Chapter I: Part 1

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● Obvious typos and punctuation errors corrected. ● Inconsistencies in hyphenation retained. ● Description of illustrations without captions has been added. ● Italics are indicated by underscores surrounding the _italic text_. ● Small capitals have been converted to ALL CAPS.

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THE

Book of the Hamburgs,

A BRIEF TREATISE

UPON THE

MATING, REARING AND MANAGEMENT

OF THE

DIFFERENT VARIETIES OF HAMBURGS.

BY L. FRANK BAUM.

HARTFORD, CONN.:
H. H. STODDARD, PUBLISHER.
1886.

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The Book of the Hamburgs.

Long before what we now call “fancy fowls” were known or recognized (in fact, long before the memory of any person now living), Hamburgs were kept and bred to feather among the peasants of Yorkshire and Lancashire in England, and by them exhibited at the small town and county fairs in their neighborhood. Of course they were then known under different names, the Blacks being called “Black Pheasant Fowls” and the Spangled varieties “Lancashire Mooneys” and “Yorkshire Pheasants”; while such a variety as the Penciled Hamburgs were either wholly unknown or else were so little thought of that they have left no record of their origin, if, indeed, they are natives of England at all.

EARLY HISTORY.

Mr. Wright, who has traced these fowls back still further, inclines to the belief that at some period whereof we have no knowledge the Penciled varieties formed a part of the Hamburg family, although our earliest positive knowledge traces them to direct importations from Holland, where they were brought in great numbers, and were originally known under the names of “Dutch Everyday Layers” or “Dutch Everlasting Layers.”

As such a thing as a black or spangled variety of this fowl was utterly unknown in Holland, it is presumable that at some period the penciled varieties were exported to Holland and there bred and cherished, while they were allowed to run out or sink into insignificance in England. We cling to this belief so tenaciously on account of the wonderful similitude which marks the characteristics of the Hamburg family, in spite of the fact that one branch came from Holland and the other is emphatically English. These two branches, namely, the Penciled and the Spangles and Blacks, resemble no other varieties of fowls in the slightest degree, while their common characteristics are the absence of the incubating instinct, clean, slender legs, neat rose combs, small, round and white ear-lobes, and the light, but sweeping and graceful, lines of form which are wholly their own and unapproachable by any other breed of fowls, no matter how fine their symmetry. If this were not enough to stamp them with certainty of having one origin, we mark the fact that spangled chickens are frequently _penciled_ in their first feathers; while, as they mature, the black spangles or moons are often surmounted by a light tip beyond them, thus again approaching the penciled character, while conversely it will be found that if penciled birds be bred too dark the last bar has a strong tendency to become _too wide_, thus approaching a _spangled_ character.

If we consider the utter want of interest with which poultry was regarded in the earlier days, and the fact that no traditions of any account relating to fowls have been handed down, we may be justified in believing that these facts prove our conjectures in regard to the original identity of these varieties to be correct. From whence their common progenitor came, we can have no idea, but that they did have one we strongly believe. It may have been that they came from the Blacks, as that variety is thought to be the oldest, and a cross might have resulted in the broken color, or possibly these Blacks having a number of white feathers may have been bred together until a distinctly-marked plumage had been obtained.

Bearing in mind, however, that Aldrovandus speaks of a fowl which strongly resembles the penciled variety as _Gallina Turcica_, it is possible that the Penciled was the original variety, and, as the name suggests, of Eastern origin.

These conjectures and hypotheses are perplexing and unsatisfactory, and are really of no practical value, being only of use in affording another instance of the fascinating problems which constantly present themselves to the poultry fancier of a philosophical and inquiring turn of mind. This much appears to be certain: that of all our many varieties of fancy fowls the Hamburg is by odds the oldest; indeed, Mr. Wingfield claims that old records show that fowls with all the Hamburg characteristics were bred in the yards of monasteries as early as the fourteenth century.

At the great Birmingham show the authorities there, recognizing the general resemblance between the Penciled, Spangled and Black varieties, and the inconvenience of their numerous and varied appellations, grouped them together under the general name of HAMBURGS, by which they have been known since, fanciers accepting with alacrity a name which was at once convenient in classing the breeds and which brought the separated members of what was no doubt a distinct family together, as it is most certain they belong and should be arranged.

Many breeders who have no knowledge of the deliberations at Birmingham have been puzzled to guess why the name Hamburg should have been chosen to designate a family which was mainly English, but these “fathers of the fraternity” had too much business to transact to allow them to inquire very carefully into the early history of this fowl. The Rev. E. S. Dixon proposed “that as the penciled varieties were then imported by the Levant merchants from the port of Hamburg they should all take the general name of Hamburgs,” and, indeed, this term is as euphonious and convenient as any other could be.

CHARACTERISTICS OF HAMBURGS.

In usefulness and beauty the Hamburgs stand very prominently amongst that numerous collection of fowls which our broad nomenclature denominates “fancy poultry.” The plumage of every variety, either Penciled or Spangled, Silver, Golden or Black, is at once beautiful and striking, attracting the attention of strangers to the poultry yard or exhibition room when all other breeds have failed to interest them, and drawing from them involuntary tributes of admiration. And if they are so much admired by cold and superficial observers, surely the Hamburg fancier may be pardoned for his unbounded enthusiasm for his favorites when every season and nearly every day unfolds new beauties in his birds and renders them more fascinating and delightful to his eye. The exquisite symmetry, the novel and shapely rose combs, the snowy and delicate ear-lobes, the tapering blue legs and graceful carriage give them an aristocratic and “dressed up” appearance and render them the most beautiful of our domestic fowls.

