INHERITANCE IN POULTRY. 



TABLE OF CHARACTERISTICS. 



REMARKS ON THE CHARACTERISTICS. 



1 . SHAFTING. In plumage, shafting is a light streak on the shaft and adja- 

 cent parts of the vane. Of the two parental races it occurs only in the 

 female Tosa fowl (fig. 30). The light shaft-stripe is, however, widespread 

 among females of certain dark or silvered races e. g. , Silver Wyandottes, 

 Silver-gray and Dark Dorkings, Silver Duckwing Games, and Silver Penciled 

 Hamburghs. It crops out in many individuals where its occurrence is regarded 

 by the " fancy " as a " defect." It is an original characteristic of poultry 

 introduced from Callus bankiva, whose female exhibits it conspicuously 



(fig. 39)- 



2. HACKLE LACING. Among most broken-colored poultry the hackle 

 feathers are unlike those of the rest of the plumage. Usually the hackle has 

 a dark band in the center and is margined or laced by white more rarely by 

 yellow or red. In the female Jungle fowl (fig. 39) the feathers of nape and 

 hackle have a black center (with broad, straw-colored shafting) and are laced 

 with straw color. The male Jungle fowl has hackle feathers of a solid red 

 color. In the descent of the domestic poultry, hackle lacing seems to have 

 been transferred to the male sex also. 



3. BODY L/ACING. Few races of poultry exhibit lacing elsewhere than on 

 the hackles. It is very prominent on the Indian female, but is not found on the 

 Jungle fowl of either sex. In the Dark Brahma male (fig. 19) it occurs only 

 on the saddle feathers. Whether its laced saddle is derived from the Indian 

 or is due to a spreading, through correlation, from the hackles can not be 

 said. Lacing is found on the breast of Game fowl and over much of the 

 body of the female Dark Dorking. Among certain derived races, such as 

 the Spangled Polish and the Laced Wyandottes, it affects nearly the whole 

 plumage and is very conspicuous. 



