-42 



THE BANTAM FOWI,. 



As to their advancement, the club formed for their ad- 

 vancement about 1820 and continued for over seventy years, 

 .always mentioned in their requirements very specially the 

 color of the legs. They say legs and feet are required to be 

 blue. And this point being so positively established a 

 change of color would be so radical it must destroy the color 

 ■of the whole bird. When one so well informed on these 

 points advocates so positive a change what must we think 

 of a standard that allows in White Booted Bantams white 

 .or yellow legs when the special character of this variety is 

 their white beak and legs? All white varieties if desired to 

 be pure white in color will naturally in time have white legs 

 .and beaks. This again proves the superiority of nature over 

 art or standard demands. Mr. Babcock also makes the fol- 

 lowing statements: 



"It is not always easy to get the wings of the Golden Se- 

 'bright just right. White will creep into the yellow and black 

 will disappear from where it is wanted. Outside of the comb 

 there is hardly a point where the breeding is so unsatisfac- 

 "tory as in the primaries of the Golden Sebright. Just why 

 ■this should be the weak spot I have never seen explained 

 «,nd I have no explanation to offer. It may, perhaps, always 



VrofYmcu 



RtLiAiit.^ y/aui.r'i^'f -JOU'tn/AL 



A PAIR OF SILVER SEBRIGHTS. 



remain one of the mysteries of breeding, and there are many 

 to all except the beginner — ^he understands more on the 

 .start than he will when experience has sobered his enthusi- 

 asm and reduced the size of his head. 



"Another difficultjr in breeding the Sebright is to secure 

 arrow lacings which go clear around the web of the 

 .eather. The tendency is. If the lacings are narrow, to stop 

 ■before they get clear around the web, and If they go clear 

 around they are usually too wide and obscure the ground 

 color and thus injure the beauty of the bird. My experience 

 leads me to believe that this difficulty is greater in Goldens 

 than in Silvers; why, I do not know — it is another mystery." 



Here is presented the experience and opinion of one of 

 our foremost experts about a breed of fowls now in its hun- 

 -dredth generation. He is compelled to admit the many 

 shortcomings in the breed, one of our most artistic produc- 

 tions in fowls. Could the hand of man guide them still 

 farther and produce the yellow legs and hold even as good 

 qualities of color and penciling, or will nature refuse to lend 

 -her aJid and thus destroy the whole? We all know full well 

 how the attempts to govern the color of ear-lobes failed. 

 How, then, can we hope for the yellow legs? 



Many trials must be made before one can fully under- 

 ^stand the troubles that confront us when breeding these 



beauties. Here are pointed out the bard, rough places to bo 

 found when trying to produce the Mgh grade specimen re- 

 quired for the keenest competition. In a well writteai article 

 in the American Fancier by "Zim," he makes the following 

 statements: 



"All of us know full well that a perfectly clear tail, a 

 perfectly clear wing or a faultless comb is very, very desir- 

 able, yet neither of these coveted qualities makes a bird, 

 regardless of his style, shape, or lacing of other sectlonB. 

 Real judgment is the kind that makes note of all the good 

 and all the poor qualities of a bird, and awards the ribbon 

 to the best all-round specimen, regardless of the fact that 

 there remains in the class a bird unnoticed that has one or 

 two exceptionally good qualities, and several just as objec- 

 tionable qualities. This applies to mating and breeding as 

 well. The would-be breeder of Sebrights of to-day simply 

 needs tp start right by buying birds of the right sort and 

 continuing to mate and breed on the same line, and he can 

 not go far astray, as they breed remarkably true to-day." 



After considering all these points the reader must re- 

 member that no variety of the whole number of standard 

 varieties requires more perfection in every section than the 

 Sebright, from the point of his beak to the 

 ends of his toes. All must be perfection. 

 This being the case, he who desires to pro- 

 duce the higher grade of perfedtion miuft 

 study well his matings, for no variety looks 

 better when fine in form, color and markings; 

 none less attractive when inferior in these 

 points. The standard'for Goldens calls for col- 

 or of a rich golden yellow, each feather even- 

 ly and distinctly laced all around with a nar- 

 row edging of black. Please consider this 

 for a moment. What Is a rich golden yel- 

 low? Is it the color of a fresh chestnut shell 

 or an old almond shell? Is not the color of 

 many of our Goldens entirely too dark, as 

 judged by the wording o* the standard? Is 

 the black stripe kept to a narroTv line? The 

 answer must be "No." The color of the Silver 

 Sebright should be a silvery white, with the 

 narrow edge of black. Rememiber a silvery 

 white, not a yellowish white nor any kind of 

 whiteother than the silvery white. These col- 

 ors when true and properly striped with the narrow edge of 

 black, form a beautiful combination. The narrow edigfe gives a 

 bright, gay appearance. A broad edge of black spoils the 

 whole appearance of the bird. Next to bad color are a long 

 back and a drooping breast. These faults should almost dis- 

 qualify a bird. Why is it when the standard speaiks so plainly 

 on the points of form and color, that so many win honors 

 that scarcely fill a single requirement? Too much consider- 

 ation cannot be given to these words in reference to the 

 Sebrights, taken from an English Journal, as follows: 



"What has been lost and what gained in this particular 

 variety? Probably birds are now to be found as accurately 

 laced as ever, and the pure wliite ground color of some 

 strains of Silvers has been an introduction of later breeders. 

 But what lias the sacrifice been? To begin with, we can 

 remember Sebrights little more than half the size of the 

 present exhibition size. Truly, in Bantams this is a great 

 retrogression. Then the characteristic ten-tail of the cocks 

 is seldom now seen in anything like perfection. But more 

 than all, the beautiful coxcombical Bantam carriage has 

 been lost. Let any fancier with an eye for form look at the 

 lanky, ungainly tucked-up creatures now often in a prize 

 pen, and then read descriptions of Sebright carriage a quar- 

 ter of a century ago, and his only rational conclusion will 



cs^uit/^. SraAtMjS 



