8EBRIGHT OR LACED BANTAMS. 207 



bone," and will attack the largest fowl with the utmost im- 

 pudence. 



Plumage close and compact, and every feather laced with 

 black all round the edge. The shoulder and tail coverts are 

 the parts most likely to be faulty in this ; but in first-class 

 birds every single feather must be properly edged right up to 

 the head. This part usually appears darker from the smaller 

 size of the feathers ; but the nearer the head is to the 

 rest of the body in colour the better. The only exceptions 

 allowable in the lacing are on the primary quills or flight- 

 feathers of the wings, which should have a clear ground, and 

 be only tipped with black. The tail feathers ought to be laced, 

 and in the hen must be so ; but in the cock this is rather rare. 

 In his case a clear ground colour throughout, nicely tipped 

 with black, may be allowed to pass instead. 



The cock must be perfectly hen-feathered throughout, his 

 tail not only square and straight, without sickles, but the neck 

 and saddle-hackles resembling those of the hen. The late 

 Mr. Hewitt, however, a most eminent authority on this 

 breed, remarked to us that while this is imperative for ex- 

 hibition, he always found such cocks nearly or quite sterile, 

 probably in consequence of the long inter-breeding necessary 

 to maintain such a point in perfection. He recommends, 

 therefore, that a cock for breeding should show a slight 

 approach to sickle-feathering, when the eggs will become 

 productive. 



The comb should be a perfect rose, with a neat spike 

 behind, pointing rather upwards, and free from any depression, 

 and rather livid in colour. Face round the eye rather dark. 

 Eye itself a sparkling dark red. The ear is supposed to be 

 white, but Mr. Hewitt remarks that he never found it so 

 without a great falling off in the lacing of the plumage, and a 

 bluish tinge is as near an approach to it as can be safely 

 obtained. Bill slate-coloured ; legs blue and clean. 



