576 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. r December 22 , imh. 
What has been lost and what gained in this particular variety ? 
Probably birds are now to be found as accurately laced as ever, and 
the pure white ground colour of some strains of Silvers has been an 
addition of later breeders. But what has the sacrifice been ? To 
begin with, we can remember Sebrights little more than half the 
size of the present exhibition birds; truly, in Bantams this is a 
great retrogri ssion. Then the characteristic hen-tail of the cocks is 
seldom now seen in anything like perfection. But more than all, 
the beautiful coxcombical Bantam carriage has been much lost. Let 
any fancier with an eye for form look at the lanky ungainly tucked- 
up creatures now often in a prize pen, and then read descriptions of 
Sebright carriage a quarter of a century ago, and his only rational 
conclusion will be that much has here been lost. What says Dixon, 
whose book was published in 1850:—“Here is a little ■whipper- 
snapper ! His ample tail, from which sickle feathers are absent, jg 
carried well over his back. His dependent wings nearly touch the 
ground. He is as upright as the stiffest drill sergeant, or more so, 
for he appears now and then as if he would fall backwards, like a 
horse that over-rears himself.’’ What again writes Mr. Hewitt, in 
Tegetmeier’s Poultry Book ?—“ In the carriage of these birds we 
find the very extreme of pride, vanity, and self-importance. The 
feet are raised in walking much more than in any of the other 
Bantams, and planted again with the greatest deliberation and 
precision. When alarmed their deportment is most striking; the 
wings drop to the ground, not listlessly, but as if determined to 
make the most of their tiny proportions ; while the head is thrown 
back and the tail raised, so that they nearly meet.” Other writers 
lay stress on the nervous motion of the Sebright cock’s head being 
almost bke that of the Fantail Pigeon. These descriptions are 
hardly that of the Sebright of 1881. A large field, it seems to us, 
is open for the improvement of the breed by intelligent fanciers in 
smallness and carriage. 
On the other hand there has been a great gain in the production 
of the whole family of Game Bantams At many a show now they 
are the chief feature of the Bantam classes. The most numerous by 
far, yet at the great metropolitan shows of 1852 and 1853 we 
believe there was not a single pen. Their failing seems to be a 
tendency to revert to the size of their Game ancestors. Time ought 
to improve this, for we have often observed that in the case of those 
varieties of Bantams which have been exhibited from time imme¬ 
morial no amount of over-feeding seems to increase their size. The 
great point still to be tried for in Game Bantams is, as it seems 
to us, the combination of really gamy carriage and characteristics 
with tiny size. Competition is, however, so close that the fancier 
is bold who starts with the determination to make himself a name 
for Game Bantams. 
White and Black Rose-combed have, we fancy, on the whole 
been much improved; a little has perhaps been lost in carriage, but 
much gained in comb and earlobe, and brilliant gloss of the blacks. 
There is room still for improvement in the Whites, and we should 
be glad to see a fancier or two, who have accommodation to keep 
white birds clean, and who know how to show them, taking up the 
breed. 
Nankins have always been among our favourites, and so- once 
were Partridge Bantams, their cousins of a darker shade of colour, 
but the latter are extinct. There are quite enough Nankins here 
and there to be picked up still to form the nucleus of new strains. 
They are undoubtedly an ancient race, and are no exception to our 
rule as to the size of the older breeds being kept down without 
difficulty. Japanese are entirely a new importation. We cannot 
find a trace of them thirty years ago. Doubtless they' have been bred 
small for ages in Japan, and even originally reduced from a fowl 
still common there of larger size, conspicuous for its enormous tail, 
rekin Bantams, too, the result of the sacking of the Chinese 
Emperor’s Summer Palace, have been gained, and are now prac¬ 
tically lost again. To the best of our knowledge their existence 
hangs on the slender thread of one yard, the possessor of which will 
not sell a bird or egg. It would take very many years to pro¬ 
duce their like by judicious crosses of small Cochins with other 
Bantams. It might probably be done, and the attempt would be 
worthy of some second Sir John Sebright, to be immortalised in the 
poultry yard. Cuckoo Bantams are probably far better than they 
ever were before. One or two exhibitors have by their enthusiasm 
made them almost invincible in Bantam variety classes, whence 
they very properly are passing on to classes of their own. It is a 
misfortune when any one breed of large or small fowls monopolises 
too much attention in general variety classes and hinders the exhibi¬ 
tion of other and new kinds. Booted Bantams there were long ago 
and are still. There seems formerly to have been more variety in 
their colour than we have now, or at least than we have in good 
specimens. They had become well nigh extinct, but a suggestion, 
we think in Wright’s Poultry Book, that they would be a pretty 
“ fancy” for one in search of such, caused the revival of the White 
variety. For some years they flourished in clever hands, but have 
again almost disappeared. The difficulty of keeping their foot 
feathers in good trim is a drawback to them ; but a Bantam fancier 
should be one able to attend to such detail in his yard, and have 
plenty of small pens in which his pets will live happily through the 
exhibition season and keep in good condition. There were 
formerly many quaint and pretty Booted Bantams—buff, and 
speckled and spangled, but few survive. Here, too, is a field for an 
enterprising breeder. Blacks are often still seen, generally with 
some red about their wings, but quite good enough to merit 
attention and improvement. About the last addition to the variety 
class are tail-less; we have lately a very pretty pair, like minia¬ 
ture tail-less Leghorns. Rumours, too, have re iched us of Brahma 
Bantams one day to proceed in perfection from a famous Brahma 
yard. An American correspondent has described to us, too, White 
Polish Bantams—exquisite little creatures, if only the imagination 
of the New World does not unduly magnify their charms. 
