326 THE SMOOTH-LEGGED BANTAM. 



the very smallest of their genus, being not larger than Pigeons, 

 and not so tall. They are now much out of fashion, and are, 

 rarely seen. They are well known, however, to the middle-age 

 curiosity collectors. "But the Hens which Longolius calls 

 pigmy, and renders into German by l Kriel,' (no such word is 

 to be found in Bailey's Dictionary,) those, as I have just said, 

 exist here and there ; they creep along the ground by limping, 

 rather than walking ; we call them dwarfs." Aldrovandi. 



Again : "Although we declared that we would not give another 

 figure of common Hens, we have thought right, on account of 

 their rarity, to exhibit one of the pigmy or dwarf sort, which 

 we have said that many people unadvisedly consider as the 

 Hadrian Hen, (of classical authors,) although it belongs to the 

 same kind. But this Hen was all black, except the larger 

 feathers of the wings, which were whitish at the tips; she had 

 likewise white spots all round about her neck, emulating the 

 full moon ; and lastly, a round spot, of an ochrey colour, encir- 

 cled her eyes. Her head was top-knotted. The wattles, and 

 comb, which was very small, were of a rather intense red; the 

 feet were bright yellow ; the claws small, exceedingly white/' 



Aldrovandi gives a rich collection of three-footed, four-foot- 

 ed, double-headed, and double-bodied Fowls, that occurred to 

 him in the course of his laborious researches. 



The English edition of Buffon, informs us that Jumpers 

 are the same as Cambogia Hens ; which, however, does not 

 much add to our knowledge of the variety. 



Bantams, in general, are great devourers of some of the 

 most destructive of our insects. The grub of the Cock-chafer 

 and the Crane-fly are especial favourites with them. Their 

 Chicks can hardly be reared so well, as by allowing them free 

 access to minute insect dainties ; hence, the suitableness of a 

 worn-out hotbed for them during the first month or six weeks. 

 They are thus positively serviceable creatures to the farmers, as 

 far as their limited range extends, and still more so to the 



