226 AMERICAN POULTRY ASSOCIATION 



Silver-Gray in Tails. A peculiar color effect is often seen in 

 the tails of both sexes of buff varieties. The main tail feathers 

 of some individuals are entirely silver-gray in color, while those 

 of others show this shade only on one side of the quills. Again, 

 it is observed on the inside of the tail feathers, while the outside 

 will appear buff, or nearly buff. 



Wings. Black is found in the wing, generally on the upper 

 web of the secondaries, though it is often seen in the little 

 feathers that cover the bases of the flights. White appears in 

 both flights and secondaries. Poor health sometimes is account- 

 able for white in plumage of all varieties, but it is inadvisable 

 to find such an excuse for placing birds with this defect in the 

 breeding yards. Brownish colored spots often appear in the 

 flights, a most undesirable characteristic. 



The presence of white is not restricted to the web of the 

 feather, as the shaft of the flights very commonly shows white 

 at base. The best specimens of the present day show no black 

 or white in wings, and but little black and no white in tails, 

 while occasionally specimens with wings and tail of as good buff 

 color as any part of the plumage are produced. See Plate 64 

 for an illustration of clean, even buff tail feathers. 



Tail Plumage of Darker Shades. Passing from the presence 

 of black, white, or black and white in tail plumage, we often find 

 the plumage of this section too dark, though neither black nor 

 white are present. The color, though dark, resembles buff, yet 

 it is plainly not buff, but rather more brown than the golden 

 shade desired. This shade has been very aptly termed chestnut, 

 and we have what are commonly termed chestnut-colored tails. 

 Sometimes that applies very well to the tail color as a whole, 

 but more often as shown by illustration, Plate 61, it appears in 

 patches on one or more feathers, while the remainder of the 

 feather or feathers may be buff, as shown in illustration, Plate 63. 



Undercolor. In buff varieties, undercolor is considered 

 largely from the breeder's standpoint and valued according to 

 its necessity in breeding the shade and the evenness required in 

 surface color. However, undercolor is considered important. It 

 is impossible to breed specimens with undercolor that is as 

 strong as the surface color. The undercolor should be buff, but 

 though buff, it is invariably of a much lighter shade than the 



