8 



THE BANTAM FOWL,. 



Oame Bantams to be long-winged, but this fault appears to 

 have been overcome. In some cases the bird carries his wing 

 across the back, which is a bad fault, and is known by the 

 name of 'goose-winged.' 



"The tail, which is the most important feature in all 

 Game Bantams, should be small and fine, the feathers car- 

 ried closely together slightly above the line of the body, but 

 not high. The feathers of the tail proper should number 

 fourteen, and should be narrow and fine; the sickles or long 

 tail feathers of the male bird should be as fine as possible, 

 reaching from two tti three Inches beyond the tail, and 

 should be carried slightly curved, but not forked. 



"Size is a most important feature, not only in Game 

 Bantams, but in every variety of Bantams, and requires very 

 careful consideration. At the present day it is the aim and 

 desire of most Bantam breeders and exhibitors to produce 

 the smallest and finest-boned specimens which, although 

 very handsome and valuable as exhibition birds, are cer- 

 tainly not to be relied upon as stock birds, for nine out of 

 every dozen of these fine specimens are quite unable to pass 

 their first egg, and die egg-bound. 



"We now come to the next important feature, viz., color, 

 which in the show pen should count fifteen points in black- 

 red cocks, the face, head, lobes and wattles should be a 

 bright healthy red, the neck hackle bright orange, free from 

 striping; back and wing-bow rich crimson, while the saddle 

 hackle should match the neck hackle as near as possible, 

 wing butts black, wing bars a glossy or steel blue, while the 

 bays or wing ends should be a light chestnut; legs, feet, and 

 beak, rich olive or willow, but not blue, which we often find 

 in some strains, where Duckwing blood has been introduced, 

 but in the breeding pen blue legs should be guarded against. 

 The breast and thighs should be black, perfectly free from 

 ticking or lacing, although in adult birds it is rather difficult 

 to get a cock perfectly black in breast. The tail and sickle 

 feathers should be black throughout, including the shaft 

 which runs through the center of the feather, and which in 

 some strains is more or less red, and generally denotes a pul- 

 let breeding strain; this is, of course, objectionable in the 

 show pen, although not to any great extent; still a black 

 shaft is at all times preferred in the breeding and show pen. 



"We will now go on 

 to describe the exhibi- 

 tion Black-Red pullet 

 to match the cock- 

 erel. It should be 

 identical in color of 

 eyes, face, head, comb 

 and lobes, white in 

 lobes being a great 

 drawback, although 

 it is a very difCicult 

 matter to breed pul- 

 lets absolutely free 

 from white in lobe. 

 This blemish is some- 

 times removed by the 

 professional exhibi- 

 tor with a pair of 

 scissors; neck hackle 

 golden, marked with 

 black; back and wings 

 light brown finely 

 penciled with darker 

 brown; breast a rich 

 salmon, running into 

 a lighter color, which 

 must be very even 



throughout, the divergence in shade being gradual. The 

 clear even color of the female is most Important. The throat 

 should be a pale salmon; breast rich deep salmon, shading 

 lighter towards the thighs and under the body. The tail 

 should be black with the exception of the two outer or top 

 feathers, which should correspond as nearly as possible with 

 the color of the body." 



The following notes from Mr. B. C. Thornton, of South 

 Vineland, New Jersey, will be of interest to all, coming as 

 they do from one who has ability in handling Game Ban- 

 tams. He writes: "In mating Black-Breasted Red Game 

 Bantams for the production of «xhiMtion specimens it is 

 best to use double matings, one for cockerel breeding, the 

 other for pjillet breeding. 



"For cockerel breeding one should have a bright colored 

 male bird, bright red or light orange hackle to top of head; 

 one shade of color from top of head to end of hackle. Same 

 color for saddle hackle, deeper color on back and wing, good 

 solid glossy black breast, and good color on wing bay. 



"The female should be a bright, light partridge color 

 on back. A trifle of soft, ruddy color on wing is no objec- 

 tion, but not bricky red. She should have a light salmon 

 breast, a bright lemon hackle, free, or nearly so, of striping. 



"For pullet breeding use a male of same color as for 

 breeding males, provided you have very sound colored fe- 

 males perfectly clear of the slightest ruddy cast on side of 

 wing. This mating will produce the bright colored females 

 so much admired in this country, but somewhat lighter In 

 color than is fancied in England. If possible, it would be 

 best to secure a strain of birds noted for breeding each sex 

 and mate them up accordingly." 



BROWN-RED GAME 

 BiNTAMS. 



BROWN RED GAME BANTAMS. 



We notice that the English writers of this variety agree 

 upon the shortcomings of Bi-own-Reds and say that they 

 suifer from being in too few hands and by having too much 

 feather and a softness of plumage. This they think might 

 soon be Changed if a better distribution could be had. Men- 

 tion is made of a few very fine specimens that have been 

 shown; but none of these have fully equalled the other varie- 

 ties. Attention is. called to the fact that they are much 

 easier bred than are the Piles and Duckwings, and more 

 suitable to smoky districts. While it is admitted thait 

 Black-Reds take the lead, one writer tells us as follows: 



"Black-Reds have always taken the lead, and I am 

 firmly of the opinion that they always will, although the 

 Brown-Reds appear 'to be making steady progress, so much 

 so that, in pullets especially, there are to-day some that 

 could hold their own against the best Black-Reds, both in 

 type and quality; still, the judges have always hitherto 

 given preference to Black-Reds. In cockerels the Brown- 

 Reds are still a long way behind the Black-Reds. The color 

 has been obtained almost to perfection, but there is yet too 

 much feather, and with one or two exceptions, the type and 

 stateliness of the miniature game fowl, which we find in 

 Black Reds, Piles and Duckwings is still wanting more or 

 less in Brown-Reds. 



"Another reason why so few Brown-Reds are found 

 competing against Black-Reds is that, as yet, the former are 

 practically In the hands of three or four exhibitors, whom 

 we find clearing the boards at our more important fixtures, 

 and until they become more widely distributed this state of 

 things will continue; but the main reason, I believe, is that 

 the judges have decided preferences for the Black-Reds; 

 that is why we very seldom find Brown-Reds competing. In 

 my own mind, I think that Black-Reds should compete alone, 

 and let the Brown-Reds come under tlie head of A. O. V. 



