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THE 
 
 BLUE ANDALUSIAN 
 
 Its Breeding, Management, and Exhibition. 
 
 "SILVER DUN, 
 
 ILLUSTRATED. 
 
 SeconD JEOition. 
 
 WITH PREFACE BY THE REV. J. H. B. WOLLOCOMBE. 
 
 "THE FEATHERED WORLD," 
 9 ARUNDEL STREET, STRAND, LONDON, W. C. 
 
 [all rights reserved.] 
 
PREFACE TO FIRST EDITION. 
 
 I HARBLY think that any apology is necessaiy for the introduction 
 of another monograph upon that handsome variety of domestic 
 poultiy the Blue Andalusian, for although the breed is now one of 
 om* old-estabHshed ones, the strict demands of the fancier upon the 
 delicate gi'ound colour and lacing have become so veiy much more 
 pronounced in recent years, and so gi'eat an improvement is required 
 upon what satisfied the most critical judges of even a dozen years 
 ago, that the necessity for some work upon the subject, written up 
 as near as may be to the requirements of the times, wiU, I trust, 
 justify the publication of these pages. 
 
 Being fully aware that the value of a work of this kind would 
 be considerably enhanced as a book of reference if it contained more 
 than the simple experience of one individual, I have been only too 
 pleased to avail myself of the kind assistance of several of the 
 principal breeders of the variety, and must take this opportunity of 
 thanking them for the information that they have so ungiiidgingly 
 afforded me. 
 
 While regretting that several once all-powerful names have now 
 been almost entirely withdrawn from the ranks of the breeders of 
 the Blue, it is yet satisfactory to know that the variety is still 
 deriving benefit from the interest taken in it by many breeders 
 prominent in the poultiy fancy. To the former, the layers of the 
 f oimdation stone of the modem Andalusian ; to these latter breeders 
 whose efforts wiU, I heartily tinist, result in placing the variety upon 
 a pinnacle of perfection almost undreamt of by those who have gone 
 before ; and to those future members of the Blue Brotherhood who 
 are stUl to come, I beg to dedicate this little volume. 
 
 "SILVER DUN." 
 
 87300 
 
PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 
 
 It is an eloquent testimony to the value of this little work, and also 
 to the popularity of the variety with which it deals, that a Second 
 Edition should be so soon called for. 
 
 In its revision " Silver Dun " has spared no pains, and his 
 readers will find that he has supplied them with a thoroughly up- 
 to-date treatise on the Blue Andalusian. In one respect, indeed, 
 he is less fortunate now than he was when he was bringing out the 
 First Edition. He then availed himself to the full of the ever 
 ready help of our great leader, the late Captain Egerton Jones, 
 whose ripe experience, keen eye for colour, exquisite taste, and 
 sound judgment, combined with unbounded enthusiasm and untiring 
 energy, have done so much towards making the Andalusian of 
 to-day what it is. Captain Egerton Jones will be missed by many, 
 and will be long remembered not only as one of the most skilful 
 breeders and successful exhibitors of the day, but also as one of the 
 most kind and generous of friends. Valuable as this work on the 
 Andalusian is in itself, many of us feel that it has a special value 
 now as containing, to a great extent, the views of that eminent 
 fancier to whom we have long been accustomed to look for advice 
 and guidance. 
 
 To '' Silver Dun " himself the thanks of all Blue fanciers are 
 due for his careful and exhaustive treatment of his subject. It is 
 only a few who have the gift of writing in a style at once accurate 
 and conversational, interesting and clear. He has it, and also a 
 thorough knowledge of the variety he treats of, and, consequently, 
 his book is both pleasant to read and useful to study. May he have 
 an ever-increasing nimiber of readers. 
 
 J. H. B. WOLLOCOMBE. 
 
 Lamerton Vicarage, 
 Tavistock, 17th April, 1897. 
 
 AUTHOR'S NOTE. 
 
 Although I cannot admit that the merits of this little work are by 
 any means worthy of the very flattering but kindly meant expres- 
 sions used by my friend Mr WoUocombe, yet I can fully endorse 
 all that he says about the loss we have all sustained by the death of 
 Captain Egerton Jones. Had it not been for his generously -given 
 assistance I am afraid this work would never have been written ; 
 and in preparing this Second Edition for the press the reality of our 
 loss has been brought home to me, so much so, that what might 
 have been a pleasure in going over those paragraphs that were in a 
 measure almost his own has been to me tinged with a sadness that 
 I cannot express. 
 
 "SILVER DUN." 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTBR 
 
 PAGK 
 
 I. — Origin, 
 
 9 
 
 n.— Utility, 
 
 11 
 
 m. — General Characteristics, 
 
 14 
 
 IV. — The Standard of Perfection, 
 
 24 
 
 V. — Building a Strain and Pedigree Breeding, 
 
 .31 
 
 VI.— Mating 
 
 41 
 
 VII.— The Chicks, 
 
 48 
 
 VIII. — Preparing for Exhibition, 
 
 54 
 
 IX. CONCLVSION, 
 
 61 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Club Standards, etc., 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Ideal Andalubians, 
 M. V. Jaqmotte's Hen, ... 
 Mr F. Porter's Cockerel, 
 Cockerel Box, 
 
 PAQB 
 
 , Facing Title 
 ... 27 
 ... 49 
 ... 56 
 
THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Being of opinion that but little profit would arise from the discus- 
 sion, it is not my intention in this article to re -open the old question 
 of the origin of the Andalusian fowl further than just to glance at 
 the material that has been so carefully gleaned by previous writers. 
 
 Looking into the antecedents of the Blue Andalusian, it would 
 appear that from whatever source the first idea of the bi'eed 
 originated, from what country or from what disti'ict this particular 
 blue-coloured fowl was derived, the Andalusian of to-day must be 
 considered to be more or less of a made breed. From what evidence 
 we have to go upon, we find that the first blues brought into notice 
 were from somewhere in the south-western districts of England, 
 and for all practical purposes that may therefore be looked upon 
 as the birthplace of the Andalusian. 
 
 I have no doubt in my own mind, however, that birds of a 
 similar colour, and perhaps type, to these originals, could have been 
 met with all over the country, had there been the educated fancier's 
 eye on the look-out for novelties. In proof of this I need only point 
 out the frequency with which birds of a similar appearance are con- 
 stantly cropping up in the multitudinous crosses of the modern farm- 
 yard. I know of a case in point under my own observation. A friend 
 of mine bought two or three chitches of chickens that had been bred 
 in a yard which contained dark Brahmas and black Spanish running 
 together indiscriminately, and it was reaUy astonishing the number 
 of these chicks which were of an unmistakably blue colour. As I 
 did not follow the development of this lot to maturity, I cannot say 
 how they turned out, nor do I expect that they produced anything 
 remarkable in the way of blue colouring ; but I remember a letter of 
 Mr W. Cook's, published a few years ago, in which he stated that he 
 knew of a case in which a similar cross produced a cockerel which 
 actually won in a class for Andalusians, and common report has it 
 that a certain hen that had done a lot of winning, possessed no 
 pui'er blood than that heterogeneous compound known as the barn- 
 door fowl. It must not be forgotten that in days gone by, if we 
 
 D. H. HILL LIBRARY 
 
 North Carolina State College 
 
10 THE BLUE ANDALU8IAN. 
 
 are to judge by the plate produced in Mr Lewis Wiight's first 
 edition, lacing was almost absent from the first Andalusians, and 
 therefore it was a very much easier thing for a recently cross-bred 
 bird to creep into the prize money than it would be now, when 
 lacing is — or rather, I should say, ought to be — the first point to 
 be looked for in a typical Andalusian. 
 
 So far as I understand, the Andalusian was first brought into 
 prominence through the importation into this country of a blue 
 variety of fowl having certain peculiar characteristics of its own ; 
 and as this so-called first importation of Andalusians were of a 
 more '' gamey " type than the breed as we know it now is, it was 
 upon its arrival looked upon as something distinct, although there 
 were, even at that time, numerous flocks of birds of a similar 
 colour roaming about the fields of Devon. Miss May Arnold has, I 
 notice, spoken of these birds of the soil as being blue Minorcas, and 
 as they were found in what may be called the home of the Minorca, 
 I think Miss Arnold may be about right in supposing that they 
 were an offshoot from pure Minorca parentage. I hardly hold 
 with that lady, however, in maintaining that it is only unmixed 
 descendants of the imported birds that can fairly claim to be called 
 the true Andalusians. If the evidence of our eyes is of any weight, 
 I should say that nine -tenths of the pi-ize- winners of to-day have 
 quite as much, and perhaps too much, of the Minorca type about 
 them, and I think that it is only too likely that most breeders of 
 that day would indiscriminately use the new blood to cross with 
 what they possessed. The imported blue might have been clearer 
 in colour than obtained in a blue Minorca, and as such would be 
 used to improve the colouring ; but I think that the cross, whatever 
 it did for colour and lacing, left imdeniable traces of the Minorca 
 parentage in an alteration in the head points, a greater size of body, 
 and other attributes of the south-country bird. There is no question 
 but that a direct Minorca cross has been made within recent years, 
 with certainly some advantage to the variety, but I have treated 
 this matter more fully in a later chapter. 
 
 I do not intend to go further into the question of the derivation 
 of the Andalusian, as so much of what particulars we have re- 
 garding its origin can at best only be considered as conjecture. Nor 
 do I think that whether the so-called Gamey type imported bird or 
 the blue Minorca can claim to have the greatest share in the 
 production of this, one of the handsomest varieties of the day, 
 should influence our minds in the slightest degree as to what value 
 should now be placed upon each point in the standard of perfection; 
 beai'ing in mind, however, that there are certain advantages to be 
 derived by a newer breed, if the compilers of the standard up to 
 which it is desirable it should be bred will help to widen as much as 
 possible — without endangering the utility or beauty of the breed 
 imder their care — the breach of difference that should lie between 
 it and all other varieties to a greater or less degree. 
 
11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 The economical value of the Anclalusian is now so well known that 
 it is hardly necessary to dwell very much upon this point, but there 
 is one thing to be said in its favour which can be applied to very 
 few varieties, in that it is one of the very best fowls for confinement; 
 indeed, taking eveiything into consideration, I think it might fairly 
 be said to be the best -known variety for this purpose. It is easily 
 kept within bounds, a six-foot fence being an obstacle that only 
 very rarely wiU the most flighty Andalusian surmount. 
 
 Then, as an egg producer, it is second to none. I have certainly 
 found it to be a bird with a very fair appetite ; but, making every 
 allowance for this, its proportionate return in eggs is eminently 
 satisfactory. It is a non- sitter, which may or may not be an 
 advantage ; but in these days of almost perfect artificial incubation, 
 this is generally an advantage rather than otherwise. 
 
 As a table bird the dark legs may militate somewhat against 
 the Andalusian, but as it is a beautifully white fleshed bird, and, 
 as when kept in vigorous condition it develops plenty of breast, it 
 must always be looked upon, even from this point of view, as a 
 variety of the first class. 
 
 I have said that it is a variety particularly suited for con- 
 finement. By this I mean that under such conditions it wiU not 
 only lay well, and make good return on outlay, but that it wiU — 
 provided, of course, that it is properly looked after — keep itself 
 in presentable condition, a state of things that does not always 
 obtain in so many other varieties that I have come across when 
 kept in confinement. This is a statement easily made, and 
 may not appear of much moment, but I have seen so many 
 instances of wretched specimens of the domestic fowl kept in 
 small runs that were such a terrible eyesore, that to come across 
 a variety that remains a pictvu'e under such conditions is to have 
 discovered a treasure. My own runs are only small — miserably 
 small they would appear to some — and yet I have been frequently 
 complimented by visitors upon the reaUy brilliant appearance of 
 their occupants. While speaking of the value of the Andalusian as 
 a bird suitable for a limited range, I may be excused if I give a 
 quotation from an article I wrote several years ago for a contem- 
 porary: — "Did I dare to express an opinion upon the relative 
 merits of the Minorca and the Andalusian, I should say that the 
 former only comes off a very poor second. Unfortunately for the 
 value of my opinions, my experience of the two breeds does not 
 extend over very many seasons, and, as regards my luck with them, 
 
12 THE BLUE ANDALU8IAN. 
 
 I must confess that I found that cockerels of both varieties under 
 my care failed wretchedly in the production of ^at7s— rarely anything 
 else but ragged apologies. In all other respects the Andalusian 
 pleased me immensely. I found it a rather better layer, a smaller 
 eater, and a superior table fowl, but as I did not kill many, that 
 may not prove much. So much for them from a utilitarian point 
 of view. As birds for the fancier, the colour points of the Anda- 
 lusian placed it far ahead. There is something peculiarly agi-eeable 
 and seductive in breeding for the delicately laced edges to the blue 
 ground of the feathers, while in the other fancy points it is quite 
 as difificidt, if not more so, to get good head points on the Andalusian 
 as it is on the Minorca." 
 
 These words were wi'itten some years ago, and were referring 
 to some blues I had kept in days gone by. I can still hold by most 
 of what I then wrote, with the exception of the ragged growth of 
 the tail. Whether an intervening experience in breeding the black 
 Hamburgh, a variety that is of no use whatever without its gloriously 
 flo-vving tail, or whether the natiu-e of the Andalusian has changed 
 or not in the ten or a dozen years between my first attempt with blues 
 and my taking up with them a second time, I can hardly say, but I 
 do not now find any difficulty in producing as good a tail as can be 
 Avished for, excepting that I cannot get the breadth of feather in 
 the sickles and tail coverts that I should prefer. I notice that Mr 
 Lewis Wright, and also Mr Verrey, have stated that Andalusians, 
 when confined, are particularly subject to the disgusting habit of 
 feather eating. Mrs Blacket Gill, in a letter written some two or 
 three years ago, also supports the statement, but I can hardly 
 accept it as a serious indictment against the variety. I do not 
 doubt for a moment that the writers have possessed individuals of 
 the breed which have, perhaps, imder great temptation, given way 
 to so pernicious a fault, but this proves nothing against the variety. 
 I maintain that there is not a pure breed of poultry under the sun — 
 not to speak of mongrels — that will not, at certain times and under 
 certain conditions, give way in a moment of weakness, and so throw 
 upon eveiy member of their family the disgrace of being subject to 
 feather eating. Fowls are uncommonly Kke human beings in this 
 respect — that to be kept out of mischief they must be kept 
 employed. Give them something to do, something to scratch in — 
 anything, in fact, that will help them to while away the tedious 
 hours between meal times. 
 
 To those whose fortune it is to possess an unlimited range, I 
 can with equal confidence recommend the breed. For the farmer, 
 one of the chief requisites of a paying fowl is that it must be a 
 good forager. Now, an Andalusian is the very essence of activity; 
 it is the very last bird in the world to stand lazily about a farm- 
 yard when there are worms and insects to be had for the picking 
 in the fields around, and it must be a rock-bound, baiTen, and 
 profitless soil that will not provide this variety with a good meal 
 during the da}i;ime. As I have said before, they have a good 
 
A8 AN UTILITY FOWL. 13 
 
 appetite, and by no means a delicate one, but they will make a good 
 return for value received, and it rests with the owner to take care 
 not to overdo the business at feeding time. 
 
 In the eyes of the fancier the Andalusian possesses one fault, 
 and I am sorry to say a very serious one — they do not breed true to 
 colour. Taking an average of different strains, I think I am not 
 far out in saying that out of a given number of chickens hatched 
 from pure blue parents, nearly fifty per cent, will be either black or 
 white, and only the remainder blue. This is cei'tainly dishearten- 
 ing. It is difl&cult enough, with the weather we are accustomed to 
 in this country, to hatch and rear oui- chickens in the early months 
 of the year; how much more so is it annoying Avhen you can only 
 look upon half youi' hatchings as being your foundation to select 
 from? But there is no cloud without a silver lining, and such 
 easily picked o\it wastrels as the blacks and whites may be made to 
 serve a useful purpose. In my own case, as I only keep black 
 Hamburghs and Andalusians, I am perforce compelled to procure 
 broody hens to act as sittei's and nurses — not being always at home 
 to secm-e the fidl benefits of incubators and artificial rearers — and I 
 simply make aiTangements Avith those from whom I borrow the 
 sitting hens to give in return aU the blacks and whites which 
 were hatched out by them. As I retui-n the hen with her brood of 
 off colom-s at about a month old, and an average of about four chicks 
 per hen, I do not think the lender makes a bad thing out of it, and 
 if he is satisfied I am. Should the breeder, however, in addition to 
 his Andalusians, keep a variety that AviU sit, he need not kill off the 
 off colours on being hatched, as I have heard is frequently done, for 
 if he does not care to give them away at once, we have in The 
 Feathered World of 1st June, 1894, a letter from a French corre- 
 spondent, in which, speaking of a custom in that country of killing 
 chickens for the table at an unusually early age, the writer says: — 
 "They are fed exclusively on barley meal, mixed with milk or 
 whey, and kiUed at five or six weeks old. When dressed for the 
 table exactly in the same way as ordinary fowls they are like 
 a large fat pigeon; the flesh is white, juicy, and most delicious. 
 In the restam-ants of Paris this dish is served under the name of 
 Poussin en cocotte. The cocotte is a saucepan of brown earth Avith a 
 cover, in which the petits poussins are stewed with a piece of fresh 
 butter, pepper, and salt. When the little ' innocent ' is nicely 
 browned it is brought on to the table in a saucepan, and generally 
 new peas are served with it; more generally still this nice and 
 dainty little dish is charged five, six, or seven francs." I have not 
 tried this recipe myself, and I am afraid I am rather too soft- 
 hearted to make the experiment ; but he who runs may read, and it 
 is perhaps well worth trying with such promising material as the 
 Andalusian breeder can produce in abundance. 
 
u 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 GENEEAL CHARACTERISTICS. 
 
 Shape, Size, etc. — In considering the question of the shape of 
 the Andalusian we are thrown into the shadow of all the old 
 arguments that have been used about the origin of the breed. But 
 all we have to consider is. What is the shape we have to breed up 
 to? Which type gives us the handsomest-looking bird? Questions 
 of offal, breast meat, etc., need not be considered here, as, looking 
 at the blue from the fancier's point of view, we want beauty of out- 
 line in the first place. A typical specimen in my eyes would 
 partake of certain points of the Minorca thrown upon others of the 
 G-ame. The type of head I shall consider in another place, but I 
 would have it large and deep, and placed upon a long yet muscular 
 neck, weU covered with a wealth of hackle ; * this placed upon broad 
 and well rounded shoidders, full, rounded breast, with the back 
 sloping down to the tail; wings large, and carried Avell up; the 
 whole body having a wedge shape, broad and deep in the front, and 
 tapering behind. The saddle hackle, however, must be full and 
 flowing, well covering the tips of the wings and the set on of the 
 tail. The tail itself should leave the body at about a right, 
 or nearly an obtuse, angle to the back — not at an acute angle, which 
 is so frequently seen — and be carried rather low than otherwise, but 
 still well away from the ground, and, though not fan shaped, yet at 
 the same time sufficiently displayed to show the side hangers or 
 coverts. These latter should, with the sickles, be well arched, and 
 the whole of the feathers of the tail as hroad as it is possible to get 
 them. 
 
