STANDARDS FOR BANTAMS 



535 



type it should be as near the Barred Rock as it 

 is possible to get them — in fact, to be Barred 



Rocks in miniature with the barring 

 Barred Rock finely and sharply defined on a 

 Bantams. steel-grey ground colour, cobby in 



shape, yellow legs and beak. At 

 the present time the barring appears to be ver}- 

 " smudgy " and indistinct. There is a good 

 opening for \-oung fanciers to take this variety 

 up in earnest and by judicious mating to bring 

 out the desired clear, sharp, black barring so 

 necessary in the breed. Once this has been 

 accomplished, there is no reason why Barred 

 Rock Bantams should not become popular. 



As already intimated, almost every other 

 of the larger breeds of poultry has also been 

 more or less perfectly reproduced in Bantam 



size, and the very few left are 

 minor probably in process of being so. 



Varieties. AH have been produced by the 



same general methods, crossing the 

 smallest specimens obtainable with the most 

 appropriate Bantam stock, and in-breeding 

 back to the desired points ; the useful oftspring 

 at first obtained being very few, but gradually 

 increasing with time and skill in breeding. 

 The success of any such new variety is very 

 uncertain, popularity being most capricious in 

 these matters, and a variety class affording 

 very little and uncertain reward meanwhile ; 

 but the number of breeders who find pleasure 

 in these experiments appears increasing. 



[Judging Bantams is an art in itself, and we 

 have noticed that it is rarely performed well 

 by those judges who principally do their 

 work amongst the large breeds of 

 Judging poultry. It seems to require a 



Bantams. "different eye," and it is pretty 

 easy to see that the difficulty arises 

 from the much greater proportionate value of 

 carriage in the case of small birds. 



All Bantams cannot be equally small. It 

 is not reasonable that the dwarf of a Brahma 

 should be as small as that of a Game fowl. 

 The late Mr. W. F. Entwisle originated the 

 useful general rule, that about one-fifth of the 

 standard weight of the breed reduced should 

 be taken as its Bantam standard ; and while a 

 little smaller would be so far on the right side, 

 it is better to have the real points well brought 

 out on this scale than to partially lose these 

 in a smaller bird. At the same time, it is 

 pretty obvious that smallness must be worth 

 more in the scale of points for a Bantam than 

 size in the large breed. — L. W.] 



The Poultry Club Standards are here given, 



together with the prefatory note to the 1910 

 edition contributed by its Editor, Mr. W. \V. 

 Broomhead. 



BANTAMS 



In most varieties of Bantams the general ctiaracter- 

 istics are similar to those of the large breeds which 

 they represent in a diminutive form. Hence it is 

 only necessary to mention weights. Where standards 

 have been drawn up and recognised by specialist 

 clubs they are given. — W. W. B. 



Ancoxa. — Cock : 18 oz. to 22 oz. Hen : 16 oz. 

 to 20 oz. 



Andalusiax. — Cock : iS oz. to 22 oz. Hen t 

 16 oz. to 20 oz. 



AsEEL. — Cock : 20 oz. Hen : iS oz. 



Booted. — See full standard on pages 535-6. 



Brahma. — Cock : 3S oz. Hen : 32 oz. 



Cochin. — Cock : 32 oz. Hen : 28 oz. 



Frizzle. — See fuU standard on page 536. 



Game, ^Iodern. — Cock : 22 oz. Hen : 20 oz. 



G.\ME, Old English. — Cock : 18 oz. to 22 oz. 

 Hen : 16 oz. to 20 oz. 



Hamburgh. — Cock : 16 oz. to 20 oz. Hen : 

 14 oz. to 17 oz. 



Indian G.\me. — Cock, 48 oz. Hen : 40 oz. 



(Note. — This standard of weight is suggested 

 by the secretary of the Indian Game Club, 

 after discussing the question with some of 

 the Bantam fanciers.) 



Japanese. — See full standard on page 536. 



Leghorn. — Cock : 18 oz. to 22 oz. Hen : 16 oz. 

 to 22 oz. 



Malay. — See standard for varieties, etc., on 

 page 537. 



A1inorc.\. — Cock : 18 oz. to 22 oz. Hen : 16 oz. 

 to 20 oz. 



Pekin. — See Cochin. 



Plymouth Rock. — Cock : 24 oz. Hen : 20 oz. 



Polish. — Cock : 17 oz. to 22 oz. Hen : 14 oz. 

 to iS oz. 



RosEcoMB. — See full standard on page 537. 



Scotch Grey. — Cock : 18 oz. to 22 oz. Hen j 

 14 oz. to 18 oz. 



Sebright. — See full standard on page 53S. 



Spanish. — Cock : iS oz. to 22 oz. Hen : 16 02. 

 to 20 oz. 



Sultan. — Cock : 16 oz. to 20 oz. Hen : 12 oz. 

 to 14 oz. 



Wy.\ndotte. — Cock : 24 oz. Hen : 20 oz. 



YoKOHAM.\. — Cock : 16 oz. Hen : 12 oz. 



Among other breeds of Bantams which have 

 been exhibited in this country are Burmese, Creve 

 Coeur, Dorking, Houdan, Nankin, and Rumpless or 

 Tail-less, also known as Manx, consisting chiefly of 

 Game.— W. W. B. 



THE BOOTED BANTAM 



GEXERAL CHARACTERISTICS 

 Head. — Skull : SmaU. Beak : Rather stout and 

 of medium length. Eyes : Bright and prominent. 

 Comb : Single, small, firm, and perfectly straight, 

 and well serrated. Face : (a) Of fine texture, and 

 free from hairs ; (6) mufHed (known as " whiskered ") 

 as in large breeds, of fowls so adorned. Ear-lobes 1 



