PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 231 



shade or two lighter ; but such a cock with standard hens 

 would breed much too dark birds of either sex. 



Apart from these niceties of a somewhat unnatural sex 

 standard, the colour is in itself difficult enough to breed. 

 It is itself a composite colour, originating in a cross of white 

 with black, or some very dark colour. Hence the black 

 and the white components, together with straw and red 

 feathers, continually tend to " sport " out, especially in the 

 hackles and tails of the cockerels, whereas every feather 

 should be properly barred of the blue-grey. Besides this, 

 the black from the Black Java is peculiarly apt to appear, 

 and, what is curious, especially in the hens ; black hens or 

 pullets will be bred anyway, and the more if the mating is 

 at all too dark, as above. Hens or pullets must have the 

 tails perfectly barred, or scarcely any of the male progeny 

 will be so. In regard to colour of the legs, pullets which 

 are distinctly of a dusky yellow generally make the best 

 coloured legs as hens ; while chicks with clear yellow legs 

 as a rule become paler in their second year. 



White Plymouth Rocks were founded upon sports from 

 the barred variety, and still occasionally breed barred speci- 

 mens, though these are disappearing. In all but colour 

 they should resemble the parent stock. Owing to the less 

 difficulty in breeding for colour, they have lately become 

 known as decidedly better layers, many strains ranking 

 high in this respect. Blacks were attempted to be bred 

 from the black sports, but have made no way owing to 

 the insuperable difficulty of keeping clear yellow legs in 

 this colour. 



Stiffs are a more recent introduction, due to crosses with 

 Buff Cochins or Lincolnshire Buffs (p. 241). All we have 

 seen had distinct Cochin heads, and at first the shape was 

 inferior, but of late this has been largely remedied. There 

 is still a great tendency to ticking of black or white in this 



