CHAPTER XX 

 COLUMBIAN WYANDOTTES 



A white-bodied variety that carries beautiful black markings The 



variety was made and named and then remade Modern specimens 



are beautiful in every detail. 



The Columbian Wyandotte is one variety in which the present-day 

 specimens are not lineal descendants of the original stock. 



Origin. The first Columbian Wyandottes were originated by B. M. 

 Briggs, one of the originators of the White Wyandottes. In 1887 

 Mr. Briggs sold some White Wyandottes to a party who lived near 

 him in western New York, and one of the White females became 

 crossed with a Barred Plymouth Rock male and the result was two 

 pullets that had white bodies, striped necks and black tails. Mr. 

 Briggs secured the two pullets and mated them to one of his White 

 Wyandotte males in the spring of 1888. He continued to breed the 

 stock, and in 1893 named the new variety the "Columbian" Wyandotte, 

 :aking the name from the World's Columbian Exposition, which was 

 3eing held in Chicago. He sold some eggs for hatching that season 

 and disposed of some stock the next year. He made his first exhibit 

 Df Columbian Wyandottes at the Providence (Rhode Island) show 

 in 1894. In 1896 he exhibited five specimens at the Boston show, 

 and in the fall of that year sold his entire flock. 



The Columbian Wyandotte carried the same color and markings 

 of the Light Brahma, and it was not difficult to produce the Light 

 Brahma coloration by the crossbreeding recorded by Mr. Briggs, for 

 prior to the 1891 New York show no Light Brahma female had the 

 double and triple rows of laced tail coverts which are the crowning 

 glory of the modern bird. It was at the 1891 New York show that 

 George Purdue exhibited a Light Brahma pullet with a double row 

 of laced tail coverts. He named her "Progress," and soon thereafter 

 all Light Brahma breeders were endeavoring to make progress in the 

 development of more laced tail coverts on their females. 



The Light Brahma enjoyed great popularity between 1891 and 1900. 

 Three different years during this period there were classes of over 

 two hundred birds in the Madison Square Garden (New York) show. 

 Master breeders were devoted to the variety and vied with one 

 another in their efforts to put down pure white bodied birds that 

 were sharply marked with black points. Compared to such birds, the 

 new Columbian Wyandottes failed to attract serious attention, for 

 the new Columbians had weak striping in their hackles; the wing pri- 

 maries, instead of being black edged on the lower edges with white, 



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