24 POULTRY BREEDING 
some cinnamon color and some decp red. Some were 
long of limb, others showed plainly their Malay parent- 
age, and some were fairly good Leghorns so far as shape 
was concerned. 
The late Dr. N. B. Aldrich was attracted to these fowls 
and he selected some specimens that met his views of the 
ideal fowl and began to breed them, introducing them to 
the public through showing them at some eastern poultry 
shows. Soon these fowls began to attract very favorable 
attention, and they are now considered among the best of 
our general-purpose fowls. The Rhode Island Red is 
bred in two varieties, the only difference being that one 
variety has a single comb and the other a rose comb. 
The mature cock weighs 8% and the hen 6% pounds. 
They are very much esteemed as winter layers and hold 
a high place as a market fowl. The Rhode Island Red 
has a long body and a deep breast, the keel coming well 
forward. The ideal shape is oblong and as near rectan- 
gular as it is possible to get a fowl. The general color 
is red, but the tail feathers are black, and there is some 
black in the wings. The females also have some black 
“ticking” on the feathers of the neck. 
Buckeyes were first recognized by the American Poul- 
try Association in 1905. They enjoy the distinction of 
being the only recognized breed of fowls owing its origin 
to a woman, the originator being Mrs. Nettie Metcalf of 
Ohio, now of California. She first called her new crea- 
tion Pea Comb Rhode Island Reds and then asked for 
their recognition under the name of Buckeye Reds. but 
the Association gave them the name of Buckeyes when 
they were admitted to the Standard. They were made 
by crossing Pea Comb Rhode Island Reds with the In- 
dian game fowl, now known as the Cornish fowl. In 
