Combs of Spanish Fowls . 
of a weak combed race of birds. We are sorry to say it came within our personal knowledge 
that on one occasion an exhibitor, having a fine cock with a comb very much too large for any 
legitimate treatment, cut off the edge and deliberately act fresh spikes in the mutilated member ; 
but we ought to add that this piece of barbarity was indignantly censured by every one to whose 
knowledge it came : and — what is perhaps more to the purpose, should these pages fall into the 
hands of any more such gentry — the “ experiment ” itself was a decided failure, the new serrations 
being, on account of the natural thickening of the comb towards the bottom, too clumsy to appear 
in the show-pen with any chance of success. 
Besides this fault of being too large, the most frequent blemish in a Spanish comb is a slight 
twist or curve low down the front, returning at once to the true middle line, and the main part of 
the comb being perfectly true and upright. This fault often appears during growth, to disgust and 
disappoint the hopes of the amateur ; and one form of it is well known under the name of a 
“ thumb-mark.” As birds with this blemish often have beautiful faces, they are not unfrequentlv 
employed for breeding pullets ; but the result of such a proceeding is invariably to give much 
future trouble, as nearly all the cockerels bred afterwards from hens of such a strain will probably 
show the fatal defect. Slight cases may sometimes be cured if treated early, by folding a piece 
of stiff cardboard, and fixing it with any very strong adhesive plaister, so as to enclose the front 
of th.e comb between the two leaves of the card ; also by the wire just described. 
It was formerly the fashion for the cock to carry his comb over on one side, somewhat like 
that of the hen ; and the remains of this tendency no doubt add to the difficulty of breeding combs 
perfectly straight and upright now. This point is another good illustration both of the “ changes 
of fashion” in poultry attire, and of the power man possesses over these and other circumstances. 
The mandate went forth that “combs were to be worn” upright in future, and forthwith breeders 
produced birds answering the required conditions; so that the difference in the carriage of combs is 
now fixed as a sexual distinction. We have seen very singular misapprehensions on this point, and 
once in particular observed an advertisement of an upright — or “prick-combed,” as it is called- 
Spanish hen, which on account of this well-known blemish was stated to be “ invaluable for 
breeding cockerels whereas very careful experiment years ago has conclusively proved that while 
breeding from such hens ruins a strain entirely for breeding pullets, it is not a whit better 
for breeding good combs in the cockerels, or rather is decidedly worse, almost always producing 
combs which are not only so much smaller as to be often too small, but generally very ugly in 
contour, wanting that fine arch which is so great a beauty. Were it understood that the different 
carriage of combs is now become a sexual mark, just as the difference in tails, such absurd 
mistakes would not be made. 
It is, however, quite possible to influence the character of the future combs much by a really 
judicious selection of stock. In the male parent a moderate size should be chosen, combined with 
as thick a base as possible, but tapering off to a fine or thin edge. In the hen the same points of 
a thick base and thin edge should be sought ; and it will be found that such combs often seem to 
stand up a little from the head at the base, as if intending to grow upright, but quickly fall over 
with a clean arch or sweep, the front edge presenting one smooth curve, free from duplicature or 
waviness. Such are the combs to be chosen as likely to produce what is wanted in the cockerels, 
avoiding both those very large, weak, and flabby combs which fall “ dead over,” forming almost a 
sharp angle with the skull, and such as seem to have so much front edge as to be waved or twisted 
in the outline ; the first of these being likely to breed large and falling combs, and the second 
twists or thumb-marks in the front. 
During the moult the combs of Spanish fowls shrivel and shrink to an extraordinary degree. 