The Hamburg fancier has plenty of scope in which to indulge his taste, the different colors and markings affording an ample variety from which to choose, while the general characteristics are the same.

“Hamburgs,” says Mr. Beldon in Lewis Wright’s poultry book, “are without doubt the most beautiful breed of poultry we possess, as well as the most useful, all varieties being alike elegant and beautiful. The dweller in the country will generally prefer the Silver, while the citizen will take the Golden or Black; but all of them, in their matchless variety of marking and color, will delight the eye with the utmost degree which is perhaps possible of beauty in fowls. Their marvelous beauty, however, would not recommend the Hamburgs to the practical breeder so much as their wonderful egg-producing qualities, which it has been claimed surpass those of any other breed. The wonderful stories told of Hamburg productiveness, while often more amusing than reliable, serve to show that in any hands, in any climate and under the most adverse circumstances they have proved very profitable to their owners, while with ordinary care they are the best of layers.”

The average Hamburg pullet will begin laying at four or five months of age, and will lay from 150 to 200 eggs the first year under favorable circumstances. The second and third years hens will average from 175 to 225 eggs when properly cared for, and from the third year their productiveness gradually declines, although one reliable breeder asserts that he once owned a Black Hamburg hen which at five years of age laid 220 eggs in ten months. A great deal depends upon the strain of birds and the care they receive, as if productive traits are cherished and carefully bred for, the number of eggs may be greatly increased, while neglect to properly cultivate this quality by careless and incompetent breeders will result in a marked decrease in productiveness.

The absence of the incubating instinct has much to do with the productiveness for which Hamburgs are noted, as no time is lost in sitting or brooding the chicks. Some breeders claim that Hamburgs _never_ attempt to sit. This is incorrect. We have known cases, although we acknowledge they are rare, where Hamburg hens have hatched and reared goodly broods of chickens, in every case proving themselves steady sitters and excellent mothers; nor was there a particle of tainted blood in their veins, these being merely cases where that wonderful instinct which is common to nearly all fowls will “crop out” occasionally in _every_ variety of non-sitting fowls. It is _not_ necessarily due to a former cross, but may be occasioned by “reversion” to which we attribute everything that we do not understand in nature’s domain.

This non-sitting instinct is of double value to the Hamburgs, as they do not lose half their feathers during incubation, but maintain their sleek appearance through the entire season, and when they do moult they moult easily and rapidly, seldom or never being left for a time denuded of feathers, as are most other breeds, but the new feathers making their appearance as the old ones drop out, so that they are never an eyesore to their owners. Indeed, they seem to change their coats so easily that it is no rare thing for hens to lay as steadily during this ordinarily trying process as at any other time. They should, however, have an extra allowance of feed at this time, and a little tincture of iron in their drinking water or a few rusty nails placed in the drinking pans will strengthen and tone up their systems.

To do their best, Hamburgs should have free range. Mr. Beldon, though greatly overdrawing their need for this luxury, attaches so much importance to it that he says: “They are of little use penned up, in which state they pine and mope for liberty; that bright cheerfulness which is common to them disappears, and from being the happiest they become the most wretched of birds.”

Though Mr. Beldon may have found this the case, our own experience has been that no small breeds of fowls will stand the tedium of a long and severe winter in close quarters better than the Hamburgs. In fact, all you need is to _keep them busy_, and they will seem happy and contented. Still, the larger the grass run they have in summer the greater their productiveness and the better they will do. They are very small eaters, and when at liberty are excellent foragers, being up at break of day and away rummaging the fields and pastures in search of food. Their quick eye at once espies their prey, and “woe to the poor worm that happens on that particular morning to have got up a little too early.” Every corner is searched with indefatigable zeal, and by the time the man gets around in the morning to feed them they have made a good breakfast and are ready for the business of the day. Perfect liberty or a large grass run are valuable adjuncts to health and egg production. Give it them if you possibly can.

As a rule Hamburgs are a healthy breed, being little subject to the common ailments of poultry. One of our correspondents writes: “They are remarkably hardy, often enduring hardships that to other breeds mean disease and death with successful fortitude. I have had young Hamburg chicks pecked by the mother of a rival flock and virtually ‘scalped’ in her insane jealousy, the skin being torn from the head down the entire back, and yet the youngster would trot around as lively as though nothing had happened, and not only get well but flourish. Sometimes the feathers would grow out upon the ‘skinned’ place, and sometimes it would always retain a smooth appearance. I have now a hen, which we consider one of our best breeders, without a vestige of feathering upon her entire back, owing to a like accident in her youth. The chicks are very easily reared. Of course they must have proper care, as they cannot rear themselves; but with a moderate degree of attention no trouble will be found in raising them to maturity.

“Taken as a whole we consider the Hamburgs as hardly excelled by any other fowl for the farmer, fancier or poulterer. On a good homestead they will keep themselves, and if well attended to will pay better than any other farm stock in proportion to the investment. In fine, I feel perfectly safe in an assertion that in no one breed will be found so much beauty and usefulness, and so many excellent qualities, as in the several varieties of the Hamburg family, while in the one item of egg production they stand to-day where they did hundreds of years ago, unrivaled by any domestic fowl.”

