ir ROCK STANDARD AND BHUKD UOOK m 



Carriage of Comb. It is a matter of first importance that the 

 comb should set firmly on the head, as a thin or limber comb 

 is apt to droop and if a comb droops too much it becomes a dis- 

 qualification, which clearly intimates that a drooping comb is a 

 serious defect. (See illustration, Plate 7, Figure 1.) 



Turning to one side at either front or rear is also a defect. 

 This is illustrated in Plate 7, Figure 3. Thumb marks or wrinkles 

 over the beak are quite serious defects, as the rules for cutting 

 the same clearly show. These are shown in the same illustra- 

 tions. (See, also, chapter on Cutting for Defects.) These faults 

 usually occur when the blade is too large or too heavy. What 

 are expressively termed "beefy" combs are inclined to this fault. 

 Twisted combs are very unsightly and undesirable. An illustra- 

 tion of a twist in the comb of a male is seen in Plate 7, Figure 2, 

 and of a female is seen in Plate 17, Figure 2. 



Size Outline. If the features are to be considered in the 

 order in which they affect the appearance of the bird, size and 

 outline must be next discussed. A comb should not be so large 

 as to look top heavy or coarse. On the contrary, it should not 

 be so small that the male seems effeminate, or that the female 

 appears to lack health or vigor. Male heads of coarse tendencies 

 will be found illustrated in Plate 7, Figures 3 and 5. Refined 

 heads are demanded of both sexes in all Plymouth Rocks. The 

 outline of all combs should be symmetrical ; that is, all parts of 

 the comb, the blade, the base and the points should be in pro- 

 portion to give proper balance between all these parts. 



Base. The base of the comb should be straight, first of all, 

 from front to rear, heavy enough to hold the points from droop- 

 ing and the blade from turning to one side or the other ; though 

 extremely and unnecessarily heavy bases are not wanted, as 

 should be understood from the Standard description. This de- 

 scription precludes thumb-marks, wrinkles and indentures as 

 mentioned, heretofore. In Plate 7, Figure 4, the base is shown 

 too narrow or thin, while in Figure 5 the base is too coarse and 

 too heavy. 



Blade. The width or depth of the blade should be about the 

 same as the length of the longest points or a little more to give 

 the best setting, and the line formed by the base of the serra- 

 tions or what might be termed the top-line of the blade should 

 be nearly horizontal, or conforming a little to the top of the 



