BKEEDING LIGHT BRAHMA8. 149 



Light Brahmas are mainly white all over the body : but 

 the cock's hackle should be sharply striped with black, and the 

 saddle-feathers less so. The tail and inner flights are black. 

 The leg-feather also has usually more or less black or grey in 

 it. All over the plumage, though white on the surface, it will 

 appear grey under, when the feathers are parted, giving an idea 

 as if the grey or black was in the plumage and the white 

 surface on it In the hen, the hackle and spot where it falls 

 between the shoulders are marked with black like the cock, 

 but her cushion is white. Tail and inner flights and leg- 

 feather as in the cock. 



The great difficulty in breeding Light Brahmas is to get 

 sufficient of the black marking, without getting black marks or 

 splashes in undesirable places. There is a constant tendency 

 to produce spotted backs in particular, the black, which seems 

 to saturate the feather, having a tendency to break out on the 

 surface. As a rule, pullets are best bred from hens with 

 rather too dark hackles, and a cock sharply but slightly 

 under-marked ; cockerels from the reverse. Some birds have 

 been shown evidently crossed with white Cochins; but the 

 result is loose feather and fluff", and mossy hackles. It is to be 

 regretted that some judges have given prizes to this model. 



In Dark Brahma cocks the head is silvery white, running 

 into a silvery- white hackle sharply striped with black. The 

 breast, under parts, and fluff are dense black for exhibit on. 

 At one time the breast might be mottled with small white 

 spots, and this marking is most valuable for pullet-breeding ; 

 but fashion is now against it, as it also is against any white 

 margin to the feathers of the fluff, which is also valuable for 

 "breeding pullets. The back is white, with a little black mark- 

 ing between the shoulders; saddle-feathers silvery white, 

 striped with black ; tail coverts more and more filled up with 

 dense green black as they approach the tail, which is glossy 

 green-black. The shoulders of the wings are silvery white, with 



