\ -^A-i A T. F. MoGREW, NfEW York City. PUBMSHED BY THE RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, QUINCY, ILLINOIS, U. S. A. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, COPYRIGHT OFFICE. No registration of title of this book as a preliminary to copyright protec- tion has been found. Forwarded to Order Division QJ?^.\^f-f.j'-G^ I (Date5 (Apr. 5, IWll— 5,000.) ^ A Descriptnos^ of All S d Bt &.m.<d Varaetaes of BairataBms Bud of Breeds tlbe^t a.ire Becosiuisi Fopiisl Origin. Shape, Color, Peculiarities, Breeding, Mating, Exhibiting, Judging. Housing and Gen- eral Management, with an Exhaustive Chapter on Diseases and Remedies. Bv T. F. McGrkw, New York City. FUILLY ILLUSTRATED. ^rice. Fifty Cesuts. PUBLISHED BY THE RELIABLE POULTRY JOURNAL PUBLISHING COMPANY, QUINCY, ILLINOIS, U. S. A. % '^ UBKARY of CiMlGRcSS Twg Copies Received wiAh 19 ittoa Oopyrliint Entry CLASS Wto No. 1 COPY a. To the Bantam Fanciers of the world this book is dedicated. The thanks of the author are due those fanciers whose knowledge has assisted in its production. All that is gathered and published is for the benefit of Bantam Fowls. The Author. n;cceivod from re. copyright 1903 bv Reliable Poultry Journal Publishing Co. hopes of ANTAMS have gained a position in the fancy far beyond the wildest of as their most ardent admirers. Only a few years ago they were spoken regular "Banties, " and those who fostered them were considered a little off the the poultry line of the poultry fraternity: to-day they have the attention of breeders in the land pay them tribute. In ^^^ world, and the most successful breeders England, Canada and the United States the most accomplished of these are using their utmost endeavors to produce some one or more varieties fanciers and gain miniature fowls of a surprising quality, so as to astonish their fellow prominence in the Bantam kingdom. In 1816 Moubray devoted to Bantams only thirteen lines of could write INTRODUCTION his book on domestic poultry; to-day, if alive, Burnham Wing- TO a book on the Bantam craze. Forty-five years ago Messrs. that were known at FIRST field and Johnson spoke of seven varieties, all fine EDITION. that time; to-day we have over forty kinds and colors, all in form and plumage. that it So much has been said and written within the last few years about Bantams stated. In would be quite impossible to say much of them that has not been previously written letters of compiling this volume, the author has gone through many books, to him who inquiry to fanciers all over the world, and talked with every one known coming under his knew aught of the subject. Facts thus obtained, together with those own personal observation, are herein recorded for the benefit of the reader. lengthy, scientific manner, It is the author's wish to present this subject not in a amateur and interesting but in a short, concise way that it may be both attractive to the fully compensated to the experienced fancier. Should this desire be fulfilled he will be contained herein. for the many hours spent in search and preparation of the data T. F. MCGREW. 1899. consider- The pleasure derived from the compilation of "The Bantam Fowl," was task of revising able, but far in excess of this is the gratification that comes with the of Bantam fanciers. and enlarging it to meet the increased and more critical demands Much advancement has been made in the quality of Bantams since the first edition of clubs this book was written. We now have a number of specialty bred and INTRODUCTION devoted to their interest; all over the world Bantams are and at TO recognized as a valuable branch of the poultry industry; SECOND our leading shows liberal accommodation is provided for the little EDITION. beauties. urge Extend the hand of fellowship to all brother fanciers: the Bantam interest will them to continue in the good work now so well in hand, and faithfully in the engrossing work of grow to double its present proportions. Keep on book has been breeding Bantams better and better. It is with such an object that this enlarged in your interest and in the interest of our feathered pets. *^'^^^^^- 1903. ^- ^- Barrf.d Rt^LK Bantam, Bred and Owned by C. H. Latham. GAME BANTAMS. Their Origin—Importance of Shape and Style— Full Descriptions in Detail of the Varieties Discussed- Recent English and American Ideals and Methods of Breeding and Judging. Black Breasted Reds; Brown Reds: Birchens: Duckwings (Golden and Silver): Red Piles; Pile Wheatens; Duckwiiig Wheatens and Red Wheatens: