THE PEOPLE'S PRACTICAL POULTRY BOOK. 



69 



THE JAPANESE BANTAM is said to have been imported from Japan. They 

 are very short legged, and have a large single comb. In color some are mot- 

 tled; others have a pure white body, with a glossy, jet-black tail. This 

 variety is very pretty. As a whole, the Bantams, though small, are not 

 without their good qualities. 



THE SILKY. 



This variety of fowls, as we learn from the Practical Poultry Keeper, 

 possesses two distinct peculiarities. The webs of the feathers have no ad- 

 hesion, and the plumage is therefore " silky," or consisting of a number of 

 single filaments, which makes the bird appear much larger than it really is, 



OF SULKY FOWLS. 



the actual weight of the cock being generally under three pounds, and of the 

 hen about two pounds. The color is usually pure white, but other colors are 

 occasionally seen. The second peculiarity is the dark tint of the bones and 

 skin, from which the name of " negro " fowls is derived. The skin is of a 

 very dark violet color, approaching to black, even the comb and wattles 

 being a dull dark purple. The bones also are covered with a nearly black 

 membrane, which makes the fowl anything but pleasant to look at upon the 

 table ; but if the natural repugnance to this can be overcome, the meat itself 

 is white, and very good eating ; indeed superior to that of most other breeds. 

 The plumage is often so excessively developed as to give the birds a most 

 grotesque appearance. Our illustration is not in the least exaggerated, and 

 is a good representation of many specimens of the breed. The comb varies 

 in shape ; but a Malay comb is best. There is generally a small crest on the 