This is a statement of one who is full of enthusiasm, but it may be noted that only a superior breed of fowls would excite so much commendation in a breeder who has been familiar with them from his youth.

BLACK HAMBURGS.

Although there is no certainty that this is the oldest variety of fowls, still, as it has a pedigree of nearly 200 years, it is presumable that it was the oldest variety of the Hamburg family. Mr. Beldon considers the claims of the Spangles and Blacks to be about equal as regards age, and rather favors the former. However, a passage in an old book published in London in 1702 by Thomas Sutlief, entitled “A trip to the North of England,” has induced us to believe that the Blacks were the oldest breed. It says: “One of my pleasant reminiscences of this county (Lancaster) is the pleasure with which I regarded their pretty fowl, the Black Pheasants, as they call them, and which furnished me many a delicious fresh egg for my breakfast.... The stout peasants regard them with much favor, and point with pride to their white ears and flat combs.”

It would seem from this that not only were they the favorite fowls, but that they then possessed in a great measure their present characteristics. If the spangled birds were then known they surely could not have fallen under the observation of this writer, who would have been sure to have noted them from their striking appearance.

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Be that as it may, Black Hamburgs are known to have been bred in Lancashire long before the poultry-showing era, and were called by the peasants Black Pheasants. They had the rose comb, but it was much larger than in our present birds, and not nearly so well formed. They also had the white ear-lobe, despite the claims of many breeders that this desirable point came from a cross with the Spanish. There is no doubt that many Blacks have Spanish blood in them, and some prominent English breeders openly acknowledge its existence in their strains. But we have birds to-day that have never known a particle of Spanish blood in their composition, which possess superior qualities over those with the Spanish cross, and which have the white ear-lobe in all its beauty and perfection.

In a recent letter Mr. Beldon says: “The Black Hamburgs I remember perfectly well when I first began the poultry fancy some twenty-seven years ago, but they were not commonly bred at that time. They were a large bird, with rather coarse combs. Since then the Spanish cross has been used to produce them; in fact, I have known them to be bred from a Black Spanish and Spangled Hamburg, and by careful selection brought to much perfection, with better black plumage, bright red faces and pure white ear-lobes.”

Black Pheasants did not formerly possess the exquisite symmetry which is so marked in our present birds, being coarse and short-legged, while the most attention was paid to that resplendent greenish sheen which forms their chief attraction and renders them to-day the most beautiful of black fowls.

There have been many and clever expedients devised to show that the Black Hamburgs came from crossing. Mr. Seebay says: “I have been told by reliable persons that Black Pheasants have been shown for prizes, such as copper kettles, etc., more than a hundred years before my time. The true Silver-Spangled is almost black in one stage of its chicken plumage, and as I have known them produce chickens almost black, and as the shape of the Spangles and Blacks is exactly the same, I had always thought one sprung from the other.” This theory is the most plausible one we know of, and is also endorsed by Mr. Sergeantson. The most absurd assertion is that they are the result of a cross between the Golden-Spangled Hamburgs and the Spanish, which is easily refuted by our positive knowledge of their great age. There is no doubt but that some Black Hamburgs (so-called) have been made from this cross, as Mr. Beldon says; but the unfortunate breeder who gets any of these fowls into his yards, will soon discover from a plentiful sprinkling of single combs in his chicks and a general want of fixed characteristics, that he has been imposed upon. It is not of great importance to know exactly how they did originate, as from a practical point of view it is enough to know that they are now a firmly established breed of great beauty and undoubted excellence.

The Black Hamburgs lay the largest eggs of any variety of this breed, while in numbers they fully equal the Spangled and Penciled. They are therefore much sought after by those who wish to obtain eggs for the market as well as for the table, and are perhaps the most popular variety of Hamburgs.

_Plumage._—This is the most important point in the Black Hamburg, though it has been much neglected by American breeders. It should be exceedingly soft, the feathers having a feeling as of satin to the hand, and a deep but distinct and beautiful gloss or tinge. Much weight should be given to this in both sexes, although it can be cultivated to a greater extent in the female than in the male. This green gloss should not appear on the end of the feathers only, but throughout the entire plumage—_the greener and richer the color the better_. To be seen to advantage this beautiful gloss should be viewed in a strong light or when the sun is upon the bird. You then see that sheen in which they surpass all other black fowls. The color required is the green black; the purple, bluish or raven black so often seen is very undesirable, and should be avoided. These colors are so distinct that there is no liability to mistake the true shade. Some strains are of a deep blue green, almost a steel blue; these have green tails. Other strains are of a lighter green; these have bronze green tails. The purer the green and the less admixture of any other tinge the better. Never breed from birds which seem to be penciled with bluish purple. It is often caused by a late and protracted moult, and may appear in birds which as chicks had the green tinge in all its perfection; but more often it is hereditary. Lancashire fanciers called this mazarine, and it appeared principally on backs of hens or flights of cocks. As we have mentioned, this glossy tinge is not so uniform on the male as the female birds, and this is seemingly in direct opposition to the usual decrees of Nature, which seems to have ordained that the male part of creation be more brilliant than the opposite gender. We are pleased to observe, however, a marked improvement in the plumage of cocks of late years, and hope to see the time when the male bird will show this characteristic as fully as the female.

