75 



type. (I wish it to be utiderstood that I am writing 

 for the fancier and not for the breeder who aims at a 

 money profit.) Pair these birds from generation to 

 generation, for tliree or four years, as the strength of 

 the birds will allow, and after that time be provided 

 with fresh blood to introduce, a cock or a hen as the 

 case may be, guaranteed to be the offspring of light- 

 muling parents — or, failing this, put yourself in the 

 hands of a respectable breeder of Cinnamon-marked 

 Yorkshires, and ask him to send you a pink-eyed bird, 

 warranted to be bred from double yellows. This 

 admixture of good blood will probably do more 

 towards bringing you to success than the close in- 

 breeding which you have previously practised, as 

 cinnamon blood has affinities to albinism, and, 

 besides, it once more brings up the stamina of your 

 strain, for in-breeding. 



Now, possibly, the best course will be for you, if 

 you have the opportunity, to take a nest of mules 

 from the most sparcely - feathered of the hens, in 

 order that you may see how far you are advancing 

 towards your goal. Sparceness in feather is most 

 important, but, so far as is compatible with this, 

 select the largest birds, for further crossing. The 

 reason why the largest birds should be chosen is that 

 when in-breeding is carried far there is a tendency 

 for the size of the birds to decrease, and if the strain 

 is small to begin with it will gradually become 

 diminutive — and very small birds are often sterile. 

 When sterility is observed in the male bird, it is 

 a sure indication that in-breeding has been carried 

 too far, and that fresh blood must be introduced. 



Great judgment must be exercised in the intro- 

 duction of new blood. Though I advise new blood, 

 it may injure the success of the breeder unless he is 

 very careful in its selection. Farmers and gardeners 

 change the seed and j^lants from one soil to another, 



