34.6 The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



Bred in confinement as they were, many of the best birds often showed a tendency to fall over 

 in the comb, and needed artificial help. Mr. Roue invented a mode of fastening the " wire " which 

 is still employed by the Bristol fanciers, who would consider such a hole in the comb as mentioned 

 by Mr. Teebay a regular piece of " bungling," irritating the bird, as well as being very apparent to 

 a critical eye. Mr. Roue's support is represented in Fig. 8i. The wire is all made in one piece, the 

 centre of which is at A, at the back of the base of the comb. The part from A to B is shaped to 

 fit the base of the comb and top of the skull, when drawn forward as far as the comb will permit; then 

 the corners B must exactly reach the nostrils, whence the wire curves upward and back on each side, 

 at a height which just reaches to the base of the spikes in the comb, and reaching far enough 

 behind to clear the comb entirely. This wire is bound round with thread or silk to prevent sores. 

 In putting on, the cartilage between the cock's nostrils is pierced with a needle, which 

 does not appear to give any pain whatever, the part seeming devoid of feeling, and being 

 in fact little more than a thin horny plate. The base, A B, of the wire being then firmly 

 bedded on the head, and drawn forward as far as it will go, a bit of wire is passed through the 

 nostrils and corners B, to which these corners are tied tightly up on each side ; and the whole 



Fig. 8i. 



is completed by tying the ends of the wire C loosely together behind the comb, carefully 



avoiding any painful or uncomfortable "pinch." A wire thus put on does not appear to distress 



or even annoy a bird in the least, while it is quite as secure as one fastened through the 



comb itself, if carefully fitted and adjusted. The wire was invented originally for use during 



sickness or moulting, when the comb often shrivels up and falls over, and sometimes never 



recovers its original beauty. It was kept a secret for some time, but somehow leaked out and 



became the property of others, being often abused to an extent never contemplated by Mr. Roue, 



and largely used to support combs which would have been hopeless without such assistance. 



Many birds required it pretty frequently, especially when returning from a show ; and we can 



remember one cock in particular, which won almost everywhere some years since, and which 



rarely had the wire off except when at exhibitions, or got ready for the inspection of some other 



amateur : his comb " would stand about a week "—just long enough for a show— and no more. 



This bird was an example of the fault referred to by Mr. Teebay, the comb being too large for 



just proportion, to which no doubt the weakness was attributable. Used as designed by the 



inventor, for temporary support during critical periods, we can testify from personal observation 



that such a wire as figured above is of the greatest utility— but we have long since been equally 



convinced, from what we have seen in various yards, that the extensive use of such artificial helps- 



or rather, we should say, the abuse of them — to assist naturally flabby combs, rather than the 



careful attention to breeding good ones, always reaps its legitimate reward in the perpetuation 