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In Black Hamburg cocks the breast, back, shoulders and tail should be a rich green, the wing-coverts exceedingly brilliant and the outer web of the secondaries (_i. e._, the whole of the lower part of the closed wing) almost as bright; the lesser tail-coverts are also very rich in color.

Tegetmeier speaks of _spangling_ being visible in Black Hamburgs when seen in the sunlight. The birds he examined must have been decidedly poor ones, or perhaps it was his misfortune to see those birds _compounded_ of Golden-Spangled Hamburgs and Spanish which we have spoken of. Such cross-bred birds will show the iridescent green spangle Mr. Tegetmeier has spoken of, but which we have never been able to discern on good birds of a pure strain.

Occasionally rich red or orange colored feathers will crop out in Black Hamburg cockerels—very seldom in pullets. These red feathers come from what we suppose was pheasant blood at some remote period introduced into these birds, or perhaps a part of their original make-up, and do not by any means prove the existence of impure blood. It is the result of our strenuous efforts to keep up and improve the greenish luster, and invariably comes from highly colored birds. These birds are sometimes of great use to breeders, and enable us to obtain finely colored birds by mating them with dead-black pullets.

But while we may tolerate an occasional showing of red feathers (which only appear in the hackle, as in the Golden Pheasant), we must be very severe on birds showing those of another color—namely, _white_ feathers. There seems to be a natural tendency to show the white feathers in all black fowls, and this evil has been so stubborn to eradicate that Mr. Felch, at a meeting of the American Poultry Association, offered a resolution to allow white tips to appear in exhibition birds. The many evils which would thus arise from lowering our ideal _Standard_ for this magnificent variety were so obvious that the members of that Association promptly rejected the resolution at a later meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. We know not whether most to blame the futile efforts of Mr. Felch to accommodate the variety to the wants of a few incompetent breeders, or to applaud the wisdom of our brethren of the A. P. A. in “squelching” such innovations. They surely have the thanks of all honest breeders of Black Hamburgs, which can be bred _black_ as well as any other variety of black fowls, if we only have patience and honestly strive to eradicate this serious fault, which, if allowed, would work to the disadvantage of all.

_Comb._—There is no style of comb so difficult to breed to perfection as the rose comb, and the excellent combs shown on Black and Spangled Hamburgs at our recent shows prove how much can be accomplished by judicious breeding. To our eye it is beautiful and elegant, and forms one of the chief attractions of the Hamburg. It should be a deep, rich red; not so large as to overhang the eyes or beak; square in front; fitting close and straight on the head; not inclining to one side; not hollow in the center—on the contrary, we prefer a slight rise in the center, although an even comb throughout is better. It should be uniform on each side; the top covered with small points, and terminating in a spike behind, which inclines upward very slightly. The absence of this spike is a grave defect, which if a natural blemish disqualifies a bird by the _American Standard of Excellence_, as does likewise a comb so large as to obstruct the sight.

_Ear-Lobes._—The ear-lobe is one of the most striking features of the Black Hamburg, and in connection with the bright red comb and greenish plumage, form a _tout ensemble_ such as no one can see without admiring. The ear-lobe on the old Black Hamburgs was smaller than it is nowadays, although it is noticeable that those birds which have been kept pure have a smaller and finer ear-lobe than those which were crossed with the Spanish. As we have before observed, Mr. Beldon (in common with some other breeders, who all ought to know better) has thought that the white ear-lobe was only introduced by the Spanish cross, an error which we have furnished abundant evidence to refute; so that really all that was gained by this unnecessary cross was a large, pendent ear-lobe, which is totally at variance with our accepted ideas as to what a Hamburg ear-lobe should be. It has been allowed by most judges, until quite recently, to be a little larger in the Blacks than in any other variety of Hamburgs, but it must be pure white, well rounded, lying smoothly and close to the face, like a piece of white kid glove, and _the smaller the better_. A large, pendent ear-lobe, like that of the Spanish and Leghorns, is certainly a grave blemish; nor should it be wrinkled or puffy, or at all tinged with red about the edges.

_The Face._—One of our chief difficulties in breeding Hamburgs is the tendency to white in the face, which should be a deep, rich crimson, almost scarlet. A white face is a positive disqualification, and a dark gypsy face much to be avoided. Both these latter defects owe their origin to the Spanish cross, although white specks in the face will often appear in pure-bred birds as they advance in age. By careful breeding, and judiciously selecting those cocks which retain a pure red face, this may be entirely bred out, while breeding from birds showing the white face fixes the defect in the progeny, and causes much trouble to the breeder before it can be eradicated. It is rare to find a two or three-year-old cock which does not show a patch of white under the eye or near the ear-lobe; but the graver and more common the fault, the more pains should be taken to breed it out, and we have no doubt but the time will soon come when such a thing as a white-specked face in the show room will be unknown. We trust efforts will be made in this direction.

_Legs and Tail._—The legs should be a _dark_, leaden blue, approaching black, in young birds, as the tendency is to grow light with age. Light blue legs in a cockerel or pullet are very objectionable.

