“In the cocks, the comb should be flat, rose, stretching far back on the head, and ending in a pike--at least an inch and a quarter in width, and as square in shape as possible; the ear lobe white; the neck hackle in the golden variety, of which I am now speaking, black fringed with gold; the back, breast, and legs, regularly spangled, and the larger and brighter green black the spangles the better; the saddle feathers small and spangled; the tail long, full, and of a brilliant green black; the legs light grey blue; toe nails white. The same description applies to the hens, who should have a flat rose comb, not lopping, but upright; the ground colour of the plumage should be a rich red gold or burnt sienna colour. One great point of beauty also, both in the cocks and hens, is that the wing should be regularly laced, as in the spangled Polands. The great difficulty in breeding the cocks is the tendency they have to come with black breasts and red backs--and for show such birds are valueless, although it is said more likely to throw good pullets than the spangled breasted birds which are sometimes termed hen-feathered. The _silver_ spangled cock should not be hen-feathered, the hackle, and saddle feathers should be white, the latter very long, the tail spangled black and white, the breast regularly spangled up to the throat, and in colour the clearest white for the ground, and the brightest green black for the spangles is requisite. The lacing of the wing in this variety is quite a _sine quâ non_, both in the cocks and hens; and in the latter the tail should be clear white, with three or four large circular spangles upon it, but no other dark markings whatever. The neck, back, breast, rump, and legs, should be regularly spangled, and there should be a total absence of patchiness in the markings. In both varieties great distinctness of colour is requisite, and from the delicacy of the plumage the slightest approach to breeding _in and in_ is sure to make the produce utterly valueless. In conclusion, the carriage of the cocks should be lofty and upright with the breast thrown forward like the Polands; the weight of the male birds from 5lb. to 6lb., of the hens from 4lb. to 5lb., or a little more.” There is, in addition to the gold and silver spangled, a third variety of these fowls, in which the whole plumage is of a glossy green black, the other characters being similar to those above described; these are termed Black Pheasant Fowls in the north of England. The term pheasant fowl, as applied to the spangled Hamburgh, takes its origin from the crescentic moon shaped markings, which resemble those of that bird; and the term Moonies is also sometimes applied to them from the same cause.