234 THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



stock, the great majority were sooty, mongrel-looking birds, 

 worth about half-a-crown apiece. But this gradually 

 mended, and though still a very difficult fowl to breed for 

 show points, it is possible to do it with reasonable success 

 from good strains. 



Laced Wyandottes are both Silver and Golden ; the 

 lacing being exactly similar, but the ground-colour in one 

 being white, in the other rich golden bay, which some 

 allege is improved in certain cases by colour-feeding. The 

 head is wide and short, of the Brahma type, with deaf-ears 

 and wattles of moderate size and brilliant red. The comb is 

 rose, but much narrower than the Hamburgh, less expansive 

 at the top in fact, spreading out but little above the base 

 and with a shorter peak, which must turn rather downwards, 

 so as to follow the line of the top of the head. This down- 

 ward curve backward of a smallish rose-comb is one of the 

 breed's characters. Taking the Silver iaced as a type, the 

 hackles of the cock are white with a black stripe coming to 

 a point something short of the end, and there must be no 

 soot or black outside this stripe. The breast and under 

 parts are white, heavily but evenly and sharply laced with 

 black, the fluff also plainly showing lacing ; tail and upper 

 coverts black with green gloss ; back silvery white ; wing 

 bow white ; wing coverts heavily laced in the Polish 

 manner, with broader lacing at the tips, showing two laced 

 bars and sometimes three ; secondaries white with lacing on 

 outer edge, flights black on inner and white thickly laced 

 on outer edge. The fluff on thighs should be laced as 

 well as possible, and the under-fluff should not be white or 

 peppered, but slate-colour, a little peppered with dark grey, 

 and the fluff at the roots of all feathers also slate colour 

 with grey another point from the Brahma. The general 

 carriage of Brahma type, but more rounded form and fuller 

 breast. 



