NATIONAL CITY, CALIFORNIA 39 



specimens that will please judge and exhibitors and prove an honor to 

 their loft. 



Let us first discard those specimens that are unworthy of consider- 

 ation. The remainder can then be critically judged by the standard, weigh- 

 ing the defects of each specimen carefully, and deciding after this close 

 study, what bird in each class cock, hen and youngster is the best all- 

 round White King. At this time forget that you own the birds. Judge 

 them as they will be judged by the man who hangs the ribbons at the show. 



Discard all birds with pinched breast, narrow body or those showing 

 a "knock-kneed" tendency; all that have a long body or long tail or long 

 head and beak; those specimens in which the eye cere (bare flesh around 

 the eye that separates it from the feathers of the head) is white or pale 

 pink color, and all .birds with feathers or down on legs or feet. 



The body of the White King is moderately short, broad, deep, well- 

 rounded and carried horizontally. The breast or chest is unusually prom- 

 inent, broad, full deep, and round. The back is short and broad its entire 

 length. The tail is rather short, broad, full, carried parallel to the ground 

 and on a line with the lower portion of the body. 



The full-breasted, blocky, wide-backed, broad-tailed White King is the 

 ideal to earnestly strive for, not only in exhibition birds, but for utility 

 specimens as well. The latter will produce plump, attractive squabs more 

 rapidly and more economically than long-bodied, long-tailed White Kings. 

 Bear in mind that it requires four times as much nourishment to grow 

 feathers as meat, and long-feathered, long-bodied squabs are rarely plump- 

 breasted. 



The head of the White King male should be rather large and broad, 

 with a round, full skull and prominent forehead. No characteristic, except 

 the unsightly long body recently referred to, so greatly detracts from the 

 knightly appearance of the White King male as a small, insignificant head. 

 The eyes are large, prominent, and of reddish-brown or dark hazel color. 

 The cere is of medium size, perfectly round, fine in texture, and of beet-red 

 color. The beak is stout, of medium length and pinkish-white in color. 

 The wattle is rather small, smooth in texture, the same color as the beak, 

 with a light frosting of white on the upper surface. 



As the eye of the White King appears almost black in color from a 

 short distance, the narrow band of red that encircles the eye (forming the 

 beet-red cere) adds just the touch of color needed to beautify and brighten 

 the white plumage of the head. Birds with white or pale-colored ceres 

 look commonplace in comparison. 



The thighs are of medium length, set well back under the body and 

 well apart. The legs are short, stout in bone, and free from feathers or 

 down. The toes are long, straight, well spread, and free from feathers 

 or down. Legs and toes are blood-red color. 



Until the adoption of the standard of the American W 7 hite King Asso- 

 ciation, it sometimes happened that White Kings with a few feathers on 

 their feet were awarded prizes at the exhibitions. Permitting birds with 

 this serious defect, even tho they were of excellent type in other sections, 

 to win any prize at an exhibition, was a blunder the evil effects of which 

 are revealed at most inopportune times. The only w r ay to produce clean- 

 legged, exhibition 'White Kings is to breed from a cock and hen of line- 

 bred, clean-legged, ancestry. Obtain your flock of show birds from a few 

 pairs of pedigreed stock that produce red-cered, clean-legged youngsters of 

 blocky type, rather than from a large flock of breeders of various types and 

 characteristics. The birds with feathers on their feet are usually sold as 

 "utility stock", and for this purpose are equally satisfactory and less ex- 

 pensive than exhibition stock. A "knock-kneed" White King is only fit 

 to eat. Stout leg's and long-straight toes increase the stability and add to 

 the appearance- of any bird. 



The plumage is very close, short, smooth and firm. Looseness of 

 feather is a serious defect. The web, quill and fluff of the feathers in all 

 sections is pure white. 



