PLYMOUTH ROCK STANDARD AND BREED BOOK 263 



Wyandottes. The Silver-Penciled Plymouth Rocks having de- 

 scended from the same line of breeding, carry with them more 

 or less of this influence, from which reddish-brown or brick color 

 is, at times, found in the plumage. This color shows much more 

 plainly in both the male and female while they still have their 

 chick feathers. 



Perhaps it is this same influence that brings brassiness in 

 males and dark shading in the. shanks of both males and females. 

 Both of these defects are to be deplored ; yet they exist, and it 

 requires considerable care and judgment to prevent their in- 

 creasing or to keep them entirely out of the plumage of both 

 sexes. Brassiness in the top plumage of the males detracts con- 

 siderably from their appearance, and renders them unfit for use 

 in the breeding pen. This same influence makes it more difficult 

 to produce clean, clear gray or silver gray in the female. 



Other defects that must be avoided are : Too much penciling 

 in the neck feathers of the female, any penciling in the neck of 

 the male, and too much white in the wings of the male. Some of 

 the best females of this variety have almost as much penciling 

 in their neck feathers as in the body plumage ; this show r s an ex- 

 cessive amount of penciling and detracts from their quality as 

 exhibition specimens. Such females may be safely bred to a 

 male, not so strongly penciled and they may produce females 

 better than they are themselves ; but there is danger from the 

 use of, such females, because, where the lines are not kept per- 

 fect^, injury may be done to an almost perfect male breeding 

 stiSiin by bringing this penciling into the neck and plumage of 

 both the male and the female of that strain. There is' also 

 danger of losing the desired penciling in the females unless the 

 lines are kept true to blood. 

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White in Wings. Too much white in the feathers of the. 

 wings of the male is apt to come from the female line, especially 

 so if light gray or white undercolor is present in the female 

 plumage. To produce males with almost perfect wings requires 

 the use of both males and females that have slate undercolor. 

 See illustration, Plate 81. 



The Lower Fluff. Perhaps the most difficult problem is to 

 obtain females with even fairly good penciling in the fluff of the 

 plumage that covers the abdomen. To have this to any extent 

 requires extreme care and watchfulness of the breeding lines 



