2io THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



freedom ; but lay nearly every day all through the year, 

 except during the moulting season. 



SILVER-PENCILLED. The size of this exquisite breed is 

 small, but the shape of both cock and hen peculiarly 

 graceful and sprightly. Carriage of the cock very con- 

 ceited, the tail being borne high, and carried in a graceful 

 arch. The comb in this, as in all the other varieties, to be 

 rather square in front, and well peaked behind, full oi 

 spikes, and free from hollow in the centre. Ear-lobe pure 

 white, free from red edging. Legs small and blue. 



The head, hackle, back, saddle, breast, and thighs of the 

 cock should be white as driven snow. Tail black, glossed 

 with green, the sickle and side feathers having a narrow 

 white edging the whole length, the more even and sharply 

 defined the better. Wings principally white, but the lower 

 wing-coverts are often a little marked with black, showing 

 a narrow indistinct bar across the wing. The secondary 

 quills have also a glossy black spot on the end of each 

 feather, which gives the wing a black edging. The bar on 

 the wings is not now sought as formerly, and a white wing 

 is preferred, the bird being now in fact principally white, 

 with a fine black and edged tail. Such birds are useless to 

 breed pullets from, however, which needs more colour ; and 

 in fact cocks are often bred now from nearly white hens 

 valueless for anything else. 



The most frequent fault in the hen is a spotted hackle 

 instead of a pure white. The rest of the body should have 

 each feather distinctly marked, or " pencilled " across with 

 bars of black, free from cloudiness, or, as it is called, 

 " mossing." The tail feathers should be pencilled the same 

 as the body ; but to get the quill feathers of the wings 

 so is rare, and a hen thus marked is unusually valuable. 

 General form very neat, and appearance remarkably 

 sprightly. 



