ON A TOWN LOT. 65 



committee has changed the Standard -to read a white tip on every 

 fltth feather. This will enhance their beauty and will douhtless meet 

 with the approval of a majority of the breeders. 



Like all black varieties, purple barring is found and is objection- 

 able. The beak should be yellow, with black or dark shadings. The 

 iris of the eye is a bright orange red with a hazel pupil. The face 

 and wattles are of a bright red, with the face free from white. Ear 

 lobes are white or creamy white, although some red is found in the 

 ear lobes of nearly all flocks. The English breeders favor yellow 

 mottled legs. The American Standard calls for yellow or yellow mot- 

 tled. In some flocks where good dark birds are found I have noticed 

 that the mottling on the legs is a little uneven and a trifle dark, but 

 I have seen some very handsome dark birds with elegant yellow 

 legs, which is very much desired. 



Shape. 



They belong to the Mediterranean class. There are two varie- 

 ties: Rose and Single Comb. The only difference between the two 

 is in the comb. The latter variety was the first to be imported to 

 this country, hence they are more common than the former. The 

 Rose Comb variety are meeting with popular favor. 



The true Ancona shape is similar to that of the Leghorn, with the 

 exception that the body is somewhat longer. This feature gives them 

 the advantage as egg producers. The male is very alert and strikingly 

 erect in carriage. His neck is long and nicely arched, while the 

 female's is medium long and carried well up. Breast is full, broad, 

 and carried well upward. The male's tail is full and carried low, 

 while the female's tail is neat and carried well out. The proper 

 angle has been a hardship for the majority of breeders to obtain. 

 The inclination has been for tails standing too erect, which is espe- 

 cially true with the males, to such an extent that their high tails 

 bordered on the dreaded "squirrel" tail. I am glad to say that this 

 objection, like other faults, has yielded to skillful breeding. We now 

 have many beautiful males as well as females with tails at an angle 

 of about 45 degrees, which is considered ideal. The English fancier 

 has been breeding a comb with five to seven serrations, the blade fol- 

 lowing the lines of the neck. On this point the American breeders 

 differ more than any other. The ideal comb in this country has five 

 serrations, with the blade leaving the neck at the head and curving 

 upward. 



Habits. 



You ask, "What are their faults?" We know all breeds have their 



