PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 239 



Some, of course, differ or have differed with this writer, and 

 while both opinions are held, it is admitted by all that black is 

 difficult to breed out and keep out. As for white in wings and 

 tail, the same may be said, though the amount of white can be 

 perceptibly reduced from one generation to another by selection. 



The correct shade and evenness of color are qualities of most 

 importance in breeding birds of both sexes. Of the two, even- 

 ness, if the color is not too far removed from the desired shade, 

 is perhaps the most important, because when persistently selected 

 for generations, this quality will correct such faults as mealiness, 

 shaftiness, light edging, and finally will influence the color of 

 main tail feathers and the flights and secondaries. When select- 

 ing specimens for evenness of color, all sections should match. 

 Such a specimen is hard to find. The neck may be lighter or 

 darker than the other sections, and the breast, body and fluff 

 are often lighter than back, wing and tail. We desire, first, uni- 

 formity in the shade of all sections of the specimen, and then, 

 if the specimen be of the desired shade, it is desired that the gen- 

 eral shade of the female should match the breast, body and fluff 

 of the male. 



Black in tail or wings may be bred out in time. The breeder 

 should not expect to eliminate any great amount of this strong 

 colored pigment in one generation. This is often attempted. 

 There is a general impression that black may be offset with 

 white. This is, perhaps, true but in a comparatively small num- 

 ber of the progeny of matings in which this expediency was re- 

 sorted to. By mating birds with black in plumage to those with 

 white in corresponding sections, blood that has a tendency to 

 produce black is mingled with blood that has a tendency to pro- 

 duce white, and the result is blood that has a strong tendency to 

 produce both black and white in the plumage; black in some, 

 white in some, and both black and white in others. 



The breeding out of white involves the same principle. It 

 should not be offset in matings by using specimens of the oppo- 

 site sex that have black in the plumage. A safe rule and one 

 that produces the most pure buff plumage in the individual and 

 the most buff in individuals of number, is to offset either black 

 or white by selecting for the breeding specimens of each suc- 

 cessive generation those in which these undersirable colors are 

 not present, or those with as little of either as possible. 



