INDIAN GAME BANTAMS. 



553 



and, as a matter of fact, there is often yet 

 more of the individual specimen than there 

 should be ; but time and patience will work this 

 out, if in-breeding and breeding late 

 Indian Game be followed up rigorously. What 

 Bantams. should not be done, is to again im- 

 port into any strain foreign blood, for 

 the simple sake of securing diminutiveness. To 

 do so is to destroy in great part type and 

 character ; and just as in the Malay, these two 

 qualities should be first, over such considerations 

 as smallness or colour. The latter have their 

 value, but they occupy a secondary place by the 

 side of true type and character. Anyone can 

 breed a small bird, if they have a mind to choose 

 small parents and in-breed ; but the result is not 

 the proper type of Indian Game Bantam at all. 

 Where the bird is of true blood, even though it 

 may be a little larger, yet all the same it is the 

 true breed we seek, and in the generality of cases, 

 the patience, labour, time, and expense of procur- 

 ing it thus pure, far exceeds that of the smaller 

 cross-bred. The latter is unworthy of a place by 

 the side of the former, and certainly should 

 never be in front of it. The policy of crossing 

 is pursued, no doubt, in the hope that reduced 

 size will catch the judge's eye, and the fact of 

 the cross remain undetected. 



Indian Game Bantams have many admirers, 

 for the miniature, after all, is a very noble and 

 captivating little creature, and its popularity has 

 got it so far a considerable share of attention 

 from committees of the more important shows, 

 who have provided classes for it somewhat 

 freely. The Indian Game Club also, by ad- 

 mitting Bantam breeders within its membership, 

 have accelerated the freer and wider classifica- 

 tion extended to it. Altogether breeders and 

 admirers have ample reason to be satisfied with 

 the progress of the breed so far, and the future 

 rests with themselves. If they rigorously keep 

 to themselves all the choicest specimens, and, 

 like the man who argued that money was made 

 flat that it might pile, are only bent on piling 

 up in their own yards the cream of the fancy, 

 they must expect things to stagnate, as the 

 breeding of Brown-red Game Bantams has done. 

 If, on the contrary, they rather think that money 

 was made roimd that it might " circulate," and 

 allow others to get of the best and be in the 

 swim, the Indian Game Bantam will not look 

 back, but may be a thing of beauty for ever. 



From these remarks it will be gathered 

 that I am not wholly satisfied with the Indian 

 Game Bantam as it is. It savours too much 

 of the Malay. There is too much leg, too great 

 length of back, and other indications of Malay 

 blood. The sooner breeders of the variety 



recognise this, the better it will be for the welfare 

 of their birds. They must stick to Indian Game, 

 and not breed a conglomeration of any kind 

 of Game, Malay, etc. Therefore, as said 

 before, type must come first, and if the neces- 

 sary shape and built be absent, the bird is 

 better in the kitchen, than either the exhibition 

 or breeding-pen. 



The cock's head is rather long and thick, 

 the skull broad, and the eyes (though not so 

 much so as in the Malay) are somewhat arched, 

 and the face " beetle browed." A moderately 

 long neck with a strong curved beak gives the 

 bird a powerful expression. He is pea-combed, 

 with a red face of fine te.xture and fairly smooth. 

 Pale red eyes are preferred, full and prominent. 

 The general shape is thick and compact, back 

 short and flat, and as broad as possible, tapering 

 towards the tail, but not having flat sides. The 

 breast should be deep and wide, but well rounded, 

 with a straight breast-bone. The wings should 

 be short and tucked in tightly to the sides, but 

 be prominent at the shoulder points. The thighs 

 should be much shorter than in Malays, the 

 shanks a medium length, short, well rounded, 

 with close fitting scales, a deep rich yellow colour. 

 The feet should be well spread, toes straight, 

 long, and the back toe firmly down on the 

 ground. The tail is beetle green, medium 

 length, slightly drooping, and with a few narrow 

 glossy hangers at the sides. Sickles short and 

 narrow. 



The general plumage is hard and glossy ; 

 appearance sprightly and vigorous, with a bold 

 upright carriage, the back sloping towards the 

 tail, the flesh hard and firm in handling. In 

 colour the cock's feathering is a lustrous green 

 black save on the back, which like the lower 

 part of the neck hackle is broken with a rich 

 bay. He is also bay or chestnut on wing-ends 

 or secondaries. The coloured feathers of the 

 neck hackle should be almost lost in the body 

 feathers, and the wing-bow, though black, should 

 have the shafts bay. The tail coverts or hangers 

 particularly should be a rich glossy beetle green, 

 the wing-bar a rich black. Lustre is one of 

 the great features of this bird. There must be 

 no flat shins, twisted toes, or crooked breast- 

 bones. Rusty hackles, white in hackle, heavy 

 feather, and long limbs are all serious defects. 



The hen is similar to the cock in shape and 

 build, head points, neck, and legs. In colouring 

 she is wholly dissimilar. The ground colour is 

 a rich dark chestnut, but each feather should be 

 double-laced with sharp dark lacing. There 

 should be an outer edge of sharp black, not too 

 deep, but sufficiently distinct, and then on the 

 clear ground of the feather there should run 



