.32 Pii";E(jns \xd All Apout Theii. 



f(jr a first prize cock which lie had claimed at the 

 Crystal Palace. To a\-oid the use of names, and the 

 caving of free advertisements, I will refer to individuals 

 by the letters of the alphabet . The liird iiiy friend had 

 claimed was shown by W — , and when he spoke to me 

 he said, " Xow I shall want a hen tor this bird, shall 

 I get it from A — , or B ?" naming two well-known 

 breeders of the ^•arlety. I replied, " Look here, old 

 man, you have, to m>- knowledge, been breeding for 

 nearl)- tweiit\- _\-ears, and >-on have iic\-er bred a win- 

 ner \-et. Year b\- >-ear >-ou purchase winners from 

 Tom, Dick, or Harry, and go to Harry, Diok, or Tom 

 for hens to pair with them. Xo\v, if you have claimed 

 W'.'s bird, why not write to \^'., and ask him for a hen 

 that will mate with it, and not go introducing strange 

 blood again '■! You have year after >-ear gone on this 

 foolish plan, and never had an>- jileasure or satisfaction, 

 \\hilst the amount of mone>- you ha\-e \^■asted is enor- 

 mous." 



WH\T OFTEN HAITENS. 



?ity friend does not stand alone. There are scores, 

 aye, hundreds of others like him. The-^- have an idea 

 that if they rurchase their cocks from one breeder they 

 must go to another for their hens. ,Seldom, indeed, 

 does such a procedure bring success. \^'hen birds 

 are somewhat related the chances are that the}' may 

 hit and iirodnce progeny equal, if not actually superior, 

 to themseh-es. But when birds absolutely unrelated 

 are piut to.gether, the chances are a hundred to one that 

 they will not hit. It does occasionally happen that 

 when birds are paired to.gether, even thou,o-h they be 

 of the same strain, or family, that the result is not what 

 is expected or desired, thou.gh the jiarents are really 

 .good birds. When this does occur the >^nuig hand 

 is apt to discard the pro.geny, and the old birds as well. 

 This is foolishness, or worse. The young birds hav- 

 ing been l-red from birds of high merit, must, of 

 necessity, have in their veins the same blood and the 

 same properties as the birds they ha\-e come from, 

 e\-en thotigh these good provierties ha\'e not shown 

 themselves. In the .general and ordinary M-a\- the 

 young hand is disappointed with his young birds, and 