 A wry tail is so very conspicuous that it needs no description, 
 and in any breed is an abomination, but there is one good thing to 
 be said about the tail of the Andalusian, and that is that it is 
 generally straight. It is not often you come across a wiy tailed 
 specimen ; but squirrel tails are still too frequent, and, on this account, 
 I much prefer a tail carried, as I have said, rather low than other- 
 wise. I should be glad to see the time when we can breed the blue 
 with large, broader feathered, and more flowing tails than we have 
 up to now ; but I suppose the day will come, and we must wait in 
 patience, a really broad feathered tail having a peculiar attractive- 
 ness of its own that has only to be seen to be admired. 
 
 * It is as well to mention here how important in the eyes of most judges is a 
 fully flowing and straight falling hackle. Any scantiness in it is looked upon as a 
 very serious fault, while a twisted hackle, or one that lies split down the back and 
 dropping with the tips reversed on the shoulder, is considered almost as a fatal 
 defect. 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 15 
 
 The Andalusian should have more length of leg than the Minorca. 
 Quite as massive on the shank, it should not be so square built in 
 body, show more dayhght underneath, and display the thighs stand- 
 ing well and distinctly out from the hips. 
 
 For bulk, the blue is found more frequently inferior to the 
 Minorca, standing taller, but not having the mass of body of the 
 latter variety. This is not as it should be, and size must be made a 
 most important point. Here and there we come across perfect 
 giants among the blue hens, and every use must be made of them 
 to aid in improving the general size of the breed. 
 
 The above description is intended to apply to the cock, but with 
 the usual sexual difierences, it may be taken as applying equally 
 weU to the hen. In particular, the hen must carry her tail closed 
 up, as it were, a spreading fan-shaped tail being extremely ugly. 
 A fair average weight of a good male bird should be over 7 lbs. and 
 the hen over 4 lbs., but take this as a minimum, and get them as 
 much bigger — not fatter, please — as possible. 
 
 Carriage and Style. — But, while paying every attention to 
 the massiveness of your birds, do not overlook their carriage and 
 style. A big, heavy -boned bird of clumsy carriage, although of 
 more value than a smaller and neater one, loses many of its chances 
 simply through this imgainliness. The longer neck, carried well 
 back, and the length of leg, give the Andalusian a more sprightly 
 appearance than is usual with the more clumsily built Minorca, and 
 from an economical view only, a lively cockerel is always an advan- 
 tage, the pullets bred from such a sire being invariably better layers 
 than are those sired by one of a slow moving and more phlegmatic 
 temperament. 
 
 Head Points.* — The head itself should be large in proportion 
 to the size of the body, with a strong, stout beak, dark horn in 
 colour; the eye to be bold looking, of a brilliant reddish brown 
 colom-. The comb must be single, of moderate size, evenly serrated 
 and free from side sprigs or thumb marks. A perfect comb is a 
 rarity, but I think we are getting veiy near to it, and I am in hopes 
 that if the Minorca cross be kept out for good, a cross which has 
 brought us combs that are ugly, coarse, and top heavy, we are within 
 very measurable reach of the day when good combs will be the rule. 
 Mr Thos. Lambert, from whose yard, I believe I am right in stating, 
 nearly all the leading strains of blues have descended, gives me to 
 understand that, while quite appreciating the wonderful advance the 
 hens have in every respect made during the last ten years or so, he 
 considers that we cannot congratulate ourselves so much upon the 
 other sex. As he puts it, nearly all the present-day judges cannot 
 get past the head, and although he quite agrees with me that colour 
 and lacing must be considered far above eveiything else, yet this 
 weakness of the judges for a good headed cockerel must not be lost 
 
 * I think it due to Mr Lydon to say that in di-awing the rough sketch for the 
 ideals, I made the comb of the hen rather larger than I intended, and the wattles 
 too long, and not sufficiently rounded. 
 
16 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 sight of, and this point should not be allowed to degenerate, which 
 he thinks it has. While agreeing with Mr Lambert as to the 
 attractiveness of a good head, I think he rather overlooks the 
 generally accepted position, that judges should, in theii' decisions, 
 abide by the ideal of the breeders (I will not here say " the club 
 standard," because as it stands it is somewhat of a farce), and not 
 the breeders attempt to produce birds that shall be the ideal of the 
 judges. This latter proceeding, if I may be allowed to say it, savours 
 too much of the deck -sweeper to be either popular or praiseworthy. 
 The comb should be well set upon the head, standing upon a 
 fii-m, thick basis, but as its general substance must be thin — not 
 too much so as to interfere with stability — this heavy base must 
 taper off sharply upwards. The sui'face formations of the comb on 
 either side must match — that is to say, that although a certain amoimt 
 of wrinkling is allowable on each side of the front portion of the 
 comb, such wrinkling must be as slight as possible, and be uniform 
 on either side. A much too frequent fault in what is often other- 
 wise a good comb is a thumb mark. This is a depression on one 
 side as though the thumb had been pressed against it, matched by a 
 bulge on the other face. The tendency of such faulty combs is to 
 tilt slightly over, however firmly they may be fixed on their base, and 
 most lop combs on examination wiU be found to have this same defect. 
 Rising straight from the middle of the upper mandible, the comb 
 shoiJd then, in a series of about five or six ivide and deep serrations, 
 cm've gradually over to the back. It is not considered absolutely 
 necessary that the serrations should be continued right to the very 
 back of the comb, although a perfect comb would be so shaped, but 
 each serration must be distinctly and uniformly graduated, the 
 largest in the centre, and lessening to the front and back. The 
 spikes must in every case be sharp and well defined, and perfectly 
 upright; a semi -serration, or, as it is sometimes erroneously called, 
 a double serration, is an ugly fault, as also is irregularity in the 
 graduation. Too many serrations are unsightly, and in a sense 
 faulty, as, if the spike is too narrow at the base, it has a strong 
 tendency to lie over at the tip. Side sprigs, as the small projections 
 that sometimes grow out at the sides of the comb are called, are also 
 very objectionable, as is also a superabundance of the hindmost lobe 
 of the comb. This should be firnily set on, and set perpendicularly 
 straight, not cm'ved up where it nears the neck. This ugly curva- 
 ture very often takes place when there is too much of the comb 
 behind. In a perfect comb an almost straight line may be di-awn 
 from the angle where it joins the head, along the underside to the 
 extreme back reach ; or such line may dip slightly, following the 
 curve of the head ; but at the same time it must keep well away 
 from the feathers, as a comb falling too low is extremely unsightly. 
 The illustration given in Mr Wright's book of Mr Leworthy's 
 Andalusian gives a comb showing too much daylight below at the 
 back, such being considered faulty to-day; but stiU it is hardly a 
 serious defect, provided it is not cut away too much. 
 
GENERAL CHAEACTERISTICS. 17" 
 
 If anything, a more serious fault, and one more easily discerned" 
 than any of the above, is a twisted comb. This fault occurs at the 
 front, and is generally due to a flabbiness or weakness of substance 
 in the anterior portion of the comb. Where it occurs it is more 
 easily detected by standing directly in fi'ont of the bird and looking 
 at it vis -a- vis. It will then be seen that the front, instead of mak- 
 ing a perpendicular line from the base to the tip, is twisted out of 
 the straight line, and hangs loosely somewhat to either side. When 
 this occurs in an adult I do not know of any fair means by which it 
 can be put right, but a young cockerel of from three to four months - 
 old need not be discarded on account of showing traces of a twist, 
 as with the full development of the comb, and more flesh being put 
 on at the back, the posterior weight will tend to pull the comb down 
 at the back and straighten out any slight twist that should have 
 shown itself at the front. 
 
 The colour of the comb must, of course, be a brilliant red, not 
 quite of the glossy brightness that is sometimes seen on the 
 Hamburgh's comb, and the surface of it be of a minute granulated 
 texture, not by any means with the coarse gritty look of the 
 Minorca's. This is rather an important point, and as the largest 
 combs are generally associated with the rougher texture the fault is 
 emphasised. It is impossible to give in actual inches the size either 
 in length or height that a pei'fect comb should be, but let it be weU 
 understood that a large comb is not desirable, and that a small one 
 is even less so. If you can picture to youi'self the happy mediimi, 
 then also remember that the texture of the comb should also be of 
 this medium natiu'e, the finer the gi'anulations the better, provided 
 it does not degenerate into smooth glossiness. I may point out an 
 advantage in the insistence of this minute granulation : — Any clean 
 cut wound upon such a surface will invariably upon healing leave 
 the place of a brighter appearance than the original ground, thus any 
 attempt at cutting and faking is aU the more likely to be discovered. 
 The comb of the Hamburgh is usually of this brighter character, 
 and consequently the amount of undetected cutting and carving that 
 it has undergone is something frightful to think of, and let breeders 
 of the blue congi'atulate themselves that there is so little scope for 
 the artist in improving the breed of their adoption. 
 
 The comb of the hen differs not so much from that of the cock 
 in formation as in carriage. It is slightly thinner in substance, but 
 otherwise should resemble that of the male bird in shape, parti- 
 cularly in evenness and sharpness of serration. Instead of being 
 carried erect, however, it shoidd fall gracefully over to one side of 
 the face, which side being immaterial. The manner of carrying 
 the comb mostly preferi'ed is when it rises slightly and leans to 
 just a slight degree to one side, then in a bold cm-ve goes right 
 over to the other, and there hangs do\vn, not so low, however, 
 as to cover the eye. Such combs as these are generally safe to 
 breed from, and are Likely to produce cockerels having combs well 
 set up. There are certain hens the combs upon which are of a flabby 
 
10 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 nature, and fall either directly over and down one side of the face, 
 like the mane of a horse, or fall flat to one side, and then as flat 
 back again over all, and lie on the top of the head in a double fold. 
 Either kind is considered as faulty, and are by no means pretty or 
 attractive. Some hens, again, have combs carried straight and 
 erect, as in the male bird, and, though of no use for exhibition, they 
 may be used in the breeding pen, that is, if the comb is of good 
 quality and perfect in its serrations, and, indeed, the pen is all the 
 more complete in containing such a hen, as she tends to keep up the 
 finnness and stamina of the combs in the male progeny.* 
 
 As will be understood from the way the hen's comb falls, such 
 faults as thumb mark and twist can hardly be recognised in that 
 sex ; so that it is very important that great efforts should be made 
 to procure a cockerel to breed from whose comb is entirely free from 
 ■either defect, and, in fact, whatever allowances we may make for 
 defective combs in the hens, we must steel ourselves to allow little 
 or no latitude in those of the other sex. 
 
 The Face. — A perfectly soimd, bright cherry red face, free 
 from white and fi'om feathers, is a gi-eat beauty in the breed, and a 
 point worth certain sacrifices to obtain, but my own opinions on the 
 subject of white face are, I am inclined to think, considered by 
 •ceriain friends of mine as heretical. It is an ugly fault, I grant, and 
 no one would be better pleased than myself to see it eradicated 
 permanently from the Andalusian. It is by the present standard of 
 perfection of the club looked upon as a disqualification — a rather 
 ■drastic rule, as I will endeavom- to show. When the face is entirely 
 white, or nearly so, I would let the disqualification hold good, but 
 for a white speck or two — and this, I opine, would be included in the 
 phrase " face not red," among the Hst of disqualifications — I would 
 isimply deduct a certain number of points to be agreed upon. And 
 for why ? It is the experience of most breeders that the lighter and 
 truer blue birds are most subject to this defect, and consequently 
 that a dark bird is rarely troubled with it. On this finding, there- 
 fore, there has been a tendency to over-introduce dark crosses, and 
 in times gone by — would that they were in the far distant past ! — 
 the Minorca has been recklessly introduced to emphasise the dark 
 ■cross, and while it may have helped to dish the white face, it has 
 brought in evils, perhaps more serious, that wiU take more time to 
 root out than would the white face itself have been got rid of by 
 the more rational method of judicious selection. 
 
 There is hardly any other fault in the Andalusian that is so 
 sore a temptation to the faker to remove as this. To attempt to 
 improve the comb is, as I have said before, hardly worth the risk of 
 
 * All breeders, however, I must admit, do not care about these erect combed 
 hens for breeding pui-poses, in fact, the Rev. J. H. B. Wollocombe says: — "My 
 expen-ience of breeding from a hen with an ujiright comb is, that she does not 
 improve the combs of the cockerels and spoils the combs of the pullets, and, there- 
 fore, for cockerel breeding I should prefer the daughter of a good combed male 
 •bird rather than a hen with an erect comb." 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 19 
 
 detection, though probably many a bird is passed by the judge for a 
 suspicious mark thereon which is really as honest as the day. A 
 few white specks upon the face, however, can, it is said, be easUy 
 removed by the aid of the tweezers, and I have heard of more 
 pronounced cases of the faihng being considerably improved by the 
 help of well applied sandpaper or acid. If, therefore, a bird should 
 in the show pen show a mere /^peck or two of the objectionable tint 
 upon an otherwise perfect ground, is it not rather to be accepted as 
 proof, not so much that the bird is faulty, but that he is shown by 
 an honest exhibitor ? 
 
 This, then, is my argument : that the compilers of the standard 
 of perfection of the Andalusian Club, by penalising a speck or two 
 of white on an otherwise sound face, are putting a premium upon 
 dishonest exhibition ; whereas did they in such a case content them- 
 selves with simply deducting a to be agreed upon number of points 
 for the blemish, more birds would be shown honestly and take their 
 fair chance in comparison. 
 
 The distinction between paleface and white in face is frequently 
 overlooked. Pale face properly so called is that in which the skin 
 of the face is of a pale, bloodless, pinkish colour, not white, and may 
 be due to several causes. It may be inherent and due to a natural 
 lack of vigour. It may be due to a temporary indisposition, or the 
 cause may be injudicious over-showing. If the first be the cause it 
 is sometimes almost impossible to get rid of it, as in such cases it 
 generally comes on as the bird gets old ; but if it is due to a sKght 
 illness, the usual remedial measm-es must be taken, and if the 
 patient has not had much of a flesh diet, see that a proper amount 
 is suppKed, and at the same time administer iron in one or other of 
 its numerous forms. To repair the evil consequences of over- 
 showing is to abstain from showing the bird further, give it a rest, 
 and assist Natui^e in pulling the patient together again by a course 
 of judicious feeding, plenty of fresh air, a fresh grass rim if possible, 
 and a more natural life for it than the exciting existence enjoyed (?) 
 by the show specimen. 
 
 White face differs from the foregoing in that only in very bad 
 cases does it affect the whole of the facial sm-face ; on the contrary, 
 the fault is frequently seen in birds that are particularly red upon 
 such portions of the face where the blemish has not encroached. It 
 generally shows itself in a few white or bluish specks, well within the 
 margin of the red substance and near to the lobe, mnning close up 
 to the eye in some cases. "With age these few white specks are 
 almost certain to spread and cover a considerable portion of the face, 
 and consequently become very unsightly. I recollect some years ago 
 seeing in the possession of Mr W. H. Smith, of Hamburgh fame, a 
 foui- year old black Hamburgh cock that was the direct progenitor 
 of perhaps more cup winners than any bird of his time, and he was 
 as white in face as any Spanish fowl ; in fact, he had no red left of 
 any moment. He had been used freely for three years in the 
 breeding pen, and but an inconsiderable few of his progeny had 
 
20 ■ THE BLUE ANDALU8IAN. 
 
 inherited the blemish of theii' father. As a cockerel he had been 
 sound enough, the fault only appearing as he got older ; so that if 
 you should purchase a cockerel apparently as sound in face as 
 possible, it is no proof that he has not got the taint in his blood to 
 develop later in life. 
 
 Lobe. — No very great importance is attached to the lobe of the 
 Andalusian ; not that this is correct, but a certain amount of laxity 
 seems to obtain in ideas of what a lobe should be. Provided it is of 
 moderate size, free from red stains, smooth of surface, and not 
 folded, no fiu'ther notice is taken of what is its shape, and of what 
 quality is the substance. I am of opinion that this looseness is due 
 to, or perhaps it is only the cause of, the standard of perfection 
 showing no firmness on the point. It says : " Deaf ears — medium (?) 
 smooth, flat, fitting close to head, and free from wi'inkles." The 
 note of interrogation is my own. I suppose it refers to size, but it 
 really means nothing. There is no mention here at all of shape. 
 Mr Verrey gives a far better description of what a lobe should be 
 Kke, but, strange to say, he also makes no mention of shape. From 
 this it might be infeiTed that shape is of no importance whatever. 
 With this conclusion, however, I beg to differ. I should be sony 
 to see the lobe brought into the prominence it is in the Hambiu-gh 
 varieties, as when all is said and done, it can only be considered as 
 a point of secondaiy importance, but it should not be allowed to 
 lapse further than that. 
 
 It is, I beKeve, roughly miderstood that the lobe of the 
 Andalusian should, like that of the Minorca, be almond-shaped, 
 or somewhat of an elongated egg- shape, with the broad end upper- 
 most. It is not often such a lobe is seen in perfection ; but on one 
 occasion I saw an Andalusian cockerel, exhibited by Mr Butterfield, 
 at Keighley, which had a lobe very much after this pattern, and of 
 wonderful texture and pui'ity, and yet this lobe did not altogether 
 satisfy the critics present. I am of opinion that the standard of 
 perfection would be more complete if it spoke more decidedly upon 
 the point, and stated, if I might suggest, that the lobe of the 
 cockerel must be shaped something like a long and narroic filbert 
 nut, if anything wider at the top than at the bottom, but this not 
 of importance. The lobe of the hen should also be of a similar 
 shape, but of course smaller in size. By going in for narrow lobes, 
 as against the broad rounder ones so frequently seen, we should be 
 helping to stamp out white face, as it is the birds ha^'ing the big 
 lobes that show the defect most usually. 
 
 It goes without saying that in colour the lobe must be perfectly 
 white, without the slightest suspicion of red or even of a blushed 
 tint. In quality and textui-e it must be fine, thin, kid- like, free from 
 wrinkles or creases, without any folds whatever, equal in substance 
 throughout, and spread down well against the head. 
 
 Wattles. — The wattles are not a point of veiy much note, nor 
 do any deductions for defects in them appear in the club standard ; 
 but it must not be understood from this that anv kind of wattle -wdll 
 
GENERAL CH.IEACTERISTICS. 21 
 
 do. I have seen more than one otherwise good cockerel that has had 
 its appearance quite spoiled by one or both wattles being shrunken 
 and misshapen. 
 
 To be perfect they must be a brilliant red, thin, and of fine 
 texture, free from folds, and in the male bird long and rounded at 
 the end. In the hen they should be round and firm, and stand out 
 well below the lower mandible. 
 
 Colour. — The ground colour of a perfect Andalusian should, as 
 the name implies, be of a distinctly blue cast, not simply grey or 
 slate, but of a silvery blue colour — almost pigeon blue, in fact. 
 Each feather on the breast, shoulders, and thighs must be laced with 
 a distinct and well defined and not too narrow margin of dark blue, 
 or brilliant black for preference. The feathers being as large and 
 broad as possible, the more distinct the lacing the better, and, pro- 
 vided the margin is black or almost so, I may say that the lighter 
 the blue ground colour the better. Unfortunately, many of the bii'ds 
 possessing a really light silver blue ground colour can show but a very 
 poor quality of lacing, and it is to superimpose the dark marginal 
 marking upon the light ground that all the efforts of the breeder 
 are concentrated. Many breeders are apt to speak in rather sneering 
 terms of these silver blue birds, and christen them "washy,'' and at 
 the same time endeavour to popularise a duskier tone under the term 
 " medium shade." That a light blue possessing only poor lacing 
 does look washy, I must admit, but given the desired quality of 
 dense lacing, it matters not then how light a blue the body colom* 
 may be, provided of course that it is a blue and not a dove colour ; 
 it can then never be deservedly called washy by anyone. The neck 
 hackles, back, and saddle hackles of the cock should be as black as 
 possible, for preference showing a slightly purplish cast in certain 
 lights, but whatever the tone, it must be as brilliant in sheen as it 
 can be got. The hackles of the hen are much darker than the 
 general body colour, showing black on the head and top of the neck, 
 the lower hackles appearing laced upon the shoulder and back. The 
 back feathers of the hen must also be well laced right up to the tail 
 coverts ; there seems to be great difficidty in producing hens that 
 are really well laced on the back, and as well laced breasts are, 
 comparatively speaking, common enough, a bird with a good back 
 must be valued accordingly. The wing secondaries in both sexes are 
 only too frequently of the plain ground colour without much sign of 
 lacing, but it is needless to say that it is very much better that the 
 lacing should show even here as distinctly as possible ; in fact, a 
 cockerel with a laced wing is invaluable for breeding laced pullets, 
 and when perfect on this point his beauty is very considerably 
 •enhanced. 
 
