DESCRIPTION OF ANCONASj 



T HERE are but two varieties of Anconas — Single Comb and Rose 

 Comb, and as they are identical in every way except the comb, the 

 description fits both. The Rose Comb variety should have combs similar 

 to a Wyandotte. 



Anconas, or as they are frequently called Mottled Anconas, are black 

 and white. The black predominates, and the feathers in every section 

 are black. The greater part of the feathers are entirely black, but about 

 one quarter of the feathers have a small tip of white at the end, which 

 gives the bird a very attractive appearance. 



The white tips are a real white, and not a dirty white or gray. The 

 small feathers of the leg, neck, breast, fluff, and other parts of the body 

 that are white-tipped have the white tips small, — about double the size 

 of a lead pencil end. The coarser feathers and those of the wings and 

 tail that are white- tipped have larger white tips. 



There are occasional tail and wing feathers that have white for an 

 inch or two up the quill, and all-white feathers are frequent in these sec- 

 tions, but they are inconspicous and do not disquahfy the birds for show. 

 However these entirely white feathers are sought to be eliminated as much 

 as possible in breeding, not to the extent of breeding out the white mot- 

 tling from other sections and producing a bird that has too great a pre- 

 ponderence of black. (See chapter on Ancona Type.) 



The face, wattles and comb are bright red. The ear lobes are white 

 white or creamy. The beak is yellow, with dark shading. The legs are 

 either clear yellow, or yellow mottled with black. The comb on the male 

 is erect, while on the female it tips over to one side. 



The carriage of both male and female is alert and active, and they 

 possess a style and symmetry that is quite their own, and it never fails 

 to attract the eye of the poultry fancier. Anconas have few equals and 

 no superiors in the poultry kind for beauty, which is very plainly mani- 

 fest on the lawn and in the show room. 



