THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 51 



nearly allied varieties. In a few generations the character 

 reverts to that of one or other of the parents ; the peculiarities 

 of an old type reappear, and the new cross, on which the fancier 

 was beginning to glorify himself, vanishes. The more hetero- 

 geneous are the parents, the more sudden is the return to old- 

 established characters. The hybrid progeny are either utterly 

 barren, or their young exhibit the likeness of their grandfather 

 or grandmother, not of their actual parents. 



"I have lately succeeded in producing a most magnificent 

 Irpbrid breed between the Golden and Black Polish, having 

 the rich spotted body of the former, and the handsome white 

 crest of the latter. This was a work of some difficulty and 

 time, and I am still so particular as to think it requires one 

 more generation to bring them to perfection." "It struck me 

 that the Golden would be much improved by the handsome 

 white crest of the Black Polish. By selecting at first some 

 of the former that had a few white feathers on the head, and 

 again crossing the best of these Hens with a Polish Cock for 

 two seasons, they are at length approaching perfection, and 

 will be the best and handsomest breed of all. A trial was 

 made vice versd, which brought them perfectly black, with 

 immense black heads." " It is rather a curious fact, that my 

 hybrids, though originating from two varieties of Polish, neither 

 remarkable for being good incubators, are early and very good 

 and steady birds to set, but perhaps not remarkably sweet- 

 tempered to other chicks. I cannot explain this, unless we 

 take it on the rule that two negatives make an affirmative." 

 So far so good. A subsequent report is, " My hybrid chickens 

 are beginning to come out, and I find many < cry back/ as I 

 had expected. The only remedy is to hatch a good many, and 

 then select. In a few years the breed will be established." 



n.H. 



Will it? Or is this "crying back" only the beginning 