The tail in male birds should be long, well curved, and graceful, flowing rather backward from the rump. A squirrel tail is a grave fault—a disqualification, in fact—as is also a wry tail or one carried constantly to one side. Wry tails have various causes, originating sometimes from accident, but they are often hereditary, and wry-tailed birds should never be used for breeding. Often the cramped quarters of an exhibition coop will render a bird temporarily wry-tailed, or rather induce it for a time to carry it to one side. This will usually disappear when the bird is given full range, but is quite an unfortunate circumstance, as a prize bird is often thrown out on this account.

_Symmetry._—This means a great deal in Hamburgs; and as no breed is more symmetrical or graceful in form, particular pains should be taken to prevent them from running into a Game or Dorking shape. We have often seen breeders send birds to the show room which were good in all other points, but most degenerate in symmetry. We heard a prominent judge say lately that “symmetry could not be expressed; it was something about which every man had his own ideas, and applied to birds according to his judgment.” Each breed has its distinct symmetry of proportions, and it would be no more absurd to expect a Cochin shape on a Hamburg than it is to admit a Hamburg to be well proportioned with the slender neck, long legs, and high station of a Game, or the heavy, square and dumpy appearance of the Dorking. In fact they must be _real Hamburgs_ in shape; neck medium length, and carried well over the back; back not very long or very short; breast full, prominent and wide; wings good size, the points carried comparatively low; tail ample and well spread out, and carried rather erect; thighs well rounded and of medium length; shanks slender, smooth and neat; carriage showing gracefulness and activity. By no means must they carry the idea of being Black Dorkings, or Rose-combed Spanish, or worse yet, untrimmed Games. Avoid also narrow bodies and whip tails.

_Points in Breeding Black Hamburgs._—In mating any variety for breeding, the faults to which they are most liable should be borne in mind, and the breeder’s one idea be to breed them out, and so perfect the birds as much as possible. This in some instances may take years of careful and painstaking matings; years of disappointment and chagrin may follow, as we see the defects still cropping out, and realize the failure of all our carefully-laid plans. But how glorious is the feeling enjoyed by the fancier when at last skill triumphs, and he beholds in a numerous and nearly perfected progeny the result of years of toil and study. Then it is that he hies him joyfully to the show room; then it is that he triumphs over the breeder who has so long plucked the premiums from under his nose; and as he returns home, after enjoying his first genuine success, his thoughts are employed as to the best means of further improving his birds; and to such men—studious, painstaking and persevering—we owe that perfection in our domestic fowls which is so astonishing, considering the short time that has been devoted to their improvement, and which ought to convince us how pliable and plastic fancy poultry is in the hands of an intelligent breeder. Do not be discouraged by failure at first—_keep trying_, and the time must and will come when your efforts shall be crowned with success.

Black Hamburgs are not a very difficult fowl to breed, when you go about it understandingly. In selecting breeding stock, we again say, bear in mind the defects to which they are heir—namely, badly-shaped combs, white faces, pendent and over-sized ear-lobes, legginess, and white or red feathers.

At shows color in cocks is not regarded so much as it is in pullets—not nearly so much as it ought to be. “Although,” says Mr. Sergeantson, “other things being equal, color will carry the day.” Therefore for breeding cockerels, choose the best combed birds; good, red faces, free from white; round, small ear-lobes; free from red or colored feathers in any part of the plumage, and short legs, broad breast and back. Squirrel tails result quite often from narrow-bodied birds, and this, besides being very objectionable, is hereditary, so bear this last requisite well in mind. We have said nothing about color in this mating, for the reason that it is not considered of so much consequence in cockerels as in pullets; but if, with the above requisites, you can find a _male_ bird with good color, you may breed in the progeny this very desirable quality.

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Now for pullet breeding (if you are able to have two pens; if not, choose the above mating), it is absolutely requisite that in addition to the above qualifications, or as many of them as can be obtained, a _cock_ be found which has a brilliant luster to his plumage. As we have intimated, it is very difficult to find a cock with this brilliant plumage without a touch of red in hackle. If you _can_ obtain him, well and good; if not, bear in mind the red feathers, but use him, for color in cock you _must_ have above any other consideration for breeding pullets. The Rev. Mr. Sergeantson, whom we have before quoted, and who had greater success than any other English breeder with this variety, entirely agrees with us in this. He says: “I would much rather choose for the purpose a red-hackled cock, if good in other respects, than a dull-colored one. I have often bred beautiful, lustrous pullets from hens with very little color, when mated with a bright cock; but never from a dull-colored cock, however lustrous the hens with him might be.” Moreover, in this pen, choose birds with small or moderately sized combs, as there is a general tendency in combs of pullets to lop over, if bred too large.

Do not be discouraged, if you cannot obtain all these points at once; get as near to it as possible; and every succeeding year will find you drawing nearer and nearer to that desired goal—_perfection_.

THE SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURG.

This variety is probably as well known and generally bred as any variety of fancy poultry we have, and its continued popularity is conclusive proof of the high estimation in which it is held by fanciers throughout the land. To the counties of Lancashire and Yorkshire the Silver-Spangled Hamburgs owe their present state of perfection, although American breeders have done more in twenty years to perfect their combs, ear-lobes and face than English fanciers have been able to accomplish in twice that time. The plumage is essentially English, and to English fanciers is due the credit for perfecting their beautiful markings. In fact, they were brought to a high standard of excellence in Lancashire long before the first poultry show; and this standard was clearly defined and adhered to by fanciers, who were chary about admitting innovations as to their ideas.

