CHAPTER XXIII. 
BANTAMS. 
TT Is usually stated in works on Poultry, that the smaller varieties of domesti- 
cated fowls, known under the general name of Bantams, are the descendants of 
certain distinct species of wild fowls existing in the Eastern Archipelago. There 
is, however, no real foundation for this statement. Bantams of all kinds are merely 
domesticated varieties that have been reared and rendered permanent by the care 
of man. Two of the most distinct kinds, namely, the Sebright and the Game 
Bantams, have been produced within the memory of persons now living, and, were 
all the different varieties exterminated, they could be reproduced by careful breeding 
for a few years. 
Dwarfed fowls have been known since the time of Pliny, who states — There 
is a dwarfed kind of fowls that are extraordinarily small and yet fruitful.” 
Aldrovandus describes a dwarf hen, and he is quoted by Willoughby, writing in 
1678, who states — “ This variety is found in England, is kept by the curious, and 
called Grigs'' Since that time the smaller breeds of fowls have been noticed by 
all writers on the subject. 
The different varieties of Bantams reared in this country at the present time are 
numerous. The breeds most in request are the following : — The Sebright, or Gold 
and Silver-laced Bantams ; the Black Bantam ; the White Bantam ; and the Game 
Bantam. To these may be added the older breeds, such as the Booted or Feather- 
