it." as it were. It will be seen that she knows whereof she 

 speaks. 



The remainder of this chapter gives her view of the Indian 

 Runner situation. C. S. V.] 



The natural colors of Indian Runners are fawn and white, 

 the female having penciled fawn plumage with white, while the 

 drake has almost a solid shade of fawn with lustrous dark bronzy 

 dull green cap and cheek markings. The rump is of similar hue, 

 this dark color fading when coat is old to a dark brown but it is 

 never the same shade as the body color. The precise shade of 

 fawn is dependent upon the age of the birds and the remoteness 

 from the molt, the feathers of both sexes being penciled in the 

 young and of a dark brown color ; but the fawn color is assumed 

 in the adult plumage, usually when about twelve weeks of age. 

 The combination of colors in the drake is most beautiful. 



The 1905 American Standard demanded the same color in 

 both sexes, (which is contrary to nature) and specified that the 

 color must be "light fawn, even throughout," which was inter- 

 preted by judges to mean unpenciled plumage, when it should 

 have been construed to mean an even penciling, not too pro- 

 nounced. The English Standard did not mention penciling; the 

 penciling being taken for granted, as it was well understood 

 in England that Runners had penciled plumage. The British 

 Runner Club Standard describes penciling, which is used by 

 judges in placing awards. The English Standard which was tak- 

 en for a model for our American Standard is now obsolete, but its 

 omissions and defects were perpetuated in our Standard. Our 

 American Standard paved the way to faking and wrongful prac- 

 tices and foreign blood was bred in to secure a light fawn with no 

 penciling and drakes having head and rump markings of the same 

 shade as body color. Runners were a new breed in this country 

 and it was not generally known that these birds were not true 

 Runners and they became the fashion. Thus it will be seen that 



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