328 



Birds. 



clear bright legs, without any vestige of feathers. The 

 full-bred Bantam cock should have a rose comb, a well- 

 feathered tail, full hackles, a proud lively carriage, and 

 ought not to weigh more than a pound. The nankeen 

 coloured and the black are the greatest favourites. If of 

 the latter colour, the bird should have no feathers of any 

 other sort in his plumage. The nankeen bird should 

 have his feathers edged with black, his wings barred 

 with purple, his tail feathers black, his hackles slightly 

 studded with purple, and his breast black, with white 

 edges to the feathers. The hens should be small, clean- 

 legged, and match in plumage with the cock. 



THE DODO. (Didus ineptus.) 



SWIFTNESS has generally been considered the attribute of 

 birds, but the Dodo appears never to have had any title 

 to this distinction. Instead of exciting the idea of swift- 

 ness by its appearance, in the drawings that have been 

 preserved of it, it strikes the imagination as a thing the 

 most unwieldy and inactive of all nature. Its body is 

 massive, almost round, and covered with grey feathers. 



