THE BANTAM FOWL. 



49 



spangling; By continued perseverance I produced some 

 grand little birds in every respect but tail, which I could not 

 get satisfactory. Eventually I bought a Silver Spangled 

 Hamburg cock vsrith a perfect tail and but 3i/i pounds in 

 weight (of the same strain as the original Hamburg cock) 

 which, mated, to a couple of my largest Spangled hens, gave 

 me some chickens with the desired tall, but, of course, over- 

 sized. 



"These, bred together with care in selection for a few 

 seasons, enabled mo to pen three birds at Basingstoke Show 

 under Mr. W. M. Leach, a club judge of the Variety Bantam 

 Club, which supported the show, and I was awarded first 

 prize in the A. O, V. cock class, and second and third prizes 

 in the corresponding hen class, and, to me, very gratifying 

 result. .Since then 1 have but once missed the money when 

 exhibiting them, and that at the Midland Counties Bantam 

 Show at West Bromwich, where in seventeen entries I got 

 the h. 0. 



"I have, of course, had the usual amount of trouble, ex- 

 pense and disappointments in bringing them into form, but 

 I- (jonsider them without doubt one of the handsomest 

 Variety Bantams out at present, and the "Feathered World 

 and other fanciers' papers have all spoken most favorably 

 of them." 



Such is Mr. Farnsworth's method of producing Silver 

 Spangled Hamburg Bantams, which are without doubt one 

 of the prettiest of all Variety Bantams, and the production 

 of which presents no difficulties whatever. With ordinary 

 luck and careful selection each year, by in-breeding after 

 having obtained the desired color, and by breeding as late 

 as June to reduce ihe size, there is no reason why exhibition 

 specimens ^ould not be produced in about four years. The 

 only difficulty I can see would be in keeping the length and 

 flow of tail feather, which to a certain extent would be lost 

 in breeding very late. 



-Color and length of feather should be your guide in 

 mating up your breeding pens, rather than size, as size can 

 always be remedied, and very materialy so, by feeding and 

 in-breeding. 



Gold Spangles could easily be bred in the same way by 



BOOTED BANTAM MALE. 



(After the Japanese Form). 



BOOTED BANTAM FEMALE. 



(After the Japanese Form.) 



using a Golden Sebright hen, but they are not nearly so 

 beautiful as the Silvers, and I don't think for one moment 

 that these would ever become popular, or pay for the time 

 and labor. 



, I should think it would be quite possible to breed Silver 

 and Golden Penciled Bantams by using Silver and Golden 

 Penciled Hamburg cocks, preference being given to those 

 birds which exceed in length of tail feather, and mating 

 these to rather large Sebrights of their respective color. To 

 get the proper fine and even penciling would take four or 

 five years, as it would be difficult to get rid of the lacing on 

 flights, but the time would be fully repaid in the long run. 

 Unless the young fancier is prepared to devote both time 

 and patience, and to persevere for a few years at an uphill 

 game, he cannot possibly expect to perfect any new breed. 



p. PROUD. 

 BOOTED BANTAMS. 



Where the original Booted Bantams came from will 

 never be known positively, but we do know that they came 

 to us from Bantam, a town and district in Java, more than 

 three hundred years ago, and that they were booted 

 and of many colors, some having single, others rose, 

 or double combs, as then called. How they came to 

 that province will never be known. One of the early writers 

 of 1850 tells us that feather legged and feather footed Ban- 

 tams were among the earliest and most common of their 

 race, and they were in color, black, white and yellow, and 

 spangled in these colors. They were larger than now, and 

 the feathers on their legs and feet were frequently four or. 

 five inches long. 



Booted Bantams of the present day, like other fowls, are 

 much Improved. More varieties of colors of them are seen 

 than formerly. Judging from the illustrations taken from 

 Mr. Entwisle's book on Bantams, the shape would point to 

 a cross with the Japanese Bantam. The back, neck and tail 

 of the female, and the whole body and tail of the male, show 

 the Japanese form on heavily booted legs. Either our 

 Booted Bantams are behind the times, or the illustration is 

 at fault. 



The English recognize the following varieties in Booted 

 Bantams: Black, White, Speckled Black and White, 

 Speckled Red, and Dutch Bearded. The Sultan Bantams are 

 almost of the same class. The English writers place the 

 Burmese and Silkies with them, but this, I think, is a little 

 too much. I quote from Mr. Entwisle's book on Bantams 



