1C6 THE PRACTICAL SIDE OF 



islands. These birds, however, have been 

 bred with one object — that of winning 

 prizes at poultry exhibitions. The breeder's 

 aim has been to produce perfection in 

 the colour and markings of the feather, 

 the form of the comb and the ear-lobe, the 

 colour of the legs and feet, the size and form 

 of the tail, the symmetry of the body, and size 

 generally. Although we cannot but admire 

 the pertinacity and ingenuity which have 

 affected such marvellous changes in so short 

 a space of time, and which have produced 

 so many specimens of great beauty, we cannot 

 but deplore the fact that so many men have 

 exercised their skill to so little purpose. 

 The Brahma fowl, for example, has been bred 

 for nearly fifty years with the object to which 

 we have referred, with the result that as a 

 utility variety of poultry it is a mere wreck 

 of what it should be — practically useless on 

 the table, an inferior layer of small eggs in 

 comparison with its size, it stands as a mere 

 monument to the art of breeding to feather. 

 What applies to the Brahma applies equally 

 to birds of such varieties as the Cochin, the 

 Polish, the Malay, the Long-legged Game fowl, 

 the Spanish, and, to a more or less marked 

 extent, to all the remaining varieties; the poultry 