 The tail primaries of the cock must be a bright shade of blue to 
 match the ground colour of the breast (unfortunately in the plate 
 of ideals the tail primaries of the cock are made to appear black), 
 while the sickles, secondary sickles, and tail coverts should be 
 of a dark blue or almost black tint. I have always been of the 
 
22 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 impression, however, that the black sickled birds were produced 
 originally by the Minorca cross, and consequently I am not par- 
 ticularly impressed with them. Some of the prettiest coloured 
 cock birds I have seen have had tails entirely blue even to the 
 sickles, and the contrast between this and a black saddle hackle 
 has been a point of beauty too attractive to be lightly passed over. 
 But it is no use fighting single-handed against prejudice, and 
 fashion has asserted that the sickles of the tail shall for preference 
 be veiy dark blue or black, shading down to a lighter cast on the 
 hangers and coverts. There is another point that must not be 
 overlooked in reference to these dark sickled tails. Eemembering 
 that we want our hens with clear blue tails, and knowing the diffi- 
 culty there is in getting them really clear and free from smuttiness^ 
 I am afraid we can lay the blame of the difficulty upon the use of 
 the black sickled males, and if this is the reason there will be no 
 chance of producing pidlets of the right colom' unless we descend tO' 
 running different breeding pens for producing cockerels and pullets. 
 I have not had any experience in breeding silver pencilled Ham- 
 bm'ghs, but I am told that it is the fact of the male bird having a 
 dark sickle and the female a light tail that maintains the necessity 
 of breeding such from different pens ; and all who have looked into 
 it are of xmanimous opinion that such dual breeding is the cause of 
 the total neglect which that variety is experiencing. Whatever^ 
 therefore, we must put up with, let us not push the Andalusian to 
 that feai-ful extreme. If it is necessarj^ to give up the black sickle 
 or the bright blue tail, let us do so, if we cannot have both, but in 
 any case let iis have compromise before destruction. 
 
 The tail of the hen should be, as I have said, of a bright silver 
 blue, each feather being weU laced with black, but it is only too 
 frequently seen of a muddy tinge throughout, and it would be an 
 improvement in the breed if we could produce laced tails in both 
 sexes — a difficult thing to do, no doubt, but a point well worth 
 striving for. 
 
 I do not consider that the judges give proper value to colour ; 
 they may value it rightly on the ivhole, but in deducting — mentally, 
 of course — points for colour defects, they do not do so in fair pro- 
 portion, when compared with their proceeding in the case of white 
 face. 
 
 There seems to be a few differences of opinion as to what colour 
 the legs of the Andalusian should be. I have seen nearly all shades 
 among them, even willow; but a veiy common coloui' in yoimg 
 bii*ds is a kind of light gi'ey, covered with spots of a darker shade of 
 the same colour. Strange to say, many of such coloured legs are 
 associated ■\\dth unusually good body colour, and though this spotted 
 effect is not particularly pretty, the colour of the plumage may be 
 quite good enough to carry them through. Such mottled legs wiU 
 often darken and become mox'e unifonn with age, but every effort 
 should be made to obtain a leg of a dark bluish grey, faii'ly uniform 
 in tint all through. These, with a lighter toe nail, are attractive, and 
 
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS. 2$ 
 
 match well with the ground colour of the body. The last few years 
 many cockerels have been shown, and shown successfully, with legs 
 nearly black, many winners during that period having legs of this 
 colom- ; but as such have frequently been accompanied with a very 
 dark breast, I have always been of opinion that they point to a. 
 throwback to the original Minorca cross. Such legs ai'e not Hi- 
 looking, but the fact that the club standard says legs leaden blue,, 
 and places among its list of disqualifications "other legs than blue," 
 and that the bluish grey leg harmonises better with the under 
 plumage, would make it appear that the so-called preference for 
 black legs is a matter more of expediency than choice. 
 
24 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE STANDARD OF PERFECTION.* 
 
 It is the usual rule for each writer upon any of the pure varieties 
 •of domestic poultry to issue along with his treatise a standard of 
 perfection as designed by himself. I may, therefore, be excused if 
 I venture to follow in this well-worn line, and trust that this being 
 a recognised custom, I may be allowed to criticise such standards 
 as have been brought under my notice without any further apology. 
 First and foremost we must necessarily place the standard. 
 
 The Andalusion fowl is one of those fortunate varieties that are 
 now carefully nm-tured by the fostei'ing supervision of a specialist 
 club. This is not always an unmixed advantage, if we are to 
 believe the numerous rumours that reach us of internal jealousies, 
 ■wholesale secessions, and even open rebeUions that are almost 
 everyday occurrences in the menage of many of the other clubs; 
 but ours seems to sail along with a wonderful smoothness and 
 vitality, and if it were not for the very slight attack made by 
 ■certain sections of the Leghorn fancy, the management of the 
 Leghorn, Plymouth Rock, and Andalusian Club may fairly claim 
 to be above cavil, as it is certainly above the suspicion of cliquism. 
 If the action of a club was of no other benefit to the varieties under 
 its control than the giving to it of a recognised official standard of 
 perfection, it could still claim to be of great utility, as, roughly 
 ■speaking, it is on the lines laid down by such official standards that 
 all breeders are expected to work. Such a standard is not, how- 
 ever, an arbitrary one ; it simply takes the form of the late Elijah 
 'Goff's well-known election address, at the conclusion of which the 
 ■candidate for political honours is made to add : " Them, gentlemen 
 and ladies, is my sentiments, and if they is not approved of, they 
 ten be changed." A satire behind which lies an ocean of truth. 
 
 Thus, as we progress in the march towards perfection, the 
 •standard may be relied upon to march with us, and it is only the 
 •desire to see it improved that has tempted me to venture upon the 
 thankless task of criticism. 
 
 It is almost an impossibility to write down upon paper the 
 actual value to be placed upon different points of excellence in a 
 bird you are attempting to judge. When the table of defects says 
 subtract fifteen points for squirrel tail, no difficulty need arise ; but 
 take the question of coloui'. You are told that if a bird is faulty in 
 
 * It is a matter of regret to me that the Poultry Club, which is on the point of 
 publishiDg a series of Standards, and, among others, one for the Andalusian, has 
 not, up to the time of this second edition going to press, been able to issue them, 
 and consequently this chapter seems in a measure to be incomplete. 
 
THE STANDARD OF PERFECTION. 
 
 25 
 
 colour you are to take off twenty points. This sounds simple 
 -enough, and if the bird entirely lacked lacing and had a light grey 
 hackle, etc., you might safely subtract the whole hundred points for 
 what the bird would be worth ; but as to what proportion of the 
 ■said twenty points you are to deduct for varying qualities of lacing 
 and for different shades of hackle, or upon which portion of the 
 body colour you are to place the greatest value, that has, wiUy niUy, 
 to be left entirely to the discretion of the judge for the time being. 
 Fortunately, we are not saddled in this country with the ridiculous 
 system of judging by the score card, and therefore the estimated 
 deductions by different judges are not likely to be so wide apart. 
 Judged by comparison, it is much easier to come to some general 
 valuation, and though the table of defects gives us a fair idea of the 
 value of certain points, it does not tie us down by a hard and fast 
 line, and is of great help to the comparison judge, even without the 
 use of the figures. I may, however, add that it has been stated by 
 one very successful breeder that he has not much faith in any scale 
 of points, '' believing that most systems in practical working must 
 be unsatisfactory.'' 
 
 I give below three tables representing the value of defects as 
 pubKshed by the club, Mr Lewis Wright, and Mr L. C. Verrey, a 
 bird perfect throughout being valued at 100 points in each case : — 
 
 The L., P.R., 
 
 AND A 
 
 Club. 
 
 
 
 Bad shaped comb 
 
 10 
 
 Ear lobe folded or wrinkled 
 
 
 
 
 .. 5 
 
 Stain of red on lobe . . . 
 
 
 
 
 .. 5 
 
 Want of hackle 
 
 
 
 
 .. 8 
 
 Squirrel tail 
 
 
 
 
 .. 15 
 
 Faiilts in colour 
 
 
 
 
 .. 20 
 
 Want of size 
 
 
 
 
 .. 10 
 
 Want of symmetry . . . 
 
 
 
 
 .. 15 
 
 Want of condition 
 
 
 
 
 .. 12 
 
 100 
 
 DisauALiFiCATiONS. — Face not red, Dorking combed, five toes 
 •on either foot, other legs than blue ; red, yeUow, or white feathers 
 Anywhere. 
 
 By Mr Lewis Wright. Reduced to 100. 
 
 Bad shaped comb 
 
 Ear lobe folded, wrinkled, or duplicated 
 
 White on face ... 
 
 Stain of red on ear lobe 
 
 Scabs or blemishes on ditto 
 
 Want of hackle 
 
 Sqiiirrel tail 
 
 Faults in plumage 
 
 Want of size ... 
 
 Want of symmetry 
 
 Want of condition 
 
 11 
 
 100 
 
 D. H. HILL LIBRARY 
 
 North Carolina St??*- ro"-rr« 
 
26 
 
 THE BLUE ANDALU8IAN. 
 
 Disqualifications. — Cock's comb falling over to one side^ 
 hen's standing erect ; combs trimmed, cut, or pierced ; crooked backs 
 or tails, or any other deformity; any fraudulent trimming, dyeing, 
 or dressing whatever ; birds not matching in the pen ; white feathers- 
 in the plumage, or black, except as a lacing or on cock's hackles. 
 
 By Mr L. 
 
 Cock. 
 
 Too large or too small a comb... 6 
 Comb badly shaped, thumb 
 
 marked, or side sprig ... 6 
 
 Ear lobe folded or wrinkled ... 6 
 
 Red stains on lobe ... ... 6 
 
 White spots or specks in face ... 15 
 
 Want of hackle... ... ... 6 
 
 Red, brown, or gold feathers in 
 
 hackle 10 
 
 Want of or uneven markings in 
 
 breast... ... ... ... 10 
 
 Want of condition 10 
 
 Want of symmetry ... ... 10 
 
 Want of size 15 
 
 C. Verrey. 
 
 Hen. 
 
 Too small a comb 
 Side sprigs on comb 
 
 Double folded comb 
 
 Ear lobe wrinkled or puckered. . . 
 
 Ear lobe red stains 
 
 White spots or specks in face . . . 
 Irregular markings on breast . . . 
 Want of condition 
 Want of symmetry 
 Want of size 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 DisauALiFlCATlONS. — Comb erect in hen; ear lobes quite red;, 
 yellow, red, or white feathers anywhere ; legs any other colom- than 
 blue. 
 
 In glancing through the above tables it will be at once seen 
 that even on so simple a matter as the valuation of defects, experi- 
 enced individuals may differ in an extraordinary manner, but as the 
 official standard was compiled by the Andalusian Club, or a properly 
 elected representative committee of that body, it is only natural to 
 suppose that the members of such committee were all and in- 
 dividually fanciers who had a thorough knowledge of the breed for 
 the benefit of which they had met. I have not the pleasure of 
 knowing who the gentlemen selected were, nor even how many of 
 them were in at the task, but it strikes me that if they were each 
 to^ give their opinion privately we should find that it did not 
 coincide with the combined result of their efforts. 
 
 The most glaring error, to my mind, in the club standard is the 
 very low value at which colour is rated. It was the opinion of the 
 late Mr Beldon that colour in the black Hamburgh variety should 
 stand at not less that sixty points, and here, in a breed that is really 
 quite as much a bird of colour as the black Hamburgh, we have the 
 official declaration that only twenty points must be allowed on this 
 count. There are so many things to be considered, however, that 
 we can perhaps hardly ask for sixty points for colour, but I think it 
 would be a wise departure on the part of the club if they increased 
 the number allowed in their standard to, at the very least, double. 
 
 I need hardly point out to anyone that Mr Lewis Wright's- 
 table of defects can hardly be considered up to date. Every 
 
M0N8. V. JAGMOTTE S KEN. 
 
THE STANDARD OF PERFECTION. 29" 
 
 allowance, however, may be made for it, as the author for some 
 inscrutable reason has liunped his standards for Minorcas, Anda- 
 lusians, and Anconas all into one, thus allowing the same number of 
 points for colour in the Andalusiau as in the Minorca. This, being 
 only 9 per cent., is ridiculous on the face of it. Again, for different 
 faults in the ear lobe, he would deduct a total of no less than 21 per 
 cent,, which is even more absurd than his valuation for colour. 
 
 Mr Wright places white in face among the defects, and does 
 not disqualify for same, which I agree with, on the grounds I have 
 akeady stated ; but he qualifies this by saying that personally he 
 would prefer to disqualify, but whereas in actual practice judges 
 will not take this extreme course, he considers it futile to put in the 
 list of disqualifications that which is only treated as a serious defect. 
 
 On the other hand, Mr Verrey, by what I must regard as a slip, 
 places the same fault among the table of defects, and after deducting 
 fifteen points for it — although not putting it amongst his list of 
 disqualiiications — states that judges ought not to award a prize to- 
 a bird showing the defect. Another anomaly in Mr Verrey's 
 suggested standard is the condemning of red or gold feather in the 
 hackle to the tune of ten points, and then below that, disqualifying 
 for the same fault. Though not quite so far out as Mr Wright, 
 Mr VeiTey is still behind the times in his allowance for colour, and 
 as he is known to have a good eye for a good coloui'ed bii'd, I think 
 he will agree with me here, and acknowledge the error. 
 
 I am indebted to Captain Egerton Jones for the loan of a very 
 interesting collection of standards as proposed by several leading 
 lights in the Andalusian world, and it is extremely gratifying to me 
 to find that my objections to the official standard, on the point of 
 colour, are strongly borne out by the opinions expressed by these 
 gentlemen. Also, as I may acknowledge to my astonishment, my 
 contention that white specks in face should be looked upon more 
 as a serious defect than as a disqualification is supported in the 
 same manner. 
 
 The general opinion expressed in this collection is that gi*eater 
 stress should be laid upon the importance of size than has been the 
 case heretofore, and accordingly that length of leg and massive 
 conspicuoiis shanks must be striven for. The comparatively low 
 carriage of tail also, I am glad to see, is coming into more favomy 
 and with it more compact tails, particularly in the hen. The big 
 meaty comb of the Minorca, too, is about imanimously condemned,, 
 which in itseK is a step in the right direction. Taken altogether, 
 the collection contains matter of considerable interest to all breeders 
 of the blue ; and though there are many breeders stiU whose opinions 
 would be well worth adding to the list, it would be greatly to the 
 advantage of the variety if Captain Egerton Jones could see his 
 way to publish such a condensed mass of useful information.* 
 
 * As it was eventually decided to publish this series of standards in connection 
 with this book, I must refer my readers to the Appendix. 
 
30 THE BLUE ANDALU8IAN. 
 
 Summing up, therefore, I would suggest the following table of 
 defects as being more applicable to the Andalusian of to-day — a 
 perfect bird to count 100 points : — 
 
 lultyincomb 10 'j 
 
 
 „ face 10 V head ... 
 
 ... 25 
 
 „ „ lobe 5) 
 
 
 „ „ groundcolour... 30 j ^ 
 „ „ lacing 20/ 
 
 ... 50 
 
 „ „ shape, hackle, and tail 
 
 ... 10 
 
 „ „ size, carriage, and condition 
 
 ... 15 
 
 100 
 
 Seeious Defects. — Cock's comb going over, hen's comb nearly 
 erect; semi- serrations, side sprigs, twist or thumb mai*k in comb. 
 Paleness or specks of white in face; red tinge on lobe; squirrel 
 tail; want of or grey hackle; shrunken wattles; white feathers 
 upon the body (white or greyish feathers being in the case of old 
 birds allowable in the wing primaries and upon the head, provided 
 they are not in excess ; white feathers in the tail, however, to be a 
 fatal defect). 
 
 Fatal Defects. — Comb, not single, quite over in cock or quite 
 erect in hen. Face qiiite white, lobe quite red. Legs any other 
 colour than blue or very dark slate; feathered legs, more or less 
 number of toes than fom- upon each foot. Any other body colour 
 than blue ; black only allowable in lacing and hackle, back saddle 
 and sickle of cock. Wry tail or any other deformity, and being 
 totally out of condition. 
 
 Disqualifications. — Trimming and faking. 
 
31 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 BUILDING A STRAIN AND PEDIGREE BREEDING. 
 
 "With a poultry press open for the publication of the opinions 
 of our more prominent breeders, it is difficult in these days of 
 •enhghtenment to say anything about a standard variety — or, in 
 fact, anything relating to poultry matters at all — that shall be 
 entirely new. History repeats itself in this subject quite as much 
 as in any other subject under the sun ; but while I hold that in 
 a work of this character a good deal of matter that should of 
 necessity be published along with a treatise embracing the whole 
 field of fancy poultry breeding is in this case better treated as 
 ■extraneous and left out, I think this will hardly apply to the 
 subject as defined by the heading to this chapter. 
 
 The term " strain," as appKed in the majority of the advertise- 
 ments in the weekly papers, may more aptly be said to be misapplied. 
 It is no uncommon thing to see advertised eggs from pens containing 
 birds of Messrs A,, B., 0., and D.'s strains, as if such a collection of 
 names, well known in The Feathered World, would be an attraction 
 to the purchasing pubhc. I suppose it can hardly be doubted 
 that such a statement is an attraction, or the selling pubHc would 
 soon tire of paying the price of the advertisements ; but the value 
 received by the purchasing public is hardly that which it ought 
 to be. Even if every individual bird in the breeding pen were 
 confined to the strain of one of the advertised breeders, it does not 
 make the pen of any more value unless a judicious selection had been 
 made of them, and they had been mated upon scientific principles. 
 And if the breeding pen, as advertised, contained the very best 
 proem-able specimens from each of the named yards, if such birds 
 had been got together in a haphazard manner, regardless of anything 
 like method, their progeny would be very unlikely to give satisfaction 
 for the amount expended. 
 
 It is the ambition of most breeders to form a strain of their 
 own which can be relied upon to breed something approaching what 
 is mated up for, so that if, in building the foundation of the strain, 
 the builder is deluded into buying eggs or chickens from such mixed 
 blood as I have suggested, be the parent stock never so good 
 individually, nothing but disappointment will accrue. I, for one, 
 never had much faith in those who advertise birds of Mr So-and- 
 So's strain. They may be very honest individuals, and men who 
 are anxious to give good value for money received ; but does it not 
 strike you that if you are commencing a variety, it would be far 
 safer to treat with a man who rehed upon himself, his own birds, 
 and his own way of mating, than with one whose only claim to 
 
32 THE BLTJE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 having a good breeding pen is that they have been got from some 
 other individual better kno^vn ? 
 
