SILVER PENCILED WY.AN DOT'HIS. 



like this should be discounted tor both surface and under 

 color, as the amount of black or brown showing in the 

 white lacing gives the back a sort of a oopperish tinge, 

 which of itself should be discounted 1 point; the light 

 under color will add an additional Vi point, making the 

 total out IVi. 



Breast. 



Next to the back this is the most important section, 

 so far as shape is concerned, but is not considered of as 

 much value as several other sections In color. However, 

 a good colored breast is much to be desired on males of this 

 vaiiety, and. In view of the fact that the Standard-makers 

 have given us ten points and laid as much stress on color 

 as shape, giving Ave points to each, it is easy to see that 

 a defective breast in color can be severely discounted. 



The Standard description of color is "Black; under 

 color, dark slate." This description fits well the fancy 

 cockerel-bred exhibition males that look so well in the 

 yard and show room, but it is not from breasts like the 

 one described that we get our best colored birds, especially 

 in females, and quite often males as well. 



Our best breeders have learned that to produce choice 

 colored specimens of either sex, it is necessary to breed 

 from two or more matings. We would like to emphasize 

 the point "two or more," as many breeders, to our knpwl- 

 edge, have found it necessary to breed several shades of 

 color in males in order to arrive at just the right color in 

 females — in fact, the splashed breast on male is not in 

 every case a safe criterion to go by that the individual Is 

 a pullet-breeder. The choice exhibition females, when 

 mated with the rich-colored exhibition male, will more than 

 likely disappoint the owner in the quality of chicks. The 

 females will run unevenly and splotchy, failing In lacing in 

 many sections, while the males will come in almost as 

 many colors as there are chicks to count — in fact, you will 

 hardly find two alike, and you can consider yourself fortu- 

 nate it you have any real good show birds from the mat 

 ing. However, there are exceptions to this rule, and the 

 two exhibition colors may nick all right and breed fine ex- 

 hibition males or females, and sometimes both, from the 

 same pair or pen. But when results like this follow, it i;; 



Fin. 56, 



well to look back of the individual and learn the cause, ami 

 it Is almost invariably the case that the breeding of the 

 .sires, and not the sires themselves, was responsible fo:- 

 the results. When good results follow the mating of ex- 

 hibition males and females, it Is safe to calculate that one 

 or the other, or perhaps both, of the sires was bred on 

 opposite lines from what their color would Indicate; or. In 

 other words, were mere accidents where the blood of one 

 sex or the other In the embryo state had predominated and 

 given life to a chick, with exhibition plumage, along one 

 line whose parentage would lead in an entirely different 

 direction. 



I merely call attention to this matter here to show th'j 

 amateur breeder the folly of trying to produce exhibition 

 color from Standard matings when the color of the two 

 sexes is entirely opposite, as In the- case of the Silver Pen- 

 ciled Wyandotte or Dark Brahmas. I do believe that 



Barred Rocks, Penciled Haniburgs iind other varieties that 

 have the same color charucteristics in both male and fe- 

 male can and should be bred from one mating, and in my 

 six years' expfrlmentini; along these lines the result In my 

 yards has thoroughly convinced me that they are right, but 

 I doubt if it can be brought about with any degree of cer- 

 tainty where the breast of one sex is penciled or laced and 

 where the other is black or white. So in order to help thf 

 beginner, I would suggest the doubles mating system In 

 Silver Penciled Wyundottes, espaolally while trying to es- 

 tablish a strain. I would rt'ooniniend the mating of black 

 breasted males to diirk colored I'oniales that are defective 

 In irii)le lacing in breast and back, but as free as possible 

 from the rust or mahogany odor on wtnK bow and back. 

 Remember you want, bright, silvery surface color on hackle 

 and saddles of mnles as well as wing bows, and to get this 

 you must steer clear of thi! rusty color of ellhor sex in se- 

 lecting your breeding stock. In order to get good females, 

 select your choicest colored hens or iJuUets — that is, the 

 ones with the cleanest lacing, showing the stcHil-gray B\ir- 

 face as free as possibli^ from the mahogany shade — and 

 male to a miile that shows some white In breast iind body, 

 and should there hv i\ trace of lacing In the body color of 

 the male, all the better. 



In order to show oni' readers what Is meant by cock- 

 erel and pullet mating, W(^ present hcn'o two views. Fig. 

 56 shows breast and body of a cockerel-breeding male that 

 would not be discounted for color, acoordln-; to our Stand- 

 ard descriptli n. 



^■Hvif% 



\ne. 57. 

 Fig. No. r.7 shows the breast and body of a pullet- 

 breeding male, one having cunslderable splashing and lac- 

 ing in sections, and if placed on exhibition would be dis- 

 counted 11/2—1 for color of bre;ist and y^ on color of l)(;dy. 



I-'ig. FiK. 



In Fig. No. 58 are shown three feathers selected from 

 the breast of a male bird that will illustrate our Idea of 

 defects. 



