AMONG ANCONAS" 37 



Females For The Breeding Pen 



THE situation is now this. 

 We have a male bird who seems to answer all our specifications to 

 a dot. Here then (on the opposite page) is the type of female we 

 have in mind. Note, in each of these birds, the snappy, alert carriage, the 

 deep bodies, the neat tails. 



Do not breed from a female with a high tail always select a bird with 

 low, well-spread tail. In selecting females for color, if you overlook shape 

 you overlook a strong point, because without proper shape, the great useful- 

 ness of the Ancona would be limited. 



I select females as near standard requirements as possible, with good dark 

 wings and tail and fine, even mottling. If you breed Anconas you will prob- 

 ably wonder at the fine, even mottling I refer to, which may be absent from 

 your flock. Don't be discouraged! It has taken us many years of mating 

 and breeding to get the fine, even mottling I consider necessary in the ideal 

 Ancona. 



In the case that you are breeding for utility only, do not condemn a bird 

 with more white than the standard calls for because frequently these more 

 freely mottled birds are as good layers if hatched from eggs from a good laying 

 strain. Color has very little to do with their ability to lay. In our utility 

 matings we count much more on shape than on color. In our exhibition 

 matings the birds must have both shape and color. 



The standard of perfection states that Anconas must have 80 percent 

 of their feathers black and only 20 per cent with a white tip, excepting on 

 the males' back, where 90 per cent of the feathers are black. This would 

 mean a bird practically black when looking at him from 20 feet or more away. 

 I would scarcely consider this an ideal bird. It is results we are after, and 

 I believe you will agree with me that the illustrations throughout this book 

 of Anconas typify a very handsome specimen, which is slightly more white 

 than the standard of perfection called for. 



I have been working for a happy medium between the present and the 

 old Standard, with just enough white tips to give each bird a snappy appear- 

 ance and bring out the sharp contrast between white and black so necessary 

 in beauty. 



