[BIRDS。
InthecaseoftheFOWLawholearrayofauthoritiescouldbegivenagainsttoocloseinterbreeding。SirJ。Sebrightpositivelyassertsthathemademanytrials，andthathisfowls，whenthustreated，becamelonginthelegs，smallinthebody，andbadbreeders。（17/31。’TheArtofImprovingtheBreed’page13。）HeproducedthefamousSebrightBantamsbycomplicatedcrosses，andbybreedingin—and—in;andsincehistimetherehasbeenmuchcloseinterbreedingwiththeseanimals;andtheyarenownotoriouslybadbreeders。IhaveseenSilverBantams，directlydescendedfromhisstock，whichhadbecomealmostasbarrenashybrids;fornotasinglechickenhadbeenthatyearhatchedfromtwofullnestsofeggs。Mr。HewittsaysthatwiththeseBantamsthesterilityofthemalestands，withrareexceptions，intheclosestrelationwiththeirlossofcertainsecondarymalecharacters:headds，\"Ihavenoticed，asageneralrule，thateventheslightestdeviationfromfemininecharacterinthetailofthemaleSebright——saytheelongationbyonlyhalfaninchofthetwoprincipaltailfeathers——bringswithitimprovedprobabilityofincreasedfertility。\"（17/32。’ThePoultryBook’byW。B。Tegetmeier1866page245。）
Mr。Wrightstates（17/33。’JournalRoyalAgricult。Soc。’1846volume7page205;seealsoFergusonontheFowlpages83，317;seealso’ThePoultryBook’
byTegetmeier1866page135withrespecttotheextenttowhichcock—fightersfoundthattheycouldventuretobreedin—and—in，viz。，occasionallyahenwithherownson;\"buttheywerecautiousnottorepeatthein—and—inbreeding。\"）thatMr。Clark，\"whosefighting—cocksweresonotorious，continuedtobreedfromhisownkindtilltheylosttheirdispositiontofight，butstoodtobecutupwithoutmakinganyresistance，andweresoreducedinsizeastobeunderthoseweightsrequiredforthebestprizes;butonobtainingacrossfromMr。Leighton，theyagainresumedtheirformercourageandweight。\"
Itshouldbeborneinmindthatgame—cocksbeforetheyfoughtwerealwaysweighed，sothatnothingwaslefttotheimaginationaboutanyreductionorincreaseofweight。Mr。Clarkdoesnotseemtohavebredfrombrothersandsisters，whichisthemostinjuriouskindofunion;andhefound，afterrepeatedtrials，thattherewasagreaterreductioninweightintheyoungfromafatherpairedwithhisdaughter，thanfromamotherwithherson。ImayaddthatMr。EytonofEyton，thewell—knownornithologist，whoisalargebreederofGreyDorkings，informsmethattheycertainlydiminishinsize，andbecomelessprolific，unlessacrosswithanotherstrainisoccasionallyobtained。SoitiswithMalays，accordingtoMr。Hewitt，asfarassizeisconcerned。（17/34。’ThePoultryBook’byW。B。Tegetmeier1866page79。）