CHAPTER XVIII 

 PARTRIDGE WYANDOTTES 



A handsome variety of pronounced utility value The early work of the 

 originators The name "Partridge" adopted after a long controversy 

 The great improvers of the variety Fad for dark birds Orange colored 

 hirds wanted in England The bright red males at last win out correct 

 color for both male and female Double mating Possibilities of single 



mating. 



A good Partridge Wyandotte male is one of the most handsome 

 fowls in the whole array of breeds. Its comb, wattles and ear lobes 

 are neat fitting and red in color. Its breast, body and tail are lus- 

 trous, greenish black. Its neck and back are of a bright red, and 

 through the center of each neck and back feather there runs a bright 

 black stripe, making the entire sheet of top plumage over the breast 

 and back of gorgeous color. In the female the plumage is rich 

 reddish brown, and in each feather there are two or more distinct 

 pencilings of black. On the wing bows the feathers are small and 

 there are two and occasionally three bands of black; on the back the 

 feathers are large and there are three and sometimes four bands of 

 black. In a good female, particularly a hen for pullets often im- 

 prove in plumage markings as hens the penciling is distinct and 

 the sharp lines of black are laid on as if painted by a magic hand in 

 the alchemy of nature. 



Every great breeder has the color scheme of his variety simplified 

 in his mind. He mates with success because the whole subject is 

 reduced to simple terms. The young breeder should likewise learn 

 to understand how the beautiful color contrasts are secured, and not 

 look at the bird as an intricate whole, the details of which are difficult 

 to master. Let us build up a Partridge Wyandotte in our imagina- 

 tion. We shall have to proceed as an artist would build up a bird 

 on canvas. First we must have the outline of a Wyandotte male. 

 Now we paint in a bright red neck and a red back; we then paint 

 in a black breast, body and tail; and at last we take a finer brush, 

 mix the black paint thick so that it will not run. and with infinite 

 pains we put a black stripe through the center of each neck and 

 back feather, stopping before the tip end of the feather is reached. 

 Again, in the female we draw an outline of a fine Wyandotte; then 

 we color it all over with rich reddish brown, and then carefully draw 

 the crescentic lines of black penciling in each feather. 



It is not difficult to secure good shape in this Wyandotte. No 

 variety of Wyandotte produces cockerels truer to type, and none 

 produces cockerels whose tails are more abundantly covered with 



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