THE POULTRY BOOK. 
251 
races. So close is the resemblance of the Pekin Bantams to the colour, form, and 
feathering of the Buff Cochins, that on their first exhibition it was generally ima- 
gined that they had been bred down from the large variety, in a similar manner to 
PEKIN OR COCHIN BANTAMS. 
that in which the Game Bantams had been produced from Game. On inquiry, 
however, we find that the breed did not originate in England, but that the birds were 
obtained from China at the sacking of the Summer Palace at Pekin. During the 
occupation of the Palace by the British, a pair of these Bantams used to come daily 
into the officers’ tents to he fed ; and as a quantity of spoil was being collected to 
he sent to England, these two were caught up and forwarded. This pair were 
the progenitors of all those since reared in England. The very close in-and-in 
breeding necessitated by the introduction of only a single pair has had its 
inevitable result in the want of fertility in the eggs, and great mortality of the 
chickens ; consequently the great drawback to these very singular little birds is the 
extreme difficulty of breeding them ; as the chicks die in the shell, at various 
stages of development. Under these circumstances, it is obvious that unless some 
new blood be introduced, this very quaint variety will become extinct. As the pro- 
bability of any fresh importation from Pekin is rather doubtful, we should strongly 
recommend the introduction of fresh vigour from another breed, and the subse- 
quent restoration of the desired characters by careful selection of brood stock. 
Thus a small nankin-coloured Bantam hen, placed with these birds, would produce 
half-bred chickens ; of these, one or two of the pullets most closely resembling the 
Pekin Bantams should be reserved, and matched with a pure bred Pekin cock. 
From this union would result chickens three-fourths Pekinese. The hens of this 
latter cross, again mated to a Pekin cock, would produce birds of seven-eighths 
Pekin blood ; and if care were taken and judgment exercised in the selection of 
