FOWLS FOR LAYEES AND SITTEKS. 103 



power to prevent her from laying well, but this is only 

 part of the story. That fowl has a history of descent, 

 It is harder to breed to the point where good laying is a 

 trait of the strain if you select your breeding stock each 

 generation on the basis of fancy points as well as of lay- 

 ing qualities ; for while choosing your breeders, you 

 necessarily pass by on account of faulty plumage some 

 of the most eminent layers that would have helped your 

 strain mightily. 



An illustration will not be amiss, there is so much 

 ignorance prevailing on this point. Frederick the Great 

 had a body guard of soldiers of gigantic stature. The 

 question might be put, is there any reason in the world 

 why a red haired or a brown haired man may not be as 

 tall as black haired men ? None in the world, surely ; 

 but if the monarch desired a guard of the very tallest 



FIG. 37. FKED BOX WITH GKATING. 



mien his realm could possibly afford, then the average 

 hight of the battalion would be greater if there were 

 no restrictions on color of eyes, hair, and so on, than if 

 one specified shade only was admissible. Suppose the 

 requirements were black hair together with blue eyes 

 and great stature, the greater the better, how would the 

 average hight of the selected men turn out ? As such 

 eyes and hair do sometimes go together, the guard 

 might thus be recruited if the realm contained popula- 