They were originally called Silver Pheasants in Yorkshire, and Silver Mooneys in Lancashire. These latter, while the most numerous and best bred, admitted only hen-feathered cocks, and were brought to a high state of perfection. Mr. Beldon says: “Some of the old Mooneys were absolute perfection in point of feather; the spangling, so large, round and rich in color, was really something to be wondered at, and shows a skill and enthusiasm in breeding which, in the absence of public shows in those days, has about it something of the marvelous.”

When poultry shows first came into fashion these Mooneys received the lion’s share of the awards at all the exhibitions, until it came to be considered utter foolishness to pit any kind of fowl against them, and they enjoyed their exalted position for several years unmolested. At the expiration of this time, however, breeders of the Mooneys were thrown into confusion by the sudden and unanimous decree of the judges that these “hen-feathered Mooneys” were all humbug, and not “the correct thing,” inasmuch as so many of these “hen-feathered” cocks proved unprolific or imperfect that long-tailed birds were secretly used to keep up the breed. There was so much evident truth in this that the struggle, though sharp, was of short duration; the judges triumphed, and the reign of the Silver Mooneys as show birds was over, while the star of the Silver Pheasants steadily rose, until nothing was recognized but the full-plumaged cocks, though the hens still lacked the nice spangling which had rendered the Lancashire birds so much admired, the spangles being small and indistinct. It may be well to state here that the Yorkshire birds were the original variety, the excellence in spangling attained by the Lancashire fanciers being the result of judicious breeding. The Yorkshire birds had better symmetry, whiter ear-lobes, smaller combs and clearer tails, and it is from them that our modern Silver-Spangled Hamburgs are descended. They are fully up to the other varieties in productiveness, and possess all the good traits of the breed, while their exceeding beauty renders them remarkably attractive.

_Plumage._—Of course the spangling in the Silver-Spangled Hamburg is of primary importance, and should be regarded with the utmost care. As the spangling differs in the sexes, we shall be obliged to describe them separately.

_Cock._—The neck-hackle should be abundant, descending well over the shoulders, and in color, silvery-white (any approach to a yellowish tinge to be carefully avoided), the longer feathers ending in a small diamond-shaped spangle, and presenting a beautiful rayed appearance about the shoulders.

The back and saddle should have the same general style of feathers, pure white in color, except the small spangle near the end as in the neck-hackle, avoiding any appearance of the yellowish tinge.

The breast feathers should be pure silvery-white, each feather ending with a well-defined, round, large-sized greenish-black spangle or moon, showing as little white on the tip as possible, the spangles increasing in size in proportion as the feather increases in size. The body and wing-feathers must have a similar moon-shaped spangle. There is a tendency to indistinct or smutty markings in the tail, which should be avoided. The moons on the breast-feathers should be just large enough to give the breast a spangled appearance, by allowing a little of the white beyond each moon to show. The moons, if too large, give the breast a mossed or black appearance, which is a defect. The spangles on greater and lesser wing-coverts form two distinct bars across the wing, which is very requisite in a well-marked bird. Care should be taken to avoid clear white feathers in back and saddle, as they are very liable to appear in light-colored birds.

_Hen._—The neck-hackle should be composed of clear, silvery-white feathers, each plainly striped near the end with greenish-black. The back, breast and body should be clear white, each feather distinctly spangled with a large, round and greenish-black moon, as large as possible without the spangles running together and giving a mossy or black appearance in places.

The half-moon spangle should be avoided with much care in all feathers except the wing-secondaries, where it is allowable in both sexes. The wing-coverts, greater or lesser, should be clear, silvery-white, terminating in a large, greenish-black, round spangle, and forming two parallel bars, distinctly marked, across the wing. It is difficult to find a perfectly spangled tail without some black or smutty color in the main body of the feathers; this is not so persistent a defect in the hen as in the cock, and can be bred out of both, if proper care is taken. The feathers on the thighs should be as distinct as possible, care being taken to prevent a mossy or laced appearance.

Nothing can be more beautiful than a finely-spangled Silver Hamburg, and when a perfect spangling is once attained, it is easily continued in the progeny. Laced or half-moon feathers are a great eye-sore to the fancier, and are often very troublesome, although perhaps not more so than the indistinct markings on the tail, once so common, but which is now being replaced by clear, well-spangled tails—another evidence of skillful breeding.

_Other Points._—The comb in Silver-Spangled Hamburgs should resemble exactly that described in our section on Black Hamburgs. The ear-lobe should also be the same, but is more easily bred to perfection in the Spangled than in the Black variety, being naturally rather smaller and smoother; but, on the other hand, more liable to red edges. There is the same tendency to white in the face in Silver-Spangled as in Black Hamburgs, although in a lesser degree, and there surely is no excuse for its cropping out here, if ordinary care is taken to prevent it.

The carriage of Silver-Spangled Hamburgs is graceful in the extreme and constitutes one of their chief attractions; indeed, we think they are among the most stylish birds we have. The legs should be slender, neat and clean, of medium length, and in color, blue or slaty-blue. We have already described what constitutes good symmetry in a Hamburg; let it suffice to say that the Silver-Spangled are essentially _Hamburg_ in this respect.

