Fanciers played an essential role in establishing and stabilizing the breeds, but were more interested in perfection of form than they were in qualities such as foraging ability, or egg-laying prowess. These illustrations, of flaws in the comb and wattles of the Silver-Laced Wyandotte rooster, are from Wyandottes in Colors and How to Judge Them, a manual for amateur breeders and judges written by Theodore Hewes and published by the Inland Poultry Journal Publishing Company in 1908.