16 
farmers’ BULLETIN 898. 
The Minorca is the largest of the Mediterranean or egg breeds. 
It is characterized by its size, its length of body, and the large comb 
and long wattles. The Minorca shows a long back which has a 
noticeable slope from the shoulders downward to the base of the 
tail. The underline of the body is also noticeably long. The tail 
is rather low carried and is well spread. The Minorca also has long 
shanks and is well up on the legs, showing the hock and part of the 
thigh. The breast is prominent and well rounded. In general the 
M inorca is a more angular-looking bird than the Leghorn, as it does 
not have as smooth a curve where the back and tail sections join. 
The comb of the single-comb varieties is unusually large. In the 
male it is erect and has six evenly and deeply serrated points. The 
blade of the comb has a tendency to follow the neck. In the female 
also the comb is large and six-pointed and is lopped. The front of 
the comb, instead of being straight as in the case of the comb of the 
Leghorn female, folds to one side and then the remainder of the 
comb droops to the other side of the head. The comb of the male 
Fig. 13.—Rose Coml> Black Minorca, male. 