 It is all very weU for the independent breeder to introduce birds 
 of strange blood into his yard, but he does so for a specific pui'pose^ 
 and is not likely to advertise the fact. He may teU you, if you ask 
 him, from whom he bought this cockerel or that pullet ; but once 
 bought, he considers they are, as it were, incorporated into his own 
 blood, and are mere units in a compact whole. 
 
 Advertisements such as I have described are doubtless of use to 
 the gentlemen I have christened Messrs A., B., C, and D., in help- 
 ing them to dispose of stock without extra expense, by keeping their 
 names before the public in as cheap a manner as possible, and, 
 viewed from a charitable standpoint, it seems only fair that they 
 should be repaid in some such manner for the time and money they 
 must have spent in bringing their strains up to the standard attained. 
 Given that Mr A.'s strain is of great value, and is the result of 
 many years' careful mating, a bird of that individual's own breed- 
 ing, and of his full blood, even if perfect from an exhibition point 
 of view, is of no exceptional value in the breeding pen unless it is 
 made use of on the same lines as it would if utilised by Mr A. 
 himself. 
 
 To form a strain of your own it is necessary first to make up 
 youi' mind from what yard you will secm-e your foundation. Then 
 has to be decided whether to purchase eggs therefrom (if possible) 
 or go in for the apparently greater initial expense of buying the 
 birds themselves. It is a difficult thing to say which is the best 
 course to adopt, as, provided sufficient judgment is used, a success- 
 ful start may result from either method. 
 
 In purchasing eggs no measui'e of success can be expected unless 
 a thorough knowledge is obtained of the birds from which such eggs 
 are produced, the quality of the male bird, and the principle upon 
 which the breeder is proceeding. I may by some be considered 
 rather hypercritical in saying this, but if the beginner wishes to 
 make a good start it is of no use his piu'chasing eggs in a haphazard 
 manner. If it is only a good laying strain of blues you want, or 
 if it is simply your desire to go in for Andalusians because you Hke 
 the colour, and have no ambition to produce anything high class, 
 then you need take no particular pains in satisfying yourself as to 
 the science used in crossing the bii'ds from which you get your 
 eggs ; but, as I say, if you expect more, then you must go to more 
 trouble in making yourself thoroughly acquainted with the 
 antecedents of your stock. 
 
 As it is ahnost an impossibility to procui'e eggs from many 
 private breeders who do not advertise — price with many of them 
 being no temptation — the beginner is practically forced to make his 
 selection of yard from the advertisements in the weekly press, and 
 as the number there gathered together seems to increase year by 
 year, the difficulty that a restricted choice would entail is entirely 
 removed. 
 
PEDIGREE BREEDING. 33 
 
 Select, if possible, a breeder whose place is at a get-at-able 
 distance from where you reside, that is to say if there are none of 
 them whom you know personally and can trust sufficiently to leave 
 the matter entirely to them. If then you can arrange to see the 
 pen of birds from which the eggs you are in want of are obtained, 
 and can satisfy yourself of the quality and the judiciousness of the 
 mating of same, make youi- terms as to price, and don't hesitate 
 about a few shillings extra per sitting, if you can get the eggs 
 guaranteed from a pen you like ; and, what is more, do not expect 
 such wonders in retm'n for next to nothing. Here is a proportion 
 sum, which it is as well one should remember when buying eggs 
 from fancy poultry. Many beginners expect that if they pay 5s a 
 dozen they ought to be sure of obtaining the very best eggs in the 
 country. A barnyard hen costs, say, 3s, and the eggs are worth, 
 say, Is a dozen. Leaving out the question of food, etc., then eggs 
 worth 5s a dozen ought to be produced by hens worth 15s each. 
 
 1^3x5 = 15. 
 Not a very high price for a good bird, surely — not even selling 
 class price. A reaUy first-class breeding pen of, say, cock and six 
 hens ought to be woi'th not a penny less than from fifteen to twenty 
 guineas, many a single bii'd costing more, so that if you get from 
 such a pen eggs at, say, 15s a dozen you are getting them cheap. 
 
 While on this subject I should just like to point out that it is 
 principally due to the extreme selfishness, and very often the dis- 
 honesty of certain buyers, that so many of our better yards in this,, 
 as in other varieties, are strictly closed to the purchasers of eggs. 
 I have been wearied beyond measure of heai'ing and seeing com- 
 plaints of so-called cheating on the part of sellers of eggs, and so 
 little attempt to refute the libel, that I tliink it just as well to utter 
 a warning note to the purchasing public before they push matters 
 to a crisis. It is beyond the power of the most honest breeder in 
 existence to guarantee that every egg that he sells for breeding 
 shall contain a chick, and provided that he will guarantee that the 
 eggs he seUs are from a pen containing a vigorous cockerel, a known 
 stock getter, are fresh or nearly so, that they have not been tampered 
 with in any way likely to be deleterious to the germ, and that they 
 will be carefully packed and as carefully despatched, I do not consider 
 that anjiihing more can reasonably be expected of him. If you 
 expect unfertiles to be replaced it means, perhaps, taking an average 
 of the season, that for each dozen you pay for, you -will require 
 sixteen eggs from the seller. As sixteen eggs AviU cost so much 
 more to produce than twelve, the breeder must perforce be justified 
 in reducing the quality of his breeding pen to cover the difference. 
 My experience and the experience of many others of my acquaint- 
 ance is that there are quite as many honest men among the sellers 
 as there are among the buyers. So frequently, in fact, have 
 pm-chasers been found out in impudent, if not fraudulent, demands 
 for more eggs, that many of the more conscientious among the 
 breeders have, as I have stated, entirely given up egg selling in 
 c 
 
34 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 disgust. That this is a loss to the Fancy at large I need hardly 
 say, and it therefoi*e behoves us all to clear away the motes that 
 obstruct our own sight before operating upon the optics of our 
 neighbours. 
 
 Your eggs pui'chased, if you cannot carry them home .youi'self , 
 give strict insti-uctions that they are to be sent to you by rail, 
 avoiding parcel post as you would a pestilence ; and, as regards 
 the packing, each individual seems to have his or her own prefer- 
 ence, but I must say that, after trying many methods, I have found 
 none to equal Freeth and Pocock's patent boxes. If there is any 
 objection to these boxes it is that they are not made strong enough, 
 and will not last many journeys without giving way at some points, 
 whereas such excellent internal arrangements as they possess, with 
 a felt lined receptacle for each egg, deserve a more lasting outside 
 •cover, such as will stand such knocking about as frequent transit 
 undoubtedly entails. 
 
 As regards the time of year to pm'chase your eggs, I should 
 strongly advise waiting vmtil end of April at earliest, and even a 
 week or two later you may do even better. The later chicks will 
 not be of much use for exhibition purposes, coming into condition 
 when most of the shows are over; but what of that? It is the 
 greatest mistake a beginner can make to attempt to show with the 
 chicks of the first season. Wait till you have better to pick from, 
 when your chances will be greater, and your risk of disappointment 
 much less. Then again, such chickens, although hatched and reared 
 xmder yom- own care, can hardly be called of yom- own breeding, 
 seeing that the parents are not in yom- possession, and though there 
 may be a little profit, there is precious little honour in winning with 
 birds that do not owe their pei'fections to your own talent and skill. 
 My reasons for recommending this rather late start in the season 
 are, firstly, that the best breeders, from the purchaser's point of 
 view, are those who keep together none but their best birds, and 
 •consequently have not a second-rate pen put up to advertise eggs 
 from. These gentlemen will, as a rule, require for their own 
 purposes all the eggs they can get in the early months, and could 
 spare none at any price to any outsider. The buyer also runs 
 •considerable risk of unfertile eggs when hatching in January or 
 February, and if the season is cold and stormy even March eggs are 
 none too fertile. By the time I stated — end of April and May — 
 eggs are hatching well, and the buyer runs a better chance of getting 
 his eggs from better birds. Perhaps about the strongest point in 
 favour of making so late a start is that you can often get to see 
 •chicks that have been hatched in January out of eggs from the same 
 pen you are getting your own from. And, seeing them, although 
 only from three to four months old, you may get a good general 
 idea what to expect from yom* pm-chase. 
 
 In buying stock birds for youi- breeding pen you may follow 
 closely upon the lines recommended in buying the eggs. In May, 
 Avhen so many breeding pens are about to be broken up to make 
 
BUYING STOCK BIRDS. 35 
 
 room for young stock, the owners ai-e generally glad enough to 
 accept one quarter the price that they would ask for the same bird 
 six months before, a^d a whole pen may be picked up (say, cock 
 and four hens) for a mere song — a pen that has been used by the 
 owner to breed from for his own wants, and from which he has 
 chickens running about which you may get to see. Of coui-se it 
 Avill be necessary to assure yourself that the birds are in vigorous 
 health and that they are not " pumped out," and consequently 
 rendered valueless. 
 
 Yom- chickens from so late pui-chased a pen, although hardly 
 early enough to make much for exhibition (although it may be 
 borne in mind that the Andalusian cockerel 1st at the Dairy Show, 
 1893, bred by the exhibitor, Captain Egerton Jones, was only 
 hatched early in the month of May, and that the champion pullet 
 Club Show, December, 1894, was bom in the first week of July), 
 will still give you a chance to pick a cockerel from for next year's 
 breeding. 
 
 If the beginner should be unable to come across a good breeding 
 pen in the market, or should have a preference for mating up his 
 own first pen, time will be saved by getting together a stock in 
 which the two sexes are related to some extent. Here we trespass 
 upon the confines of in-breeding. Bear this in mind, however, that 
 if by in -breeding we can assist Natm-e in perpetuating certain points 
 of beauty in om* pets, we can also as readily by the same means 
 perpetuate faults and defects. In-breeding, therefore, without good 
 material and skilful application, is useless ; with both, it is almost 
 iiTesistible. 
 
 Select yom* hens, as near as possible, of the same type. 
 Whatever their faidts are, let them be uniform. By so doing, and 
 seeming a cockerel particularly good in the points wherein his 
 partners fail, there is every chance that some percentage of the 
 chickens may come being faixiy good all round. It is to a certain 
 extent advantageous if the hens are all purchased from the same 
 yard, when, in such case, the seller may be able to introduce you to 
 some other breeder of standing whose strain is slightly related to 
 his own, and from whom you may be able to secm*e a cockerel of 
 such quality as you are in search of. 
 
 Should it suit you better to pick your birds up here and there, 
 mthout regard to relationship, such will give you a more personal 
 right and credit in yom' strain if success follows the effort ; but you 
 must be fully prepared to take two or three years longer before you 
 attain much success. 
 
 Let me here warn the beginner against gettmg together an 
 inferior lot of birds in the expectation of being able to breed up 
 ■with care and attention to a winning standard. It is hard enough 
 work to turn out cracks when you have the best blood obtainable, 
 but with inferior stock the task is weU. nigh impossible. Grood blood 
 will always be found to be the cheapest, " with it one may have 
 disappointments, but without it, expect nothing else." 
 
36 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 Making up your mind to wait in patience for the fruits of your 
 labours, you will in consequence not expect anything from the first 
 year's cross, but for youi* second year's breeding you will be in a 
 position to mate up more than one pen. With the old hens nin 
 one of the cockerels you have bred, selecting the one that, like its 
 sii-e, is as near perfect as possible in those points in which the hens 
 are defective. The two-year-old cock will then make a good match 
 with a selection of the pullets, selecting them, of course, with due 
 reference towai'ds the compensation of defects. From two such 
 pens as these you may reasonably expect something a little step 
 nearer perfection. Then every year in mating up strictly avoid 
 bringing in any cross that is entirely unrelated, but as you keep 
 account of the relative quality of the blood in your strain, and the 
 proportion of Messrs A. and B.'s blood you have introduced, you 
 will, by the occasional help of birds from these gentlemen's yards, 
 build up a strain of your own, that, while not too closely in-bred, 
 yet is sufficiently so to be relied upon with a fair amount of 
 certainty. 
 
 As amateurs have been, times without number, warned against 
 the indiscriminate purchase of prize-winners, if they expect to make 
 a successful start in the building up of a strain, I have endeavoured 
 to give some reasons why such purchases are liable to result in 
 disappointment. It would appear to the outsider that no better 
 breeding stock could be got together than the cup winners at the 
 leading shows, but it must not be forgotten that prize-winners are 
 generally of that class that may be called fair -all- round specimens, 
 with perhaps no particular favlts, and yet, perhaps, no absolute 
 perfecticn. Now, such are not the best birds to breed from. A 
 bird that is as near perfect as possible in some few of the numerous 
 points of the variety, and that may be as glaringly faulty in some 
 other point or points, is far more satisfactory as a stock bird when 
 judiciously mated on the compensating principle. Again, the novice 
 must bear in mind that the breeder wants to be in the position of 
 being able to rely upon the reproduction in his youngsters of the 
 qualities he possesses in his breeding stock. 
 
 It has been frequently asserted, and for that matter sufficiently 
 proved, that there is a tendency in all animals, in the reproduction 
 of their kind, to revert back to some original ancestor of their race. 
 It being the aim of the fancier to produce an animal — but, as 
 we are speaking of the feathered tribe, let us say a bird- — that is 
 capable of producing a counterpart of itself, or one even a step 
 nearer to some imaginary ideal standard of perfection, this peculiar 
 tendency in the animal kingdom has to be grasped, as it were, by 
 the scientific b):eeder, and instead of allowing the principle to run 
 riot and produci^ a heterogeneous result, to make use of it by care- 
 fully mating bii'ds having the same racial tendencies, and thus lift 
 the possibilities and expectations of reproduction from the slough of 
 haphazard into the region of calculation. 
 
 The peculiar trait in domesticated birds of reverting back to 
 
THROWING BACK. 37 
 
 some eavKer ancestor is wouderfully intensified when the birds 
 mated are of two entirely distinct and unallied breeds. Breeds so 
 entirely distinct and dissimilar as the Black Spanish and the White 
 Silky have, when crossed, been known to throw birds with the 
 ruddy plumage and other characteristics of the supposed progenitor 
 of all varieties, the Gallus bankiva, while birds of two non- sitting 
 varieties when mated together have thrown young that have 
 eventually proved to be as good sitters as could be wished for ; and 
 this being the case, in a milder degree bii'ds of the same breed and 
 variety, but of different strains, when crossed together are liable 
 to give rather mystifying results, in that the progeny may bear 
 little or no resemblance to either parent. It was only after long 
 years of patient experiment that this nile was found to obtain, 
 and by making good use of their knowledge breeders have been 
 enabled to arrive at their goal by shorter, if not safer, routes. 
 
 To hold this reverting trait in check is therefore the first aim 
 of the fancier. It is quite sufficient for him if his chicks can be 
 relied upon to revert to their parents. 
 
 Theoretically, of course, it may be very easy to build up a 
 scheme of mating by which to assist Natui*e in the simple law of 
 like producing hke, but very little actual practice is necessary in 
 showing that there is no hard-and-fast groove in which Nature 
 woi'ks. Take the closest system of in -breeding. Pair together a 
 cockerel and pullet that have been bred from the same father and 
 mother that have themselves been bred from a strain long in -bred. 
 Being of exactly the same blood, it might be calculated that, as 
 their tendencies are likely to be the same, their produce one and all 
 will have a strong family resemblance. But it is not so. Out of 
 a dozen chicks, there may be ten or a dozen different styles, with 
 little or no actual resemblance among the lot. The result may be the 
 same even if the pai-ents themselves, as sister and brother, bear a 
 strong resemblance to each other outside the usual sexual differences 
 of character. Apparently disappointing as the produce of the cross 
 might be, a small percentage of the chicks might show signs that 
 the breeder is on the right track. Thus, it is a general rule, on 
 account of the impossibility of procm-ing perfect birds, to mate 
 up for breeding birds having compensating qualities. That is to 
 say, if we take the head points of an Andalusian for illustration, 
 supposing the male bird is extra good in comb, yet fails slightly 
 in lobe, then a hen whose lobes are above the average and whose 
 comb is her weak point wiU make a fair match. If, then, from 
 such a pair we can produce, say, 10 or 15 per cent, of chickens 
 whose head points are perfect, being equally good in comb and 
 lobe (supposing these two points were all that had to be considered, 
 which, of coui'se, they are not), then the parents of such progeny 
 could be said to mate well, and we should not be far out in de- 
 scribing that as a fortunate cross. Here we have the desired end 
 of compensating mating; and although the percentage of bii-ds 
 up to the standard may be small, the fact that certain points 
 
38 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 striven for are obtained is proof that the breeder is working on 
 the right lines. 
 
 It may, I think, be taken for granted that nearly all varieties 
 are in a progressive state. "We each consider our own especial 
 hobby to be nearer perfection than it was twenty years ago. The 
 progress may be slow, but, if unnoticed year by year, we look 
 upon it as pretty certain that the improvement is none the less 
 sure. This being so, each succeeding year's breeding pen in the 
 hands of the careful fancier may be said to be a slight — perhaps 
 only a very slight — advance in quality over the preceding one. The 
 progeny, therefore, by combining in themselves the best points of 
 their parents, will be showing to a certain extent some fm*ther 
 advance towards perfection, whereas did they revert back to some 
 ancestral occupant of the breeding pen, say some half-dozen years 
 previously, they would simply be stepping back so many years, 
 and losing the advantage already gained. 
 
 My contention, that in-breeding intensifies the power of the 
 parent to reproduce its own likeness in its progeny, is not altogether 
 the same ground upon which other breeders base their tiiist in 
 the principle. I have heard it asserted that as it is (according 
 to the speakers) impossible to prevent the tendency to "throw 
 back," that judicious in-breeding simply secures to the breeder 
 a succession of fairly good ancestors, any one of whom may be 
 thrown back to without much risk; but this argument is, in my 
 opinion, somewhat slipshod. I therefore have no hesitation in 
 re-affimiing my belief in the theoiy that a parent which is in 
 itself the concrete result of a long course of judicious in-breeding 
 has within itself an intensified power of self-reproduction, and that 
 by using such parents, the tendency to throw back is, if not 
 eliminated, at any rate held strongly in check. 
 
 Mr BakeweU, formerly well known as a breeder of pedigree 
 cattle, was one of the strongest supporters of the principles of in- 
 breeding, but was heard to say that in -breeding from inferior stuff 
 was sheer waste of time. 
 
 The parents of the strain must be the best obtainable, both in 
 character and health. Good birds of well-established pedigree can 
 now be obtained at prices so reasonable that to attempt to make 
 a strain by building up from mediocrity is, to say the least of it, 
 injudicious, and unless your heart be pretty well case-hardened, it 
 is as well to grasp all the advantages that are to be obtained from 
 the labours of those of your brother fanciers who have trodden 
 the path before you. 
 
 To consider the question thoroughly from the fairest standpoint, 
 it must be thoroughly understood that in -breeding does not of 
 necessity mean close breeding. By the fonner term is meant the 
 pairing together of birds that are related together by blood, but such 
 relationship may be verj^ distant — Irish cousinship, in fact ; whereas 
 close -breeding is usually applied to the principle of breeding from a 
 cross between members of the same family ; father and daughter or 
 
IN -BREEDING. 39 
 
 mother and sou, such being a haK-blood cross, but in the case of a 
 whole blood cross, as between brother and sister, this is the closest 
 breeding possible, and has been termed by Sir John Sebright 
 breeding in-and-in. 
 
