52 



THE BANTAM FOWL. 



from them and sent their product to the children of his sis- 

 ter, and from them came my pair from which I bred for 

 years with no new blood. This experience illustrates the 

 constitutional powers of these small fowls. Follow this 

 plan with judgment and form, size and color are at your 

 command in handling and reducing these small fowls. 



SCOTCH GREY BANTAMS. 



The Scotch Grey Bantam is a variety which, if prop- 

 erly known, especially sou'th of the Border, would have far 

 more admirers than it can claim at present. With the ex- 

 ception of a few, the fanciers of this variety are very back- 

 ward in looking after and furthering the interests of the 

 breed. It is about time something was done to encourage 

 fanciers of this variety to show birds near the Standard 

 as possible, and be able to win with them. How can it be 

 expected to augment the list of Scotch Grey Bantam breed- 

 ers, when at one of our principal shows the best bird is 

 "commended" while one of the prize winners is worth abso- 

 lutely nothing? I well remember at a large show one of the 

 prize winning birds, a cock, having a very bad light colored 

 hackle, a pale straw colored body barred with brown, and 

 a very dark and cloudy tail. 



We are someitimes told that there are different types of 

 Scotch Grey Bantams. Truly there are many colors and 

 shapes, and dreadful looking things some of them are, but 

 there is only one kind that is worthy of being a type, and 

 that is the bird which resembles the typical large Scotch 

 Grey in everything but size. 



The ground color of a Scotch Grey Bantam should be 

 of a pale steel grey, not white, and every feather barred 

 straight across, not V-shaped. The breeder should try to 

 get the feathers barred right to the roots. As I am writing 

 this I have feathei's before me that were taken from some 

 of Mr. Matthew Smith's large Scotch Greys, which are 

 barred right to the roots, on fluff as well, and just as ds- 

 tinct and clear as the upper parts. 



Some otherwise good birds have a few black feathers; 

 these I consider one of the least faults, but white feathers 

 I do not like, while brown or red feathers I consider a dis- 

 qualification, and should not 'think of using a bird to breed 

 from that possessed them. 



The dark bars across the feathers should be small, and 

 an intense steel black. These bars in a certain light should 

 show a beetle green lustre, and the tip of every feather 

 ought to finish with a sound black bar. The color of a 

 Scotch Grey Bantam should be the same shade throughout, 

 viz., head, neck, body, thighs, and tail. As regards the color 

 of the beak, legs, feet and toe nails, all these should cer- 

 tainly be distinctly marked with black. The comb should 

 be of medium size, upright, well set on head, and nicely ser- 

 rated, and of a bright red color; ear-lobes and wattles 

 small, and a bright red color to match the comb; body, neck, 

 thighs and legs of medium length, not short and cobby as 

 in a Rose Comb. 



White in ear-lobes is a common and serious fault. Every 

 breed of fowls has a leaning towards white in ear-lobes, 

 but this variety, I am sorry to say, has a weakness that 

 way, especially some strains; not only are their ear-!obfs 

 very white, but the shape of them is round. For this fault 

 we have to thank those fanciers who have introducsd black 

 Rose Oomb blood into their birds. 



The Scotch Grey Bantams are sometimes called 

 "Cuckoos," a name which is wrong and very misleading and 

 one I strongly objected to. A "Cuckoo" Bantam may have 

 feathered legs, yellow legs, a rose comb or a crest, and to 

 be a really proper cuckoo color the head, neck and back 



should be a leaden-grey, not barred, tail feathers slaty- 

 black with white ends, legs and feet yellow, they would 

 then- be rightly named, and more like their namesake, thte 

 common cuckoo (cuculus canorus). They can also be the 

 shape of any variety of poultry. What I have always tried 

 to breed, and will continue to do, and what I want others to 

 breed, is a typical miniature Scotch Grey and not a non- 

 descript of any color and shape. I am not a Scotchman, so 

 that has nothing to do with it. 



The Scotch Grey Club used to include Scotch Grey Ban- 

 tams, but I am sorry to say they have ceased to do any- 

 thing for the Bantams, so we must make a star't for our- 

 selves. 1 am endeavoring to get two challenge cups, one 

 for Scotch Grey Bantam cockerels and one for pullets, and 

 shall be pleased to hear from those fanciers interested 'in 

 Scotch Grey Bantams who will assist me in helping on this 

 pretty and interesting variety.— F. J. S. Chatterton, in Poul- 

 try. 



POLISH BANTAMS. 



These miniature Polish are of the same form, colors and 

 markings as their larger relatives of the same name. Both 

 American and English fanciers have worked to produce 

 these little beauties. The lack of general interest in them 

 proves a barrier to their progress, and it may be their 

 extermination. They are a most beautiful little fowl, and 

 a Polish Bantam craze that would result in a club that would 

 push these little beauties to the front might soon result in a 

 special Polish Bantam show that would rival the New York 

 cat show or the Boston exclusive pigeon show. 



These Bantams have been bred in the following colors: 

 Black, white, buff, silver, gold, cuckoo, blue, and white 

 crested black. They are simply Polish Bantams with all 

 the Polish markings, etc., that belong to the Polish family. 

 They were produced by crossing Golden Polish and Golden 

 Sebright Bantams for the golden color. For the silver color, 

 Silver Polish and Silver Sebrights were used. For Black 

 and White Polish, Black and White Rose Comb Bantams 

 were used. These crosses produced solid Blacks and Whites, 

 and White Created Blacks; also white crested blue or slate 

 colored and solid colored blues. The pure Whites were 

 among the first to attract attention hotth here and in Eng- 

 land. Up to the present time they are the most perfect of all 

 Polish Bantams. Of them we shall make particular men- 

 tion. 



White Crested White and Buff Laced Polish Bantams 

 only are allowed by our Standard; no other Polish Ban '.am 

 is considered. Of these, two kinds or forms of comb are 

 allo\ved — the single and V-shaped. Since January, 1902, all 

 must have V combs and blue shanks. Birds of the single 

 comb variety have silvery white colored legs and no beard, 

 while those that have the V-shaped combs have blue or sla'e 

 colored legs, and a beard or muff under the throat, extend- 

 ing back to the crest on either side. The beak of each con- 

 forms in color with the legs, either silver or blue, as may 

 be. The blue colored legs, V-shaped combs, and beards, 

 we believe, were produced both in this country and England 

 at about the same time. The others show signs of an un- 

 natural cross. Demanding, as we do, V or leaf combs and 

 blue legs for Standard White Polish, why should we admit 

 both in the Bantams? Then, as to weight, there is only two 

 ounces difference in these Polish Bantams and a Buff 

 Cochin Bantam. These points show a very unnatural Stan- 

 dard's demands. The English demand seventeen to twenty- 

 two ounces for males and fourteen to eighteen ounces for 

 females in all Polish Bantams. Why should our Standard 

 permit such ieavy weights for them? 



The White Polish Bantams should be pure white and as 



