434 
ILLUSTRATED STOCK DOCTOB. 
should not weigh over twenty ounces at most ; the hen not more tha» 
sixteen. Hens have been shown weighing not more than twelve ounces. 
A peculiarity of this variety is, that occasionally an old or a barren 
.Black-Tailed Japane e Bantam Cock. 
female will assume the plumage of the cock. "When we remember that 
the males of this breed are what are called hen-tailed, the remarkable re- 
version, as shown in the cut, of a hen, will be interesting to the scientist 
and curious to all. 
Japanese Bantams. 
Among the most curious of the bantam tribe are the Japanese bantam#. 
In this rare breed, the body must be as pure white as possible, the tail 
black, the sickles very long, upright, little curved, but carried over the 
back as shown in the cut. The shafts of the sickle feathers white ; tkoj 
comb large, upright, not too strongly serrated ; wattles long and red ; 
legs very short and yellow. The body of the wings should be white, 
with black flight feathers. The hen should be fan tailed, and the comb 
crinkled. They are quiet, easily domesticated. The hens are good lay- 
ers and good nurses. The chickens are tender, and for this reason should 
not be hatched before the weather is warm. Ia fact as small size in baar* 
