Combs of Spanish Fuii'ls. 347 



of a weak-combed race of birds. We are sorry to say it came within our personal knowledge 

 that on one occasion an exhibitor, having a fine cock with a comb very much too large for any 

 legitimate treatment, cut off the edge and AQ\\herdXe\y cut fresh spikes in the mutilated member; 

 but we ought to add that this piece of barbarity was indignantly censured by every one to whose 

 knowledge it came : and — what is perhaps more to the purpose, should these pages fall into the 

 hands of any more such gentry — the " experiment " itself was a decided failure, the new serrations 

 being, on account of the natural thickening of the comb towards the bottom, too clumsy to appear 

 in the show-pen with any chance of success. 



Besides this fault of being too large, the most frequent blemish in a Spanish comb is a slight 

 twist or curve low down the front, returning at once to the true middle line, and the main part of 

 the comb being perfectly true and upright. This fault often appears during growth, to disgust and 

 disappoint the hopes of the amateur ; and one form of it is well known under the name of a 

 " thumb-mark." As birds with this blemish often have beautiful faces, they are not unfrequently 

 employed for breeding pullets ; but the result of such a proceeding is invariably to give much 

 future trouble, as nearly all the cockerels bred afterwards from hens of such a strain will probably 

 show the fatal defect. Slight cases may sometimes be cured if treated early, by bending a piece 

 of stiff cardboard, and fixing it with any very strong adhesive plaister, so as to enclose the front 

 of the comb between the two leaves of the card ; also by the wire just described. 



It was formerly the fashion for the cock to carry his comb over on one side, somewhat like 

 that of the hen ; and the remains of this tendency no doubt add to the difficulty of breeding combs 

 perfectly straight and upright now. This point is another good illustration both of the " changes 

 of fashion" in poultry attire, and of the power man possesses over these and other circumstances. 

 The mandate went forth that "combs were to be worn" upright in future, and forthwith breeders 

 produced birds answering the required conditions; so that the difference in the carriage of combs is 

 now fixed as a sexual distinction. We have seen very singular misapprehensions on this point, and 

 once in particular observed an advertisement of an upright — or " prick-combed," as it is called — 

 Spanish hen, which on account of this well-known blemish was stated to be " invaluable for 

 breeding cockerels;" whereas very careful experiment years ago has conclusively proved that while 

 breeding from such hens ruins a strain entirely for breeding pullets, it is not a whit better 

 for breeding good combs in the cockerels, or rather is decidedly worse, almost always producing 

 combs which are not only so much smaller as to be often too small, but generally very ugly in 

 contour, wanting that fine arch which is so great a beauty. Were it understood that the different 

 carriage of combs is now become a sexual mark, just as the difference in tails, such absurd 

 mistakes would not be made. 



It is, however, quite possible to influence the character of the future combs much by a really 

 judicious selection of stock. In the male parent a moderate size should be chosen, combined with 

 as thick a base as possible, but tapering off to a fine or thin edge. In the hen the same points of 

 a thick base and thin edge should be sought ; and it will be found that such combs often seem to 

 stand up a little from the head at the base, as if intending to grow upright, but quickly fall over 

 with a clean arch or sweep, the front edge presenting one smooth curve, free from duplicature or 

 waviness. Such are the combs to be chosen as likely to produce what is wanted in the cockerels, 

 avoiding both those very large, weak, and flabby combs which fall " dead over," forming almost a 

 sharp angle with the skull, and such as seem to have so much front edge as to be waved or twisted 

 in the outline ; the first of these being likely to breed large and falling combs, and the second 

 twists or thumb-marks in the front. 



During the moult the combs of Spanish fowls shrivel and shrink to an extraordinary degree. 



