262 The 1 llustrated Book 01^ Poultry. 



been less perceptible than formerly. White legs are one sign of the cross. We rarely even yet 

 visit a show without seeing somewhere a white-legged pullet, though they are less common than 

 they were ; and we believe this fault to have been introduced entirely by the Dorking cross, except 

 where lime is used in the yard. We have seen birds all but perfect in every other point, and 

 would not condemn such, as a good yellow-legged cock might obviate the fault in her progeny, 

 and the bird may have been reared on a lime bottom ; but unless this is the case it shows that a 

 taint lias existed, though nearly bred out again. A great want of cushion is another sign ol 

 Dorking blood, but is not to be trusted to alone, as bad selection in breeding will produce the 

 same fault. On the whole the best sign is a large, " sour," cruel-looking head, which is generally 

 the last evidence to quit a strain once contaminated, being often present even after the white leg 

 has disappeared. A Brahma pullet may have much too long or too large a head for beauty, and 

 yet be pure, provided the expression be gentle and pleasing ; but we would never trust to any 

 strain which bred cruel-looking birds. Minor signs are, too ample tail in the cocks, or too large 

 wings, or comb very high in the centre division and not at the sides, and also white in the tail ; 

 but all these points should be considered and compared in doubtful cases before a decision is 

 pronounced. Even the white leg, as we have said, we have found can be produced in a pure strain 

 by allowing the birds to run on lime for a whole season. 



Our portraits represent the best birds we had ever seen up to the time they were taken. 

 The cockerel won all the principal cups of his year, and presented every Brahma point in a high 

 degree ; being of a deep rich black in all the under parts, and heavily striped in the upper, with 

 the top feathers of his tail beautifully edged with pure white. He was of the short-necked 

 class, very wide in build, and is rendered to the life. The pullet was a beautifully clear blue- 

 grey ; and the shape and other characteristics are exactly copied, though it has been found 

 impossible fully to represent the exquisite beauty of the markings. 



In breeding Brahmas, the points of colour we have in their place described as proper must be 

 secured ; but other faults may be compensated, as in the case of Cochins. Heavy feather, for 

 instance, will be best secured in the same way, by mating hocked cockerels with scantily-feathered 

 hens ; and size, by breeding from short and compact cocks with long-backed hens. Small combs 

 must be selected with especial care if this beautiful point be at all valued by the breeder; being yet 

 one of the rarest features in otherwise good birds — perhaps, indeed, rarest of all with the exception 

 of the perfect " black-cock " tail. 



The breeder who wishes to revive this latter feature must choose his stock with reference to it, 

 especially the hens. Probably all that can be done the first year will be to select a cock with 

 some slight tendency to divergence in the top pair of tail-feathers, who should be mated with a hen 

 or hens:, whose top pair of tail-feathers lie nearly or quite flat — i.e., flat laterally, or with their 

 edgfes extending side to side, instead of from front to back ; by which means the tendency will be 

 increased till the true tail be developed. Since we first published an engraving of it, some fanciers 

 have very politely questioned whether such a tail as Mr. Teebay describes ever did or could exist. 

 To such scepticism fact is the best answer : we have succeeded in breeding it ourselves, in the third 

 generation from the first selection of stock for that purpose; and the beautiful bird, to which 

 was awarded both the Crystal Palace Cup and the special extra prize at Birmingham in 1872, 

 answered exactly and fully to the description we have given at page 251. The revival of this 

 type of tail is therefore entirely a matter for individual choice and perseverance. 



Waste chickens can be picked out with tolerable ease at about ten to twelve weeks old, when 

 the sexes are separated. The general " carriage " of the cockerels is in fact, in this breed, inore 



