FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



323 



Country) than all the present organizations has yet accom- 

 plished. There is, however, one serious obstacle. Several 

 of the present members of the "A. P. A." mHst resign or 

 reform. I see in the list the name of a breeder from Cen- 

 tral New York who is now sending circulars through the 

 country admitting that he loaned a man "only fair" Duck- 

 wing Games from which to advertise eggs as from imported 

 stock.- I have had dealings with the same party : a trio of 

 Crevecceurs, which I purchased of him for breeding pur- 

 poses, arrived with a cockerel having splashes of gold in his 

 hackles as big as the end of my thumb ; he was good eating, 

 however, after I got a little flesh on him. Another breeder, 

 with yards near New York city, would object to showing, 

 as samples of his stock, chicks that I got from eggs pur- 

 chased of him for Crevecoaurs ; yet his name appears on the 

 list. A third breeder, who hails from Worcester, Mass., I 

 have never dealt with, but I have read his advertisements 

 and his contributions to poultry literature; and if any per- 

 son who knows what a hen is will read his contribution to 

 the May number of the American Agriculturist and say that 

 he is proper authority to be intrusted with the revision of 

 the standard, I never wish to exhibit subject to its dictum 

 again. Such breeders will neither give confidence to 

 amateurs or strength to an organization. 



I see in your issue of the 30th ultimo that the Secretary 

 of the Association requests everybody to send to him correc- 

 tions of errors or omissions that may have occurred in the 

 first edition. Is it intended to embrace all these corrections 

 in the second edition? If not, who is to decide which are 

 worthy to go in and which shall be left out ? Did it ever 

 occur to the officers of the "A. P. A." that the appointment 

 of a committee for each class, instructed to obtain the 

 written ideal of each breeder in that class in the country, 

 would enable them by a few hours collating of these 

 opinions to arrive at a fair idea of what constitutes a perfect 

 specimen in the minds of the breeders themselves, and this 

 certainly would be the foundation for a " Standard of Ex- 

 cellence." 



If the originators of this Association take immediate and 

 definite steps for a radical improvement in their bantling, 

 and make some efforts for the formation of an association 

 that shall be of some benefit to the fraternity, they can suc- 

 ceed in uniting much of the present opposition ; but if not, 

 they will be opposed by another organization, and the 

 result will be a spirit of contention that will work only 

 injury. An Amateur. 



J@° A new manner of catching rats is exciting great in- 

 terest among the returning householders in Madison Avenue. 

 A barrel is filled half-full of water. A la3 T er of powdered 

 cork is laid on its surface, and over this a layer of corn 

 meal is sifted. A chair and a box or two are placed unob- 

 trusively in the neighborhood, whereby the rat gains the 

 edge of the barrel. He sees nothing but the meal ; he has 

 no innate ideas which teach him to beware of the treacher- 

 ous foundation on which that tempting surface rests ; he sniffs, 

 he leaps, and goes gently down, through meal and cork, to 

 his watery grave ! If any of his friends see him disappear 

 from the edge of the barrel they hasten after him to get 

 their share of the probable plunder, and are in turn taken in 

 by hospitable death. The plan seems effective as against the 

 rats, but is calculated to destroy their confidence in human 

 nature. 



PoJljf\y DE[=y\r\j|viEflj. 



WHITE-FACED BLACK SPANISH. 



As the name indicates, there is no doubt that this ancient 

 and naturally aristocratic breed originated in Spain, as its 

 kindred are generally found "at home " there, among which 

 are the Andalusians and others, which are quite numerous 

 also in many of the neighboring States bordering on the Med- 

 iterranean Sea. The Spanish are among the old-established 





varieties, and are entitled to all the honors which so charac- 

 teristically distinguish them, having been raised to a high 

 degree of excellence — the effect of long and careful breed- 

 ing, which is especially observable in the white face, which 

 feature is the most strikingly peculiar, indicating careful 

 and patient selections in mating. The ancestors have this 

 trait comparatively well developed. In perfection, the 

 white face should be of a soft and delicate texture, free from 

 dark hairs, feathers, or other unsightly blemishes, and when 

 well shaped the outline should extend well back behind the 

 ear, the lobe of which should be of nearly equal length with 

 the wattles. The next important feature is the high and 

 single comb of the cock, which is generally much too large 

 as now bred, and for exhibition purposes has to be pre- 

 viously supported by artificial appliances to prevent the lop- 

 ping, which was once the fashion, and is still one of the 

 sexual characteristics of the hen only. The comb should be 

 bright red, firm, well set on the head, being thick at the 

 base, growing gradually thinner toward the edge, and 

 should be perfectly erect and free from twists, rising from 

 the beak, between the nostrils, extending in an arched form 

 over the back part of the head, and almost touching the top 

 of the neck. The serrations should be deep, and gradually 

 increasing in depth from the front toward the highest part. 

 The beak should be of a deep horn-color, long, and stout 



