13 



though the ground, flight, and tail feathers, were red, instead of yellow, and 

 the black an olive ; these are called too deep in colour, and may be called mahogany 

 birds ; but then there is another description of birds, such as is called bred too 

 high for feather ; it is easy to say to high for feather, and another thing, what you 

 mean by it, do you mean to say that too deep colour bred bird, and the too high 

 bred bird is the same thing? Certainly not ; the effect shows itself when we 

 produce a number of white or white agate young birds, that we certainly have 

 matched the birds too high for feather, and too much blood in them, as it is called ; 

 but if on the contrary, you should happen to breed an Almond, it is generally an 

 extra feathered bird. It cannot be reduced to a certainty how to breed for feather, 

 but if a Fancier is very desirous of breeding for feather, I do not know that he 

 could accomplish his object better than by matching an Almond cock, which is 

 bred very high for feather, black, white, and yellow, but the black particularly 

 good and strong, over to a rich golden dun hen, bred from two Almonds ; the 

 reason why I say that the black in the cock should be particularly good and strong, 

 is, that while the dun is proverbial in softening a hard feathered Almond cock, and 

 giving a beautiful and soft yellow or Almond ground, fails in producing the black. 

 I am not aware of any match that is likely to throw better feather, provided as 

 I said before, that the black is good, but it almost amounts to an impossibility 

 to intermix a decided black witb a rich bright yellow ; there are many gentlemen 

 of the Fancy, who know what a good black is, but I am fearful have not paid that 

 attention to ascertain what is good yellow. 



Now that I am writing on black and yellow, let us endeavour to illustrate or 

 define it, and I think you could not do better than thus : suppose a grand show 

 open to all England, to produce the best standard Almond Tumbler, and the two 

 gentlemen Fanciers appointed umpires in a room by themselves, the birds being 

 handed in for admissibility, the standard being black, white, and yellow, they have 

 agreed in passing two birds at first sight into the penn, which are to be examined 

 again prior to their being shown for the prize ; another bird is now handed in, which 

 is a standard bird, but is objected to by one of the umpires, and the other asks 

 upon what grounds — the answer he received that it is not a jet or good black, 

 that it is a faint, smoky, bad black ; then the other umpire insists upon good 

 yellow, and goes to the penn to examine the two birds that had passed to be 

 re-examined, and declares them disqualified for showing, the other umpire requires 

 the cause, and is answered that the ground of the bird, also the flight and tail 

 is nearer a red than a yellow, and as the one would not pass a faint black, neither 

 would the other pass a reddish bird for yellow. 



To return to the matching of the rich Almond cock and golden dun hen, if 

 on the contrary, the same cock was matched over to a good kite hen, they would 

 throw in better black, at the same time producing more kites, it may ;be_ Almond 

 and Kite in each nest. I think you will not be wrong even in matching up a 

 Spangled or good Splash cock to a sound bright whole-feather hen. Almond bred, 

 namely — duns, kites, reds, yellows, or even red and yellow mottled agate Almond 

 bred birds, and reversing it with the hens and cocks. Not knowing how to produce 

 a given feather myself, 1 experience the difficulty of instructing you, but I think 

 what I have stated are the best rules to lay down, and it will assist you if you 

 know how the birds have been bred ; at the same time it is encouraging to the 

 young Fancier, that he may come into the Fancy and throw a bird for feather 

 from an agate cock and kite hen, with the most experienced Fancier, still, feather 

 is but one property out of five. 



OF LAYING. 



Much will depend on the state of the weather ; should it be mild or warm, the 

 hens will begin to lay in about a week after matching. I have very little opinion 

 of those eggs that come very soon after matching; on the contrary, 1 have 

 experienced greater success with the eggs that have come later. Make them a 



