THE BREEDS 71 



sibly the immediate progenitor of our modern Plymouth Rock, 

 and is responsible for its present-day tendency toward high 

 production. It is now dropping out of favor, largely because 

 of the diminution of that same high-producing quality. 



The reason usually ascribed for this retrogression is the 

 fad for extreme size in comb. How or why extreme size in 

 comb should militate against egg production is impossible 

 to state. It may well be that the two characters are not 



Fig. 21 ' 



Barred Pljrmouth Rook, male (American) . 



necessarily opposed, but that in their enthusiasm for on,e 

 character, breeders entirely lost sight of the other. Of the 

 two {varieties, White and Black, the Blacks predominate. 

 Both the "Eeghorn and Minorca are sprightly and stylish 

 in type, very , nervous and active in disposition, early in 

 matiu-ity, nop-setters and layers of large white eggs. In all 

 these characteristics, as in fecundity, the Leghorn is more 

 extreme _saye,in_the_Jajgeness ^f_the_ejgg, ,for_..¥ii9k_^^ 

 Minorca enjoys an excellent and well-deserved reputation. 



