THE POULTRY BOOK. 
211 
legged Bantam, the Nankin and Partridge- coloured varieties, and the more recent 
introductions, such as the Pekin or Cochin Bantam, the Japanese Bantam, &c. 
THE SEBEIGHT, OE GOLD AND SILVEE-LACED BANTAMS. 
The Sebright, or Gold and Silver-laced Bantams, are undoubtedly the most 
artificial breed of fowls we possess, and, on account of their extraordinary 
beauty, and the high value of perfect specimens, may first claim our attention. 
Kegarding the history of these birds, the following communication, published some 
time since by the editor, contains the most definite and accurate account that 
has been made public : — 
“ Respecting the origin of these remarkable birds, no satisfactory account has 
ever yet been given to the public ; consequently, numerous and contradictory state- 
ments are current concerning them. By some they have been termed the 
‘ Sebright Jungle Fowl,’ as though they were the direct and unmixed descendants 
of a breed from Jhe Indian jungles ; but it is hardly requisite to state that the 
wild original is unknown to naturalists. Others, again, have attributed their 
origin to careful crosses between the old Nankin-coloured Bantam, and some of 
our Hamburghs or Pheasant fowls ; whilst a third have referred them to a cross 
between the Bantam and the Laced Polish. 
‘‘ The last supposition seems, at first sight, to be the most monstrous, from the 
assumed difficulty of getting rid of the crest and nostril of the Polish fowl ; but, 
in reality, this is not a valid objection. I have, for some time, been devoting much 
attention to the different Polish varieties and their crosses, and can state from 
experience that, by careful selection, the Polish crest may be entirely bred out in 
the second generation — that is to say, that fowls may be one quarter Polish, and 
yet show no trace of crest. I do not say that this will be the case in all that are thus 
bred, but it will be in many ; and the converse also holds good, that many birds 
reared from a half-bred and a pure Polish may show no perceptible falling off in 
the size of crest from that of fowls whose pedigree is unmixed. 
For example, last season I reared some cross-bred fowls between White 
Cochin hens and a White Polish cock ; they were white, slightly crested, bearded, 
with blue legs, slightly feathered ; one I kept as a sitter, and she was running 
this year with a very large-crested Polish cock. I hatched a few of her eggs, 
and have now before me a White Polish cockerel thus produced, with very 
full crest, the only trace of his illegitimacy being that his blue legs are slightly 
feathered. 
‘‘ I mention these cases to prove that the supposed difficulty of getting rid of 
the Polish crest is not an insuperable objection to the Polish Sebright theory ; 
but, fortunately, I have something more than mere theory to advance. The 
following account was, by the kindness of the late Br. Horner, obtained from 
the present Sir Thomas Sebright, for the purpose of publication in the Poultey 
Book : — 
Dr. Plorner stated : ^ The following information was courteously given me by 
Y 
