THE SPANGLING OF POLISH. 



455 



perfectly laced, and the breast a broader lacing 

 of more crescentic character, but still going 

 round the feather. The cock feathers are shown 

 in Fig. 131.* His secondary quills should also 

 be well laced round with black. The true tail- 

 feathers are supposed to be white, edged with 

 black, but are more usually a bit peppered or 

 grey, with more tipping at the ends than 

 lacing at the sides ; the sickles also should be 

 edged with black with a thicker end or 

 splash, or sort of spangle, and these also 

 are usually more or less grey inside the 



secondaries are very evenly laced, and the tail- 

 feathers should be well edged, with a thicker 

 crescentic spangle at the tip, and as clear as 

 possible, though here also there is generally 

 a little pepper or grey. The hen's feathers are 

 shown in Fig. 132. 



The ground-colour of Silvers should of 

 course be as silvery as possible, and demands 

 the same careful selection in breeding, and care 

 to preserve it, as other white breeds. In Golds 

 the colour of the cocks is a deep golden bay 

 on the breast, and more reddish bay above*; 



Hackle. 



Wing-bow. 



Wing-bar. 



Fig. 132. — Feathers of Silver Spangled Polish lien. 



lacing. These darker-tailed cocks make the 

 best breeders. 



The beard of the hen should be full, and 

 well marked with black, but is not so very dark 

 as in the cock. The neck-hackle should be well 

 tipped with black, the tipping being a kind of 

 semi-lacing : the breast heavily laced, thicker at 

 the tips of the feathers, but less crescentic in 

 character than in the cock ; the wing-bow, bars, 

 and tail-coverts rather heavily but more evenly 

 laced, though the marking is almost always 

 rather wider at the tips of the feathers. Her 



* These figureshavebeen reproduced from Mr. Beldon's feathers 

 of 1872, for the simple reason that we have been unable to find 

 any even so good at the present day. The reasons for this 

 deterioration have partly appeared already, and are further 

 discussed in the remarks following. 



that of the hen a golden bay. The legs of 

 both varieties are a dark or slaty blue, and 

 the beaks dark horn or dirty blue. 



In regard to the breeding of Spangled 

 Polish, we have to consider the probable causes 

 of the change or deterioration in marking — 

 whichever it be termed — which has 

 undoubtedly taken place during the 

 last fifteen years. At show after 

 show which we have visited, we 

 have found the Spangled Polish (when there 

 were any at all) very fine in crest, except for 

 too much openness of centre in the cocks, but 

 with obvious return to very poor spangling on 

 the breast, instead of the true lacing which is 



* We think the Standard deficient, in not describing or 

 recognising this more reddish top-colour. 



Breeding 

 Spangled 

 Polish. 



