Rearing Bantams . 4^3 
be carried to any extent, given the necessary skill and perseverance. The general procedure 
would be that followed in the case of the Malay Bantams described in the following chapter. 
Our own opinion is that some want of judgment has been shown in the production of a 
portion of these varieties, some of the major breeds not being, as it were, at all appropriate to 
miniature representation. There is nothing about Dorkings or Brahmas, for instance, at all 
appropriate, in our opinion ; and the attractiveness of Leghorns and Minorcas is also doubtful ; 
Brown Leghorns, moreover, resembling in plumage the Black-red Game. On the other hand, 
Polish, and Pencilled Hamburghs, of really good quality, are exquisite gems in Bantam size, 
and, owing to the smaller size of the parent races, one would think should be easier to produce a 
strain of, which would breed really true to points, than some of the above breeds. Attention to 
considerations of this kind, and to the natural fitness of things, is, we think, very desirable in this 
branch of breeding ; else the plentifulness of mediocre representations of every breed under the 
sun may injure the popularity of Bantams altogether. 
In rearing Bantams, the main point is, of course, to keep them small , and this is by no means 
easy. The difficulty is, that many Bantam breeds are somewhat delicate, and therefore the poor 
regimen that naturally occurs as the readiest means of accomplishing the desired object, is rather 
apt to kill them off on a more wholesale scale than is satisfactory either to the humanity or 
pecuniary prospects of the owner. Hence late hatching has been generally resorted to ; but 
even this, besides having a somewhat similar effect, has been found in many cases to injure the 
development of the plumage in cockerels, especially stunting the tails, which spoils the look of a 
Bantam completely. 
By the ingenuity and experience of breeders, however, all these difficulties have been overcome. 
It has been found possible to contrive really good feeding, which can be given freely, and which 
shall yet afford very little bone-making material ; and that on the quantity of the latter, size chiefly 
depends. So much, in fact, would be inferred from former pages of this work, where we have 
pointed out the great effect of a judicious use of phosphates and of lime in increasing size ; and the 
fact that “ good feeding,” as it is called, does not necessarily contain these elements may be 
demonstrated with equal readiness. To use only one apt illustration — the average Englishman 
is always held to feed “better” than the Scotchman, using as he does the best white flour and a 
large quantity of animal food; yet the Scotchman, as a rule, attains a larger stature, because his 
national food contains a good proportion of bone-forming substances. In this way, therefore, 
breeders have accomplished the desired object ; and it has also been found that upon such 
nourishing, though not bone-making, food, even late-hatched birds will feather well and fully. 
Different breeders have their various food recipes to accomplish these ends, which are often 
kept as secrets, and most jealously guarded ; but Mr. E. Hutton, of Pudsey, Leeds, whose remarks 
on Black Bantams we have already given, has most kindly and fully placed his own method and 
experience at our disposal. It will have been noticed that in his previous notes he speaks of 
reducing the size of his birds by “ feeding on diet specially adapted for that purpose and the 
extreme smallness of many of the birds shown by him, notwithstanding the well-known and 
apparently contradictory hardiness of his strain, are conclusive proofs of the success of his method. 
We may give this very shortly in his own words : — 
“ In reducing the size of my Bantams, the special food I have referred to as used by me is as 
follows : For hard grain I employ good sound wheat, with a little canary seed about twice a week, 
by way of a change. For soft food the first meal was invariably boiled milk-sops, and during the 
remainder of the day a preparation made as follows : Rice, most thoroughly boiled in water, had a 
