66 



COLUMBIAN WYANDOTTES. 



Tail. 



This section, for a time at least, will be quite defective 

 in color, not alone in male, but female as well. It should 

 be black except the curling feathers underneath, which are 

 white a,nd black. Sickles and coverts glossy, greenish 

 black; lesser coverts, glossy, grenish black edged with 

 white. 



In our experience with this variety we have had 

 les strouble in getting good laced coverts than getting solid 

 black main tail feathers. There seems to be a tendency to 

 run white in about the same proportion as our Silver 

 Wyandotte breeders experienced some twenty years ago 

 when this variety was in its infancy. 



In Pig. 77 are shown three defective feathers selected 

 from a specimen that is a fair comparison of what we will 

 find in the average male of today. 



Feather No. 1 is good except at base, there showing a 

 trace of white at end of feather, and should be discounted 

 % point. 



Feather No. 2 has the most objectionable color of the 

 three, it being splotched with white the entire length, the 

 black and white intermixing, being no distinct color and 

 entirely too white at base. A tail showing feathers like 

 No. 2 should be discounted 2'/^ points. 



Feather No. 3, while showing entirely too much white 

 at both top and bottom, is really a better feather than 

 No. 2 from a breeding standpoint, as the colors are purer 

 within themselves. However, the Standard calling for 

 solid black tail, we would have to discount feather No. 3 

 1% points. 



Wings. 



Here is another section that is more or less defectiye — 

 in fact, we have never yet seen an ideal wing on a Colum- 

 bian Wyandotte male. The Standard describes it as "Bows, 

 white, except front, which may be partly black; primaries, 

 black or nearly black, with white edging of lower edge of 

 lower web; secondaries, lower portion of lower web white 

 sufficient to secure a white wing bay, the White extending 

 around ends of feather and lacing upper portion of web, 

 this color growing wider in the shorter secondaries, the 

 five next to body being white on surface when wing is 

 folded; remainder of each secondary black." 



In Pig. No. 78 we show a wing partly spread, illus- 

 trating what we believe to be the correct color for this 

 variety, while in Fig. 11 is shown a wing with entirely 

 too much white in primaries — in fact, very much such 

 feathers as we find in our exhibition males of today, and 

 should be discounted 1% points. 



In Fig. 79 we find a wing showing the most serious 



Fig. 82. 



defect that Light Brahma and Columbian Wyandotte breed- 

 ers have to contend with — an intermixing of white and 

 black, both being defective and both running together. 

 This wing is defective in both primaries and secondaries 

 and should be discounted 3 jioints. 



With the illustration and our description of detects 

 we believe the breeders will arrive at a fair conclusion 

 as to the quality of the specimens that they may have in 

 their yards and will materially assist them not only in se- 

 lecting their best exhibition specimens, but will give them 

 a fair idea as to how to mate to improve their flock. We 

 will now take up the female and descrilje in detail the 

 color defects found in this sex. 



THE FEIMALE. 



The similarity of color In the two sexes makes a 

 lengthy description of the female unnecessary, as I believe 

 we have covered the color defects quite thoroughly in my 

 description of the male. In our Standard female is shown 

 our ideal, both as to shape and color. We believe this pic- 

 ture represents the true Columbian female as described in 

 our Standard, and we know it Is the type most admired by 

 our competent judges. They are a loosely feathered bird as 

 compared to our Games and Leghorns. The long feathers on 

 back and body are quite fluffy and stand out from these 

 sections more than other breeds, surpassing any of the 

 Rock family in this particular. This is no doubt due In a 

 great measure to the Brahma blood, as we note the females 

 from the Brahma cross, referred to in former pages, are 

 quite pronounced in this respect. 



In my cross of Brahmas and Columbians I have been 

 surprised at the shape of the females. They are especially 

 good — in fact, surpas sanything I have found among the 

 thoroughbreds at the time I began breeding this variety, 

 but the males from the cross were quite the reverse, be- 

 ing long and narrow in body with decidedly long necks 



2- 



3 



Fig. 83. 



and legs, reminding one of a young unmatured Brahma 

 cockerel in his most awkward stage of development. 



It is well to know that the cross that produced these 

 birds was a Columbian male bred on Light Brahma fe- 

 males. Whether the reverse in shape would have shown 

 had top crosses of Brahmas been made I am not prepared 

 to say. 



If some of our readers have used the Brahma males 

 on Columbian females we would Ije glad to hear from 

 them as to what success they met with in getting correct 

 shape of the two sexes. It is my desire to find at this 

 time the positive origin of the best strains of this variety, 

 and in order to do so I desire the co-operation of Columbian 

 breeders from all sections of the country. We want facts, 

 not guesswork. There are no doubt many breeders who 

 have never attempted to write for publication who could 

 give us such information, and we urge them to do so, for 

 if you have in any way assisted in the making of this va- 

 riety you are entitled to the credit, and we wish you to 

 have.it. A work of this kind will no doubt outlive the 

 author many years, and the facts now will be valuable to 

 those who come afterward. 



The points in color of females most desired, and the 

 ones we must have to make this variety popular with the 

 masses, is clean-cut lacing on neck, the black pure within 

 itself and the white running entirely around the lower edge 

 of feather; this lacing to extend not only at back of neck, 

 but down under the throat as well. Tail coverts with two 

 rows of clean white lacing, with jet black centers; main 

 tail to show two highest feathers laced with white. 



When we have accomplished this we may feel that we 

 have started at least to breed Columbian Wyandottes. 

 While wing color is important, it is not so essential as neck 

 and tail, and if preference must be given to any section 

 let good tail lacing be favored over all else, and in order 

 to get this and hold it after it is once secured we must 

 look close to our under color and see that we have here a 

 sufficient amount of black to feed the three sections 

 named. Remember, the Standard-makers have protected 

 this new variety in this particular by eliminating one of 

 the disfiualifications in the Brahma Standard in reference 

 to color of back. Our Standard reads; "Black preva- 

 lent m the web of feather or back not a disqualification 

 but a seiioiis defect." The writer was largely responsible 

 for this chancre in Standard, and mv reason in asking for 

 It was to establish color in the most important sections 

 and allow for a time, at least, birds that were ^'r,od in other 

 sections to compete for and win prizes even thon^'h they 

 .should show some eolor in web feather of back 



