PICiEOXS AND AIJ. ABOUT TIIEM. 119 



back a few years, we find that they were scattered all over 

 this country, at a time when other colors were rarely seen. 



The color of a proper blue should be rather a dark blue. 

 By this 1 mean, a sliade of blue that does not approach a sil- 

 ver. The bars on the wings and tails should be very dark, 

 and very distinctly marked, with no "blurs." There is also 

 a beautiful, metallic lustre on the neck, which is a great help 

 to the general appearance of the bird. This is a color which 

 often needs a good cross into Blacks to keep it in shape. 

 When the color begins to get smoky and the bars faulty, a 

 good, well bred cock should be crossed onto a very black hen 

 with as much lustre on her feathers as possible. 



The best authorities all decide that the cross should be 

 made by a blue cnck onto a black hen and not vice versa, as 

 they claim that a sound color is more apt to be produced in 

 this way. 



T)ie eye of a correct Blue is either orange or pearl, and the 

 latter is i)referable because it seems to make a more distinc- 

 tive point. 



We find that the great majority of Blues are inclined to 

 run coarse, and this shows most in the head and neck. To 

 correct this, it is only necessary to cross a good blue cock on 

 to as small a white hen as can be obtained. One would nat- 

 urally suppose that this would affect color and make it too 

 light ; but this does not seem to be the case. It is an old rule 

 that color comes from the cock, and shape and size from the 

 hen' therefore I would not advise the mating of a small 

 white cock to a blue hen that is oversized. Again; by the 

 first mating — the blue cock to a white hen— the very dark 

 blue— a blue black— that sometimes gets into a blue strain, 

 can be lightened. After all, the great thing in blue is cor- 

 rect color, other points being fairly up to standard. Many 

 birds are shown yearly that are very imperfect in coloring. 



