354 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
increasing in width as they approach the back. The back, shoulder coverts, and wing-bows, clear silvery-white ; 
the saddle hackle wliite, heavily striped with black, the stripes becoming wider on the tail coverts. The 
breast, belly, thighs, shanks, and toe feathers as black as possible for the Show pen ; tail black; but if the 
sickle feathers have a slight edging of white round the feather this is much admired. The wing-butts are 
black, wing-bars beetle-green, shanks and feet yellow; the wing secondaries, when closed, pure white, with a 
black spot on the end of each feather ; the primaries black, and the under portion of secondaries also black. 
The hen should be white on the top of the head ; the hackle feathers silvery-white, richly striped with black, 
which becomes broader towards the points. This marking should begin well up at the throat and well up at 
the back of the neck, on a level with the under side of the eye. This marking is most important in the 
hen, as any deficiency in this feature is mostly accompanied with insufficient pencilling on the upper portion 
of the breast. The tail should be black, the top edges of the outer feathers being slightly edged with grey. 
The rest of the body colour, leg, and feet feathering should be of one uniform shade in the ground colour — 
a light French grey, with steely-grey pencilling in a concentric form throughout, though many good birds are 
exhibited which are darker in ground colour, with black pencilling. This latter wears better, and is preferred 
by many ; the main point looked for, however, being uniformity of colour. It also requires two separate 
breeding pens to produce Standard birds of both sexes in this variety, so that to breed cockerels a Standard 
cock or cockerel as described should be mated with hens or pullets, neat-headed, good-combed, with lightly 
marked, silvery hackles, perfectly white on top of head ; the body feather lightly pencilled all over, being 
careful to avoid white feathering in the leg and toe covering. To breed the best pullets, a cock or cockerel 
should be used clearly striped in hackle, the breast, thighs, and foot feathers evenly ticked, silvery back, 
saddle, and wing-bow, well-striped saddle hackles, and with as much foot-feathering as possible, but not 
vulture-hocked. This bird should be mated with the highest Standard-marked hens, and the pullets so bred 
will be of high quality. 
Booted Bantams are many and various, such as White, Black, White- Whiskered, Speckled Black and 
White, Speckled Red, Dutch-Bearded, Booted, etc. These Bantams are of very ancient origin, the White 
especially being a very old breed. They should have white beaks and legs to match the plumage, with the 
exception of the Blacks, the comb in both sexes being single, upright, and well serrated ; the comb, face, 
ear-lobes, and wattles being perfectly red, the shanks and toes heavily feathered, the longer and more closely 
feathered the better. The hock feathers in this breed should be so long as to touch the ground when the 
bird walks. The wings are very long, and carried in a drooping position. This applies to both sexes. 
The cocks' tail should have abundant sickle feathers, the tail carried higher than the head, the hen also 
having a large tail, carried in a perpendicular position. Both sexes can be bred for Exhibition from 
specimens up to Standard requirements. 
The Wliite-Whiskered Booted are similar in every respect to the White-Booted variety, with the 
exception of both sexes having a growth of bushy feathers on the sides of the face and throat similar to a 
beard and whiskers. 
Black-Booted Bantams are identical in head points with the White-Booted, but their beaks and legs 
are black, the whole plumage being a bright, lustrous beetle-green. The same rules fr llowed as given for the 
breeding of Black Rose-comb Bantams will be necessary to keep up brilliancy of plumage in both sexes. 
The Speckled, Splashed^ and Spanieled Booteds are sub-varieties of colour, and what is chiefly looked 
for in these are harmony of colour, correct shape, form, and carriage. 
Sultan Bantams are one of the quaintest and most attractive varieties of Minnikin Fowls. The 
plumage is white and flowing, the head surmounted by a perfect crest, a muff and whiskers of feathers on 
the throat and sides of face, the tail full and flowing, the legs, thighs, and feet well feathered ; they are 
adorned with five toes on each foot. The comb is very small, consisting of two small points. The Sultan 
Bantams are very brisk and active in their movements, and of a very docile disposition, are good layers and 
small eaters, and as an ornamental variety of Poultry are specially suitable for lady Fanciers. 
