254 



The Illustrated Book of Poultry ^ 



stripes in his hackle of a very solid c'.iaracler, and defined stripes in the saddle also, if possible ; 

 and mated with hens too light and cloudy in the hackle, and entirely free from any colour on the 

 back. From this mating hardly a cockerel will miss as regards colour, but most of the pullets 

 will have backs more or less speckled ; except in rare cases, not to be counted on, when birds seem 

 to " breed well " with no trouble at all. The colour of the grey under-fluff should also be carefully 

 examined. It will be found that this varies, in some birds being of a very dark grey, and in others 

 of a very light pearly grey. In many cases the dark grey under-colour goes with the darker 

 surface-marking, but this rule is not by any means universal ; and if two birds be on the surface 

 apparently both too dark to be mated with success, for fear of producing dark splashes or specks, 

 yet supposing one— say the cock — be of a dark under-colour while the other is light, the experiment 

 may often be made with success. We think, in fact, this rule will usually be found safe ; but as we 

 once knew a marked exception, we do not like to state it too broadly. By attending to this 



-„^^^>'^ 



Black Hackle 



for 



Breeding Pullets. 



il^^v 



Correct Hackle 



for 



Light Brahma Pullet. 



Fig. 64. 



qualifying point, in a few years it will be possible to breed from the same stock both cockerels and 

 pullets of a beautifully-marked character, the cocks usually having white saddles with barely 

 perceptible traces of black ; and by then always mating well-marked birds on both sides, but with 

 under-colour rather dark and light respectively, this valuable quality may be perpetuated. 



The only cross that is likely to be met with in choosing Light Brahma stock is that with the 

 White Cochin, which we are satisfied has contaminated more or less very many birds. As this has 

 been denied by some experienced breeders, we think it right to state that we have the avowal in 

 writing of a well-known winner at Birmingham, that some of his best birds " were bred from a 

 Dark Brahma cock and White Cochin hens ;" and of course such a cross must not only affect his 

 own strain, but would communicate the taint to any others which might be recruited from it. The 

 evils of the experiment would be more apparent after two or three generations than at first, as 

 chickens quite correct in marking are often produced by such a cross ; but the effect of reversion is 

 always seen afterwards in single combs, dark or sandy patches of colour, light hackle, and deficient 

 breast. The latter is, on the whole, the best test of a cross, which may be also detected in many 

 cases by the ground-colour of the plumage being white instead of grey ; and if the two defects be 

 found together we should regard the evidence of a stain more or less remote as perfectly conclusive. 

 Another very characteristic evidence of a Cochin cross is the shape of the cushion, which in 

 Brahmas ascends more and more till it rises into the nearly upright tail, whilst in crossed birds it 



