COLUMBIAN WYANDOTTES 229 



round in front, deficient in spike, and were smooth, or corrugated 

 with ridges on top, and lacked the papilla or minute points desired 

 on a Wyandotte's comb. It was quite a problem to get good comlis 

 on the Columbians, but this feature is now worked out, and the 

 variety comes very good in comb and head points. 



Tlie question of feathered shanks, inherited from the Brahma, may 

 always be solved in two generations. But the beautifully laced neck, 

 the sound wing markings, and the contrasting lacing of white on 

 the big black tail coverts, were not so easily held. 



It is well known that in breeding this color type you get what you 

 want as the color works out, and not on its way in; and the black 

 color does work out from generation to generation. Therefore it is 

 necessary to have a reserve of color in some of the specimens that 

 are used for breeders. This point was emphasized in the judging at 

 New York for several years, especially from 1907 to 1910. The result 

 was that the birds in the show were good in neck striping, tail lacing 

 and wings, but their bodies were not white enough, many of the 

 pullets showing a superabundance of black flecking and even black 

 spots in their backs. This oi¥-color has now been cleaned up, and 

 backs that are white on the surface are the rule in the showrooms 

 today. 



Mating. If the male has weak striping in hackle and white on the 

 broad side of the wing primaries, we would mate him to females that 

 are very dark, heavy colored specimens; females that are strong slate 

 in under-color. We would not call this a good mating, however, for 

 a wing showing white in primaries, except on the outside edging of 

 the narrow web, seriously reduces the breeding value of the bird. 



Mating I. — We would prefer to have a male that has good wings 

 and colored on the surface like the male illustrated in this chapter. 

 As nearly as possible, his mates should then be females like the one 

 which also is illustrated in this chapter. The majority of cockerels 

 and pullets from this mating will be good. 



Mating II. — If the breeder has some hens that are very dark, 

 with some flecking of black in their back, and these are mated to a 

 male that runs light, that is, one which has clean striping in his 

 hackle but the stripe breaks into white underneath, and the male has 

 little striping in his back, his breast near the throat is white, his 

 wings good, and his under-color nearly white, the mating can be 

 relied upon to produce good pullets and some good cockerels. 



Mating III. — If the male runs dark, is heavily striped in neck 

 and white, lacing is edged with black; if his breast near throat shows 

 considerable black; if his back is striped more or less; if his wings 

 are good and his under-color is slaty in color, he may be mated to 

 females that are deficient in neck, wing and tail markings, and good 

 cockerels will be produced, also some good pullets. It should be 

 remembered, however, that if the back stripes in the male are so 



