TECHNICAL TERMS 327 
Leaper.—The point or projection at the back of the “rose” 
type of comb. 
Lxc.—(1) The shank of the live bird; (2) the thigh of a bird 
trussed for table. 
MEALINESS.—Applied to buff-coloured birds when the plumage 
is flecked with white and not evenly tinted. 
MonGREL.—Various breeds so intermixed that ancestry cannot 
be stated. 
Pra Coms.—A type of comb resembling three crests side by side, 
the highest being in the middle. 
PENCILLING.—Small straight or curved markings on the feathers. 
PrimaRies.—The flight feathers, or quills, of the first joint of the 
wing. 
Putitet.—A young hen; properly applied to birds less than a 
year old. 
RoAcu-BACKED.—Having the back arched. 
Rooster.—Term for a cock. 
Rose Coms.—A broad comb, having a flattened top covered 
with small points, and ending in a spike or “leader” at the 
back. 
SapDLE.—The hindmost part of the back, extending to the tail 
in the male bird. 
Sappy.—Applied to a bird having the 
visible on the surface of its plumage. 
SEcoNDARIES.—The quills of the second joint of the wing. 
SELF-COLOURED.—Having the plumage of an unvarying shade. 
Suarr.—The mid-rib of a feather. 
Suanx.—The part of the leg between the hock and the digits. 
StckLEs.—The long curved feathers of a cock’s tail, especially 
the middle or upper pair. 
StncLE Coms.—A narrow red fleshy growth that rises straight up 
on the top of the head. Usually finishes in serrated points. 
SPANGLED.—Having on each feather a spot or patch of different 
colour from the ground colour. 
Spur.—The spine (a horny modification of the skin attached to 
a bony core) on a cock’s leg. 
“sap” in the feathers 