The disqualifications to which this variety is liable are absence of the wing-bars, markings wholly crescent-shaped or of the half-moon character, solid black breasts, laced feathers, squirrel tails, red ear-lobes, and the absence of spike in comb, cocks hen-feathered.

The beak should be horn-color, and the eyes a dark hazel. Care should be taken to avoid a black fluff in either sex, as it is an especial abomination to the intelligent fancier.

_Points in Breeding Silver-Spangled Hamburgs._—We are obliged to acknowledge that unless you have a thorough knowledge of the strain you are breeding from, there is considerable guess-work necessary in choosing a Silver-Spangled Hamburg cock for breeding; for the reason that, unlike most fowls, there are frequent cases where a finely-marked cock will fail to throw a good percentage of well-marked chicks in his progeny. So, if you fail to procure a good breeder at first, you must try again. In the first place, select a cock with good comb and ear-lobes, as much spangling in back and saddle as possible, good wing-bars, and clear tail; in fact, a good, deep-colored show cock, and put him to the very best hens you can get.

Care must be taken to avoid any grave faults on either side, such as smudgy markings, poor ear-lobes, or overhanging, coarse combs. Now see what you can do with this mating. If you get a fair proportion of well-marked chicks, stick to this pen as long as they will breed, or the eggs are fertile, for it is not every lot that breeds well together. If you find that you are not getting a good proportion of fairly-marked birds, you must change the cock, procuring one from another strain, and try your luck with him, persevering until you get what you desire. In all varieties of fowls there are some strains that will produce better cockerels than pullets, and _vice versa_, and Hamburgs are no exception to the general rule. You may, therefore, find it to your advantage to breed from two different yards, provided you have sufficient room and the means of procuring the proper birds. If a pen breeds excellent cockerels but poor pullets, keep that pen for cockerel breeding, as it is far better to breed good birds of one sex than middling birds of both sexes, even if you have but one pen. When you have a good pen of cockerel getters, begin to look about for a yard which will breed fine pullets. A little patience and perseverance will be amply repaid when at last you find yourself successful; and when you _do_ get what you want, stick to it!

Our instructions for mating Silver-Spangled Hamburgs are _in toto_ as minute as ever have or can be given, for the simple reason, as we have said, that your first matings (unless you know the strain well) must be greatly influenced by chance.

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We might add that whenever you select a cock for breeding, choose one of as much health and vigor as you can find possessing the other requisite points, for we believe that nothing contributes more to distinct markings in chickens than parents that can give them vigorous constitutions and hardy characteristics.

GOLDEN-SPANGLED HAMBURGS.

About thirty years ago, when poultry shows first came into fashion, there were two kinds of Golden-Spangled Hamburgs. One was called the Golden Pheasants, and was a fine, large bird, but as a rule the cocks were hen-feathered. The spangling was very fine, and the groundwork a dull bay, but there was a great deal of smut in all their markings. They were good layers, had white ear-lobes, and moderately good combs. The other variety were called Golden Mooneys, and in color and markings were very superior to the Golden Pheasants. Mr. Beldon, in “Wright’s Poultry Book,” says: “I shall never forget my feelings of pleasure on first seeing the Golden Mooney hen. She struck me as being something wonderful. The ground color of the plumage in these fowls is of the very richest bay, the spangling very bold and clear, and of a green, satin-looking black; in fact, the plumage was so rich and glossy that the full beauty of it could not be seen, except in the sunshine, but when it _was_ seen, it formed a picture never to be forgotten. I am here speaking of the hen; the cock’s plumage was also of the very richest description.”

The cocks, however, had solid black breasts and their ear-lobes consisted of little more than a bit of red skin, such as we see upon Games. By degrees, as hen-feathered cocks and red ear-lobes came to be considered great blemishes, these two varieties were bred together, and from them is derived our modern Golden-Spangled Hamburgs. They are a little larger than the Silver-Spangled; but, while they lay a trifle larger egg, do not produce quite so many of them. They are very hardy, and exceedingly attractive in appearance, being the richest colored of any variety of the Hamburgs, excepting the Black.

_Plumage._—The plumage of the Golden-Spangled Hamburgs differs in many respects from that of the Silver-Spangled. The ground color is a rich, deep golden-bay, and should be as even throughout as possible. There is a tendency to run lighter in color under the breast and body. This is a serious blemish. The neck-hackle, instead of being spangled, as in the Silver variety, has a long black stripe running the entire length of the feather to the extremity of the tip. This stripe should be a glossy, greenish-black, standing out well defined from the ground color, and not clouded. The saddle is composed of similar feathers. Both saddle and hackle should be abundant, the latter flowing well over the shoulders, especially in the cocks—of course the females have no saddles. The breast, back and body feathers should be a rich, golden-bay, each feather ending with a large, distinct, round, black spangle, having a rich greenish luster. The wing primaries and secondaries in the cock are bay on the outer web, and black on the inner web, each feather ending with a black, metallic crescent. On the hen the primaries and secondaries are a clear golden-bay, each feather ending with a black, metallic crescent. The wing-bows should be a clear, deep golden-bay, each feather tipped with a large, round, greenish-black spangle; the greater and lesser wing-coverts a clear golden-bay, each feather ending with a large, oblong, greenish-black spangle, forming two distinct bars, parallel across the wing. The tail should be a rich greenish-black in both sexes, full and well expanded. In cocks the sickles are well curved and glossy, and the tail-feathers abundant and of a rich, metallic luster.

