184 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
with no more tail than a guinea pig, so I was forced to throw him clean out. Since then the influence of the 
Rock Club, through the decisions of their Judges, has taught breeders that they must show their birds with 
whole tails, never mind h'ow many defectis e feathers they have, and a pulled tail is now a rarity at any decent 
Show. Followincj this, breeders have been forced to breed for better-coloured tails, and improvement is 
ensuing as a natural consequence. It is probable that the constitution of the Rock Club will shortly be 
considerably altered : but, even if the Club was now to disband, its existence for the past four years would 
be fully justified by the vast improvement in type developed under its auspices, and the lesson fairly rubbed 
into exhibitors that it is useless to pen birds nowadays unless they have some claim towards the correct shade 
of colour and are minus any glaring defects in type ; and, if only for the reason that the Club has practically 
hunted birds from the Show pen shown as Rocks, but \vith Mediterranean type showing at every point, 
breeders who wish to see no retrograde movement in the future should stand by the Club, and thus help to 
maintain the good effected within the last four or five years, and to still further improve the breed as a whole. 
" Scale for Judging Plymouth Rocks. 
"A bird perfect in shape, style, colour, and condition, and of full size, to count in points lOO, and, if 
of extra size, no. 
Points. 
Head and beak, if perfect, to count 
5 
Colour of legs ,, ••• 
5 
Comb and wattles ,, ••• 
5 
Ear-lobes, clear of permanent white 
5 
Symmetry ... 
20 
Shape, size, and set-on of tail 
ID 
Size and bone 
15 
Plumage 
25 
Condition ... 
10 
100 
If of extra size, and good in type, extra points ... 
JO 
1 10 
"The number of points to be deducted for each defect must be left to the discretion of the Judge, and 
although the above are the maximum points a bird can get credit for, the Judge, if he thinks fit, can deduct 
more than the number allotted to each section for any decided failure in that section. 
"Disqualifications. 
'■^ Legs feathered, or aiiv oilier colour hut rellozc or orange., rose or pea combs, red feathers, coloured 
feathers in jchites, lohes showing much permanent white, anv sickle tail-feather missing, plucked tails, 
breast-hone had/v cc'iokcit it (iccom/ianicd l)v narrow cow hocks, decidedly wry tails, and, in fact any 
constitutional dcf',nnity ; if adults under Standard size, also an y defect so conspicuouslv glaring as, 
in the opinion of the Judge, so had as to throw a bird clean out. 
" Having had a hand in framing the above Standard, I believe the best plan to be adopted in the 
continuation of my remarks is to take each section of the Standard separately, and explain fully its relative 
value and defects, the why and the wherefore of same, and add at same time a few, comments I have to make 
with regard to breeding for any of these special features. 
Head and Beat.% 5 points. — Only in very few instances have I seen eyebrows so overhanging in Rocks 
as to give the head a sour expression. Beak. — -Size and shape are in the main good : if twisted it is a sure 
sign of bad constitution, and should always mean disqualification. As regards colour, inexperienced 
breeders are rather apt to place too much stress on this point, as hardly ever does a beak appear so badly 
fiiarked as to lead the observer to believe that the ground or main colour is anything but yellow, and very 
