PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 145 



and foolish to use too faulty specimens in the breeding pen, it is 

 equally impossible to secure those that are perfect in shape, 

 which means that faults of greater or less magnitude in breeding 

 birds must be condoned and corrected by skillful mating of the 

 sexes. 



Mates for High Stationed, Short Bodied Males. The artist 

 first presents the problem of mating a male that is too high sta- 

 tioned, too short in back and too long and rather pinched in tail, 

 that on the whole leans decidedly to the typical shape of the 

 Langshan. The sketch next presented shows a female with 

 opposite tendencies a long, rather too flat back and tail that is 

 carried at a low angle ; a deep, full body, rather short shanks and 

 head too far forward in order to counteract the too upright 

 carriage of the male. (See illustration, Plate 21.) 



Mates for Coarse Females. The second sketch presents the 

 problem of mating a female that is decidedly coarse. As we 

 note the full, loose feathering and beefy characteristics, the large 

 head, too full and broad neck, closely tucked and short wings, 

 back slightly cushioned at sides, the very full breast and side 

 fluff all told, her body is too short, broad and deep. For her 

 mate a male is selected, that while it closely resembles the Stand- 

 ard, is still a little long with a well concaved back, a little too 

 shallow and a little too long in the body. (See illustration, 

 Plate 22.) 



Mates for Light Bodied Males. The third problem in mating 

 is another that often presents itself ; that of selecting for a male 

 that lacks full development in body a female that will correct this 

 serious defect. Males that excel so much in plumage and head 

 points are often poorly developed or lack frame or bone, as the 

 expression is. Such males should be mated with females that 

 have bone, that is, size and weight, and are splendidly formed in 

 those sections in which the male is weak. Light bodied males, 

 or those that are of light frame or light in bone, are almost 

 always deficient in breast, short and shallow in front of thighs, 

 have too deep a curvature in back and carry the tail too high. 

 Compared with the body, the tail looks long. We see these ten- 

 dencies shown in this sketch and note easily the full, well- 

 rounded breast, broad, full back and short, well-spread tail of 

 the female that is carried rather low, characters that are sure to 

 have a corrective influence with reference to the faults of this 

 male upon the progeny of such a pair. (See illustration, Plate 23.) 



