference in shape of the Light birds sent by him to the Queen in 1852, and the Darks sent by him after, as shown in the cuts of The Illustrated London News, is ■most apparent. Mr. Tegetmeier hence argues that Dark and Light had " very distinct origins ; " but it is apparent to every breeder of the fowl that the one variety figured ■{the Dark) is a Brahma, while the other is not ; and the inference is, that previously to the last consignment Burnham had got hold of the genuine strain, again exactly corrobo- rating the testimony above. But there is other evidence of the same fact. Thus, in the Cottage Gardener of 1853, Mr. P. Jones states the fact of a pair of grey chickens he bought breeding "silver cinnamon" offspring ; whilst the pure unmixed stock of Dr. Gwynne (who had his direct from Dr. Bennett), Mr. Sheehan, and others, "invariably bred pure grey." Again, in December of the same year, the Editor of the same journal states, that "while what have t)een considered as the purest strain of the Brahma- Pootras :have thrown pure chickens only, we know on good authority that the produce of imported birds of equally high pretensions have produced buff chickens with black hackles." Nothing can be clearer, than that from the first date of their being known in England, Dr. Bennett's strain of Brahmas bred true, whilst there were other birds, also imported, and " of equally high pretensions," which did not. So far then as positive evidence is concerned, when correlated Tvith well ascertained circumstances, it must be considered decisively to establish the fact that Burnham's account was a -deception, (except so far as it may describe the origin of his Chap. I.] Origin of the Brahma. 21 sham birds), while Mr. Cornish was correct ; and that all the genuine Brahmas were bred from the original pair brought into Connecticut by Mr. Chamberlain. But it still remains to determine what these fowls were. They might as possibly have been Grey Shanghaes as those Burnham says he bought of his " enterprising captain ;" and we have now therefore to- examine the fowl itself, to see if any light can be thrown, upon what after all is the most important question. And first of all, we find neither testimony nor facts to- corroborate the opinion that there were two races of "very distinct origin," whilst many facts prove there was but one^ We have made many enquiries relative to this matter, and all with the same result. Miss Watts, whose strain is probably the only one now existing which has not been crossed, has assured us in the most distinct manner that she had but one stock, from which by selection she has bred both Dark and Light. To put the matter more definitely still, Mr. Joseph Hinton — also one of our oldest breeders — states that his birds were originally Light, from Mr. Garbanati, Dr. Gwynne, and Mr. Davies of Hounslow. He afterwards received a medium coloured or rather dark cock from Mr. J. K. Fowler, from which bird and the darker of his Light hens, he bred a most beautiful Dark cock (second at the Crystal Palace Show) and several hens so heavily and intensely marked as to be almost black. From these birds were bred his well-known cock Cliampion, and hens as we see them now. Thus, by the third year, and solely by the established rules of breeding, he had tratisformed his strain from Light to Dark, obtaining also in transit several laced birds of great beauty, which it is a pity 22 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I. were not perpetuated. In our own yard, we have found that black Brahmas could be easily bred if necessary, or on the other hand, that they could be brought back again to Light. Now it is incontestable that the first Brahmas were neither so dark nor so light as now. They were always called grey, a term which would not describe either variety now shown. Since, then, undoubted Light strains can produce Dark, and Dark have a constant tendency, if bred carelessly, to produce Light, it is obvious that the original intermediate strain would breed either with much greater facility, and may well be the parent stock of both.* In the absence, therefore, of any evidence whatever of the sudden appearance of a second variety (for Mr. Burnham's * It is right to state that Mr. Teebay strongly dissents from our view, and believes that there must liave been another original strain to produce the Dark variety ; though he holds as strongly as we do that the breed was pure. The grounds of his opinion are, that he found it impossible after several years of care in breeding, to get hens with the solid dark pencilling now shown ; while he imported from America at a very early period birds as dark as any ever seen. There is great weight in this objection, and we can only say, that having spent more time in the investigation of the matter than we believe any one else has done, the ascertainable Jacts led us to the conclusion above stated. It is however possible enough that the whole "three pairs" of fowls mentioned, as seen by Chamberlain in New York, may have been Brahmas. As elsewhere stated, we think little of the "color" test, and should never thmk of doubting the fact, were there any evidence of it, simply because one pair was red, but should seek for proofs in other points which truly characterize the fowl. Were such really the case, we have often thought that the third or "very dark" pair may have got into some other hands and produced the Dark strain so much admu-ed. This is fair hypothesis, but there is no evidence either way. We have seen that the Dark Brahma can be bred from the Light, or rather the Grey ; and on this and other evidence contend simply that the fowl is of one race; were the case as supposed it would remove Mr. Teebay's difficulty, but would not affect our argument more than the different importations of Partridge and Buff Shanghaes. Chap. L] Origin of the Brahma. 