not exhibit marks of much distinctness of race or purity of blood, except their vast bulk, but display traces of both the Malay and the Cochin-China type, inclining in the best specimens to the latter, with a probable intermixture of Dorking or Spanish blood. Such birds, except during their early youth, would suit the purposes of Chinese cooks, with whom sinews and tendons form the great delicacies of the table, rather than of English artists, who prefer to exercise their skill on what will furnish a sufficiency of tender meat. Still they suggest the idea that it may be found more profitable, in crossing for the larder, to cross constantly two large breeds, than to go on with one pure breed; exactly as in raising a supply of sheep for the butcher, the first cross between the Leicester and the Southdown answers so well. So we will quote the song of Hecate, and chant over the poultry yard,

"Black spirits and white,

Red spirits and grey,
Mingle, mingle, mingle,
You that mingle may."

Another Chinese Cock, as the old naturalists would announce it. Dr. Bevan, of Machynlleth, Montgomeryshire, has favoured me with the following:-"I only commenced keeping Fowls last year (1847), when a Hen purchased for the pot, stole a nest in the field. Having heard of a particular breed, brought from China as a present to the late Sir Robert Vaughan, which were said to be capital layers, very much disposed to become fat, with the flesh delicately white, approaching in flavour to that of game, I begged the favour of a few eggs, and was able to rear two Cocks and two Hens. When hatched, and for several weeks afterwards, they looked more like young Ducklings than young Chickens, and their feathers were pushed forth so slowly that, even when a month old, there was very little appearance of wings, and none of tails, and it was another month before they were able to fly half a yard high. The two brothers continued very amicable till they were six or seven months old; at that age the

strongest began to tyrannise, so I gave him to a friend. The Hens began to lay when between five and six months old, and they have continued to lay almost daily ever since. The eggs, at first, were very small, but have been slowly increasing, and at this time they weigh about an ounce and a quarter; one Hen lays perfectly white eggs, the others are cream-coloured, and both are of a dumpy oval shape. The Hens still retain a somewhat peculiar appearance, 'having stout legs and thighs, and being almost as broad as long. The tails continue short, not half the usual length; but the Cock, who is a very fine handsome fellow, has but little peculiarity about him, only being, like the Hens, of smaller size than the Barn-door Fowls. They are remarkably tame, indeed, rather troublesome, depending, in part, perhaps, on the manner in which they have been brought up. They all seek the shelter of a building by night, and one of the Hens never roosts, but sits all night upon her nest. From what I have said, you will infer that as yet I have not tasted the flesh of this variety, nor shall, of course, till next autumn, but as the other character I had of them is correct, I give credit for that also. There is another Chinese variety in the neighbourhood, the bones of which are said to be black.

"I will endeavour to describe my China Cock. He is of not more than moderate size. His comb is single, erect, and finely serrated, his shawl feathers of a brilliant gold colour, reaching, when he stands up, nearly the length of his body, and joining at that time, a few rows of feathers of the same colour which extend to the tail, which is jet black, with the feathers finely curled and in moderate quantity; his body is of a brilliant chesnut colour, his thighs and breast black, but spangled with pale chesnut patches. The thighs of both sexes are remarkably full-feathered, which gives them a great apparent breadth."

Another. "I lately saw a Chinese Cock with a rose comb, and the plumage of the golden-spangled Hamburgh ; his legs were yellow, or he might be taken for one of that breed."-J.S.W.

THE MALAY FOWL.