 Strains that for several generations have been bred in too closety^ 
 even if the members of the family were in a state of perfect health 
 and condition, are, I believe, always Hable to sterility. This, of 
 course, may be Natiu-e's method of showing her objection to the 
 system, but if it can only be proved that such close breeding assists- 
 in the operation of producing (what I believe has never yet been 
 produced, viz.,) perfeetly-fonned specimens, there are few breeders- 
 but what will even run the risk of their strain becoming extinct in 
 the mad rush for superiority. If, however, with aU the care in the 
 world in the way of the rigid exclusion of all birds whose bill of 
 health is in any way doubtful, it can be shown that close breeding is- 
 prejudicial to the stamina of the strain, it will reaUy mean death to 
 the system by the natural extinction of the individuals. At the 
 same time, whatever may be said against the principle of sailing so 
 close to the wind by this inter-family mating, I do not consider that 
 it has been as yet proved that the judicious mating together of birds- 
 related together distantly in blood, but having the same racial 
 tendencies, is deleterious in any way to the feathered world. On 
 this point Darwin says : — " The evil results from close breeding are 
 difficult to detect, for they accumulate slowly and differ much in, 
 degree with different species, whilst the good effects which almost 
 invariably follow a cross are from the first manifest. It should, 
 hoivever^ be clearly vnderstood that the advantage of close inter -breedivg, 
 as far as the retention of character is concerned, is indisputable, and 
 often outweighs the evil of a slight loss of constitutional vigoi.r." (The 
 italics are my own.) Such is the opinion of perhaps the greatest 
 authority on the question at issue. 
 
 With all the forethought and care that may be brought to bear 
 upon mating, it must always be remembered that only a very small 
 percentage of the young can be expected to show anything like the 
 desired improvement upon the breeding stock, so that failures must 
 not lead the breeder to lose his patience with his flock, and despair 
 tempt him to resoii; to a haphazard or happy-go-lucky system. In 
 compiling my notes upon this subject I have endeavoured to get at 
 the results of scientific mating as experienced by breeders of all 
 varieties of domestic poultiy, as whatever be the vaga}-ies that 
 obtain in other live stock, I think we may take it for granted that 
 in this particular domain of the animal kingdom Nature has certain 
 rules that may, to a very great extent, be relied upon to apply to aU. 
 varieties. 
 
 As far as I can gather, not only from my own experience, but 
 from others in whose capacity for observation I have great faith,, 
 there seems to be a pretty unanimous opinion that some of the best 
 results in in -breeding have been obtained where the male bird has- 
 been mated to his daughter, and the female bird to her son. When 
 
40 THE BLUE ANDALU8IAN. 
 
 we consider that the male bird seems to have extraordinary power 
 in imi^ressing his likeness upon his female progeny and the female 
 upon her male young, I think we have the success of this half-blood 
 or inter-family crossing partially explained. As I have before 
 stated, it is of little use in -breeding from infei*ior stock, and let 
 us suppose a pen mated up and consisting of a two -year- old cock 
 mated with yearling pullets of his owni production, aU of first-class 
 quality, and, for the sake of argument, perfect in every way. The 
 male bii'd, without reckoning the assisting influence of his mates, 
 will produce an appreciable percentage of piillets in almost every 
 way as good as himself. The females, with their power over the 
 male progeny, will produce cockerels up to their own standai'd. 
 That this power over the opposite sex must be wonderfully 
 intensified by breeding from relations may be thus understood, as 
 however little influence a hen may have upon her female yoimg, it 
 stands to reason that she may help the lord of the harem, and give 
 more power to his abeady inherited prepotency. 
 
 As some of the most in-bred strains in the comitry are noted for 
 theii' size, there is little risk of losing anything in that important 
 point, but I am of the opinion that chickens fi-om closely -bred 
 parents are rather more delicate during the fledging period, and 
 perhaps more liable to catch any chicken aUments that are about, 
 but I have never found or heard of any reason to complain of their 
 stamina when they are full grown, and have put on theii- adult 
 plumage. Certain strains that are known to be highly in -bred have 
 a tendency to fm'nish very slowly, particularly the cockerels ; but 
 this is no great detriment, and does not strengthen the case against 
 the principle. 
 
 Let it be borne in mind that the advantage of an established 
 strain consists not in its power to breed an occasional high flyer that 
 shall carry all before it (imallied blood will do this very occasionally), 
 but the well-bred strain can always be relied upon to throw a good 
 average all-round quality of chicken, the more reliance can be placed 
 upon the chances of the season's breeding, and an extra good one 
 among such is of priceless value. 
 
41 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 In mating up the breeding pens the simple rule of never breeding 
 from any but blue birds must be strictly adhered to. At the present 
 time the colour of the Andalusian is very far from being established, 
 and on this one point it is the duty of every breeder to assist in the 
 diificidt process of bringing the variety up to the level of its many 
 contemporaries that can be rehed upon to breed true. 
 
 I do not suppose for a moment that the day will ever come when 
 this variety AviU produce progeny aU of one shade of blue, but that is 
 not a matter of importance. The very variety of tints that may be 
 bred gives a certain amount of zest to the efforts of the fancier, but 
 it is very much in the interest of the Andalusian that it should be 
 brought up to such a degree of perfection that some reliance can 
 be placed upon its power of producing its own likeness. It has been 
 stated, on the authority of Mr John Hopkins, of Bridgwater, that 
 if a black and a white Andalusian be mated together, the result is 
 that the whole of the chickens will be entirely blue, but that such 
 blue chickens do not develop much in the way of lacing at maturity ; 
 and, fm'ther, that if these blues in turn be bred from, their progeny 
 will revert back to the grandparents, and be almost without exception 
 entu'ely black or white. A cross, therefore, of one of these two off 
 colom-s cannot in any way help the breeder. If a strain of blues 
 have by some means or other got into the way of producing chicks aU 
 of too light a shade of blue, a cross with a dark blue — and dark 
 blues may be obtained in plenty — must be used, and not a black. I 
 regret to see that Mr Verrey openly recommends, under certain 
 circumstances, a cross of the black. Whatever may be the immediate 
 advantage of such a proceeding, I hold that the ixltimate evil is so 
 gi'eat in rashly losing all the advantage that years of careful mating 
 may have given, that it would be mere madness to make the attempt. 
 And let it not be forgotten that when this experiment has been 
 made in one yard, the evil is not always confined, as by dispersal by 
 sale or otherwise of such tainted stock many would-be clean yards 
 reap the bad results of the cross. Bad, however, as the influence of 
 a cross with a black Andalusian may be, I think it is more than 
 equalled by the rashness with which so many breeders have intro- 
 duced the Minorca, although I can hardly think that such a cross is 
 now resorted to by anyone who has any regard for his strain. 
 
 It has been stated in certain quarters that by eliminating the 
 tendency to throw black and white claicks, breeders would not be 
 helping to improve the coloui* of the Andalusian. I have this as the 
 view of Mr Merrall, and I believe he is also supported in this by the 
 
42 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 Rev. R. T. Thornton. As I understand it, it is the opinion of these 
 gentlemen that it is to the self-evident mixture of hlack and white 
 blood in the veins of the blue to which we owe the distinct difference 
 between the gi'ound coloiu' and the lacing. Both being such ex- 
 perienced breeders, thei-e may possibly be something to be said in 
 favour of their contention, but I tnist that when in time the Auda- 
 lusian is bred up to a point when it will produce blue chickens only 
 — and I haven't the slightest doubt but that in time it will reach 
 that point — it will be found that the distinctness of lacing will be 
 so impressed upon the variety as to reproduce this most atti*active 
 colom-ing without the drawbacks that we now have to put up with. 
 
 I have long been of opinion that the only track upon which we 
 can safely tread in getting rid of the blacks and whites is by 
 adhering strictly to the rule of using blue parents only, combined 
 with judicious in-breeding. In fact, summing up a very lengthy 
 correspondence that appeared in the poultiy press a year or two 
 ago, it would appear that my surmise is fully bome out by facts, 
 the introduction of strange blood being generally followed by a 
 reversion to a greater tendency to produce off colours. 
 
 While on this subject, though, it is only fair to refer to a very 
 valuable article, by Mrs Blacket Gill, that appeared in the summer 
 number of The Feathered World for 1893, in which that lady stated 
 that in noting the results from a pen of blues strictly in -bred, the 
 percentage of blue chickens was far from satisfactory. I think, 
 however, that this case may be taken as an exception, as it seems to 
 be generally admitted that the reverse holds good ; but that such an 
 exception Avill take place is quite possible, and I have it on good 
 authority that in such cases, where from in-bred parents the per- 
 centage of blues is only small, they will almost invariably be found 
 to be exceptionally distinct in lacing ; so that if we do not get 
 value in an increase of the desired colour, we are more than com- 
 pensated for any loss by an improvement in the quality of that 
 colour. I have also been given to understand that since the above 
 article was written, the writer of it has seen reason to endorse my 
 own views. 
 
 In an earlier chapter I referred to the fact that the Minorca 
 cross had been rather recklessly resorted to for the purpose, among 
 other advantages, of getting rid of white faces in the Andalusian. 
 In the standard of perfection for the Minorca, white face is a 
 disqualification, and as such, any birds exhibiting traces of the 
 fault are, or ought to be, rigorously condemned ; and as a conse- 
 quence the fault is gradually becoming scarcer in that variety. 
 This is satisfactory so far as it goes ; and a sound-faced bird is so 
 pleasant an object to the eye that many sacrifices to obtain that 
 result may very well be endured ; but it must not be overlooked 
 that the Minorca is as yet hardly considered as a bird of colour, so 
 that I do not think that in the stern fight for sound faces anything 
 has been lost further than a destraction of individuals in obtaining 
 the victory. But it is not so with the Andalusian. In this variety 
 
MATING. 43 
 
 ground colour and lacing must be considered as above everything 
 else, and if to obtain a sound face there is a temptation to proceed 
 upon lines that would introduce a cross tending to destroy these 
 points, then I hold that by such a proceeding we should be losing 
 the substance in grasping — and only gi-asping — at the shadow. 
 
 The Minorca cross has brovight us advantages that cannot be 
 overlooked, and therein lies the temptation before which breeders 
 have fallen. It gave us size, or perhaps I should say hulk, and a 
 blacker hackle, which are themselves points of the very first import- 
 ance, and we will gi'ant that it has given us sounder faces. But 
 against these we have to place a duller and much darker tone in 
 the gi'ound colour ; in fact, on the breast of many good headed 
 birds ground colour and lacing is all lost in unmixed blackness ; 
 then we have the larger meaty comb and wattles of the Minorca, 
 which, as I have said before, look anything but attractive when 
 fitted on a spidghtly bird like the Andalusian ovciht to be ; but, 
 alas ! the cross has also brought us a shorter legged, shorter and 
 thicker necked, squarer and altogether more lumpy type of bird 
 than we want— a bird more fit to bear the meaty comb that has 
 been simultaneously produced. 
 
 Thus, when we consider the avei-age bird that the cross has 
 turned out, and bear in mind that, whatever may be said to the 
 contrary, the traces of the cross, be they ever so small, are visible in 
 almost eveiy strain in the country, it will be seen that breeders of 
 to-day have no light task in breeding out faults, in impressing 
 more strongly into their strain the beauties that they already possess, 
 and ill leading up to that ideal which we shall no doubt reach, and 
 which, for want of a better name, I have christened the " Andalusian 
 of the future." 
 
 To maintain the real silver blue ground colour, together with 
 rich, deep lacing, it is much better to mate together the light and 
 dark blues than to run male and female together of the medium 
 shade, the progeny of these latter being very liable to run off thin 
 and washy in the lacing, whereas sharp, deep, and well-defined 
 lacing is what is wanted. Opinions differ as to which cross is the 
 better — the light cockerel with dark hens, or vice versa — but it is 
 always advisable, where room and expense is no object, to inin at 
 least a pen of each. On the whole, I believe most of the best 
 pullets produced during the last few years have been got from the 
 dark cockerel pens, but it does not always obtain, as I know fi'om 
 experience. In any case, see that the feathers on the breast of your 
 cockerel are as large as possible, as such generally have cleaner cut 
 lacing, and always show up better. 
 
 In selecting your light cockerel, be sure and get him even and 
 clear in grormd colour, well laced up to the throat. The lacing 
 may be nari'ow, but this can be put up with provided it is sharp and 
 well defined. These light cocks occasionally have a rather greyish 
 hackle and saddle and blue sickle, but get the top colom- as dark as 
 possible without interfering with the clear breast. 
 
44 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 While speaking of the colour of the breeding cockerels, I must 
 lay particular stress upon the tone of the hackle feathers. If there 
 is the slightest cast of brown about them, the chances are fully a 
 hundred to one against their producing pullets of a clear blue 
 ground coloui', and consequently such dusty-looking specimens should 
 ruthlessly be expelled from the breeding pen. 
 
 The hens to mate with the light cockerel must be very dark and 
 broad in lacing, but not too dark in ground colour, although those that 
 show too black in the throat might be found useful. Wing lacing 
 is rather important here, and every hen should, if possible, be got 
 with the wing S3 londaries distinctly margined with black. In some 
 of these dark he as the breast and back lacing is of a rather spangly 
 nature, but provided it is deep in tint and shows distinctly against 
 the ground colour, it is not an objection of much importance. 
 
 The dark cockerels must be perfectly black on hackle, back, and 
 saddle, showing in some cases — and such are pi'eferred— a purplish 
 sheen. The sickle is with such almost equally as black, and if possible 
 the wing secondaries should be perceptibly laced. In fact, a perfect 
 exhibition cockerel is what is wanted, but with rather broader 
 lacing than usual, and if he is rather too dark on breast for showing 
 he is just the thing for the breeding pen. The hens to mate with 
 him would be much too light for exhibition purposes, being extra 
 clear in ground colour, specially well laced on breast; but the 
 lacing usually thins off in birds of such clear ground towards the 
 stern, the wings sometimes showing hardly any lacing at all. A 
 bird of thin Sebright lacing would be the perfect bird for such a 
 pen, but it is almost impossible to get anything approaching this 
 yet, so we must make the best use we can of the material at 
 hand. 
 
 In reference to the size and shape of the stock birds, I need 
 hardly point out how necessary it is to select both male and female 
 as lengthy and massive in shank and bulky in body as possible, 
 provided such bulk is solid and muscular, and not a mere mass of 
 feathers. Great importance should also be attached to selecting 
 birds of the correct Andalusian shape, particularly broad across the 
 back from shoulder to shoulder, and — seen from above — with a well 
 rounded outline tapering to the tail. Flat sided birds should be 
 avoided, as such are generally indifferent stock getters, and the 
 progeny from them are wanting in stamina. As the influence of 
 the female preponderates in the perpetuation of such points as size 
 and shape of the body, it is hardly wise to make use of hens that 
 are very much under the average size, even if they are of excep- 
 tionally good colour, unless they are known to be descended from 
 birds that are themselves quite up to the standard. On the other 
 hand, provided he is good in head points and satisfactory in colour, 
 a cockerel need never be rejected from the breeding pen for the one 
 faidt of being rather undersized. 
 
 It is the general opinion of nearly aU breeders that to obtain 
 size in the progeny it is advisable, as far as possible, to use hens of 
 
MATING. 45 
 
 two years of age and upwards iu the breeding pen. I see no objec- 
 tion myself in using pullets, provided they are early hatched and 
 of good size, but at the same time I believe that stronger chickens 
 are obtained from adult hens if they are mated with a young and 
 vigoi'ous cockerel of not more than one year's growth. 
 
 I need say little as regards mating up to produce good head 
 points, as knowing what a good head is, the breeder must endeavour 
 to get the birds with the best head points obtainable, and if it is 
 found necessary to make use of a bird inferior in this respect, let 
 the other sex be selected to compensate for the defect. At the same 
 time make every effort to get as perfect a comb as possible in the 
 breeding cockerel. A great deal can be done by compensating 
 mating, and it is not always possible nor convenient to get just 
 what we want in om* stock birds, but as the experience of almost 
 all breeders tends to prove that the prepotency of the male bird is 
 gi'eater upon what may be called the fancy points, as head and 
 colour, the use of a sire that has an unmitigated bad comb is a risk 
 too serious to be laiu with impunity. Many very stylish cockerels, 
 particularly smart in build, and of lovely colour, possess combs of 
 what might be called the Game type, commencing further from the 
 tip of the beak than usual, and not rising very high in fi'ont ; in 
 fact, with a rather backward slope. Though not of exhibition 
 perfection, such combs have their value in the breeding pen, as they 
 are almost invariably fi'ee from thumb-marks, and stand very erect. 
 
 A failing usually associated with the lighter cocks is white in 
 face, and many that are sound enough as yearlings develop the 
 fault later on in life. Some of the best coloured birds I ever came 
 across have had this unfortunate tendency, and although for my 
 own part, if I am to put up with a bird having a white face, I 
 should prefer that it was among the hens, yet if the hens are sovmd 
 in face I should not strongly object to a cockerel showing a sKght 
 trace of this fault, provided that he Avas a good one otherwise, and 
 that he was of good descent, as if a strange cockerel be brought 
 in, sound enough to all appearance, he may possibly, as I have said 
 before, have the taint in his blood, and in this matter, as is many 
 others, 'tis better to " bear those ills we have, than fly to others 
 that we know not of." 
 
 To give directions for breeding out the fault in a rational 
 manner is easy enough if we go by the simple rule of never breed- 
 ing from any but sound-faced parents. But if we are to follow 
 that rule we should very often have to throw out a bird that had 
 perhaps an almost perfect silver blue ground colour and black lacing. 
 If the breeder can make up a pen composed of birds of the right 
 colour, without utilising any that are unsound in face, then it is all 
 the better ; and the happy individual who has a large flock to select 
 from may frequently find himself in this much-to-be -envied position, 
 but I do not want to discourage those whose field of selection is much 
 more limited, and who, like myself, can at best rear but a small 
 number of birds. To these again I would say — Do not discard a bird 
 
46 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 that is faulty iu that respect only. If it be your breeding cockerel, 
 then mate him up with sound-faced hens ; if it is a hen that shows 
 the mark of the enemy, then endeavour to mate up with a sound - 
 faced cock. Do not, of course, make up a pen composed of nothing 
 but white faces, as you would simply be breeding up to the defect, 
 but as it is advisable, whenever room can be spared, to make up two 
 pens, such a proceeding can generally be avoided. I have it on the 
 authority of the late Captain Egerton Jones that he found the white- 
 faced hens to be most liable to throw the fault in the progeny, 
 but some time ago Mr Merrall, in conversation, said that he fre- 
 quently found that good coloured hens, which had good lobes, almost 
 invariably had a tendency to develop the defect, and that he would 
 not throw such out on that account. In 1893 I bred from a cockerel 
 — brother to Mr Merrall's 1892 Palace Cup winner, purchased by 
 Captain Egerton Jones — that developed rather too much white, and 
 in his harem was a hen, almost equally as badly touched as himself, 
 and of the progeny I reared seven cockerels to maturity. Of 
 these, the best coloured bii'd showed up the fault of his sire, but he 
 had the most perfect comb that I ever saw, or that it will ever be 
 my lot to see, and he was of such a lovely blue groimd colour that 
 I reserved him for breeding from. Another cockerel of a darker 
 type also had the fault, but only very slightly, but the other five, 
 without exception, were particularly sound in face. Strange to say, 
 from the cockei'el thus selected I also reared seven cockerels, and of 
 these I again had two white -faced ones and five perfectly sound. 
 
