248 THE PRACTICAL POULTRY KEEPER. 



show a slight approach to sickle-feathering, when the eggs 

 will become productive. 



The comb should be a perfect rose, with a neat spike 

 behind, pointing rather upwards, and free from any depres- 

 sion, and rather livid in colour. Face round the eye rather 

 dark. Eye itself a sparkling red. The ear is bluish. Bill 

 slate-coloured ; legs blue and clean. 



There are two varieties. In the gold laced the ground 

 colour is a rich golden yellow. In the silver laced, a pure 

 white. In both cases the ground must be perfectly clear 

 and unsullied, varied only by the clear black line round 

 each feather, which constitutes the lacing. 



These remarks apply to the original strain, and those on 

 colour of comb, face, and ears, still apply to the Golds. For 

 many years, however, breeders used to cross their Silver 

 with Golden, and the result was that the silver ground 

 became yellower and yellower, until the so-called " Silvers " 

 hardly ever won in competition with good Golds. Just as 

 matters came to this pass, an entirely new strain of Silvers 

 of dazzling whiteness and dense black lacing burst upon the 

 scene from Scotland, and carried all before them. How 

 they were bred has never yet been divulged ; but their 

 combs were bright red, the ears fairly white, and though the 

 hen-tail was good, the carriage of the cocks is far less 

 strutting than that of the old strain. The superiority of 

 this new Silver strain in lacing and hardiness has now, 

 unfortunately, in its turn all but extinguished the Golden 

 Sebright. 



BLACK. This is one of the most popular Bantam classes. 

 The plumage is a uniform black, with no trace of rust, or 

 any other colour, and in the cock, with a bright lustre like 

 that of the Spanish fowl. Tail of the cock full and well 

 arched ; legs short, dark blue or black in colour, and 



