Breeding Light Br Air mas. 
263 
stripes in his hackle of a very solid character, and defined stripes in the saddle also, if possible ; 
and mated with hens too light and cloudy in the hackle, and entirely free from any colour on the 
back. From this mating hardly a cockerel will miss as regards colour, but most of the pullets 
will have backs more or less speckled ; except in rare cases, not to be counted on, when birds seem 
to “ breed well ” with no trouble at all. The colour of the grey under-fluff should also be carefully 
examined. It will be found that this varies, in some birds being of a very dark grey, and in others 
of a very light pearly grey. In many cases the dark grey under-colour goes with the darker 
surface-marking, but this rule is not by any means universal ; and if two birds be on the surface 
apparently both too dark to be mated with success, for fear of producing dark splashes or specks, 
yet supposing one — say the cock — be of a dark under-colour while the other is light, the experiment 
may often be made with success. We think, in fact, this rule will usually be found safe ; but as we 
once knew a marked exception, we do not like to state it too broadly. By attending to this 
Black Hackle 
for 
Breeding Pullets. 
Fig. 64. 
Correct Hackle 
for 
Light Brahma Pullet. 
qualifying point, in a few years it will be possible to breed from the same stock both cockerels and 
pullets of a beautifully-marked character, the cocks usually having white saddles with barely 
perceptible traces of black ; and by then always mating well-marked birds on both sides, but with 
under-colour rather dark and light respectively, this valuable quality may be perpetuated. 
The only cross that is likely to be met with in choosing Light Brahma stock is that with the 
White Cochin, which we are satisfied has contaminated more or less very many birds. As this has 
been denied by some experienced breeders, we think it right to state that we have the avowal in 
writing of a well-known winner at Birmingham, that some of his best birds “ were bred from a 
Dark Brahma cock and White Cochin hens and of course such a cross must not only affect his 
own strain, but would communicate the taint to any others which might be recruited from it. The 
evils of this experiment would be more apparent after two or three generations than at first, as 
chickens quite correct in marking are often produced by such a cross ; but the effect of reversion is 
always seen afterwards in loose feather, dark or sandy patches of colour, light hackle, and deficient 
breast. The latter is, on the whole, the best test of a cross, which may be also detected in many 
cases by the ground-colour of the plumage being white instead of grey ; and if the two defects be 
found together we should regard the evidence of a stain more or less remote as perfectly conclusive. 
Another very characteristic evidence of a Cochin cross is the shape of the cushion, which in 
Brahmas ascends more and more till it rises into the nearly upright tail, whilst in crossed birds it 
