248 
SEBRIGHT BANTAMS. 
SEBRIGHT BANTAMS. 
'Phis is one of the smallest and most beautiful 
varieties of the Bantam fowl, and is said to have 
originated with Sir John Sebright, of England. 
Dixon humorously says of the cock: “ His coat is 
of a rich, brownish-yellow; almost every feather 
is edged with a border of a darker hue, ap¬ 
proaching to black. His neat slim legs are of a 
light, dull-lead color; his ample tail is carried 
well over his back. His dependent wings near¬ 
ly touch the ground. He is as upright as the 
stiffest drilled serjeant, or more so, for he ap¬ 
pears now and then as if he would fall back¬ 
wards, like a horse that over-rears himself. His 
full, rose comb and deep-depending wattles are 
plump and red; but their disproportionate size 
affords a most unfortunate hold for the beak of 
his adversary ; but he cares not for that, a little 
glory is worth a good deal of pecking and 
pinching, and it is not a slight punishment, nor 
a merely occasional infliction of it that will make 
him give in. The great hens, too, that look 
down upon him, and over him, think proper to 
battle with him on a first introduction, though 
they afterwards find out that they might as well 
have received him in a more feminine style.” 
Sebright Bantams.—Fig. 69. 
The hens are rather smaller in proportion to 
the cock than usual among the Bantams, but 
their plumage is nearly the same; they are good 
layers, steady sitters, and most kind and affec¬ 
tionate mothers. The chicks are dark-brown 
when first hatched, and hardy and easily raised. 
The Sebright Bantams may be well called 
the minikin of fowls. Their diminutive size is 
really extraordinary — we have occassionally 
seen them not much larger than a pouter 
pigeon. In passing an aviary not long since, 
where they are kept, we were quite amused at 
the colloquy of a countryman—a green arrival 
from Yankeedom. A proud high-spirited little 
fellow perched on the top of a coop was crow¬ 
ing away to every by-passer lustily enough: 
“ Cock-a-doo-dle-du-u-e.” “Why, you don’t say 
so,” said he, arrested with evident surprise at the 
shrill, consequential challenge of Mr. Minikin. 
“ Now du tell, will yer, my little bossy calf, 
whether you ra-ally be a rooster or a quail?” 
“ Cock-a-doo-dle-doo,” and a smart proud flap of 
the wings, with a comical wink of the eye, was 
the gallant Sebright’s prompt reply. “Oh, ho! 
then you be a ra-al rooster man, heh ? Why, I 
kinder thought, like Gineral Tom Thumb, you 
had just a cleared your shell, and been stuck 
over with feathers to make a show here, you 
little winky—” “ Cock-a-doo-dle-doo, cur-ragh- 
r-r-r,” with a rufie of his hackle feathers, show¬ 
ing fight, was Sir Bantam’s bold response. 
“ What’s that you say, Mr. Peppercorn ?—and 
mighty little at that,” continued Greeny, knock¬ 
ing off his hat, and stooping down, with his 
hands on his knees, and laughing contemptu¬ 
ously in Sebright’s face. As quick as thought 
the Bantam jumped and caught him by the fore¬ 
top, and commenced whipping him over the 
eyes with his wings, greatly to the countryman’s 
annoyance, and the amusement of a crowd of 
spectators. However, nothing daunted, Mr. 
Not-quite-so-greeny-now, gently closed the Ban¬ 
tam’s wings, took him in his hands, and, holding 
him up admiringly at arm’s length, exclaimed, 
“ Wal, you be some in spunk, anyhow, old 
feller, mighty little as I took you for in body. 
So I guess I’ll buy you and wifey, too; I’ve long- 
wanted sumthin’ to clear my farm of hawks and. 
eagles, and I guess now you’ll do it for me, old 
war hoss, and no mistake—I’m sartinye w r ould, if 
you was oney half as stout as ye be brave.” 
So without the slightest hesitation, he paid the 
high price asked for the pair, chuckling as he 
did it, half as loud as the Bantam had crowed, 
and walked rapidly off with his fowls, and we 
saw no more of him. 
A PLOW FOR WET MEADOWS AND ROOTY LAND. 
Fig. 70. 
The above is a cut of a large four-horse plow, 
called the sward D. It is made especially for 
cutting the roots of recently-cleared forest land, 
and breaking up swamps and wet meadows 
after draining. It has a movable lock coulter, 
fastened from the centre of the beam, strongly 
into the point of the share. This will easily 
sever roots over two inches in diameter, and cut 
through the fibrous net work of the stoutest 
grass. For rooty uplands, the plow share should 
be made the usual width of wrought iron, steel 
edge. This is not near so liable to break as a 
cast-iron share. For wet meadows, the share 
should be extra wide, of wrought iron, and steel 
edge. This enables the plowman to turn over 
flat, a very wide furrow. When thus turned, 
the sod decomposes much more rapidly, and 
almost entirely prevents the growth of grass or 
weeds. It is best to plow such meadows in the 
driest time, during the months of September or 
