Breeding Red Mottles. 
165 
described. Should there be a Red or Red Agate and a Mottle (or something near one) in the nest 
— perhaps a cock — though it be faulty in marking, being either too light or too dark on the 
shoulders, yet, if it be free from a blaze on the face, it will be a most valuable stock bird, but if it 
show the blaze must be discarded, unless the fancier has no others to breed from, and no means 
to purchase better. If one of the young Red or Red Agate hens be whole-feathered, and also free 
from a blaze, then we would breed her with a cock resembling the father already described, or 
if that fails, to the parent bird himself ; and she being, as it were, already half-bred to his mottled 
marking, will be still more likely to reproduce it. If there be no young birds of such colours, we 
would continue to breed the original pair till the desired colours, or something near them, were 
produced, when they should be cross-matched to each parent as above. 
Some fanciers consider this method of breeding parents and offspring far too close breeding, 
but such is not our experience. It often happens that a young bird is better than the parent, and 
shows some fine point which the father or mother was not possessed of. In such a case the bird is 
far more likely to impart this point to his progeny when bred to his mother, or the hen to her 
father, than if matched to a fresh hen, which would probably cause a reversion to the more imperfect 
ancestor, and thus cause the loss of a point which may not appear again in the same strain for 
years, if at all. In breeding for marking or feather alone this principle especially holds good, and 
hence it is that, when something near the mark is obtained, we would breed it back to the parent 
at once. Before this can be done many birds may be produced of almost any colour — say Kites, 
or especially and more frequently, Almonds, since all the birds we have mentioned are Almond- 
bred. There is, in fact, almost the certainty of occasionally getting an Almond — which as often as 
not is a good one ; but such will not of course greatly displease the breeder, since it is quite as 
valuable in its way. But such birds — in which we include Kites, Splashes, or light Agates, as 
well as Almonds — are of course not suitable for the Mottle-breeding, and must either be bred 
separately or sold for Almond-breeding. 
But another match may be tried with the Red Agate Mottle cock, if there cannot be found 
for him the Red, Red Agate, or Dark-red Mottle, which we have described as the preferable and 
proper match. This is a Black Mottle hen ; or, as there are so very few of these free from the 
blaze on the face, a Black hen, but if possible Mottle-bred. We would almost as willingly have 
such a Black, if a proper colour, showing the green tinge on her plumage. Such a bird will be a 
good match for the possible production of both Black and Red Mottles, being less likely to show 
the blaze, while the body-colour would be grand, since good Black and Red, when bred together, 
usually produce the best colours of any ; though this is not the case when either colour is bad, 
which often throws nasty Chequered Duns or Grizzles. With regard to the progeny of the Red 
Agate Mottle cock, and the Black or Black Mottle hen, we would follow the same plan as we have 
advised for the progeny of the two Reds, breeding any particularly likely bird back to its parent ; 
but for breeding Reds we would always prefer for breeding with the Black or Black Mottle hen 
a cock bred from two Reds, in order to give as little chance as possible of breeding back to 
Almond feather, which might otherwise result from the mixture of feather. The only exception 
would be a pure Red Mottle, or a deep, clear Red Whole-feather, which, however bred, may be 
pretty safely bred to a well-marked Black Mottle hen as free from blaze on the face as can be 
got. We say as free as can be got, since there is hardly a bird entirely free. We doubt if there 
be indeed even one, and are quite sure that if any one were to breed all at once a few really well- 
marked Mottles, few would believe them to be honestly so. Some may hence ask what is the 
use of even attempting to produce a bird for which we can get no credit even if we succeed. 
Well, we suppose credit and belief would soon come, if honestly earned, and the triumph would 
