40 WYANDOTTES. 



color, the material was there for a handsome and useful fowl. It 

 could, in truth, be said that they had less glaring faults than some 

 of the Silvers which were exhibited in 1883. 



Perfection in standard points must be reached by slow and sure 

 improvement. Rich and mellow though it be, the ground color can 

 with advantage be made richer, and pure golden take the place of 

 light yellow or buff; the lacing, too, can be much improved by a rich 

 metallic black, in place of dark brown or sooty black. From time 

 to time, as the variety grows older, and stronger competition is met 

 in the show room, improvement of one point or another will show 

 itself to the breeder and judge. Our tastes improve with our breed- 

 ing, in the same manner that our skill and intellect improve with 

 our experience and study. We are growing more aesthetic every 

 day in our tastes, and demand better specimens of standard breeds 

 than in times past, when our tastes were on a level with our environ- 

 ment. 



No doubt Mr. McKeen, and other fanciers who conceived the 

 idea of originating a Golden variety of Wyandottes, had this ultimate 

 view in mind. To such men, there is a satisfaction and pleasure 

 beyond the cash value, which such stock is sure to bring sooner or 

 later. As fanciers, they knew well it would take time to bring per- 

 fection about, and it must come by slow degrees, and without dis- 

 turbing those already fixed. The material is there; the form and 

 structure already molded; the make up suggests comeliness and 

 usefulness; a modification or, if you please, a "go between" the 

 Asiatic and European types, which seems- so well adapted to the size 

 and practical value of the variety. 



The history of the Golden Wyandottes is so well known to old 

 fanciers that a repetition would not be attempted, were it not that 

 we have been favored with a full and correct account of the material 

 and the manner of crossing to obtain the breed designated " Winne- 

 bagoes," which was used as a top cross on the Whittaker strain of 

 Silver Wyandottes, written by Mr. Joseph McKeen, specially for 

 this book. As there are many points of interest in relation to the 

 Winnebagoes that are new and never before published, we will give 

 his statements in full: 



" Some parties that have written on the Golden Wyandottes for 

 publication in the poultry papers, the past few years, have been 

 pretty near correct in their statements in regard to their origin, 

 characteristics, etc., but are a little in error in supposing that the 

 * Winnebagoes,' the top cross on the American Sebright to produce 