THIS breed is in high repute with many writers, as a supposed connecting link between the wild and the tame races of Fowls. Indeed, something very like them is still to be found in the East; and it would be useful to know, as a certain test, whether the Kulm Cock be indocile, like the Pheasant, or tameable, like the Fowl. The Penny Cyclopædia (article "Pheasant") gives the following description of the native Indian bird:

"The Gigantic Cock, the Kulm Cock of Europeans (a wild breed) often stands considerably more than two feet from the crown of the head to the ground. The comb extends backwards in a line with the eyes; it is thick, a little elevated, rounded upon the top, and has almost the appearance of having been cut off. The wattles of the

under mandibles are comparatively small, and the throat is bare. Pale golden-reddish hackles ornament the head, neck, and upper part of the back, and some of these spring before the bare part of the throat. Middle of the back and lesser wing-coverts deep chesnut, the webs of the feathers disunited; pale reddish-yellow, long drooping hackles cover the rump and base of the tail, which last is very ample, and entirely of a glossy green, of which colour are the wing-coverts; the secondaries and quills are pale reddish-yellow on their outer webs. All the under parts deep glossy blackish green, with high reflections the deep chesnut of the base of the feathers appears occasionally, and gives a mottled and interrupted appearance to those parts." (Jardine principally.)

Here is a description of some Malay Fowl supplied by Messrs. Baker:

Malay Cock.-Height twenty-seven inches and a half. Comb small, double, hanging over on one side in front, and extended in a line backwards. Bill yellowish, feet and legs decided yellow; hackle greyish yellow; breast, belly, and thighs black; back and shoulders rich brown; wing-coverts iridescent black; quill feathers the same, but having half of the outer web on one side of the quill mottled with white; wattles almost absent; tail iridescent black; stature lofty; voice particularly sonorous, and somewhat hoarse.

Malay Hen. Comb very small, but face much covered with red skin. Bill, legs, and feet yellow; head, neck, back, tail, and quills of a rich brown; the lower parts and thighs of a lighter hue; neck long; stature and carriage lofty; head small in proportion to the size of the bird.

But

It may be suspected that Malays are underrated in importance by Poultry-keepers, as much as they are overrated by naturalists. The common prejudice condemns their flesh as coarse, stringy, oily, and ill-flavoured. it is a question whether many of those who pronounce this unfavourable judgment have ever dined off so costly a dish as roast Malay Fowl. First-rate Malays are exceedingly dear in London. I have heard of as much as 51. being asked for a superior Cock; but, then, he was to be" as big as a Donkey." It is odd, too, that what is so faulty in an unmixed state, should be highly recommended as a first cross. The yellowness of their skin may be displeasing to the eye of a purchaser; but many of the finest-flavoured Game Fowls have this quality, and both Pheasants and Guinea Fowls, when plucked for the spit, are much more uninviting in their appearance. It will be a pity if the Malays go out of fashion altogether, and become lost to the country, like the Shackbags, in consequence of the introduction of the more bepraised, and it must be confessed, much more generally useful,

Cochin-Chinas. The Poultry Shows, however, in which their striking appearance is so valuable, promise again to bring them perhaps into undue favour. They are certainly a very distinct race of Fowls.

The Malay Hen lays eggs of a good size, and of a rich buff or brown colour, which are much prized by the numerous epicures who believe that this hue indicates richness of flavour-a fact which has not yet been made sensible to my own palate. The chicks are at first very strong, with yellow legs, and are thickly covered with light brown down; but, by the time they are one-third grown, the increase of their bodies has so far outstripped that of their feathers, that they are half naked about the back and shoulders, and extremely susceptible of cold and wet. The grand secret of rearing them, is to have them hatched very early indeed, so that they may have got through this period of unclothed adolescence during the dry, sunny part of May and June, and reached. nearly their full stature before the midsummer rains descend.

The disposition of Malay Hens is very variously described: doubtlessly with truth in the different cases. One set," long in the leg, creamy brown with darker necks, were very ill-tempered; another individual, of a rich creamy brown and grey neck, and very broad on the back, was an invaluable sitter and mother. They are much used by some to hatch the eggs of Turkeys, a task for which they are well adapted in every respect but one, which is, that they will follow their natural instinct in turning off their chicks at the usual time, instead of retaining charge of them as long as the mother Turkey would. Goslings would suffer less from such untimely desertion."

I cannot refrain from mentioning a singular habit that has been observed in some individuals of this breed: "A multitude of facts has convinced me how wonderful is the hereditary principle in the minds or instincts of animals; but some facts have made me suspect that we sometimes put down to hereditariness what is due to