82 BREEDS OF POULTRY 



purposes. They lay extremely large white-shelled eggs which top 

 the market at the best prices. The birds are small in size and are 

 not suitable for table purposes (Fig. 49). Where they are kept, 

 little attention is devoted to the production of meat; the revenues 

 from birds sold for this purpose are comparatively small. They 



FIG. 50. Single-comb Black Minorca pair, a breed noted for large eggs with white shells. 



lay so many eggs that the sales for meat can be eliminated. Re- 

 cords show individuals that have produced more than two hun- 

 dred eggs per year, and in rare instances large flocks have averaged 

 as high as this. Leghorns, owing to their small size, are light 

 eaters, both during their growth and after maturity. All things 

 considered, it costs less for feed to produce eggs with Leghorns 

 than with any other breed. The Brown Leghorns have become 