 The Andalusian cockerels, like aU large single -combed varieties, 
 are very subject in severe winters to be troubled with frost bites in 
 the comb. The first signs of this troublesome annoyance is a dark- 
 ening or bluish tone at the tips of the spikes. If taken in hand at 
 once, and rubbed with a little vaseline, the blood may be got into good 
 cii'ciilation again and no harm ensue, but if the frost gets well- 
 established the comb seems to fester, and then it is aU up with fertile 
 eggs until you have got him round again. 
 
 To avoid any risk of this, I have always made a point before the 
 cold weather sets in of dubbing my breeding cockerels. This is easily 
 done with a pair of sharp scissors. Special dubbing scissors ai'e sold 
 by Messrs Spratt for the purpose, and are rather handier than the 
 ordinary ones. The comb may be cut off within about a quai-ter of 
 an inch of the skuU. The wattles must also be cut off close, cutting 
 each off separately, leaving a narrow strip of skin down between. 
 The wound where the comb was will harcUy bleed at all, unless cut 
 very deep, and the wattles only very slightly, so little indeed that I 
 rarely attempt to staunch any flow, but, if necessary, a tuft of downy 
 feathers put on the wound will be quite sufficient. Such a dubbed 
 individual is, of course, of no further use for exhibiting, but for 
 stock purposes he is in good condition all the winter, and there are 
 none of the annoying results that usually follow a severe frost bite. 
 The operation, too, can hardly be considered as a cruel one, as one 
 has only to see a cockerel suffering the agonies of a frost bite once, 
 
MATING. 47 
 
 and the owner -will agree that to prevent such a contingency it is 
 better to be " ci-uel to be kind." 
 
 There is another little matter that is well worth remembering by 
 the breeder who desires early chickens. An extra vigorous cockerel, 
 to be kept up to his duties, must be carefully looked after. At such 
 a time he requires more food in proportion than do the laying hens, 
 whereas such is his gentlemanly forethought for his spouses that he 
 is only too I'eady to yield up to them all the titbits that are to be 
 got, and go short himself in consequence. I always make a point 
 to get him into a pen by himself for the evening meal and give him 
 as much corn as he can possibly eat. The result last spring was that 
 from one pen I had not a single unfertile egg. 
 
48 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE CHICKS. 
 
 I DO not make any reference here to the sitting hen, as information 
 on that question may be found in any of the numerous works on the 
 subject, nor for the same reason need I enter into matters relating 
 to the early management of the chickens, but skip the intervening 
 time, and presume that the amateur has now got his chicks well 
 grown either from his purchased eggs or else from his own breeding 
 stock. 
 
 As a rule, Andalusian chickens will be foimd remarkably healthy 
 and quick gi'owing, some of them maturing early even in confine- 
 ment, but it is as weU to get them hatched out as early in the month 
 of March as possible, to give them a fair chance for the early shows. 
 
 There is one peculiarity about this variety which I have never 
 seen mentioned by any wiiter, but which must have been noticed by 
 all who have bred the blue. This peculiarity is a tendency among 
 some of the chickens, sometimes as many as 25 to 30 per cent, of 
 them, to feather very slowly. These slow-feathering birds — 
 "dumpies" being the name they generally go by — are nearly always 
 the finest and biggest boned of the clutch. While their sisters and 
 brothers are almost completely clothed with chicken feathers, these 
 peculiar mortals wiU sometimes be running about with nothing but 
 their flight feathers, even up to two months old, and some of them 
 will even iim to four months old before showing the smallest vestige 
 'of a tail. 
 
 Besides being such fine-looking chickens, these " dumpies " are 
 generally found, when fuUy feathered, to be of an exceptionally 
 good colour, the lacing coming out particularly distinct. Some of 
 the very greatest winners have been of this type, among others, I 
 believe, the Poultry Club winning pullet, the best ever produced, 
 was one, and Mr Little's challenge cup 1893 cockerel was another. 
 Personally I have generally found them weak in head points, but my 
 experience may be exceptional. It is the opinion of many breeders 
 that such a distinct type of chicken owes its origin to a throw back 
 to some old black Spanish cross, the type of body and head, with the 
 peculiar tardiness of feathering, all pointing in this direction. If it 
 is so, although being so different to the usual inin, and labouring 
 under the disadvantage of the slow fujt'nishing, they are a proof that 
 the cross has been of some benefit by their genex'al massiveness and 
 distinctness of lacing. 
 
 The only approach I have noticed towards feather eating in my 
 own bii'ds has been due to the temptation these half naked chickens 
 afford to their better clothed brethren to peck them. I have seen 
 
MR F, PORTER S COCKEREL. 
 
THINNING OUT. 51 
 
 some cases where sores have been fonned by this attention, and, of 
 course, when blood appears no self-respecting chick can resist the 
 temptation to annoy its fellows. These sores are usually on the 
 wing bow and at the base of the tail, and, though there are no 
 feathers to eat, I think the cause of it is due to quills charged with 
 blood showing through the transparent skin. It is as well when 
 these sores are found in the flock to put the victims by themselves, 
 to let the woimds harden, and, before putting back among the 
 others, to anoint with a mixture of carbolic ointment and aloes. 
 This nasty mixtm-e usually acts as a deten-ent, and, with attention 
 and further application of the mixtm'e when necessaiy, the chicks 
 Avill be helped into their full plumage Avithout further danger. 
 
 Thinning Out. — It is almost needless to say that the breeder 
 who hopes to attain any great measm-e of success must, whatever his 
 advantages as to space, thin out Avith vigour at every opportunity. 
 With those who have but limited room at command, such action is 
 all the more necessary ; but, however much is at one's disposal, and 
 however extensive the range, it is far better to weed the chicks out 
 as young as it can be done with safety, than to let them grow until 
 it seems harder to part Avith them, while they are all the time taking 
 up room and occupying space that can be much better utilised. 
 
 The first thinning out that can be undertaken among Andalusiau 
 chickens is to get rid of the blacks and whites. These, or rather 
 the latter, can be distinguished at birth, and, though a dowm'ight 
 black one can be picked out at the same time, there are occasionally 
 a few veiy dark blues that might be mistaken for blacks while so 
 young, and it is just as weU to be on the safe side and give such a 
 few days' grace, as when the wing feathers show, the distinction 
 between a dark blue and a black is then more pronounced. 
 
 The blacks and whites being thinned out, there is nothing much 
 more can be done imtil the chicks are from two to three months (3ld. 
 At the latter age there should be no question about the character of 
 the serrations in the combs of the cockerels, and all that are not 
 even in that respect, that show semi or gi'ossly iiTegular serrations, 
 should be cleared out at once. The combs of the pivllets at this age 
 are not advanced at aU, neither need they be condemned for irregu- 
 larity in serration, but given a fm-ther chance. Some of the cockerels' 
 combs AviU also be foimd to flop over, and of no solidity ; these also, 
 if room is scarce, must go. In their earlier stages many combs AviU 
 lie over through pressm-e against the maternal breast, but at the age 
 mentioned they should have recovered if they are to be of any use. 
 Before reaching foiu' months old you will be fairly safe in clearing 
 out aU that appear hopelessly light, or dark. A saving grace in the 
 lighter ones would be a black or nearly black neck, and a few dark 
 points here and there. In the extra dark ones a feather or two with 
 a light base may be a good sign, and such may be given a chance of 
 shoAving what they can do as adults. From five to six months old 
 the final stage is reached, as even the laggards will now show of 
 what thev are made. First of all, cockerels whose combs are badly 
 
52 . THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 thumb -marked or hopelessly twisted in front must be cleared out, 
 bearing in mind that a slight twist in front may improve, provided 
 the comb is not fully develojHd. A fully developed coml) with a t\sdst 
 must be a death warrant. 
 
 Birds of either sex sho\ving masses of white in face must also be 
 got rid of, a speck or two of white only being admitted when the 
 bird is about faultless elsewhere, and not even then unless good 
 coloured ones are scarce. Wry and badly squirrel -tailed birds are 
 of very little use, and it is as well to clear them off as soon as 
 detected. 
 
 By this rigorous system of early decimation there should come 
 to hand as adults a class of bii*ds that are fairly good all rounds 
 leaving you simply to select for show or breeding pen an assortment 
 in shades of colour, size, shape, and style. 
 
 Of coui-se, the severity of the pruning miist be regulated by 
 quality and quantity of the stock generally; a well estabhshed strain, 
 if it is of any value at all, being able to stand a much more rigorous 
 treatment than will one of more recent establishment. 
 
 It may be objected to, that by clearing off faulty combed 
 cockerels so early I may be destroying birds simply perfect in everj' 
 other respect that have not developed their full beauty; but I hold 
 with the old proverb, that " Avhat the eye never sees the heart never 
 grieves," and it is better to get them out of the way rather than 
 keep a bird that will ahvays be an eyesore at best, and that may 
 not turn out any good for the breeding pen after all, for the reasons 
 that I explained in the chapter on mating. Some chickens will be 
 found to have yellow, or, at any rate, willow legs, and as soon as 
 there is no doubt about the colour, get rid of them; although a 
 slightly tinted leg in a chick of a week or two old will occasionally 
 come out right later on. 
 
 I have frequently found that some of the larger aud quicker 
 growing chickens are liable, while putting on their adult featheiing, 
 to carry sometimes one wing and sometimes both in a very sKpshod 
 aud ungraceful manner. Instead of holding them well up and 
 showing only the secondaries, they allow the flight feathers to slip 
 down much below their correct position, sometimes almost touching 
 the ground. This appears to be due to some weakness — possibly 
 from in-breeding — and it is well when such occm's to treat the bkd 
 with iron in some fomi or other, giving it stimulating diet, plenty 
 of gi'een food, and a chance of using its wings. The iron I invari- 
 ably use is carbonate, which, being made up into pills with the 
 admixture of a little floui* and water, is always easy to administer. 
 In some bad cases it might be advisable to cut away the primary 
 feathers to ease the weight of the wing, but if the bii'd is in the adidt 
 plimiage it is rather a disfigurement. It is very rarely that with 
 proper treatment this annoyance cannot be got rid of, and though I 
 have had two or three cases of it recently, they all got over it with 
 maturity. 
 
 In recommending that as soon as the cockerels' combs commence 
 
SEPARATING THE SEXES. 53 
 
 springing it is advisable to separate the sexes, I am only following 
 a weU -beaten path ; and as size is of every importance in the 
 Andalusian, it is as well to give them every chance of growing 
 before developing their adnlt plumage. At the same time I must 
 confess to knowing cases where no separation is effected, and where 
 chicks quite up to the standard size of this variety have been 
 produced. 
 
54 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 PREPARING FOR EXHIBITION. 
 
 As the last stages of the mature feathering approach, the breeder 
 must give eveiy attention to those of his birds upon which his hopes 
 are based for a successful exhibition season. If the combs of the 
 pullets are noticed to redden before the birds have attained their 
 fixU growth, it Avould be as well to change them about from one pen 
 to another eveiy three or four days, and feed them upon such muscle 
 foiTiiing foods as will assist their gi'owth, avoiding as far as possible 
 giving too much fat fonners. If the fowls can roam over the fields 
 they Avill generally attain their full gro^vth with sufficient rapidity, 
 provided they are looked after at home in the manner that aU 
 fanciers' fowls should be, but, if confined, see that the lack of insect 
 food is made up by a daily supply of some of the many meat foods 
 that are advei-tised — Liverine or Orissel, for instance, either of which, 
 used judiciously, is of great sei-vice at this period of the chickens' 
 career. Being a quick groAving variety, it is of great impoi-tance 
 that, to get them into birds of a good size for the show pen, they 
 should never suffer from loss of a single meal. 
 
 From about eighteen weeks old until the time comes for mating 
 up for the breeding pen it is advisable to abstain from giving the 
 usual soft food evenj morning. One, or at most two, mornings per 
 week will be quite sufficient, unless the weather is more than usually 
 severe. In place of the meal give a variety of sound, wholesome 
 corn, and throw more work upon theii* gizzards than usual. By so 
 doing the birds can be got into harder plumage, and in better 
 condition for standing the wear and tear of show life, not to speak 
 of a better state of health to fit them for the cares of parentage, 
 which, if they are of much good, wiU in all probability be expected 
 of them. 
 
 In addition to this hardening treatment I adopt a plan which 
 may be can-ied out with advantage through the greater portion of 
 the year ; but in the show season in particular I have found it of 
 great value in bringing into and keeping my birds in condition. 
 As I have stated elsewhere, my nins are only small, and require 
 great care in keeping them sweet and clean. I therefore sow 
 grasses upon them in the early spring for the use of the young 
 chickens ; but although I carefully change the broods about from one 
 small run to another while the grass is young, and never let them 
 out upon it in wet weather, the crop is, in spite of every care to 
 preserve it, soon eaten off by the himgiy youngsters. When soiled 
 or nearly eaten off I make a second sowing, and a very thick one of 
 oats. About a fortnight after sowing I commence to dig up a few 
 
rREPARING FOR EXHIBITION. 55 
 
 spadefuls daily, when the grains are just shooting and sending out 
 spider-Hke rootlets. These the bii-ds devoui- with avidity with 
 great benefit to themselves; and, as the sprouting of the grain 
 must draw a certain amount of waste animal matter from the 
 ground, a double purpose is served by pm-ifying the ground as well. 
 As the sown patches are cleared of the gi-ain I have another ready 
 for digging up, and this frequent turning over and growth of the 
 gi-ain all tend to keep my runs sweeter than they would be if I let 
 the ground lie idle. I can strongly recommend this plan to all 
 who, hke myself, have to depend upon small runs of loose earth and 
 confinement ; but, at the same time, if the nms are exceptionally 
 small I should prefer a hard surface, with a loose layer of ashes or 
 gi'avel, which can be scraped off and replaced with clean material 
 as frequently as possible. 
 
 As Andalusian cockerels do not seem so liable as the pullets to 
 get into over-fat condition, they can hardly be over-fed ; but as soon 
 as the pullets have got into anything like their full growth, and 
 their combs are freshening, it wiU be necessary to use some judgment 
 as to the quantity of food to be allowed them. They should be kept 
 rather thin for preference, but, as stinting them before they attain 
 their full age would act as a harmfid check, the breeder has to act 
 with discretion. When fiu-nishing, also, many of the cockerels will 
 show a backwardness in the growth of their hackle feathers, a 
 peculiarity that seems inherent in some of the best strains of blues ; 
 and, as a fine, full, sweeping hackle is a great attraction in the 
 show pen, the anxiety with which its growth is Avatched wiU be 
 well understood. 
 
 To hasten the growth of the hackle a Kttle forcing may be 
 indulged in by confining them for a few weeks by themselves, or in 
 couples if they are good friends, in a cockerel box. 
 
 It must always be Ijorne in mind that forcing must only be 
 made use of -with considerable judgment. A bird with a tendency 
 to white face or unstable comb will stand no forcing at all, whereas 
 a full-blooded, niddy-cheeked youngster, with hard, firm comb, will 
 stand it with practically no danger if he is well up on his legs and 
 keeps up well to his feed. 
 
 There is this advantage in deahng with cockerels, that they wUl 
 stand two or three weeks of close confinement, when as many days 
 of simple restraint will sometimes upset the equilibrium of the 
 weaker sex. The principal danger of confining piillets is that there- 
 is, by so doing, a risk of their becoming loose in feather, and, sls 
 hardness of condition is a point of great importance, it will be 
 seen that every care must be used that forcing is not resorted to 
 needlessly. 
 
 I rarely put my bii'ds on much different diet while forcing, 
 although there is no doubt that a little bread soaked in hot milk 
 given fresh each morning will push them on considerably; but it 
 must not be left about to go sour. 
 
 Cockerel boxes are built on many different principles, the 
 
56 
 
 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 majority of them being faiJty in one or more important particulars. 
 One of the handiest, cheapest, and most effective I ever came across 
 was on the fields of a well-known Hamburgh breeder, and was 
 simply a strong packing case, with the top sloped to throw off the 
 wet, the bottom knocked away, and a long, narrow opening under 
 the eave. 
 
 In the annexed di'awing I give an idea of what I consider a 
 perfect cockerel box. It answers the principal requirements for 
 which such pens are wanted, in sheltering the occupant from the 
 effects of Sim, rain, and wind, and can be constructed for a very 
 moderate outlay. My oavb are home made, but any of the leading 
 
 Cockerel Box. 
 
 There is uo bottom to the box, and in the sketch the perch is shown too near tlie 
 door ; it should be about 20 in. therefrom. 
 
 makers of poxiltry appKances could turn them out to plan for about 
 los. each. As these boxes are made without bottoms it is advisable, 
 if there is a grass run obtainable, to place the box thereon, and by 
 dragging it on to a fresh piece of ground, for which a handle is 
 iiffixed to each side, there is little danger of the ground becoming 
 tainted. By having the front almost entirely boarded up, with the 
 exception of the 6 in. of wire netting at the top, we have a twofold 
 advantage — the inmate is protected from the weather, and he gets 
 into the habit of standing up straight. 
 
 Some kind of covered shed in which a number of preparation 
 pens can be rigged up Avill be found almost a necessity by the 
 
WASHING. 57 
 
 exhibitor, and, though such pens can be the same sort as are used 
 at exhibitions, it may be more convenient to erect them of a more 
 pei-manent kind of timber and wire netting. My own are of this 
 character, being built up in two tiers round three sides of the interior 
 of a brick building in which both gas and water are laid on. Such 
 pens are always of great use either for putting the birds in after 
 washing, for confining any that are out of sorts, or even for sitting 
 the hens in in the breeding season. 
 
 Some birds seem to be possessed of a remarkable power of 
 keeping themselves in so neat and cleanly a condition that little 
 trouble, if any, need be taken in getting them ready for show, 
 beyond the usual head and leg wash the night before sending off, 
 but with most of them a head wash every night for a week before 
 the show day will help them on very considerably. 
 
 Fortunately such washing as the Andalusian requires is not 
 much, simply the comb, face, lobe, and wattles, and the legs and 
 feet. The best way to tackle the bird for washing is to tie the legs 
 firmly with a piece of tape, and, sitting on a low stool, hold the bird 
 lying down on his side with his back towards you, with his legs 
 between your knees and his tail under youi- left elbow. With the 
 left arm he can then be held in a fairly steady grip, while both 
 hands are at liberty to manage the washing operation. 
 
 Have ready placed, within easy reach of the right hand, a 
 bucket containing clean cold water, a small piece of sponge, a 
 moderately stiff tooth-brush, a piece of common white soap, and a 
 clean soft linen cloth or towel. Holding the bird's head firmly 
 Avith the left hand, taking care not to press upon the windpipe, 
 apply the tooth-brush, wetted and well soaped, to the comb, and rub 
 pretty briskly on both sides. The bird at first application wiU 
 struggle a little, but provided you have got a good grip and do not 
 interfere with its breathing, it will soon leam to lie quiet enough 
 during the operation. After the comb, the face, and then the 
 wattles, must be well treated with the soap and brush, leaving the 
 lobe until afterwards. Do not be afraid to lay on well, as a little 
 brisk friction acts as a tonic upon the blood-vessels of the head, and 
 that alone, even without the wash, would have an improving effect. 
 The soap must then be removed by wiping over with the sponge, 
 and then the head carefully wiped diy with the towel. To clean 
 the lobe it is not advisable, unless it is found exceptionally dirty, 
 to use a brush, as the substance being of a somewhat delicate 
 texture, care has to be taken not to injure the kid-like surface. A 
 thorough sponging with soap and water wiU generally be found 
 sufficient to clean it, wiping it carefully diy afterwards with the 
 linen cloth, or, better stiU, with an old silk handkerchief. Should 
 the lobe be cursed with a fold, it may be improved somewhat if, 
 after each wash, it be carefully pulled out, doing this as frequently 
 as possible ; and should there be any red stains, creases, or dark lines 
 across it, it is as well (in the preliminary washes only), when 
 thoroughly cleaned, to rub it with a little vaseline, and then dust 
 
58 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 over with powdered zinc ; leaving it, of course, after the final wash, 
 in its natural state. 
 