Whites: Blacks: Aseels: Indian Games: Malays HE most popular of all Bantam fowls is the Game Ban- Never hope for good results in breeding from ill-shaped tam. No variety of fowls is more widely known than birds with poor carriage, for your reward will be disap- the Black Red Game Bantam, and we must conclude, pointment. The main features are good style, hard plumage judging from the quality we find at some of our exhi- (that is, short, small and close-fitting to the body), small bitions, none so little understood. How often we see size, and color. These, in the order named, constitute the them after the fashion of a young duckling, short "f true Game Bantam. leg, long and plump of body, the female being shaped By style we refer to all terms used by experts and others more like a pigeon than a game fowl, proving the lack of not so well informed, such as carriage, symmetry, station, knowledge as to the requirements of a true Game Bantam. etc. The general style includes the shape of the bird and its First we will say a few words as to the early ancestors ability to carry itself in the proper Game manner, and when of Game Bantams. More ancient than poultry lore is the this requirement is lacking the true Game Bantam feature is game fowl. Of my own experience I can say that a personal gone and the bird is of no value either as a show bird or pro- friend who visited Pompeii saw a large flagon that had bcpn ducer of the same. Much improvement can he made in some taken from the ruins, on one side of which was engraved a birds by training, but true style cannot be trained into a bird game cock, on the other a peafowl, showing that fowls of that i.s lacking in proper form. that kind were known in those early days. The bird should be tall, upright, and bold; the head long Early -writers tell us of Game Bantams, but we have and narrow; the beak finely formed, long, tapering, and seen only one record that places the credit of their origin. slightly curved; eyes bright and clear, and face bright red, Mr. Entwisle, in his book on Bantams, states as follows: except gypsy face in Brown Reds; and the skin of the face "We think we shall be quite within the mark in saying that very thin and close fitting. One feature of groatt Importance not one of those we have placed in the intermediate class, and beauty is a thin, clean throat. When bred so fine that such as Games, Cuckoo or Scotch Greys, Frizzled, Rumpless, the female scarcely shows any wattles, the thin, clean throat Japanese or Buff Pekins, was known in England fifty years adds much to the beauty of head and neck in both males and ago, certainly not sixty years ago." To Mr. John Crosland, females. To show how long ago the absence of wattles was of Wakefield, he gives the credit of having produced the ear- bred for, we state for your benefit, 'that the Black Sumatra liest Game Bantams. In the few lines given to Bantams by Game in perfection scarcely show.s any wattles. Our stand- Moubray (1816) he states: "There has been lately obtained ard does not class them as Game,'-., but they are of the same a variety of Bantams extremely small and as smooth legged nature. as fowl." a game The neck should be long, Mr. Hewitt in writing of them in 1852, tells of a pair of thin, and tapering from body Duckwing Game Bantams, which he describes as a beautiful to head, the neck hackle short pair. the At same time he mentions Black Breasted Red and close fitting. The feathers Game Bantams, a fac-simile of the game fowl, but not ex- of the hackle should not come ceeding three-quarters of a pound in weight. He goes further together in front and they and states as his opinion that the Game Bantam, properly should end where the neck so called, may be fairly considered as occupying a distinct and back join. The shoulders place in the family. He does not give the credit of their pro- should be broad, square and duction to any one, but claims for them the right of belong- carried forward, and the neck ing to a distinct family. should join the back and body Mr. Tegetmeier, in his book (1867), in writing of Game between the shoulders, the Bantams, tells of a Mr. Monsey, of Norwich, who produced prominence of which gives the them by inbreeding and selecting, also by crossing them on appearance of the neck being other Bantams. Neither of these gentlemen gives the credit set into the body. This feature of their origin to any one person. We simply present these is more prominent in the records without comment to show the opinion of both early male.