BANTAMS 287 



specimens were sometimes seen, but the variety now seems 

 to have reached a hopeless state of inferiority. 



Partridge Cochin Bantams are of the Black-breasted 

 Red type, but with the black penciling more strongly pro- 

 nounced. The breast of the female is not salmon, but 

 dark brown, like the back, the whole being heavily penciled 

 with a dark shade. Although of comparatively recent pro- 

 duction, this variety has obtained a very high degree of 

 excellence. 



The Brahma Bantams are of two varieties, light and 

 dark. Both have the shape of the large breed, being almost 

 the opposite of the Cochin Bantams. The legs are longer 

 and the body is slimmer, with a gradual rise to the tail, the 

 curve being concave instead of convex, as in the Cochin. 

 The legs are well feathered, and should be free from stiff 

 hock feathers, a heritage from the Booted Bantam. The 

 comb is what is called the " pea ; " that is, divided into three 

 low parallel sections, of which the central one is the high- 

 est. ^Brahma Bantams of very good quality are now bred, 

 but many still are larger than they should be. 



The Light Brahma Bantam is white in general, the hackle 

 being centered with black. The flights are mostly black, 

 with some white markings. The tail also is black, the 

 coverts being edged with white. The sexes are practically 

 alike in color. In the Dark Brahma Bantam the male is 

 black except for the hackle, saddle, wing bars and a patch 

 on the outer end of the secondaries, which are white. The 

 hackle and saddle feathers are striped with black. The 

 female is gray, with dark pencihngs, except for the hackle, 

 which is black, with white edges. 



The Booted Bantams are among the oldest breeds and 

 may represent the bird first brought from Java. As com- 

 pared with the Cochin Bantams, they are much taller and 

 slimmer, with the tail well developed and carried high. 