Such are the Bantams which we know or have known—enough 
for many fanciers to choose a specialite and improve it. We wish 
the Club every success in extending its sphere of operation.—C. 
THE POULTRY CLUB. 
A meeting of the Committee of the Poultry Club was held at 
Charing Cross Hotel on Friday, 16th, at 2 p.m. There were present 
Messrs. S. Lucas (in the chair), T. W. Anns, and A. Comyns. 
New Members. —The following members were elected :—Frank 
Barnes, Farnham, Surrey ; R. R. Fowler, Prebendal Farm, Ayles¬ 
bury ; Hon. Mrs. C. Ives, Moyns Park, Birdbrook, Halstead, Essex ; 
H. J. Gunnell, Shelford, Cambridge ; F. C. Lawson, Bell Street, Rei- 
gate, Surrey. The following new associate members were elected :— 
J. Bloodworth, Wycombeville, Cheltenham ; J. F. Hills, Sudbury, 
Suffolk ; A. Johnson, St. John’s, Woking Station, Hants ; R. Feaks, 
Covent Nursery, Cambridge ; E. E. St. Quintin, Lee Hall, Lee Road, 
Lee, Kent. Mrs. Ricketts, Knighton Yicarage, Radnorshire, late an 
associate, was elected a member. 
Club Show. —The Secretary was directed to communicate with 
the various railway companies with the view of obtaining cheap 
return tickets for visitors to the Show to be held at Cambridge on 
4th and 5th January. 
Disqualifications. —One or two important cases were discussed, 
but as the meeting was a small one and the matters were not quite 
ripe for decision it was thought best to postpone the further con¬ 
sideration of them. 
Next Meeting. —The date of the next meeting was fixed for 
Thursday, January 5th, 1882, at the Club Show, Cambridge, at 
10 a m.—Alex. Comyns, Son. Sec. Poultry Club, 47, Chancery Lane, 
December 20th, 1881. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Early Chickens (IK. J. E .).—Early chickens are easy to rear if you 
have a barn or outhouse with an earthen floor in which to keep them. They 
require protection from rain, draughts, and cutting winds; they also want to 
be warm during the long nights of winter. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS. 
CAMDEN SQUARE LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 32'40" N.; Long. 0° 8-0’'W.; Altitude.lll feet. 
date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
d 
Cj 
C4 
1881. 
December. 
• or 
fl w ®« 
o+*n > 
^ Jr? cj" 
m2 § 
Hygrome¬ 
ter. 
a . 
©'d 
£ d 
& 
So 
0+2 . 
. 03 •*-> 
. O 
a o2 
a>:/2 _ 
PH 
Shade Tem¬ 
perature. 
Radiation 
Temperature. 
Dry. 
Wet. 
Max. 
Min. 
In 
eun. 
On 
grass. 
Sun. 11 
Mon. 12 
Tnes. 13 
Wed. 14 
Thurs. 15 
Friday 16 
Satur. 17 
Inches. 
29.691 
29.827 
30.308 
30.291 
30.078 
29.795 
29.249 
deg. 
30.0 
38.0 
34.3 
33.2 
41.7 
42.6 
45.7 
deg. 
29.8 
37.3 
84.0 
33.0 
40.3 
41.7 
44.6 
N.W. 
N. 
N.E. 
S.E. 
S. 
S. 
S.W. 
deer. 
40.8 
40.3 
40.0 
39.1 
39.4 
40.1 
40.6 
deg. 
36.6 
40.0 
38.8 
41.9 
42.6 
44.3 
51.8 
deg. 
29.5 
29.6 
31.0 
30.2 
32.2 
37.5 
40.0 
deg 
41.2 
48.3 
50.3 
55.4 
44.4 
47.4 
64.4 
deg. 
25.8 
27.0 
26.1 
23.4 
26.4 
26 3 
34.4 
In. 
0.039 
0.092 
0.110 
0. 1 69 
0.157 
0.710 
29.891 
37.9 
87.2 
40.0 
42.3 
32.9 
50.2 
27.1 
1.177 
REMARKS. 
11th.—Frost in morning ; dull day, with slight rain in evening. 
12th.—Dull and gloomy ; drizzling rain greater part of the day. 
13th.—Fine but misty during the day ; thick fog in evening, 
14th.—Foggy early ; moderately fine day. 
15th.—Dull and rainy. 
16th.—Wet morning ; fine latter part of day ; starlight night. 
17th.—Wet morning; bright for short time in middle of day ; very stormy 
afternoon with heavy rain; gale at night. 
A damp week with heavy rain on the last day, temperature lower than last 
week and below the average.—G. J. Symons. 