 The head finished off, before untying the legs apply a dry tooth - 
 bmsh to the hackle, bi-ushing it out thoroughly, and clean away the 
 numerous little feather shields that cKng about it, particularly just 
 behind the head. 
 
 The legs may be then untied, and, holding the bird firmly by 
 the thighs, with the head under your left ai-m, dip the shanks up to 
 the knee in the bucket of water. A vigorous nibbing with the free 
 hand and the application of a little soap will soon get rid of the 
 dirt, and, after rubbing the legs nearh/ dry again, put a little 
 vaseline upon each, and nib this well into the scales, and then wipe 
 off and dry thoroughly. 
 
 It is always as well after the evening wash to keep the birds in 
 an indoor pen all night, and tmTi the cockerels into their pens next 
 morning and the pullets into the open nm. If the nights are more 
 than usually cold, and freezing hard, it may be better to wash less 
 frequently, unless the room you can leave them in for the night is 
 kept moderately warm; as I x'emember an occasion on which I 
 washed a bird the night before a show, and when after a freezing 
 night I went to pack her up, I found her down with cramp and had 
 to send off a substitute. It happened some years ago, but it gave 
 me a practical lesson that I have not forgotten yet. 
 
 Confinement in the cockerel box will have a bleaching effect upon 
 the lobes, and will force the comb of the cockerel all that may at any 
 time be required, but it must not be forgotten that too close a con- 
 finement is veiy liable to cause the thinner combs to lop ; at the 
 same time I may mention that the combs in the male sex are very 
 often found to spring too soon, and such precocious youngsters 
 rarely fill out and make the giant specimens that some of their more 
 backward brothers will. Confinement -will also have a forcing effect 
 upon the pullets, but to avoid confining the pullets too much the 
 comb may be sufficiently forced by manipulating it between the 
 finger and thumb. It is astonisliing the effect that can be got out 
 of a slow growing comb by two or three days' care and manage- 
 ment, but when there is plenty of time there is no ultimate 
 advantage to be gained by hmT}dng Natm-e on too fast. 
 
 Many birds, through a want of vigour, are liable when confined 
 in the cockerel box to become very pale in the comb and face. When 
 such occurs they must at once be tiu-ned out into their ordinary I'un, 
 and with a little flesh meat added to their food, and a suitable tonic 
 given to them, may be soon got into condition again. In aggravated 
 cases, Mr Cobb has recommended that a daily dose (in their drinking 
 water) of from five to tens drops of colchicum wine will have a 
 beneficial eft'ect. I cannot speak as to the result from experience, 
 but as the action of the dnig is to increase the pulsation of the 
 heart, it may serve a useful pm'pose, provided it be not persevered 
 in too long. 
 
 When the comb of the cockerel goes over, it can, if taken in 
 
EXHIBITING. 5i> 
 
 hand at once, be in many cases brought upright again by daily 
 manipulating it in the contrary direction to the fall, and I have had 
 much more success by so doing than by bothering with the objec- 
 tionable comb guards that are recommended for the pui-pose of 
 supporting a " wobbler." To keei^ the comb upright, and the face 
 soimd, there is nothing like letting the bird stand a certain amount 
 of exposure, and not letting it roost in too warm a house ; but as 
 exposure will sometimes niin the lobe and discoloiu- the plumage, 
 therein lies one of the chief reasons why the personal care of the 
 owner is important. 
 
 The frequent washing to which a bird gets subject will in itself 
 usually tame a bird considerably, but as many youngsters are liable 
 to get frightened and fly about in their pen when at the show, it is 
 veiy necessary that they should undergo a certain amount of pen 
 training. To do this it is only needful to confine them in a show 
 pen or its substitute for an horn' or two a day for two or three days 
 before the show takes place, and Avhile penned up stir them about 
 gently mth a stick blimted at the end. After their first show no 
 further training will be required, but on no account overlook this 
 vexy necessaiy treatment Avith novices, as no judge can be expected 
 to look with favour upon a bird, be it ever so fuU of quality, if it is 
 too wild in the pen to give him a chance to see it fairly. 
 
 Before despatching the birds to their destination, see that they 
 have a good feed of soimd corn, wheat, or barley, and that clean 
 water is -within their reach to give them an opportunity of 
 quenching their thii'st. After their feed it is sometimes as well (if 
 the birds are despatched on the morning of the show, not otherwise) 
 to rub the comb, face, and Avattle with a mixture of olive oil and 
 vinegar, well shaken up together, applied with a sponge, but do not 
 leave the surface too wet. Many exhibitors who attend with their 
 bii'ds personally at the shows give the heads of their birds a rub 
 over just previous to judging, a practice which, though perfectly 
 honest, is one that I question if it ought to be allowed, as it gives 
 certain dealer exhibitors a preference over many who are strictly 
 amateurs, and who have not the opportunity of nmning aU over the 
 country with their birds. 
 
 Another advantage that such personal attendance reaps is that 
 many summer shows are still held in which the poultiy pens are 
 staged out in the open, and the occupant exposed to all weathers. 
 The owners who travel about with their birds, when they find them 
 staged in this way, can arrange to put some slight covering over 
 their own pens, and thus on a wet day their exhibits look in better 
 condition than such forsaken specimens of hendom as have no 
 owner present and that have to take their chance of the 
 weather. 
 
 It is usually recommended, when classes are given for birds in 
 pairs — cockerel and puUet — to let the two be penned up together for 
 a day or two before the show, to get used to each other ; but as I 
 have had personal experience of the fiightful and almost iiTepai-able 
 
60 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 damage that a vigorous young cockerel cau do to his pen mate in 
 that day or two, my advice is, do not enter at such shows. 
 
 In selecting the bird you intend to exhibit a much greater measure 
 of success ^vill result when you get to know the peculiar fancy of 
 the different judges. While giving all these gentlemen every credit 
 for honesty of purpose and for ability enough to do justice to the 
 breed, it is a well-knoAvn fact that a bird that -wall Avin frequently 
 under one judge may never even get a card imder another. Some 
 men seem to allot more value to good head points, some to ground 
 colour and lacing, some to hackle, some to size and shape, and, in 
 fact, though many may judge upon very similar lines, I believe all 
 differ in a slight degree in theii- valuation of the different points. 
 Thus it is by the experience which only frequent exhibiting can 
 bring the fancier ^\\\\. in time know what type of bird to send under 
 each judge, and there is no royal road to the knowledge of this. 
 Each has got to find it out for himself, experience bringing the 
 wisdom. 
 
 Above all things, however, do not be too hard upon your own 
 stock. A faultless bird is about non est, so that if your own has 
 one or two faults that trouble you, you may be equally certain that 
 Avhatever it is destined to be shown against is just as likely to be 
 faulty also, and it may be that your own bird may look the more 
 glaringly fatJty from the fact that you have had it before you for 
 months, Avhereas the judge may not have as many minutes in which 
 to examine it, and what to you may be patent may to him be totally 
 invisible. 
 
61 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 I HAVE often wondered wlierein lies the subtle fascination that 
 influences the true fancier, and helps him bear up against the con- 
 stant disappointments that so surely beset his path. It cannot be 
 altogether the hope of bearing off the blue ribbon of the exhibition 
 world, or even the winning of the first prize at any of the numerous 
 shows that are now held. It is certainly satisfactory to think that 
 such success may occasionally croAvn our efforts, but this is simply 
 the sordid goal that animates the competitive instincts of the big 
 exhibiting dealers — fanciers falsely so called. In breeding black 
 Hamburghs I have known no more exquisite feeling of pleasure 
 than in seeing the txiie beetle green creeping from beneath the 
 dusky-hued feathers of the earlier chicken existence, and in the 
 hopes and fears that the gi'owing green would be of the true 
 glorious lustre, or ruined by the fatal mazarine, lay the real 
 allurement of the fancier. 
 
 Those who are breeders of the blue wiU well understand my 
 meaning. As the chickens reach the older stage, and the mature 
 feathers begin to peep out from beneath the smoky covering with 
 which they are adorned in chickenhood, know you not that peculiar 
 feeling of intense delight, not unmixed with anxiety, that animates 
 you as each moming you glance around the flock to note the hoped- 
 for improvement or confirm the di*eaded disappointment ? 
 
 Such happy influences as these may be enjoyed by breeders of 
 many other varieties, but, with one or two exceptions, I think to a 
 less extent. Wliere colour is only a secondary consideration, and head 
 points of primary importance, the alteration is of such slow gro^vtll 
 that the mind is not kept in that pleasural)le condition of being on 
 the tenterhooks of hope, and there are certain coloured varieties the 
 evolution of whose clothing is of so certain and sedate a growth that 
 they almost forbid undue excitement ; but the blue is of that peculiar 
 nature that one hardly knows what a day may bring forth, and 
 therein lies the pleasiu-e. 
 
 I am beginning to think that the fancier, like the poet, is born, 
 and not made. A successful exhibitor may late in life enter the 
 arena, and his career as such may be a lengthy one, and perhaps 
 end only with Hfe, but I am imder the impression that he just lacks 
 the one touch of Nature that makes the whole fancier world akin. 
 
 In di-a.wing these articles to a close, I feel that some kind of 
 apology may be necessaiy for certain apparent omissions that it may 
 be considered I have made. 
 
 It will be noticed that I have refrained from going very deeply 
 
€2 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 into, aud, in fact, have barely touched upon, such questions as 
 housing, feeding, rearing, diseases, etc. ; but I beg iudiJgence, as 
 I am of opinion that such questions would be rather out of place 
 in a monograph upon any one of the fancy varieties of poultry. 
 
 What I have written can hardly claim to be of interest to any 
 but the fancier properly so called. To those who keep the 
 Andalusian simply for its economical properties, although I hold 
 that it is a variety that to such is calculated to give every satisfac- 
 tion, I do not suppose that any description of its points of perfection 
 and the means by which such may be produced Avill be of veiy 
 profoimd interest. 
 
 Such side issues as commencing a strain, preparation for exhibi- 
 tion, etc., although what is here wi'itten may be applied to almost 
 every variety, they are so distinct from anything that may strictly 
 relate to utility breeding that I think no apology is necessary for 
 their being introduced and dwelt upon in a rather lengthy manner 
 in proportion to the space at my disposal. This being so, I may be 
 pardoned if I suggest that those readers who are wishful for reliable 
 infonnation upon those questions that I have purposely omitted, 
 should refer to any of the numerous works that have been published 
 upon those branches of the subject more particularly. 
 
 I am not aware that in any one of these matters the Andalusian 
 requires any different treatment than does the veriest mongrel, to 
 bring to the perfection of health aud profit production, and as treat- 
 ment iipon all such points is more a case of individual fancy than 
 an}i;hing else, I thus beg to clear myself from any risk of being 
 ranked as a faddist. 
 
 To the searching criticism of the experienced fancier I, therefore, 
 tender those pages, and trust that whatever their faults, they may 
 be of some use, if not to my critics, at anp*ate to the amateur Avho 
 is desirous of entering the ranks of the exliibitors ; and if what is 
 here set down wiil help him to obtain a successful position, and to 
 maintain that position when obtained, I think the work will not 
 have been published in vain. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 "Silver Dun" has suggested that the following "Ideal 
 Standards," by well-known Andalusian breeders, which I have 
 collected, and am proud to possess, should be published in 
 conjunction with his series of articles "which appeared in The 
 Feathered World. I have much pleasure therefore in lending this 
 valuable collection of opinions for that purpose, as I consider it 
 would be a pity to keep from the public what must be of as great 
 interest to them as to myself. 
 
 I b;lieve I have asked the consent of each of the gentlemen and 
 ladies who so kindly contributed to allow the publication of iheir 
 individual articles, but should I have omitted to do so in any 
 particular instance, I trust it will not be considered a breach of 
 confidence. T. Egerton Jones. 
 
 The Standard, etc., of the Andalusian Club. 
 
 Colour of Cock, axd Hex. — Beak. — Dark horn colour. Eye. — Bright 
 orauge or red. Comb, Wattles, and Face. — Brilliant red. Deaf ears. — 
 l^ure opaque white. Legs. — Dark leaden blue. Breast. — A deep blue. 
 Fhimacje. — A deep slate blue, with a lacing of darker colour, or even black, 
 on each feather is preferable ; and, in cock, hackle, saddle, and sickle should 
 be black or deep piurple, with a rich gloss. 
 
 General Characteristics. — Cock : Head. — General appearance, large 
 and deep. Beak. — Rather long, but not thin. Comb. — Medium and siagle, 
 perfectly straight and upright, and deeply serrated. Wattles. — Very long, 
 line, thin in textui-e. Face. — Fine in quaKty, bare of feathers, and free 
 from white. Deaf ears. — Medium, smooth, flat, fitting close to head, and 
 free from wrinkles. Neck. — Long, carried well back, with flowing hackle. 
 Body.— Lienetal appearance light, active, broad at shoulders, tapering to 
 the tail. Back. — -Rather round, and slanting to tail. Wings. — Long, but 
 carried tightly to the body, the long back feathers coming well over the 
 points. Breast. — Rounded, and carried well forward. Legs and Feet. — 
 Rather loug, free from feathers, and toes thin. Tail. — Sickles arched, and 
 carried well up, but not squirrel fashion. Size. — Large. Carriage. — Very 
 upright and strutting. 
 
 Hen. — General characteristics resembling cock, with the usual sexual 
 differences, except that the comb falls over to one side. 
 
 Disqualifications. — Face not red ; Dorking combed ; five toed on either 
 foot ; legs other colour thau blue ; red, yellow, or white feathers anywhere. 
 
64 
 
 THE BLTJE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 Value oi' Defects ix 
 
 Judging Axdalusiaxs. 
 
 
 Bad shaped comb ... 10 
 
 Faults in colour 
 
 ... 20 
 
 Ear lobe folded or wrinkled ... 5 
 
 Want of size 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Stain of red on lobe 5 
 
 Want of symmetry 
 
 ... 15 
 
 Want of hackle S 
 
 Want of condition 
 
 ... 12 
 
 Squirrel tail 15 
 
 
 
 100 
 
 The number of points to be deducted for each defect must be left to the 
 discretion of the judge. 
 
 By Mr L. C. VERREY. 
 Deductions. 
 General characteristics on the same lines as the Standard of the Club, 
 but does not mention black hackles for the cock. Speaks strongly in 
 support of the importance of size. 
 
 Cock. 
 
 Comb too largo or too small ... 6 
 Comb badly shaped, thumb 
 
 marked or side sprigged ... 6 
 
 Ear lobe folded or wrinkled ... 6 
 
 Red stains on lobe ... ... 6 
 
 White spots or specks in face ... 15 
 
 Want of hackle 6 
 
 Red, brown, or gold feathers in 
 
 hackle 10 
 
 Want of or uneven markings in 
 
 breast ... ... ... 10 
 
 Want of condition ... ... 10 
 
 Want of symmetry ... ... 10 
 
 Want of size ... ... ... 15 
 
 Hen. 
 
 Comb too small ... ... <> 
 
 Comb side sprigged ... ... (5 
 
 Comb double folded ... ... (> 
 
 Ear lobe wrinkled or iDuckcred 6 
 
 Ear lobe, red stains on ... 6 
 
 Irregular markings on breast ... 15 
 
 White spots or specks in face... 15 
 
 Want of condition ... ... 10 
 
 Want of symmetry ... ... 15 
 
 Want of size ... ... ... 15 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
 Cock. — DisqualiJicatio)is: Ear lobes quite red; yellow, red, or white 
 feathers anywhere ; legs any other colour than blue, Hen. — Disqualifica- 
 tions : Comb erect ; ear lobes quite red ; yellow, red, or white feathers 
 anywhere ; legs any other colour than blue. 
 
 By Rev. IJ. T. THORNTON. 
 
 Head. — Comb rather above medium size, following the curve of the 
 neck, but leaving a space between. If it rises from the base I consider it a 
 very bad fault. It should have five or six deep serrations, be free from 
 " sprigs," erect and straight in cocks, falling in a graceful curve in hens. 
 Eyes a brownish red. Face a brilliant red. Lobes pure white, as smooth 
 and flat as possible, not too narrow, but the top broader than the base ; 
 they should be filbert rather than almond shaped. Wattles long. 
 
 !Shape and Style. — Not quite so heavy in build as the Minorca, and quite 
 free from "dumpiness." Thighs moderately long. Hackles as full as 
 possible, so as to present an unbroken curve from the base of the comb to 
 the base of the tail. Tail carried rather back, especially in pullets, in which 
 it should be tapering rather than fan shaped. Size should be aimed at, but 
 not at the expense of type. 
 
STANDARDS. 
 
 65 
 
 Colour. — The top colour of cocks should be a brilliant glossy black ; the 
 ground colour very even and of medium blue (washiness or sootiuess to be 
 avoided') ; breast lacing sharp and narrow, extending on to thighs and fluff, 
 and, if possible, clear up to the throat. The sickles should be very long and 
 dark, the rest of the tail of the same colour as the general ground colour. 
 Colour of hen similar to cock, but well laced all over, even to tips of tail 
 and wing feathers. Hackle laced in hens, but not in cocks. Legs blue or 
 black, the former preferable. 
 
 Serious Defects.— White in face of cockerels or pullets ; red lobes ; grey 
 hackle in cocks. 
 
 Disqualifications. — Dorking comb or feet ; rusty hackle and saddle ; 
 squirrel tail ; white in taU ; an erect comb in hen. 
 
 It will be noticed that I have not drawn out a scale of points, believing 
 that most systems in practical working must be unsatisfactory. Roughly 
 speaking, I would say : — Head, 35 ; condition, 15 ; shape and style, 15 ; 
 colour and density of plumage, 15 ; lacing, 20 ; total, 100. 
 
 By Mr ROBERT LITTLE, Junior. 
 
 Head. — General appearance large and deep, with stout beak rather long, 
 dark horn colour. Eye. — Brownish red, with plenty of fire in it. Face. — 
 Brilliant red, free from white, iofees.— Almond shaped, medium size, pure 
 white with plenty of substance, smooth and free from wrinkles. Comb. — 
 Rather above medium size, five or six spikes, evenly serrated, following the 
 curve of the neck, but not to touch the neck, straight, with plenty of 
 substance at base, free from side sprigs (meaty or thumb-marked combs to 
 be avoided). A comb that rises from base is, in my opinion, a great fault. 
 Wattles. — Long, thin, and without folds. Neck. — Long, carried well back, 
 with long flowing hackle. Shape. — General appearance active, broad at 
 shoulders, tapering to the tail. Size. — Very important, the larger the 
 better. J5oc/c.— Rather round, wings can-ied tightly up. Leg and Thighs. — 
 Long. Thighs roimd. Colour of legs and toes dark leaden or black, toes 
 long and moderately thin. Tail— Sickles and secondary or small sickles, 
 black ; this is important, as the sickles should match the hackle and back ; 
 secondary tail feathers blue, to match the cock's breast. Colour. — Hackle, 
 back, and sickles of a velvety shining black. Breast. — Blue, the medium 
 shade ; well and distinctly laced with black ; the ground colour of the cock's 
 breast should be, in my opinion, the same medium blue that is so much 
 desired in the hens, and not the light-breasted birds admired by some. If 
 we had the cock's breast to harmonise with the medium colour of the hen, 
 the great difficulty of breeding true to colour would, I think, then be nearly 
 overcome. Carriage. — Very upright and strutting. 
 
