440 
The Illustrated Book of Poultry. 
confidently say, will be in favour of the Golds, and they will be found to produce a much larger 
proportion of both males and females of full standard form. Of course we get a very large 
number of faulty Goldens, but considering the short existence they have had, they will very 
favourably compare with many an older breed. 
Taking the two varieties as they ought to be, the only difference is in ground colour, which in 
the Golden variety must be of a bright rich gold. Bay is not the correct colour, and however 
much some breeders may admire the bay, it is clearly not golden , and therefore wrong. Gold has 
only one colour, and the nearer we can approach to that the better should we be pleased. To judge 
this ground colour properly we must of course take the breasts of the respective sexes, this being the 
only section they have in common. The markings or lacing are black as in the Silvers; the fluff 
being powdered with gold instead of grey. 
In the males, perhaps the only section in colour which needs special notice is the wing-bow. 
This, in most of the specimens yet seen, is found to be of a dark claret colour. This may be, and 
is undoubtedly, a very handsome shade, but is hardly consistent with a perfect ‘ Golden ’ male. The 
best male bird I have ever seen has a bright golden-red wing-bow, which is undoubtedly the correct 
colour. So long as markings are good, the brighter the gold the better the bird must be considered. 
White in tail is a failing of Golden Wyandottes equally as with Silvers. 
“This is all I need say as to colour ; but although the two varieties should be similar in other 
respects, they unfortunately are not ; the differences being very noticeable in comb and symmetry. 
In these sections the comparison is greatly in favour of the newer variety. We find them with 
smaller, neater, and altogether more typical combs — most of them (however faulty) showing a 
natural tendency to follow the bend of the head and neck ; the combs of the Silvers, in marked 
contrast, following the Dorking or Hamburgh type, full of deep, coarse work ; heavy, cumbersome, 
and ugly. I say this generally, and not in respect of individual specimens. In shape the ‘ Golds ’ 
take an easy lead, there being very little amiss in this point ; but in Silvers we frequently see loose, 
long-backed, long-necked, long-legged, unwieldy birds winning at first-class shows. A truly sym- 
metrical Wyandotte should be blocky, round and deep, with short, broad, and flat back ; whereas 
the general run of them are long, narrow, and round in this last section. 
“ The laws for mating Silvers also apply to Goldens, the correct mating being ‘ like to like,’ 
that is, medium males to medium females, allowing for difference in sexes.” 
We have already said, that many of the Silver Wyandottes in England are obviously crossed 
with the Hamburgh ; whether done here or not we cannot tell. To this cause is owing, in all pro- 
bability, the inferiority of general type above spoken of, in comparison with the Golds. We have 
only one further remark to make respecting Mr. Field’s notes, and that is as regards selection for 
breeding. It was our first impression on reading them, that he differed from our views on mating 
as expressed on p. 438, and intended to imply that both sexes should be selected of similar 
marking. We were very glad to discover that this was not so ; and that in the final words he 
meant to imply precisely the heavier lacing in the cock which we have pointed out as necessary ; 
and entirely agrees, on seeing it in type, with all we have said on the subject. In Golds also, 
therefore, it is to be understood that the same rules apply, and that much deeper lacing will have 
to be chosen for the breast of the cock, and also the cushion of the hen, if anything like uniform 
breeding is to be maintained. This is for the same reason, that such is natural to the marking , and 
is the real “ like to like” of Nature herself. 
White Wyandottes. — Every pen of this breed we have ever seen in England, betrayed only too 
plainly its origin in a cross with the White Dorking: pale legs, comb, shape — all were there. But 
there are said to be true birds ; and, indeed, true white sports are quite possible. The comb and 
