The text examines how plumage coloration and patterning in domestic birds relate to sporting value, productivity, and hardiness, classifying coats into uniform, imperfectly uniform, and variegated types. It surveys practical breeding considerations, explaining how color can influence selection decisions and the relative ease of obtaining white through crossing or prolonged selection, while noting the particular difficulty of preserving complex variegated patterns in show lines. The author weighs sporting ideals against industrial aims, supports assertions with breeding observations and examples, and urges objective evaluation so breeders can choose which color types best suit exhibition or intensive production.