THE PROBLEMS IK MATING AND IN EGG PRODUCTION 85 



of their plumage than white fowls which are produced by 

 crossing or selection. Albinos almost invariably reproduce 

 themselves in the progeny and seldom revert to the colors 

 of the parents from which they came; white fowls produced 

 in other ways have a decided tendency to reversion. 



White plumage fowls may be produced by selecting speci- 

 mens of a breed which show the most white in their plumage, 

 and by continuous mating along these lines finally produce 

 some pure white. The third way of producing white plumage 

 fowl is by crossing with a white fowl of different breeds which, 









'*fe 



&: 



/i- 







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■:N'' 



» ' ^.-^ 



vV^^' 



'^4^w-' 



.t*«.^ 



'^'^vHiiiU^M'" 





Fig. 35.- 



-Feathers from Hackle of Prince Ringy III (Barred Plymouth 

 Rock). This is wonderful neck barring. (Holterman.) 



in appearance, does not differ greatly from the variety which 

 it is the desire to produce. 



It has been seen that the male ancestor of the domestic 

 fowl possessed considerable black in his plumage, and it may 

 be surmised that the black plumage varieties were originally 

 produced by selection of the darkest red and black of certain 

 varieties through their evolutionary stages. The present 

 method of producing black is by introducing a cross of a black 

 variety, care being taken to select one which it is desired to 

 produce. 



