3^4 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
the next, so as to give the bird a ruled or lined appearance, which has a very pretty effect. Of 
late years the pencilling of Silver Pencils has failed in being much too coarse. 
“ The pencilling is generally much the best the first year, or as pullets. Afterwards, as a rule 
it becomes somewhat mossy, cloudy, or indistinct, and often coarse. Some birds, however, will 
moult out well the second season, and such should be specially valued, and by all means retained 
for breeding. 
“ In breeding this variety, when cocks were selected as described at page 382 and figured on 
page 383 the same pen would produce both sexes of good quality. Of course there were always 
some families that produced better of one sex than of the other, as there are in all varieties 
occasionally, and hence some breeders always used two yards ; but others preferred to breed 
from one set only, and there was no difficulty in it while the judges gave the preference in the 
show-pen to those cockerels with the points which were likely to produce good pullets. These 
points were — for the tail to be black, the sickles jet-black all but the edging, and the wing 
properly barred, with the secondaries also properly edged. But of late years all this is 
changed, owing to a rage for pure white bodies in the cocks, till the Silver-pencilled Hamburgh 
now practically consists of two varieties, bred as follows : — 
“ For breeding cockerels, hens now have to be used as nearly destitute of marking as 
possible except on the tail — many, indeed, are nearly white. These hens have to be procured from 
a reliable source, as with the exception of comb and ear-lobes there is really little to distinguish 
Breast. 
Shoulder. 
Saddle. 
Tail-covert. 
Fig. 86 . — Feathers of Silver-pencilled Hamburgh Pullet. 
