42 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ January 11, 1872. 



beuefit meet this gi'owing evil by i-efusinR to a-n-ard prizes 

 nearer the commenceraent of the poor bird'e sufferings. The 

 cup bird was fine in nearly all points ; the second we did 

 rot like much ; the third-prize bird very' fine in head, shape, 

 and plumage, but too long and rather white in the tail. Among 

 the hens were several good pairs, the second perhaps the best. 

 In Lights the cup bird was fine in shape and size, but had a badly 

 slipped wing. Second, medium shape and size, but no colour; 

 third rather small, but best of the three in our judgment ; we 

 considered pen 311 to be the best in the class, being beautifully 

 marked, of fair size, and nearly perfect shape : he was not noticed, 

 no much do people differ. Pullets were poor as usual, the 

 cup pen clean, but bare of feather, and pen 362 must have 

 -won, as we believe they have before, but were in filthy condi- 

 tion. Cup cock, fine shape and size, but again no colour. Second 

 better, and with more leg feather he must have won. The win- 

 ning hens were the usual pair, which have changed hands. 



Spanish were the best classes of the whole season. The cup 

 cockerel was a beautiftil bird, in first-rate condition ; the third- 

 prize bird had a fine face and comb, but a slight redundancy of 

 earlobe, stiU we think he ought to have been second. The 

 pullets were well placed, and the cup pair were the gems of the 

 year ; in fact, the whole class was the best of the Spanish 

 .collection, and a treat after the mediocre lot seen at previous 

 shows. The first-prize cock was very fine, but we fear has 

 joined the early-closing movement. Hens were poor, except 

 the first two pens. The whole season seems to have been 

 strangely against this breed. 



Fbench Fowls. — The cup cock was a grand Creve-Coeur, and 

 second another worthy his place, but the third was a very poor 

 Houdan, entered by an experienced exhibitor at four guineas, 

 and up to Friday night at least not claimed. lu this class a pair 

 of hens were sent in mistake by such a veteran exhibitor as Mr. 

 Fowler, and were necessarily disqualified. In hens, the first and 

 ■third were fine Creve-Cceui's, the second rather middling Houdans. 

 Hamburghs. — The cup Gold-spangled cock was a fine old bird. 

 The second prize went to a bird hardly matured, but in the best 

 condition of any in the class ; the third, on the contrary, was 

 not in good feather, a circumstance which lost him at least one 

 place. The hens were a poor class, few of the birds being good, 

 and good matches were conspicuous by their absence, most of 

 the prize pens having one good bird to one bad. In SUver- 

 spangled the winning cock was very fine ; none of the others 

 -perfect in the bars. The cup hens were a first-rate pair, except 

 Ihat one had rather a shady tail. The second-prize hens were 

 also good : the others below par. In the next division both cups 

 ■went to the Golden-pencilled, and the whole cock class was very 

 good. The first-prize hens were a beautiful pair ; those second 

 ■were not perfect in tail, but superior in body markings to the 

 third. These two classes were perhaps the best of the Ham- 

 burghs. Silvers were not so good by far, -with the exception of 

 the -winning pen in each class. In Blacks Mr. Serjeantson won 

 easily ; the condition in which he shows his birds is wonderful. 

 Throughout this gi'oup of classes the effect of the December 

 shows was plainly seen in a fearful loss of condition compared 

 ■with what many of the very same birds had exhibited pre-viously. 

 Gamx. — In the Game classes this remark will apply even more. 

 Many really good birds had gone quite "soft" with the repeated 

 confinement and course of soft food they had had, and the 

 awards were e-vidently chiefly guided by the handling. Black 

 Beds were both large and good classes ; and, as usual where 

 there are so many experienced breeders, it was easier to find 

 fault than to pick out "winners, but the prizes all went to good 

 birds. Bro-wn Red cocks were few, two out of eight entries not 

 teing sent. This made it easy to select the pens, the few other 

 good birds having sadly gone back. In hens no pens beyond the 

 three were mentioned. Duckwings were also small and poor 

 classes. The -winning cock was a fine bird, but too dark in 

 colo\ir. The next class contained only three Pile cocks, which 

 shared the List between them ; and in hens only one bird put in 

 an appearance, which, being a very good oue, was awarded the 

 first prize " to encoxrrage the rest." On the whole, perhaps, 

 the Game were the most unsatisfactory classes in the Exhibition. 

 Polish. — In the cock class every pen but one was highlv com- 

 mended. Silvers being first and third, and Gold second. In hens 

 Mr. Adkins was first again, and apair of Golds third. No Blacks 

 were shown, the first time, -we think, this has ever occurred at a 

 Bristol Show. 



Malays.— These were the best entries of the year, eleven 

 cocks and sixteen hens being entered. Cocks were a fine class, 

 Mr. Brooke being beaten at last by a young cockerel, which was 

 at once claimed at two guineas and a h.alf. Hens, on the con- 

 trary, were poor in quality, or rather in condition, though more 

 numerous. Several of them showed that the o-wners did not 

 know what a Malay is, being quite destitute of that peculiar- 

 shape which enables a fancier to know one even in the dark. 

 Mr. Hollis won again, and fairly in our opinion. Some thought 

 Mr. Brooke's bird best, but slie was not in good order by any 

 means, and the rev. gentleman's really best bird was in worse, 

 and only highly commended. 



