FUi6'T LJ^SSOyfi IN POULrUY KEEI'lKth 33 



The females are like the males in color only id the baukle. Tbe prevailing uolor of the female 

 Is a light gray with distinct dark lilies of penciling following the outlines of the feather, tbe 

 several lines of penciling on each feather making a completely penciled surface. The main tail 

 feathers are black, and tbe stiff feathers of the wing are black and a penciled gray instead of 

 black and white, as in the wing of the male. 



The difficulties in breeding this combination are to get clean colors and distinct penciling in 

 all sections in tbe females, and to get good black breauts in tbe males, and get these from tbe 

 same matings. One of the best of our breeders who breeds both these varieties gets hie best 

 results from well penciled females mated with males as near Standard color as possible, and 

 known to be from well penciled hens. Such a male may have some '-frosting" of white in the 

 black of the breast and body, which is a fault in the exbiliition pen, but not so much so in the 

 breeding pen. Tbe males with solid black breasts are apt to produce females that are loo dark 

 and not well laced. 



The fault in quality of color most necessary to guard against is a brownish tinge in the females, 

 and red or brown in the cape or back of tbe male. 



flating Golden Penciled Varieties. 



In these two varieties with "Partridge" mai kings constitute one type of the black-red color 

 combination ; these are the Partridge Cochin and the Partridge Wyandotte, in which the mark- 

 ings are similar to those of the Dark Brahma and Silver Penciled Wyandotte. 



The males of both varieties are red where the males of the silver penciled varieties are while. 

 The females of the "Partridge" varieties have red or redish brown plumage with darker brown 

 pencilings. 



The rules for mating are tbe same. Some breeders use double matings, making two distinct 

 lines as in double matings of Barred Plymouth Rocks. Whether the practice will become general, 

 remains to be seen. 



riating Silver Laced Varieties. 



There are three of these: the Silver Laced Wyandotte, the Silver Polish, and the Silver 

 Sebright Bantam. Though not alike in all sections they have a general resemblance. The con- 

 spicuous difference between them and the type we have called the black-white type, is that in 

 the.-e varieties the plumage of the breast and body has the same markings in both males and 

 females. Tbe necks, backs, and tails of the males of the Wyandotte and Polish are not much 

 different from those of tbe silver penciled varietii'S, but in the Bantam the markings are like the 

 hen throughout. 



We will consider only the Wyandotte in tliis le.«son. Originally the Silver Laced Wyandotte- 

 had plumage with such a very wide lacing of black that the white centers were so small that it. 

 seemed more appropriate to consider the white as a mark on the black rather than the black a. 

 lacing around the white. Of late years, however, there has been a change to a more " open"- 

 center, making a different looking and very much handsomer fowl. What puzzles the breeder 

 is to get these lacings uniform all over the female and in the laced sections of the male. To 

 accomplish this the double mating system seems to be preferred by our most successful breed- 

 ers, two distinct lines being bred as with the Barred Rock, though it can hardly be said that the 

 lines are as well established as in the Rocks. The type of Silver Wyandotte color has changed 

 so much that we must regard the ideas of breeders as in a transition stage, and that being the 

 case I would rather advise a reader handling that variety to either find out what lines his stock 

 has been bred on, and follow same lines, or suijply himself with all the literature on mating the 

 variety he can get, and after deciding what line he wants to follow in mating, begin to build tlie 

 slock on that line, drawing for new blood as needed on some one breeder following the same 

 line. 



Mating Golden Laced Varieties. 



Here we have the tliree varieties discussed above, each duplicated in its own breed with a 

 variety having a golden or bay ground color of plumage instead of svbite, as in the Silvers. 

 With the change of color, the principles and rules of mating are tbe same. 



In popularity too, the Golden Wyandottes, Polish, and Sebright Bantams have relatively 

 much the same positions as tbe Silvers. None of the laced varieties are as yet very extensively 



