HeA VI L V- IV A TTLED E YES. 6 9 
by breeding from birds hatched early in the season, length of flights and tail may be recovered 
when lost. 
Having thus described the cock represented, we will now consider a class of hen to mate with 
such a one in order to produce first-class stock, for which purpose we give the portrait B, also taken 
from a real bird. The beak in this head will at once be seen to extend for some distance in front 
of the beak-wattle, which makes the face appear very long — even longer than it really is— and the 
bird will also be seen to have apparently a great deal too much eye-wattle compared with the 
beak-wattle. Looking at the beak-wattle particularly, the first portion, marked B' in the diagram 
(page 61), will be seen to be well formed ; but the second portion, b", is much too small. This is the 
great fault of this wattle ; but in addition it will be observed that the last and largest portion, B", 
seems all of a piece, standing high up, and not nicely indented in the build. On the lower 
mandible the first portion of wattle, c', will be seen to be well back, the advantage of which, both 
in appearance and in freedom from tendency to canker, we have already spoken of. The second 
portion, c", is very similarly formed, and, like nearly all hen Carriers, there is no third portion 
visible, the upper wattle not being developed enough to appear as if attached to the lower. Again, 
a good clear space will be seen between the eye and beak-wattle in consequence of the smallness of 
the latter. But the most conspicuous feature in this hen is the great size of the eye-wattle, which 
is of the class we have previously described as a “ fleshy-eyed ” one, and so soft in texture as to 
easily become what is known as “spout-eyed,” the substance becoming so overgrown as to get 
wrinkled into a doubled fold or “ spout,” which both irritates the eye and causes a watery discharge, 
and itself collects and carries such discharge off, whence the term is singularly appropriate. If 
such spouts are neglected, the discharge is apt to so increase as to form a kind of fungus or matter, 
and actually to corrode the corners of the eye ; but this should never be the case. The eye should 
be carefully washed from time to time with warm water, and gently dried by dabbing with a soft 
silk handkerchief, after which the eyelids should be touched with some perfectly fresh (unsalted) 
grease. This will for a time prevent such an eye from becoming dangerous ; for example, if the 
bird is breeding, it will keep it from leaving its eggs and young, with the pain and annoyance, and 
suffice till more effectual measures can be taken : but this should be done on the first favourable 
opportunity by cutting off the superfluous growth in the manner to be presently described. We 
are aware some consider such treatment wrong, and say that such birds are not fit to be 
kept : but all who breed know their value, and we do not hesitate to say that we hold a totally 
different opinion, and consider it perfectly legitimate to perform an operation which gives little 
pain, and enables the bird to live for years afterwards in comfort, which it could not otherwise do. 
Neither do we consider it fraudulent to show such a bird, since the operation is perfectly open and 
honest, and manifest to the eye of every good judge ; who can therefore deal with it as he pleases. 
A badly-bred bird never requires it : but we would earnestly advise every fancier to do it at once 
on the veiy first appearance of a defined spout ; since, if done carefully and properly in early life, 
very little suffices, and the bird will never require treatment afterwards. 
A bird of this kind almost always appears very narrow in skull, owing to the growth of 
eye-wattle ; but however this may be, this great growth of eye-wattle, as is readily seen, makes up 
the great deficiency in the head A, and is in nearly every essential point the class of head needed 
to mate with him. Hens of this class, again, are as a rule better formed in the gullet than those 
possessing more beak-wattle. It is, in fact, very rare to see a good Carrier hen with a very good 
beak-wattle; and if extra good in this point they are almost always heavy in gullet. Again, there are 
more hens of this class with finely-shaped, long necks than can be found among the large-wattled 
hens; and this too is of great value to breed with such cock-birds as shown at A in Fig. 32, for these 