Ant Vabiety. — Here we -were puzzled by the judging. In 

 ccks, the first prize went to a Silky, stated by the Judges to be 

 the best they remembered, yet absolutely destitute of feather on 

 the legs, and much too long in the tail in our opinion. Second 

 was a Pekin Bantam, and third a really miserable so-called 

 Black Cochin, almost bare-legged, and exactly the shape of a 

 leggy Brahma. A very poor Leghorn, with very short and nearly 

 white legs, was highly commended ; while a young cockerel, 

 the finest yet sent to England, and perfect in every point, 

 having been selected by the Treasurer of the New York Poulti-y 

 Society as a standard bird for portraiture, was unnoticed. This 

 and the folio-wing class were remarkable for two pens, stated 

 by Mr. Moor to be a " variety of Brahma," and put in at a high 

 figure. The colour of the pullets was a bluish pale grey or 

 drab, rather sickly to our taste ; but we heard an old lady re- 

 mark she had never seen " such lovely-coloured fowls," and 

 possibly if bred to a decent shape they might be popular. In 

 hens, first came unusually good White Minorcas ; second, the best 

 pair of Sultans we have yet seen ; and third, rather poor Black 

 Cochins. A reaUj' good strain of the latter variety would carry 

 all before it, but in our opinion not a single pen in either class 

 of this variety was pure bred. 



Ducks. — Ayiesburies were only four entries, but all good. In 

 Kouens a pair that would not disgrace Birmingham were first. 

 The second-prize drake was nearly as good, but the Duck was 

 by no means equal. The Black East Indians had a class to 

 themselves. There were several good pairs, but Mr. Sains- 

 bury's -winners were worth the lot, both for smallness, colour, 

 and style generally ; in fact, they have never appeared in equal 

 condition to what they here showed. The "Any variety" 

 class contained two pairs of the Black Cayuga, new to this 

 country, and very erroneously stated by one of the Judges to be 

 similar to the Black Ducks so common in Lancashire. It sur- 

 passes any other large Duck in flavour, requires very little 

 water, and. has the gift of getting and keeping fat on much less 

 food than any other Duck of its size. None of these are shared 

 by the Lancashire breed. First and third were Mandarins and 

 Carohnas, as usual ; the third being deservedly given to a very 

 remarkable pair of Whistling Ducks, which drew much attention 

 by their peculiar notes. Both sexes are similar in plumage. 

 The sides of the breast are beautifully pencilled, something like 

 a Grouse in colour, but quite straight across the feather ; back 

 and -wings something like the Rouen female, but very dull- 

 marked ; head white to one-fifth of an inch behind the eye, 

 where the white ends in a straight perpendicular line ; bill 

 black, breast claret, and carriage Uke a AVoodcock. The Cay- 

 ugas were only commended. 



Geese only showed five pens for six prizes. In the " Any 

 variety " class, besides Embden and Touloase, the first prize 

 went to a fine pair of Chinese, which were firmly believed to 

 be Swans by many of the ladies present. 



Turkeys. — These were the finest ever seen at Bristol, the 

 winning pair being fit to compete anywhere. This class con- 

 tained a magnificent pure wild American cock, also sent over 

 by Mr. Simpson, but which was unfortunately out of com- 

 petition through ha-ving no partner. He only arrived from Liver- 

 pool three days before the Show, but even as he was, the 

 splendid plumage in which the -wild breed surpasses all domes- 

 tic varieties attracted much notice and commendation. 



Game Bantams. — In the Reds, nearly all the birds had gone 

 more or less soft from repeated sho-wing, but the cup pen stood 

 grandly out, and no judge could have decided otherwise. In 

 the " other variety" class the first-prize pen contained a beauti- 

 ful young cock, with a hen far from worthy of him. Mr. Eaton's 

 second were also a good pair, not having been showTi before; but 

 to the rest the same remark as to condition will fuUy apply. The 

 Single cocks (any variety), was the treat of the Game classes. 

 The cup bird was simply perfect : where he comes from we do 

 not know, but he was the counterpart of Mr. Eaton's exquisite 

 Palace Duckwing (which has changed hands for twenty guineas), 

 and he fairly beat Mr. Eaton's own bird, -n-inner at both the 

 Palace and Birmingham Show, which was put third. Second 

 was a good bird, but -with a squirrel tail, and every Bantam- 

 breeder allowed that second and third shoiild have changed 

 positions. But of this we are certain — that the lot were the 

 three best Black Reds that we have ever seen together at one 

 show. 



In Black Bantams the cup went to Bristol, the pair being very 

 fine, and in fact ten guineas were offered for them almost im- 

 mediately the Show was opened. As to the other prizes, there 

 were about four pens so nearly equal that they might have cast 

 lots for second and third. Mr. Maynard's pen, 799, was much 

 admired, but the hen was too gamey for a Black, and her dark 

 gipsy face, together with her shape, might cause suspicion of a 

 Brown Red cross. The cup Whites were beautiful birds. In 

 Sebrights Mr. Leno swept the whole list, as usual of late ; but 

 we must say, looking at these birds year by year, we do not 

 think they are impro-ring. 



Mr. Teebay judged the Game, Hamburghs, and Game Ban- 

 tams ; Messrs. Hewitt and Teebay the Bralimaa (both varieties) ; 



