'THE BANT^AM I^OWt. 



15 



they* Will' 



lous to become prominent In the prize list in a compara- 

 tively short time. 



Malay Bantams compare very favorably with and are 

 fully equal to if they do not surpass the exhibition Game 

 Bantam in beauty of color, and their rich yellow legs give 

 a most strilcing appearance. Malay Bantam hens make most 

 excellent mothers and the chickens are strong and as 

 healthy again as Game Bantams and need no special treat- 

 ment. Given their liberty they require little feeding: being 

 good foragers they always seem to find sometlilng to pick up. 



The late Mr. W. F. Entwisle, the originator of this vari- 

 ety, no doubt experienced great difficulty in bantamizing 

 the huge Malay fowl, and of course in doing so was obliged 

 to make use of alien blood, viz., the Game Bantam, Aseel, 

 and I believe Indian Game, the former no doubt accounting 

 for the large percentage of red eyes and the gamey charac- 

 ter found in many. Of later years they have been crossed 

 back a good deal with the large Malay and 

 have suffered in size somewhat, but have 

 been greatly improved in type and general 

 character. 



The first colors produced were the 

 Beds, then Whites, and Red Piles; follow- 

 ing these the Pheasant (resembling the In- 

 dian Game in marking, and is now not 

 recognized as a standard color). Blacks 

 and Spangles have since been produced 

 and added to the already varied list since 

 1899. As In the large Malays, the Reds 

 are the favorites and their popularity is 

 yearly iiicreasing. The Spangles, too, are 

 taking well and, although they have b6e# 

 before the ^public so short a time, 

 come, I think, a good second. Whites, 

 Pilesi and Blacks follow up in the order 

 named. The following fully describes what 

 is desired in a Malay Bantam: 



Head and Neck. Beak strong and 

 hooked. Comb of cocks, small, set well 

 forward, shaped like a half walnut, as free 

 from irregularities as possible. Combs of 

 hens the less the better, in fact, very 

 often none showing, which I consider 

 preferable;, skull very broad, with deep 

 set eyes and overhanging eyebrows, giv- 

 ing a morose and cruel expression. Wat- 

 tles and deaf ears small, the bare skin of the throat run- 

 ning some way down neck. Neck long, carried very uprigbt, 

 -with slight but characteristic curve. Hackle full at base of 

 skull, otherwise very short and scanty. 



Body. Wide and square at shoulders, tapering to tail; 

 shoulders wide and prominent, carried well up, and usually 

 bare of feathers at the points; back fairly long, sloping, and 

 convex jn outline; saddle narrow and drooping, the feathers 

 short and scanty; breast deep and full and generally bare of 

 feathers at point of breastbone. The body should present 

 a cut up appearance from behind. 



Legs and Feet. Thighs long and muscular, with but lit- 

 tle feather, leaving hocks perfectly exposed; shanks long and 

 beautifully scaled, flat at hoOks and gradually rounding to 

 setting on of spur, a downward curve in spur to be preferred; 

 toes long and straight, the back to lie close to ground. 



Tail of cocks of moderate length, sickles narrow and but 

 slightly curved, with a fair number of side hangers. The 

 tail of hens should be short and square and carried slightly 

 xbove the horizontal line and well played as if flexible at 

 joint or insertion. The flesh of all Malay Bantams Should 

 be extremely firm and hard, their plumage of extraordinary 



hardness and lustre, their general appearance fierce, tall, 

 gaunt, high in front, and drooping behind. The feathers 

 should give the appearance of only just enough to cover the 

 body. 



Size. Small as is compatible with the preservation ot 

 Malay type. 



The outline of cocks to present three successive curves, 

 the first composed of head and neck, the second forms the 

 back and the third the tail. 



Color. In Red and Spangles the beak to be yellow or 

 horn yellow preferred, in all other varieties yellow; comb, 

 face, wattles, throat and deaf ears brilliant red; eyes, pearl, 

 yellow or daw; shanks rich orange yellow. There are two 

 colors of red cocks, the bright and dark. 



Bright Red Cocks. Hackle, saddle, back and wing bow 

 rich bright orange red. Breast and under parts a rich black, 

 wing bar black, secondaries bright bay; fiights black on 



MR. GEOFFREY JOYCE'S INDIAN GAME BANTAMS. 



Cock 2d, Birmingham, 1898, and 1st Liverpool, 1899; Hen 2d, Uverpool, 1898, etc, 

 By Courtesy of -Feathered World, 



inner web with red edging on outside, tail green black. Hens 

 to match above are generally partridge color, with, yellow 

 hackles striped with black. 



Dark Red Cocks. Hackle, saddle, back and Wing bow 

 dark purplish crimson or maroon. Breast and under parts 

 a rich raven black. Wing bar black. Secondaries dark 

 bay. Hens to match above any shade of cinnamon or 

 Wheaten with dark bay or purplish hackle, the body color to 

 be as even as possible. 



Pile Malay Bantam cock should be the same as the 

 Reds, but where described black to be pure white. The hens 

 to have salmon colored breasts and golden yellow hackles, 

 all other parts pure white. 



Spangle cocks to be same as Reds, but evenly spangled 

 with black and white, showing a good percentage of white in 

 flights and tail. 



The hens to be any shade of cinnamon or wheaten, win 

 black and white spangles, white predominating. 



Black Malay Bantams should be a glossy green black 

 and quite free from any rustiness. (Yellow legs and beak to 

 be insisted upon.) 



