190 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
otherwise) too light and undecided in colour, and in order to correct this, fashion flew to the opposite 
extreme, and some seven or eight years back birds were to be "seen winning, so decidedly black thit at a 
distance of a few yards they looked like a whole bronzy-black fowl. The lighter colour in the barring 
disappeared, or was of a bron/y-tnown shade, and one had to get to close cjuarters to recognise that they 
were actually barred birds. One of the most fatal objections to these black and white barred birds is that 
they so often throw black and brtjwn barred specimens, also a very large proportion of wholly black sports. 
l>lack-brown birds, through the onslaught of the ("lub, are pretty well now extinct, but their trail remains, 
and must be stanipetl out altogether. The darkei' a Ijird comes the more the black predominates, and the 
barring in hen^ too dark is pretty well always very uneven and blotchy, while the really blue hens are noted 
for the beautiful uniformity of their barring right throughout. A fault, too often seen, in some females, though 
they are almost a true blue in shade, is to have the edges of the darker barring tinted with an ugly dead, 
sooty brown. This generally requires a good light to detect, and is one of the main reasons why Barred 
Rocks should always be judged in a perfect light. Hens showing this brown shading are collateral with 
cocks with brassy hackles and decidedly brown backs. This brown and brass, being difficult to breed out, is 
a serious defect ; but, once into summer, a Judge cannot take so much notice of it as he would in the winter 
and spring Shows, as in this country the heat of the sun is so intense in summer (and not one exhibitor in a 
hundred housing his fowls) that birds running out become quickly tanned on the back. Should, however, 
ihe brown or bra.ss show down tlie sides, or in any place where the sun can have little or no effect hi 
discolouring the plumage, the defect is hereditary and difficult to eradicate, being in the blood of the bird. 
A help, when in doubt as to whether this is a permanent defect or mere!)' a temporary one, is to examine the 
flights, and if the dark bars are found to be of a decided bronze or brown shade the examiner may rest assured 
and I'ully satisfied that the bird is naturally faulty. 
" A cock with a really good blue tail, uniformly barred throughout, is, I am sorry to say, of very rare 
occurrence, whole or partially white or black feathers in tail being generally nearly as plentiful as barred ones. 
Only of recent years have breeders, here, attempted to breed for sound, good colour of tail, the old practice of 
removing all off-coloured feathers (even to the sickles) and showing cobs being winked at so long that 
breeders became careless on the subject, but now that tails are considered necessary in the Show pen there is 
a strong inducement for improvement in this direction, and I feel sure it is already on the mend. All faulty 
tails, as regards white feathers, get still further worse with age. A featlier which is only white for an inch at 
the butt, and showing correct barrings, on the whole length exposed, as a cockerel, will be white for half its 
length in the bird's second year, and probably wholly white the third year. As regards improvement, a cock 
with a good blue tail well barred throughout, and with sound flights, and especially if in his second or third 
season, is an invaluable bird in the breeding pen ; but, though colour and markings are in the main derived 
from the male, it must not be supposed that the female is wholly without any influence on the progeny in 
this respect. If breeders wcjuld be more particular, and only breed from hens that are quite free of white in 
flights, and which have their taibbarring of a pronounced character right to the tips, I think they would 
quickly find their cockerels coming with better tails both in colour and barring. A very large proportion of 
the hens and pullets in the Show pens, though they seldonr or never show off coloured feathers in tails, will 
be found on close observation to have white in flights, and the barring of their tail feathers (and especially 
towards the tip) of a very smudgy and undecided nature ; these are the ladies who throw black and white 
tailed cockerels. Cockerels with a large proportion of bkrck feathers in tail are generally bred from dark 
hens too blotchy and cloud)' in markings. In close competition a Judge should always examine for white in 
flights. In males it is so accompanied with white in tail, that I am positive white flights must be eradicated 
before we can hope to see many sound in tail. 
"White Rocks have naturally few faults in plumage, and with both \Miites and Buffs the defects to steer 
clear of are those noticeable with these colours in all breeds. Orey and black ticking in Whites is some- 
times very marked, and on close examination (like the blue shade in many Orpingtons) will be found so 
distributed as to indicate the predominance of the blood of the Barred variety. Such ticking is wrong, and 
