SILVER LACED WYANDOTTES. 



II 



standpoint. Possibly no one section is given more consid- 

 eration or more thought by the breeders than comb, al- 

 though there Is a valuation of only eight points at- 

 tached to It. 



We again refer our readers to Fig. 1, where we have 

 illustrated what we believe to be the Ideal comb for Wy- 

 andottes of all varieties. It is well balanced, follows the 

 curve of the head nicely, and is just such a comb as our 

 Wyandotte breeders have been striving for for years, and, 

 let it be said to their credit that quite a few of them in the 

 past few years have pretty nearly, if not quite, filled the 

 description. 



It is pretty hard to harmonize the opinions of all breed- 

 ers on this one section, as the comb In some Instances 

 really marks the several strains of Wyandottes that are 

 prominent winners in America today, and of course when 

 a breeder has established something that is characteristic 

 of his strain he naturally ineists that it is the proper out- 

 line, regardless of whether it fits the Standard or not. And 

 we caution judges, and especially the young judges, that 

 in awarding prizes they are to follow the Instructions of the 

 American Poultry Association and not the whims or fads 

 of some individual breeder. 



Another point we wish to emphasize to amateur judges 

 is that the eight points allowed tor comb are for shape 

 alone, and when you cut a comb 1 point, you are only 

 cutting %; when you cut It 2, you are cutting It only %; 

 when you cut it 4, you are cutting only 50 per cent. It is 

 well to consider this carefully, because the comb, accowi- 

 ing to the other sections of the bird, should be cut harder 

 than any other section. Remernber there Is no valuation 

 to color, and when you cut 1 you are figuring on the 

 basis that % of the comb Is perfect; and when you cut 

 but %, you are leaving 15-16 as perfect. 



The Standard says. In describing the comb of the Wy- 

 andotte: "Rose, low, firm on head; top oval and surface 

 covered with small, rounded points or corrugations, the for- 

 mer preferred, terminating in a small but well-defined 

 spike at rear, the entire comb and spike curving to con- 

 form to shape of skull." Note the words "terminating in 

 a spike at the rear." In other breeds having rose combs 

 the spike is independent of the comb, joining to the same 

 at the rear. In the Wyandotte the spike is a part of the 

 comb proper, -the comb growing gradually narrower as it 

 approaches the rear and finishes in a spike, which should 

 be set straight and evenly on the rear of that section, the 

 spike as well as comb to conform to the shape of skull. 

 We will now take up the sections, using several illus- 

 trations, many of them rather exaggerated, but there is 

 no comb illustration in this article that will not be found 

 in the course of a year's judging on some of the speci- 

 imens that are entered in competition for the prizes. 



In Fig. 2 is shown a comb very much after the Ham- 

 burg style. It is too high in the center, the spike runs 

 straight without conforming to the shape of the head. It 

 is too shallow in front and has a sort of a feminine look. 

 Such a comb should be discounted 3 points. 



In Fig. 3 is shown a comb that is not all bad. 

 In fact, there are many worse ones on exhibition every 

 year during the show season. The comb is too shal- 

 low in front and the corrugated points are uneven and 



the comb is a trifle nar- 

 row behind. For gen- 

 eral conformation, start- 

 ing and winding up, it is 

 fairly well proportioned 

 but the uneven surface 

 would give it a discount 

 of 2 points. 



In Fig. 4 is shown a 

 comb that is too long 

 and follows the neck too 

 far down and the corru- 

 gations are loose and un- 

 even. A comb like this 

 should be cut 2 points — 

 1 for uneven corruga- 

 tions in front and 1 for 

 the extra length of 

 spike at rear. 



Fig. 5 is again too much on the Hamburg style. In- 

 stead of comb finishing in a spike, this spike is set on 

 like that of the Hamburg and is nearly free from corrugations 



O^oh 



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or points. The comt) 

 Is too narrow and too 

 thin in front. Such a 

 comb should be dis- 

 counted 2% points. 



Figure 6 is similar 

 to Fig. 5, but Is higher 

 in center, forming a 

 sort of a ridge over the 

 head; spike fails to run 

 down and is scantily 

 covered with points and 

 should be discounted 3 

 points. 



In Fig. 7 is shown 

 a comb that in many 

 respects conforms close- 

 ly to the Standard de- 

 scription, but still it is defective, as it is too high in 

 the center and corrugations are not even. A comb like 

 this should be discounted 1 point. 



Fig. 8 is one of the 

 old-style combs, quite 

 popular a few years ago, 

 ^and the corrugated 

 points are invariably 

 deep. Many of the spec- 

 imens at that time had 

 no spike at all, or if a 

 spike, simply a corru- 

 gated point extended at 

 the rear. We seldom 

 see a comb of this kind 

 now, and when we do 

 we cut 4 points — 1 for 

 uneven surface, 1^^ for 

 deep corrugations and 

 1% for poor spike in rear. 

 In Fig. 9 is shown a comb something after the 

 style' of Fig. 8, but this one is wide in front, runs 

 down over the eyes and beak, too wide in front and too 



high in center. A comb 

 like this is bad from a 

 beeder's standpoint and 

 will be severely dis- 

 counted as a show bird. 

 The sight is more or 

 less obstructed and the 

 spike in rear is slightly 

 to one side. This comb 

 should be discounted 3 

 points. 



In Fig. 10 is shown 

 a comb which is badly 

 defective — one that the 

 average breeder would 

 ^ , " say Is imaginary and ex- 

 'A, ists only in the eye of 

 the artist. But such is 

 not the case. Combs 

 as bad, and sometimes 

 worse are found in the show room. It is too big, ex- 

 tends down over the eyes almost to the tip of the beak, 

 is hollow in the center and all the rear portion is smooth on 



top. This comb would 

 disqualify the specimen, 

 as it projects over the 

 eye far enough to ob- 

 struct the sight, and 

 should a cut be allowed 

 this comb would be dis- 

 counted 6 points. 



In Fig. 11 is shown 

 a comb that, aside from 

 smooth surface, is a 

 very good one and a 

 comb that will repro- 

 duce well in the breed- 

 ing yards. This comb 

 was a popular one with 

 // .Jf ' the White Wyandotte 



breeders several years 

 ago, especially in females, many first prize specimens 

 showing this smooth surface. However, as they are being 

 bred today this should be discounted 1 point. 



In Fig. 12 is shown a comb quite common in all varie- 

 ties of the Wyandotte. It is hollow in the center, and that 

 part showing depression is smooth on the surface. The comb 



Ote^ 



