MATING AND SELECTION OF BREEDING STOCK 153 



color of the meat or skin. Dark meated squabs do not bring 

 as good a price as white meated ones, and birds with dark 

 beaks and dark, muddy colored feathers invariably bring dark 

 meated squabs. Black birds, if their feathers are clear, real 

 black and not muddy looking, will breed squabs with almost 

 as white meat as will birds with white feathers. Again, re- 

 ferring to Cameaux, dark billed birds with slate or dark feath- 

 ers are more apt to breed dark meated youngsters than birds 

 with light beaks (no slate or blue) and light colored feathers. 

 White feathers on Cameaux are no objection, because red and 

 white is their natural color, and, in fact, on an average, they 

 are better than the solid reds or solid yellows. 



Let me illustrate. The natural color of Durham cattle is red 

 and white or roan. If a breeder of Durham cattle would decide 

 to draw the color line and keep only his red calves, or those 

 that had no white, for breeding purposes, he would from the 

 very start be forced to sacrifice other qualities for color, and in 

 a, short time he Would find his herd below its standard from 

 the standpoint of milk, butter or beef. A cattle breeder would 

 laugh at you if you were to even suggest his discarding all but 

 his solid color calves, and would tell you he would be doing 

 away with many of the best calves from his be§t breeders. ^ 



