BREEDING FOR POINTS. 139 



work we have done in the latter. But it may only too 

 likely be otherwise ; for the bird may be almost the only one 

 in the other yard which is excellent in that chief point, and 

 in such case he spoils all. The only way of avoiding such 

 results for certain, is for the same breeder to have bred both 

 parents, when he knows the course of breeding and the 

 latent tendencies of each. Two breeders who have had long 

 acquaintance and know each other's yards thoroughly, can 

 thus greatly assist each other if their course of selection 

 corresponds ; and breeding might in this way become much 

 more easy, were it not for a foolish jealousy too often found, 

 or for a selfishness which leads each to expect all the benefit 

 from some proposed exchange. In such matters there 

 must be both give and take if such mutual help is to be 

 secured. 



In default of this, however, if, say, three families are 

 started from three related good hens (making up the pens 

 if necessary with common hens), the chief advantages of 

 crossing can be enjoyed for many years without its evils ; 

 keeping, of course, careful pedigree records. Where another 

 person must either breed together brother or sister (the 

 worst in-breeding of all) or obtain fresh blood, a breeder 

 thus provided can take a bird from one of the other families, 

 which in his " course " of breeding has reached about the 

 same point by the same path ; he thus keeps his strain in 

 his own hands, and can carry out all the necessary details of 

 selection with full knowledge of what he is doing. 



It will probably be of most help to the reader now to 

 apply these principles to an actual case, as we verified them 

 in experience with dark Brahmas. We reached them by 

 studies in Darwin, and believed we should find them sound, 

 and did so ; and it is scarcely too much to say that some 

 blood of the strain so formed runs more or less in the veins 

 of nearly every winner of the present day. Having almost 



