rumps either gray or mixed with gray. Where this can be con- 

 sidered an advance on the natural bronzy color, who can see? 

 In the 1912-13 show, very many of the heads showed mottling of 

 two shades of yellowish brown. A third prize bird showed a "bad- 

 ly mottled head and gray rump." Is this a gain over the natural 

 bronze ? Is it not rather a great loss ? One experienced breeder 

 who will increase very largely in the Penciled birds in the near 

 future, and who has bred both the penciled and the solid fawn 

 birds, tells me that he will give up the solid fawn because the 

 standard calls for head and rump of fawn. 



The illustrations of Runners in the poultry publications gen- 

 erally, up to 1909, were not of a sort to furnish much of an ideal 

 to breeders in general. There were few birds of typical car- 

 riage in this country; indeed, even in 1913 they are comparatively 

 few. I mean those which will hold the high carriage practically 

 all the time. The photographs from life commonly published in 

 1909 and 1910 gave little hint of the Runner which the "ideal" in 

 the American Standard showed. 



The American Standard type birds have been generally 

 claimed to be "sports" from birds imported from England. Re- 

 cently comes one who says they are merely selections from the 

 lighter English birds. If so, the original selection must have been 

 of unfortunate quality. Inasmuch as English breeders in the ear- 

 lier years, before they learned wisdom, flirted with the solid color 

 will-o'-the wisp, it would not be strange if the eariier importa- 

 tions did throw some sports of this kind. But the British breed- 

 ers have long regretted their waste of time and the detriment 

 they worked the breed in trying to get this soHd color. 



To one who knows Runners and "the ropes", many illustra- 

 tions published during the past year have been a pure source of 

 fun. The most extreme have been a ludicrously exaggerated 

 neck and head shown looking almost Hke a serpent's head, and 

 one professing to be the imported "head" of a certain wonderful 



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