'WHAT IS A ROUNDHEAD ? '

H.P. Clarke, G&S Jan. 1942

What is a “round head?” A peacomb fowl not of pure American, English or Irish blood. 

When a strain of Bankiva type, shows a variation in comb, it may come rose, cup or doublecomb but never triple comb without an infusion of the Oriental. This fact is recognized in England by the Oxford Game Club which admits to its exhibitions rose-combs the same as single, but no peacombs.

The pure Aseel was introduced by myself in 1887. Aseel-crosses had been sent over from England and Ireland long before that. So there were a few peacombs, which were almost exclusively in our northern states. Some of these could have been descended from the original Sumatra but the great majority unquestionably Came from Aseel crosses imported from England and Ireland.

I never knew anything about McCoyle or Sa unders. Got acquainted with Allen and Shelton at the New Orleans tournament of 1907. Just a few years later Anthony Greene tried to prove that all these Round Heads came from crosses of his Japs, but not Very convincing. Allen did have some high-stationed dark reds,— think he called them "Knob-bcombs," —which really semeed to be Jap crosses. They were quite different from his Round Heads. A Northern cocker at that tournament when asked if he had ever before seen such birds as the Round Heads replied: "Yes, they are rather plentiful in some sections, only in Our country they are known as Grade Aseels."

Will Allen deserves full credit for popularizing the round head type in the South. Before his time a peacomb was looked upon as almost a disgrace in that Section of the country.