20 



THK BANTAM FOWIv. 



LIGHT BRAHMA BANTAMS IN AMERICA. 



The Light Brahma Bantams in America should be the 

 counterpart of the standard Brahma fowl. The facts as to 

 its production differ somewhat as they come to us from dif- 

 ferent sources. Some claim a cross with Brahma fowls, and 

 Japanese Bantams; others a mixture of Aseel and Cochin 

 Bantams; while still others claim a direct Brahma cross with 

 Cochin Bantams. If we desired to produce them we should 

 prefer to depend on the Brahma-Cochin Bantam cross. The 

 Brahma Bantams, as we now have them, need to be im- 

 proved in size and markings. Many of them have almost 

 perfect Brahma shape. The Lights lack in the penciling of 

 hackle, and the Blacks in wings and tail. The Darks are 

 good in color. The females lack in penciling. The Light 

 Brahma Bantams of the present have fairly good Brahma 

 combs, shape and body color. The under-color of most of 

 them is white; the neck hackle of males striped more or less 

 toward the lower edge, not much toward the upper part of 

 necks; head pure white, wings only partially black, tails 

 very good in color, and coverts of many of them are edged 

 with white. The females show more and better color in 

 both neck and wings. Some few of the females show a ten- 

 j. dency toward 



dark or slate in 

 under-color. AH 

 have good color of 

 beak and legs, and 

 plenty of leg and 

 toe feathering. 

 With these quali- 

 ties to start with 

 it is quite unnec- 

 essary to consider 

 how to produce 

 '('y, them. The Ques- 

 tion is, how shall 

 we improve them? 

 This is being 

 ' done in several 

 ways. Some have 

 crossed those they 

 have with the 

 large B r a h m a s 

 with good results. 

 The winning pul- 

 let at the Boston show of 1902 was a living pic- 

 ture of what may be accomplished in this way. She was 

 almost equal to any Brahma in shape and color. Some very 

 handsome males have been produced in the same way. This 

 cross will greatly improve hackle, wing and tail color, and 

 give us the true Brahma throughout. Others have gained 

 better quality by selecting the best they had in line with 

 our standard demand and breeding from them, then selecting 

 the best from the result of these matings. When you follow 

 this plan, in selecting your breeding birds, have the darkest 

 male you can secure in point of wing and undercolor of back 

 and shoulders. This will help to Improve the white necks. 

 If in addition to dark under-color you can have a fairly 

 good neck, also tail coverts, much improvement can be 

 hoped for if the females are fairly good in these points. Use 

 the best colored females that it is possible to secure. Do 

 not hesitate to use one very dark in under-color, for on this 

 you must depend to build up your color. By following these 

 colors from year to year fine Brahma markings can be pro- 

 duced. The preceding is our opinion as to the proper mat- 

 ings to improve color of neck, wings and tail. We also give 

 the matings as recommended by Mr. W. F. Entwisle, Wake- 

 field, England, to whom much credit for the production is 



LIGHT BRAHMA BANTAM, 

 BRED AND OWNED BY- D. LINCOLN ORR. 



due: "To breed good Light Brahma pullets, select as light 

 colored a cockerel as possible, clear in body color and saddle, 

 and only slightly striped in hackle, with the darkest hackled 

 and blackest tailed hens possible to obtain, with white backs 

 and wings. To breed cockerels, select the most perfect cock 

 or cockerel you can obtain, good in hackle and saddle, very 

 full-feathered, and fine in shape. Put the bird so selected 

 with hens as white in wing and body as possible, even if a 

 little wanting in color of hackle. These matings are not cer- 

 tain in their results, but there is no more reliable rule that 

 can be followed by those of little experience." 



This style of mating must produce nice, clear white 

 birds, but cannot improve the black markings so much 

 desired by us. 



The future popularity of these Bantams must depend 

 upon our ability to have them correct in shape and color. 

 White Cochin Bantams with pea combs and black shadings 

 will not do. We must have true Brahma shape and mark^ 

 ings. The striping of hackle must equal the hackle mark- 

 ings of the large Brahmas. More color must be had in wings, 

 and the tail coverts must have the white lacing. As the 

 standard describes the Light Brahma for shape and color, 

 so must the Light Brahma Bantam be. We know that there 

 is an inclination towards Cochin shape for the Brahma, but 

 there is entirely too much of that already in our Brahma 

 Bantams; so the tendency should be away from this as far 

 as possible for better Brahma shape. As we progress in this 

 we should keep a close watch on color so as to have it better 

 all the time. Comments on Brahma Bantams, which follow, 

 give an insight into their origin and breeding in England. 



DARK BRAHMA BANTAMS IN AMERICA. 



Dark Brahma Bantams should be a perfect counterpart 

 of larger fowls of the same kind. Those we have seen shall 

 be our guide in describing them. The male bird is a perfect 

 Dark Brahma in color, rather large for a Bantam and with 

 too much tail for a Brahma. The top color is clear and sil- 

 very, and he is much better in neck than the Light Brahma. 

 The body, in color, is fairly good as to the shade of black. 

 but badly marked with spots of white. We have never seen 

 one with a pure black breast and fiuff, but the comb, beak, 

 legs and leg and toe feathering in both male and female are 

 very good. The females are fair as to color; penciling very 

 uneven and indistinct; tails over-sized, and the birds them- 

 selves larger than the Light Brahma Bantams. To bring this 

 variety within bounds calls for careful study in mating them. 



Select the smallest specimens of both males and females 

 which you can secure; use only females that show a ten- 

 dency to penciling in their plumage, and males that are very 

 clear in top color. If this mating shows improvement in the 

 plumage of the female, select the best of them to breed back 

 to the sire, retaining some of the males to breed with the 

 females of the next cross. In this way you can build up 

 your blood lines. Never breed brother and sister together. 

 By following this rule for three or four seasons good results 

 must be the outcome. The Darks have better general mark- 

 ings to start with at the present time than the Lights. For 

 this reason better results may be expected with them at an 

 earlier day than with the others. Both will demand patience 

 and proper handling to make them perfect Brahmas. 



When I wrote the above, five years ago, I had not the 

 slightest idea that before "The Bantam Fowl" was pub- 

 lished I should be at work on improving this variety of Ban- 

 tams. Chance throw in my way a pair of Dark Brahma Ban- 

 tams, fashioned after the description given above. With, 

 this pair I bred a. very high quality Dark Brahma female ot 

 rather small size which Mr. Newton Adams, of Utica, sent 