 Hen. — ffead. — Large and deep. Comb. — Falling gracefully over, 
 medium size, weU serrated. Hackle. — Dark or black is preferable. Legs. — 
 Dark leaden or black. Shape. — Smart, erect, and stylish, tail not carried 
 too liigh, close and compact, not fan tailed. Size. — The larger the better. 
 
 Serious Defects. — White in face in cockerels or pullets. Red lobes. 
 Grey ticked hackles. Black and white wing bows in cocks. Blue sickles. 
 Black secondaries. 
 
 Disqualifications. — Dorking comb or feet. Rusty hackle and saddle, 
 wry or squirrel tail, white in tail. Crooked legs or feet. An erect comb 
 in hens. 
 
 I have not drawn out a scale of points, as it is, in my opinion, of little 
 use when not used for judging. To sum up, I would say : — Head, 30 ; 
 condition, 15 ; distinct ground colour and density of hackles, 15 ; lacing, 
 15 ; shape, 10 ; size, 15 — 100 points to the bird. 
 E 
 
66 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 By Mr THOMAS LAMBERT. 
 
 I have penned what I consider the nearest approach to the ideal 
 Andalusian which, in practice, has always been my aim to reach. The value 
 of deductions, from a breeder's standpoint, is put down in the aggregate, as, 
 in my opinion, it rests with the discretion of the judge what number of 
 points may or should be deducted under each heading. 
 
 The Standard says for ground colour " deep slate blue." I think this 
 hardly meets the views of Andalusian breeders generally, therefore it will be 
 noted I have allowed in the foregoing a little latitude for colour ; at the 
 present stage, I think it would be better not to draw a hard and fast line 
 upon this point. 
 
 Symmetry and Size of Cock. — Length of leg and neck in harmony with 
 the size of body, which should be as large as possible, thus giving a light 
 and alert appearance. 
 
 Shape. — Breast full and round, back long, wide at the shoulders, and 
 tapering slightly downwards to the tail. 
 
 Top Colour. — The neck hackle, back and saddle hackle, an unbroken 
 lustrous black, covering well the shoulders and wing bow. 
 
 Ground Colour and Lacing. — Even and clear, with an uniform shade 
 from throat to fluff, which may vary from light to dark bright blue. 
 Showing distinctly a sharp, well defined lacing of black around the edge of 
 each feather to the thighs if possible. 
 
 Tail. — To match the breast in colour ; well furnished with somewhat 
 darker coloured sickles, or even black, the top sickle carried well over the 
 points of tail feathers. 
 
 Wing. — Wing bar and flights to match in colour with breast and tail. 
 
 Head.— Comb firm and straight, medium in size, with five or six deep 
 serrations, following in a graceful curve the line of the head and neck, but 
 not too low, being quite clear from the hackle. 
 
 Face. — Coral red, free from feathers, or white in any degree. 
 
 Ear Lobe. — Pure white, medium size, pendulous in shape, of good sub- 
 stance, smooth in texture, and free from folds or tucks, and fitting close up 
 to face. 
 
 Wattles. — Long, and fine in texture. 
 
 Legs. — Deep slate, Light blue or black admissible. 
 
 Hen : — Size. — Large as possible, consistent with a graceful carriage. 
 
 Ground Colour and Lacing. — As in cock, except that the hackle 
 feathers extending over the shoulders should, if possible, be broadly laced or 
 black, evenness of colour and lacing to be the cardinal point. 
 
 Head. — Rather large in comb, well serrated, falling on one side, as in 
 Minorcas. 
 
 Deductions. 
 
 Cock. 
 
 
 Hen. 
 
 
 Want of symmetry . . . 
 
 10 
 
 Want of size 
 
 10 
 
 Want of size 
 
 10 
 
 Uneven in colour 
 
 15 
 
 Defective colour 
 
 20 
 
 Defective lacing 
 
 15 
 
 Absence of lacing . . . 
 
 10 
 
 Sooty breast 
 
 10 
 
 Faults in comb 
 
 10 
 
 Badly formed comb 
 
 10 
 
 Stained ear lobes . . . 
 
 5 
 
 Ear lobe folded 
 
 5 
 
 Folded or tucked lobes 
 
 5 
 
 Ear lobe stained 
 
 5 
 
 Want of hackles 
 
 10 
 
 Face not red, or white spots 
 
 15 
 
 Out of condition 
 
 10 
 
 Out of condition 
 
 10 
 
 Legs pink or flesh colour 
 
 5 
 
 Legs other than blue, slate, or 
 
 
 Toes not straight . . . 
 
 5 
 
 black 
 
 5 
 
 100 
 
 100 
 
STAND AEDS. 67 
 
 Cock : — Serious Defects. — Sprig or falling comb, rusty hackles, red or 
 white feathers, white face, red lobes, squirrel tailed, in-kneed, or any 
 deformity. Disqualifications.— Trimmed combs, stained legs, plucked or 
 dyed feathers, or other fraudulent tampering. Hen : — Serious Defects. — 
 White, red, or black feathers anywhere (except neck) ; comb erect ; high 
 tail ; plumage any other colour but blue or dark blue. Disqualifications. — 
 Any deformity, dyed legs, plucked feathers, or other fraudulent tampering. 
 
 By Mr EDWIN MERRALL. 
 
 The following remarks are intended to jDoint out, in my opinion, the 
 points I have found most difficult to obtain, and which are not esteemed of 
 sufficient value in the judging lately seen ; and first in order I should put 
 size and shape, so as to keep the breed what it is, and not reduced to 
 Hamburghs. 
 
 Cockerel. — Si'^e and shape. — Long in leg and thigh, large breast, full 
 and roimd, and long graceful neck. Colour. — Neck and top glossy black, 
 breast and thighs light sUver blue, with distinct black lacings, the wing 
 feathers with only darker ground colour ; tail, the top sickles black, remainder 
 shading down to light blue, to be well furnished, and not carried high. 
 Face, etc. — Face to be bright cherry red, ear lobes pure white, smooth 
 and full, comb medium size, firm, and to slightly follow the curve of the 
 head. 
 
 Pullet.— /Si^e and shape. — Long in leg and thigh, body large, long 
 neck and erect head, tail carried low, and not fan shaped. Colour. — 
 Commencing jet black at top of neck, and gradually tapering down to 
 light sUver blue, even ground colovir, and laced with a black edging 
 distinct and evenly over breast, body, wings, tail, and back. Comb. — 
 Medium size, gracefully falling on one side, but not so as to blind the bu-d 
 on that side, and, above all, avoid great ugly combs one sees so often now. 
 Ear lobes large, white and smooth, with a pure red face. 
 
 By Mr H. ABBOT. 
 
 The following are what I consider the chief points which an ideal Blue 
 Andalusian -should possess : — 
 
 Cock.— CoZour. — Neck and top colour rich glossy black or deep purple, 
 with not the slightest tinge of brown or rust ; breast and thighs light blue 
 or slate colour, each feather being distinctly laced with black; the wing 
 ends or flights should be same colour as breast. Sickle feathers in tail a 
 dark blue or nearly black to correspond with top colour, other feathers 
 in tail to correspond as near as possible with breast colour. Size and 
 shape. — Larger in size the better, long in shanks and thighs, and standing 
 well up on same, deep and well rounded breast, tail to be full and carried 
 well up, but must not be squirrel tailed. Head should be large and deep, 
 with a medium sized single comb, with fom- to six serrations, and free 
 from side sprigs. Beak black or very dark horn colour. Eyes reddish 
 brown. Wattles long and pendulant. Face red and free from white spots. 
 Lobes perfectly white, correct almond shape, medium size, free from 
 wrinkles or folds. Legs should be black, or very dark slate colour. 
 
 Hen.— Should be large, and well shaped, same colour all through as 
 breast of cock, except that the neck hackle should be nearly black, comb of 
 medium size, falling over to either side, so as not to interfere with the 
 sight. 
 
THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 
 Dedvctions. 
 
 
 Cod. 
 
 
 Hen. 
 
 
 Short of size 
 
 ... 15 
 
 Short of size 
 
 ... 15 
 
 Bad colour aud laciug . . . 
 
 ... 20 
 
 Bad colour aud lacing . . . 
 
 ... 20 
 
 Bad shape 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Bad shape 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Lobes folded or stained 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Lobes folded or stained 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Bad comb 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Bad comb 
 
 ... 10 
 
 "S^liite in face 
 
 ... 15 
 
 White in face 
 
 ... 15 
 
 Squirrel tailed 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Squirrel tailed 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Want of symmetry 
 
 ... 10 
 
 Want of symmetry 
 
 ... 10 
 
 
 100 
 
 
 100 
 
 By Mu F. PORTEK. 
 
 Cockerel. — Good average size. Comb very upright and evenly serrated, 
 free from sprigs on side. Comb, face, and wattles brilliant red. Deaf 
 ears, pure wliite, free from wrmkles. Hackle and saddle dark purple or 
 black. Breast clear blue ground colour, each feather edged with deeper 
 colour. Clear blue legs. 
 
 Pullet. — Clear blue ground, well laced and uniform, pure white lobes, 
 red face. Comb lying nicely over. Clear blue legs. Ground colour to be 
 good medium blue. 
 
 Mr D. BUTTERFIELD 
 
 Writes as follows : — With regard to Andalusians, there are so many different 
 opinions that it would take a long time to impress all blue fanciers with the 
 true ideal, so long as they are successful at the shows, and the so-called 
 " Blue Judges " are allowed to follow their own inclinations ; and it is time 
 tn;e fanciers used their influence to save this noble breed, and stamj)ed out 
 the Minorca style. I do not object to dark, heavily-laced birds, providing 
 the ground colour is not of that " sooty " .shade. My ideal is, the cock 
 should be large in size, well laced breast, clear ground colour, must have a 
 clear red face, dense black hackle and saddle ; tail either light or dark 
 coloiu-ed ; comb fii-m, and evenly serrated ; lobes white, and fail- sized, 
 fitting close to face, free from wrinkles, folds, or stains. 
 
 Hen. — Should be large, and well laced all over on a clear ground colour ; 
 legs of a blue shade, standing well up after the same type ; comb large in 
 proportion to the bird, and to fall over on one side, free from twists in 
 front ; lobes white, large, and fitting close to face, free from specks. 
 
 Bv THE LATE Captain EGERTON JONES. 
 
 Cock. — Size and shape. — As large as possible consistent with symmetry, 
 with long shanks and tliighs ; breast, full and round ; back wide, with 
 rounded shoulders, tapering to tail, which should be rather depressed and 
 not fan shaped. Colour. — Hackles, dense lustrous black, resting well 
 down on shoulders, so that when standing erect the whole back appears one 
 unbroken surface of black colour. Breast, clear light silver blue, each 
 feather edged with sharp (not too narrow) black lacings reacliing to thighs 
 and fluff. Tail same colour as breast, with sickles darker, or even black, 
 top sickle feather lower than top tail feather ; wing same shade as breast, 
 with each feather laced with black. Legs. — Dark slate colour. Head, 
 
STANDARDS. 69 
 
 Comb, Face, Lobes, etc. — Head moderate size, comb slightly foUowing ciirve 
 of neck, straight, firm, broad at base, with from four to six serrations deeply 
 cut, no side sprigs nor thumb marks ; lobes fair size, pure white, smooth, 
 rather round than almond shape ; eyes reddish brown (not orange colour) ; 
 face brilliant red, free from white ; wattles long, without folds. 
 
 Hen. — ISize atul shape. — Large as possible, with rounded breast. Tail 
 carried rather low, and sKghtly compressed. Colour and lacings. — Same as 
 breast of cock— viz., light silver blue, with perfectly black lacings (not too 
 fine), all over to end of tail if possible, with exception of glossy black hackle 
 at top, ending in laced feathers on shoulder. Head imiiits. — Head fair size, 
 with rather hu-ge comb rising straight from bill, and faUing over one side, 
 with deeply cut serrations. Face, lobes, and legs.— Same as cock. 
 
 Defects. — ^^^lite in face, red lobes. High tail, white feathers.* Grey 
 hackle in cock or comb over, or erect comb in hen, or sooty ground colour 
 in either. 
 
 DiSQUALiFicATioxs. — Red feathers, rusty hackle or saddle, more than four 
 toes to each foot, feathers on legs, etc. 
 
 With regard to scale of points I have omitted to define in detail, but 
 differ greatly from the present standard, I would, roughly speaking, say 
 Colour and lacings ... ... ... ... ... 50 
 
 Shape and size 15 
 
 General carnage, etc. ... ... ... ... 10 
 
 Defective head points, hackle, condition, etc. ... 25 
 
 100 
 General Rejiakks. — In making the foregoing remarks I have 
 endeavoured to convey my ideas of what we should aim at in carrying 
 to further perfection the " Audalusiau of the future," wliich, although 
 it has of late greatly improved ui many respects, still lacks the general 
 shape and carriage. I incLuie rather to the " Spanish " than to 
 the " Minorca " type, and also especially the clear light silver 
 blue groimd coloiu", with perfectly black lacings, and which I hope 
 to see the accepted standard. Such specimens have already been produced, 
 and by careful selection, and proper skill in mating, these points can gradually 
 be permanently secured, as surely as the steady perseverance of Sir John 
 Sebright produced the Bantam of his ideal fancy. 
 
 By Mu FRANCIS W. BAKER. 
 
 Judging the Andalusian from my own ideal, I should first of aU look for 
 silver blue groimd colour, as Light a blue as possible, and deep blue or black 
 sharply-defined lacing, and this under a deep rich black hackle and saddle in 
 the cock, and laced hackle in the hen. Legs blue, not black. 
 
 Nest in order, I should demand size and shape. Long on the leg, with 
 massive and prominent thighs, prominent breast, head carried weU back, 
 tail carried rather low and compactly. Plenty of bulk and weight, and yet 
 alert in carriage. 
 
 And, lastly, I should place the head points of the breed. 
 
 Comb not too large, with few rather than too many spikes, straight up in 
 front, free from twist or thumb mark, and not too low behind. 
 
 *I think it is worth noting that I have in my possession a letter written by the late 
 Captain Egerton Jones, in which he states that he is quite at one with me in my contention 
 that it would be a \ery unwise proceeding- to disqualify for an occasional white feather 
 (except in tail), as such would simply result iu the encouragement of plucking.— "Silvbr 
 
 DUK." 
 
70 THE BLUE ANDALUSIAN. 
 
 Face sound red, a spot or two of white a blemish, but not a disqualifi- 
 cation. 
 
 Lobes rather long and narrow, thin and smooth, pure opaque white. 
 
 Deductions. 
 
 Points. 
 Faults in lacing ... ... 30 
 
 „ shape, style, condition 10 
 Want of size ... ... ... 15 
 
 Eoughly — 
 
 Points, 
 
 Faults in comb 10 
 
 „ face... ... ... 12 
 
 „ lobe 3 
 
 groundcolour ... 20 
 
 Total 100 
 
 As for disqualifications I agree in the main with the Club, with the 
 exception of white in face. This I should look upon as a serious and not a 
 fatal defect. My reasons for this are that colour being in my estimation the 
 most important point, I should prefer that any weakness here must be 
 treated with greater severity than faults anywhere else, and that until colour 
 is more firmly established it will be necessary to treat a faulty face with 
 greater leniency. 
 
 By Rev. J. H. B. WOLLOCOMBE. 
 
 I give briefly my feeling on the following points : — 
 
 Cock.— Comb. — Moderate size, which will never go over, and not too near 
 the neck. Hackle, Back, and Saddle. — Rich mantle of purplish black, 
 green tinge in saddle feathers to be avoided. Sickles. — Dark or black. 
 G-round Colour of Body, Wings, and Tail. — Clear blue throughout, light, 
 but not pale. Lacing. — Bold, round, well defined, and preferably on every 
 blue feather. Size and shape. — Large and tall, but not overgrown looking 
 and clumsy. The bird should have a light, active appearance. Legs. — 
 Blue, not black or too dark, especially in light- coloured birds. 
 
 jjen. — Clear blue, well laced all over, up to the small black feathers of 
 the neck ; good size, but active ; high carriage, low taU, comb neat rather 
 than large, general appearance smart and stylish. 
 
 Sekious Defects and Disqualifications. — Under the latter head I should 
 put only those faults that are bound to disqualify, placing other faults under 
 the head of " serious defects." These would practically disqualify in keen 
 competition, but would allow a good bird wliich had one of them slightly to 
 win in a less good class, without (as is now the case) going contrary to the 
 standard, and confusing beginners. 
 
 By Mrs BLACKET GILL. 
 
 Cock. — Size and shape. — As large as possible, long in leg, the breast well 
 carried forward, the tail up, but not squirrel shaped, and the primary feathers 
 compressed. Head. — Comb a moderate size, quite erect, with five or six 
 serrations equally divided ; face cherry red, with not a sign of white round 
 the eye ; the lobe pure white, smooth and almond shaped ; the wattles long. 
 Colour.— Hackle and saddle jet black from back of head to base of taU; 
 breast, wings, thighs, and fluff to be greyish blue, with broad lacing of 
 black ; the feathers on breast to be pointed rather than round. Ticked or 
 spangled feathers a serious defect ; legs, lead colour. 
 
 Hen. — Size and shape. — As large as possible, tail carried rather low, and 
 tapering (not fan shaped). Head.— Comb large, the serrations long, free 
 from sprigs, and falling over on one side. Colour. — Greyish blue, laced all 
 
STANDARDS. 71 
 
 over, including wings and tail ; the lacing pointed if possible. Face, Lobes, 
 and Legs. — To be the same as cock. 
 
 Remarks.— Having given my opinion of what an ideal Andalusian should 
 be, I will only add that I think there is some danger of show specimens 
 becoming too dark. Doubtless dark birds must be used in the breeding pen, 
 but I think they should not be exhibited. I would also like to draw atteu-' 
 tion to the importance of selecting the stock cock or cockerel with very 
 distinct lacing on the back, under the hackle and saddle as well as on the 
 breast, as there is little doubt that this will tend to produce pullets with 
 well defined lacing, this latter point being, in my opinion, the first to be con- 
 sidered in the ideal Andalusian. 
 
 By Mr THOMAS SAUNDERS. 
 
 Cock. — Shape. — To resemble the Spanish as much as possible. Comb. 
 
 Firm and straight, of fair .size, following the curve of the head, but being 
 quite clear from the hackle. Colour.— Neck and back dense glossy black, 
 breast and thighs medium shade of blue, heavily laced with black. 
 
 IIk^. —SJuipe. — To resemble the Spanish as much as possible, the tail to 
 be carried 1 w and tightly compressed. CoZottr.— Hackle glossy black, body 
 and breast medium shade of blue, heavily laced. 6'om6,— Medium size of 
 fine quality. ' ' 
 
 " The Feathered World," 9 Arundel Street, Strand, Lojtdpn, W.C. 
 
 D. H. HILL LIBRARY 
 
 North Carolina State Cotlese