MINORCA8. 171 



is the best application, with an occasional aperient dose of the 

 salts. 



Chickens that rather slowly develop bluish faces usually 

 turn out the best in the end ; but few breeds are so uncertain 

 as to the ultimate quality. 



Birds of the same general character abound more or less 

 all round the Mediterranean. The other varieties known to 

 exhibitors and breeders are mentioned in order as follows : 



MINORCAS. This breed resembles in comb, ears, shape, and 

 colour of plumage, the white-faced breed, but considerably sur- 

 passes it in size ; and, on an average, we consider the comb 

 more largely developed ; the legs are also shorter. A good 

 cock ought to weigh from eight to nine pounds. It is the best 

 layer of all the Spanish breeds, except, perhaps, the Anda- 

 lusian, and the chickens are tolerably hardy. It is a great 

 favourite in the West of England, and deserves to be 

 more widely cultivated, as it far surpasses the preceding 

 in everything except the white face. This is red, as in 

 other fowls, round the eye, but with a large and pendulous 

 white deaf-ear. Prizes are now often offered for special classes 

 of Minorcas, which are much better known than they used to 

 be. 



We think it would be well worth while to try the effect of 

 throwing a cross of this breed into its more aristocratic rela- 

 tive. The hen should be selected for the cross, of course not 

 only to avoid the risk of contaminating a whole strain by the 

 experiment, but because it is chiefly size and constitution 

 that are wanted, while the red face must be as speedily as 

 possible " bred out " again. Let a fine Minorca hen, there- 

 fore, be put with a good white-faced cock, and her eggs care- 

 fully kept apart. When hatched, let one or two of the pullets 

 only which show most size and constitution be again reserved, 

 and mated with another good cock of a different family, and so 

 on. We have never seen the experiment tried, but believe 



