PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 177 



observing and patiently studious. When the cause of deviation 

 from standard color is determined, it must be kept in mind 

 during the mating process, for females that have faults of the 

 same character should not be selected as mates. 



The Cockerel-Bred Females. These are, if true to name, 

 daughters of exhibition-colored males. They differ from exhi- 

 bition-colored females only in color ; they are darker often very 

 much darker. Upon analysis, the dark bar is found to be much 

 more intensely dark. Greenish lustre appears occasionally, which 

 is usually referred to as "sheen." This is an objectionable fea- 

 ture in exhibition females, but not necessarily so in cockerel-bred 

 females ; for many males, females that possess a dark bar of that 

 character are necessary in order to breed high class males. 



The dark bar is usually much wider than the light bar, 

 usually twice as wide and sometimes as much as three times as 

 wide. This feature differs from the requirements for exhibition 

 females in this particular, but inasmuch as the light bar of the 

 males has a tendency to be too wide, this quality is desired in 

 cockerel-breeding females. The dark bar should be strong and 

 there should be a sharp definition between the dark and the light 

 bars. This line of definition will not be as sharp as in the plum- 

 age of exhibition-colored females because the contrast in color 

 between the two bars is not as sharp. 



The light bar, as it appears in plumage of the cockerel-bred 

 female, is not as wide, being, as the reader will conclude from 

 the foregoing, only one-half or one-third as wide. Furthermore, 

 the light bar is not as clear as in the plumage of the exhibition 

 female and it is not desired that it be so, for the reason stated 

 repeatedly that males are prone to come too light. Some cock- 

 erel-bred females do show a very clean-cut barring, the light 

 bar while narrow, is bright and clean and the dark bar, while 

 wide and strong in color, has well defined edges and is free from 

 greenish sheen and brownish shades. Such females are very 

 pretty and are of the sort that are usually exhibited when classes 

 are provided for them. As breeders, they are not always a success. 

 That depends upon how they are mated. If mated to males 

 that are very strong in surface color as well as in underbarring, 

 good results should be expected and often will be realized. They 

 would be particularly well mated to males whose plumage 

 showed rusty or brownish tinges or salty light bars. If we 



