1 1 2 Profitable Poultry Keeping. 



western districts of England, outside of which, until recently, 

 they were scarcely known. But now their great value as 

 layers has made them very popular indeed all over that 

 country, and they promise to become first favorites in this 

 as well. Nor can we wonder at it, for their great fecundity, 

 the large eggs they produce, their precocity and hardiness, 

 their adaptability for all soils and places, whether con- 

 fined or otherwise, makes them one of the most useful 

 breeds we possess, and being non-sitters we must give 

 Minorcas the first position among all the laving breeds of 

 poultry. 



The Minorcas are in many places known by the name of 

 "Bed-faced Spanish," and are the nearest, in shape and 

 appearance, to the Black Spanish of all varieties of fowls. 

 It is probable that the two races were originally one, and 

 that the faoes then were red, as the Minorcas now have them ; 

 but the Spanish have been bred with white faces, and spoiled 

 by too fine breeding. The shape is not unlike the Leghorn, 

 but the comb is much larger, and there is the red face, the 

 white ear lobes, and the clean legs also. There are two 

 colours, the blacks and the whites, but the latter are very little 

 seen, and the blacks are the ones of which we have been 

 speaking, being really splendid birds. Their metallic black 

 plumage makes them very handsome, and they are for the 

 same reason very suitable for keeping in towns, or in such 

 districts as are not over clean, from the proximity of factories 

 or works of any kind. As layers Minorcas are about the 

 best breed we have at present ; they can be kept on any soil, 

 either at liberty or in confinement, are capital foragers, 

 small eaters, and, were we about to commence keeping a 

 large number of fowls on a farm, we should certainly select 

 this as the laying breed, either alone, or to cross with some 

 of the other Spanish varieties. 