One of the most common defects in this variety is feathers tipped beyond the spangle with a small edging of bay or white; sometimes both appear, one beyond the other. Although this is to be avoided, it is not a direct disqualification. We have often seen it appear upon old birds whose plumage was previously entirely innocent of such markings, and it is rare, indeed, to find a pair of old exhibition birds entirely without it, to say nothing of breeding fowls. It makes its appearance chiefly upon the breast and body, but is also frequently seen in the hackle. We hope to see the time when this defect shall be wholly eradicated. The white tips are the most objectionable, but are nearly as common as the bay edgings to the spangles. The entire plumage should be close and glossy, and very rich and uniform in color and markings.

_Other Points._—The comb on Golden-Spangled Hamburgs is liable to be coarse and large, although in finely-bred birds we often find as good combs as are ever seen upon the other varieties. A tendency to red edgings in ear-lobes (which should be a pure white) is also to be avoided. In size this variety surpasses the Silver-Spangled Hamburgs, but they lose in symmetry usually what they gain in size, consequently symmetry is a point which should be carefully looked after. There is not much tendency to white face, which is seldom observed in birds of this variety. The legs should be of medium length, shanks clean and slender, and in color leaden-blue. The tail is one of their chief beauties, and should claim much attention from the breeder, care being taken to guard against wry or squirrel tails, which are very liable to descend to the offspring.

_Points in mating Golden-Spangled Hamburgs._—We do not know of a single case where any one has given instructions for mating this variety which are at all clear or definite, or offer the slightest assistance to the breeder. Even our distinguished English contemporaries give it up in despair. One of our correspondents writes as follows:

“At a large exhibition several years ago we inquired of a gentleman who had won nearly all the awards on Golden Spangles—and with excellently marked birds, too—what his system or mating was by which he procured such fine birds. With something that resembled a sneer at our remarks, he said: ‘I let them breed themselves!’ We had then been trying our best for some time to study the characteristics of the breed, in order to obtain some clue by which to mate them properly; and this remark, together with the living proofs of the good results of such indiscriminate matings before our eyes, we must confess rather staggered us. We went home and carefully thought it over, and adhering to our former notions that science would finally triumph, we persevered in our experimental matings, and had the pleasure two years after of defeating the same breeder most thoroughly in the show room. His birds were by this time little more than mongrels—the result of his plan to ‘let them breed themselves!’”

In breeding this variety there should be two pens—one to breed males, and one females. In breeding for cockerels, select a large, well-marked cock, whose ground color is a deep, rich golden-bay throughout, free from smutty or cloudy markings, with fine, glossy plumage, the spangles of which possess in a high degree the beautiful metallic, greenish luster. With him mate pullets of medium color (care being taken not to have them too light or dark in the ground color), whose spangles are large and distinct, without running into each other and giving them an undesirable spotted appearance. These pullets should possess good glossy plumage, but size is not requisite, nor need they necessarily have extra-fine combs and ear-lobes, provided the cock possesses these desirable qualities in a marked degree, for it is from him that these qualities are inherited, while the pullet furnishes the color and markings in a greater degree. Especial pains should be taken to choose a cock with a small, fine comb and pure white ear-lobes, when they can be found in connection with the requisite points mentioned.

In breeding for pullets choose a dark-colored cockerel, with good ear-lobes, small comb and good symmetry, and simply mate him with the very best hens you can find. There is a tendency in hens of this variety to become a rather dull, light bay in ground color as they grow aged—these are the very hens to mate with the above-described cockerel. Care should be taken to procure the very best comb, ear-lobes, and symmetry you can find.

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With these matings you can hardly fail to breed a good proportion of fine chicks; but, as we have said in connection with the Silver-Spangled Hamburgs, you may not find a cock at first that will prove a good breeder. If not, you must keep on trying. In both the varieties of Spangled Hamburgs the _strain_ has a great deal to do in furnishing good breeders. “Blood will tell;” and we should call the attention of the breeder of both these varieties to the necessity of establishing a strain of his own as soon as possible, whose good qualities he will be able to know thoroughly, and whose bad ones he will promptly recognize and endeavor to counterbalance by proper matings.

SILVER-PENCILED HAMBURGS.

We have already stated that the Penciled Hamburgs were imported into England from Holland, where they first attracted the attention of English fanciers, and although there can be no possible doubt in the mind of an intelligent observer that they originally possessed, with the Spangled and Black varieties, a common progenitor, still they possess several distinctly different characteristics. This is owing, no doubt, to their being so long bred and undoubtedly perfected in a different country and by a different class of people. These differences consist chiefly in a smaller and finer form than the Spangled and Blacks—a smaller head, a smarter appearance, and perhaps more activity, their motions being very quick and graceful. That they are great layers of a small but exquisitely white and finely-flavored egg is proverbial, and on their first introduction into England this quality procured for them the title of “Dutch everlasting layers.”

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The Silver-Penciled Hamburg is a very beautiful bird, and is greatly admired by every one who can see any beauty at all in a finely-marked and gracefully formed fowl. Indeed, we believe that they have the most _finished_ appearance of any fowl, their markings being so fine and regular that there seems nothing more to be desired to entitle them to the palm for beauty.

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The Book of the HamburgsChapter I: Part 1

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