23 account, with the light now thrown upon it, must be counted as zero) it seems probable that there was but one genuine original strain. This by no means implies that it did not breed true to colour, for every other variety is capable of being modified in a similar way, and care and judgment are needed incessantly to keep the plumage to a definite standard, as every fancier knows. It will moreover have been noticed that all the variation for several years was confined to degrees of black or grey, although of late, in the purest dark strains, a trace of reddish brown is very often visible in both sexes. This last is sufficiently accounted for by the constant tendency of all dark fowls to " throw back" to the black-red plumage of the original type ; still, to make purity of color the proof of Brahmas being a distinct race, as Miss Watts and some others have done, seems to us a mistake, and the attempt cannot be sustained. We simply assert that all the evidence we have, traces the fowl back to Mr. Cornish's stock ; and that all the facts harmonize with the same theory; more it is neither necessary nor prudent to affirm. Having so far cleared the ground, we may now examine the breed more in detail. And here we cannot do better than again quote Mr. Tegetmeier, who was certainly the first, if not the only one to argue the matter on a scientific basis. " It has been remarked," he says,* " that it is a fact universally recognized by comparative anatomists, that the distinguishing characters of nearly allied varieties are more strongly marked in the bones of the skull than in any other part of the body. Now the skull of the Cochin is vaulted and arched, both from • The Poultry Book, p. 61. 24 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I, before backwards and from side to side, and possesses a peculiarly marked groove, extending from before backwards <!)n the frontal bone; and — what every anatomist will regard as a character of great value — the long axis of the aperture- through which the spinal chord issues from the skull is the- perpendicular one. Now in these characters the skull of the- Brahma is identical ; whereas in all ordinary breeds of fowl the long axis of the occipital foramen is placed transversely^ the skull wants the distinguishing frontal peculiarities, and the remarkable arched or vaulted character found in both these breeds." This argument is forcible, and strictly philosophic. In order to do full justice to it, we have had engraved the accompanying illustration, Fig. i. representing the occipital foramen of a Cochin of the natural size, and Fig. 2. that of the Gallus Bankiva, or wild type of the Game Fowl ; both being taken from Mr. Darwin. It will be seen that not only Fig. I. Fig. 2. is the aperture much longer vertically, in proportion, in. Fig. I. but assumes quite a triangular form, which is entirely wanting in the foramen of the typical bird. Here then is a character which, if the example were unique, would be of unquestionably very great value. But when we come to Chap. I.] Origin of the Brahma. 25 examine other breeds, Mr. Darwin himself (whose accuracy is unimpeachable) tells us in the course of an investigation unconnected with Brahmas altogether, that the skull of the Dorking not unfrequently exhibits the same peculiar shape of the foramen ; that it occasionally occurs in some other breeds ; and that in one or two varieties of Bantams the character is almost constant On the whole therefore, while the craniological resemblance between Cochins and Brahmas must be allowed great weight, it will not do for the present to regard it as conclusive. Similarly, the general outline, the gigantic size, the yellow legs feathered to the toes, the colour of the eggs, the period of laying (daily or nearly so) and the frequency of incubation, all are points in which there is a great resemblance between the two breeds. But here again qualification must be made. There are other breeds which lay every day ; the Malay shares the resemblance in size, colour of eggs, and massive yellow shanks ; and the frequency of incubation on an average is much less in the Brahma than the Cochin, though both are greater than in other breeds. With regard to the latter point, however, must be considered the hypothesis of a cross with the Malay, which might be expected to produce just such an effect on the reproductive organs ; and we now begin to perceive how complicated are the conditions of the problem to be solved. In many other points, however, the differences between Brahmas and Cochins are so marked and striking, that it is strange so acute an observer as Mr. Tegetmeier should, in common with other writers, have overlooked them. In addition 26 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap, i, to