THE LANCASHIRE 179 



an abundance of good-quality feather on his body, the 

 same fitting closely to the body. His mate should be a 

 buff, or buff ticked Coppy, possessing a neat, well-centred 

 coppy, or crest, with long wide feather drooping well 

 over the beak and eyes, and then behind the eyes without 

 any absolute break, merging itself into the feather of the 

 back and skull and neck, In body the more she is like 

 unto the description given of her mate the better. Need- 

 less to say, both birds should be perfectly strong and 

 healthy, and one at least should be two or three years old, 

 that is if the other is a yearling, or both may be two 

 years old. As breeders birds are at their best from two 

 to four years of age. 



As really first-class Lancashires are difficult to find in 

 these times anyone taking up the breed would have to 

 so pair their birds that the deficiencies of the one were 

 covered by the excellencies of the other in each pair. 

 Thus if the hen failed in length and substance the cock 

 must be extra good in those points ; if the cock be short 

 in feather the hen that he is mated to must have extra 

 length of feather ; if one fails in substance the other 

 should have extra bulk, and so on in every case balancing 

 weak points with strong ones. 



Lancashires have the reputation of not being very 

 good breeders, and also of being bad parents, and 

 fanciers invariably use common hens for feeders. Some 

 there are who breed both Lizards and Lancashires, 

 using the former really as fosters for the latter, and 

 risking their luck in getting a few good Lizards as well. 

 One of the charges brought against the Lancashire cocks 

 is that they do not fertilise their eggs. This is quite as 

 often the fault of the owner as of the birds, because they 

 neglect to trim them before putting them up to breed. 

 It is wise when pairing Lancashires to clip the feather 

 all round the vent and thighs of both cocks and hens, as 

 the heavy feather prevents the proper fertilisation of the 

 eggs. It is also as well to clip the coppy all round so that 

 the birds may the more easily see their way about. This 

 tends to the comfort of the birds and also enables them 

 to see the way about the cage and attend to the wants 

 of their families in ease and comfort. 



The Lancashires being large birds, they should be given 

 extra large nest pans or boxes. Many of the old breeders 