the well-known pea-comb and the prominent breast, which' seem to have been the only points hitherto remarked, we may draw attention to the length of the deaf-ears compared' with the wattles ; ihe location of the crop, which in Cochins: is adove and in Brahmas delozu the normal position ; and the- peculiar formation of the tail, which is more fully described and illustrated in Chapter III. The latter we regard as: perhaps the strongest character of all. Returning here for a moment to early personal testimony, we may remark that in the summer of 1852, before any Brahmas had arrived in England; Dr. Bennett wrote of them that they differed from Shanghaes as follows : " comb {i.e.. when single) and wattles smaller, but ear-lobes much longer ;, shorter in leg and more compact (a most remarkable assertion when the alleged Malay cross is considered — see Mr. Crook's experience, page 29), deeper breasted and shorter quartered." The voice is also a point of some value in a question of this kind. It is therefore important to note, that while the crow of both Cochin and Malay is hoarse and guttural, as is too- well known by unlucky neighbours, that of the Brahma, when mature, is almost always long and clear. Still there are exceptions, and we have found either character hereditary; so that this feature, so far as it goes, would point to a different origin for certain strains — a conclusion singularly corroborated by the actual evidence already reviewed. In general habits and carriage we get on rather more defi- nite ground, the Brahma having a distinct character of its- own. It is the most active of any variety except the Game ^ sprightly and alert in spite of its great size, it is up the first Ciap- 1] Origin of the Brahma. 2^ and goes to roost the last of all our breeds. The carriage of the cock differs greatly from that of both Malay and Cochin, being bold and free, after the style of the Game fowl, and with a decisive, vigorous, clean step very remarkable in so large a breed. The bird is likewise of very high courage ; yet is quite devoid of ferocity, and of a very tame and sociable disposition, differing greatly from both the alleged parents of his race. In both sexes there will also be observed peculiarities in the shape and carriage of the head and wjngs. Still further, we will here quote Mr. F. Crook of Forest Hill, a well-known exhibitor of Light Brahmas, and an authority on all points connected with that breed. Knowing this gentleman to have paid great attention to the question we are considering, and to have made many experiments in crossing with special reference to it, we requested that he would favor us with any definite conclusions he had arrived at. Respecting pure-bred Cochins he remarks : "A great evidence against the Shanghse origin of Brahmas is the ground-colour of the plumage. "White Cochins are white-feathered down to the skin, which latter usually appears yellow : whereas in really good Light Brahmas the fluff of the feather is grey, and so abundant that the skin is with difficulty seen — when however made visible it is not yellow, but of a pinky cast. Again, the very finest single-combed birds, with many good pea-combed ones — in fact all the first birds seen in this country, and many of the very best since, had a perceptible bar or splash of black upon the wing ; and the best single-combed birds now bred in America have it still. Now this is a point which beyond controversy never occurred 28 Origin of the Brahma. [Chap. I. in White Cochins, and is almost conclusive to one acquainted with the two breeds. Another very peculiar feature in Light Brahmas is the peculiar narrow white fringe on the feathers of the cock's tail ; this is now difficult to obtain even in good strains, but in " experimental " birds is never seen at all." The great force of these observations can only be felt by those practically acquainted with the matter. On the point of the white edge alluded to in the upper feathers of the cock's tail, we can testify from experience that though breeders have endeavoured to banish it, the tendency yet exists even in Dark Brahmas, still further proving that they had a common and not a " very distinct " origin from the Light. Only last season, breeding from a cock of Mr. Teebay's strain, without a vestige of white in the tail, and an unusually dark hen, origin- ally a cup pullet of Mr. Boyle's, we found the point in question distinctly developed in both of the only two cockerels allowed to grow to maturity. In one the white edge was perfect, forming a fine white line entirely up each side of both feathers about -Tj. in. wide ; in the other the white line existed about half the length of the feathers. There were no other white marks or splashes of any kind, and the appearance would have been at once noticed by any fancier as most characteristic, though it has never previously been mentioned in connection with Brahmas.* * Mr. Joseph Hinton draws our attention also to the color of the legs. White Cochins have a constant tendency to breed olive-colored or green legs, v^hich is a well-known disqualification in the show pen. Now Light Brahmas when pure bred, have never been known to produce a, green leg, very strongly corroborating the hypothesis presently advanced, that they belong to the more ancient race of the two. 