JOUBNAIi OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENER. 



nephew, aaid by Mr. Swann's instructions were carefully pennetl 

 on their arrival at ten o'clock in the morning. — John G. Dunn, 

 55, Westmoreland Boad, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. 



LIABILITY OF COMMITTEES AND RAILWAY 



COMPANIES FOE FANCY BIRDS. 



Fe.uion v. CnoRLET. — At the Kendal County Court, on May 

 24th, his Honour, Mr. T. H. Ingham, gave his decision. It -n-as 

 an action to recover i'lO, the value of two Cochin-China fowls, 

 the property of a gentleman at Whitehaven, which had been 

 lost at the last Kendal Poultiy Show. The real defendants were 

 the Committee of the Kendal Dog and Poultry Show. The 

 hearing had been adjourned in order to enable the parties to 

 come to terms. Mr. Taylor said there was no evidence which 

 would render them liable, because they were bailees without 

 reward. It was for the plaintiff to prove that there had been 

 culpable negligence. His Honour thought there had been negli- 

 gence, because the plaintiff had not got his own poultry. Mr. 

 Tilly said Mr. Fearon would have been very glad to have settled 

 the matter, and offered to take £5 ; but the Committee had 

 offered only two guineas. Mr. Taylor said they offered two 

 guineas and the fowls. Mr. Tilley said the fowls were worth 

 nothing. Mr. Taylor cited a case in wliich bankers were held 

 not to be liable for valuable securities which had been deposited 

 in their keeping, even although the property had been stolen by 

 their own sei-vants. His Honour was stiU of opinion that the 

 Committee were liable. Mr. Taylor pointed out that plaintiff 

 did not discover he had the wi-ong birds until he received Mr. 

 Chorley's letters, and that was several days after they were 

 returned. His Honour said Mr. Fearon might not write the 

 moment he discovered the mistake. It was quite clear that the 

 Committee were liable, and he would give a verdict for £3, and 

 costs in proportion ; the fowls now in the Committee's possession 

 to be handed over to Mr. Fearon. — (Whitehaven News.) 



_ South v. Lancashire B.uxway Company. — This case was de- 

 cided in the Court of Common Pleas. Mr. South sent some 

 Pigeons for exhibition at the Middletou Show, where they gained 

 prizes. They were returned by the Lancashire Railway, but 

 were sent to a station different from that directed on the label. 

 They remained there from the Friday night until Monday, when 

 the clerk wrote to Mr. South that they were at the station. 

 Five of the Pigeons died, in consequence, as Mr. Sonth alleged, 

 of the delay and deprivation of food, and he claimed £50 damages. 



The defendants maintained that the birds had been supphed 

 with food and water, and that abstinence from food was not pre- 

 judicial to Pigeons, for when flown in matches they were fasted 

 for two days, as this made them hasten home more quickly. 

 _ Mr. .Justice Quain told the jury that the defendants were 

 liable for the loss, if the jury considered the evidence proved 

 that the birds died owing to the delay in delivering them as 

 directed. 



The jury gave their verdict in favour of the plaintiff, with 

 £20 damages. 



A TEizE Dorking cockerel was let for six guineas during the 

 breeding season, after which the bird was to be returned. The 

 cockerel won the fourth prize at Birmingham, and the cup at 

 Dorking (in a pen with two pullets). He was sent by rail, and 

 a dog was placed in the luggage van, which, during the absence 

 of the guard, broke into the basket and killed the cockerel. The 

 railway company admit their hability, but say they are not 

 answerable for what they term "consequential" damages. 

 They say they shall only pay the market value of the fowl, 

 which on inquiry at LeadenhaU Market they say they are in 

 formed is £2, or at the most £3. I said that £6 6s. would cer- 

 tainly be payable for the use of the bird, and that I had no doubt 

 I could have .<;old it afterwards for £3 or £4 if I had wished to 

 do so. I should be glad to have your advice and opinion on the 

 subject.— W. F. 



[We tliink the plea of the railway directors is inadmissible. 

 A Dorking cockerel such as yours was worth at the least £3, 

 without any consideration of his engagement; and after making 

 allowances for other risks before he was retm-ned to you, we 

 think the directors would do no more than equity if they paid 

 you £3 additional — that is, £6 in aU. A dealer would have given 

 as much, and in the County Court we think you woirld recover 

 it. — Eds.] 



BATH AND WEST OF ENGLAND POULTRY 

 SHOW AT DORCHESTER. 



One of the best shows of poulti-y ever yet held by this 

 Society took place this week at Dorchester. "The arrangements 

 were, as they always have been, as nearly perfect as can be met 

 vrith, although a somewhat larger entry than was at first ex- 

 pected compelled additional accommodation for the birds 

 shown. A most excellent tent, however, 300 feet long by about 



40 wide, provided, vrith the exception of a few of the Pigeons, 

 for the whole of the collection to be exhibited in a single tier of 

 pens. Nothing could possibly exceed the regularity of the 

 general appointments, and the most anxious exhibitor could 

 not have devised any improvement as to the close attention 

 paid to all the necessities of the birds diu-ing the show time. 

 In fact, every exliibitor is not only deeply indebted to the 

 General Council for the management of this capital Show, but 

 also to the Stewards of that particular department, for the un- 

 remitting energy displayed by themselves personally in carry- 

 ing out any suggestion that might tend to induce confidence 

 among the many competitors who have entered. 



A glorious treat awaited those persons who have a taste for 

 Bpanish fowls. An unusually good entry made by Mr. Edward 

 Jones, of Clifton, proving, pen after pen, the most remarkably 

 well-conditioned birds throughout that could be seen, even by 

 those who may generally visit exhibitions of this description. 

 This gentleman, it will be found, took first and second with 

 cocks, and also the Spanish silver cup, and third prize with hens. 

 In Dorkings were shown many excellent pens, but we confess 

 we did not altogether like the first-prize single Dorking cock, 

 which, though a wonderfully well-made bird in frame, had a. 

 large rosy comb that was somewhat approaching coarseness. 

 The hens of the Grey Dorkings belonging to Mr. Lionel Patten 

 were the winners of the Dorking cup, as the cocks where re- 

 gularly used as stock birds are now mostly losing that high con- 

 dition so essential in close competition. Some good Cuckoo 

 Dorkings were shown, and some excellent White ones. In 

 Silver-Greys, spurs set outside the legs were, of course, qxiite a. 

 fatal bar to prize-taking. A large entry of Cochins took place, 

 Mrs. Allsopp, of HindlipHall, Worcester, securing the silver cup 

 for Cochins with an excellentI3uff cock in first-rate condition, and 

 of unexceptionably good colour ; Mr. Taylor, of Ulverston, stand- 

 ing second with a really fine bird, but defective in its eyesight. 

 Mrs. Allsopp also showed good Partridge-feathered Cochins, 

 and Messrs. Whitehead & Beachy some good White ones. The 

 sUver cup for Brahmas was secui'ed by Mr. Ansdell's weU-known 

 Dark cock, pressed somewhat closely by an immense bird, said 

 to be 13i lbs. weight, shown by Mr. Tardley, of Birmingham. 

 In Light Brahmas some wonderfully good hens shown by Mr. 

 Pares, of Guildford, stood quite a-head of all competition. 

 Game fowls, though excellent, were for the most part not in 

 first-rate hard feather. The birds shown by Messrs. Matthew, 

 Fletcher, Julian, and Brown were, however, in most creditable 

 order, the first-named gentleman taking the Game cup with a 

 Duckwing cock that was one of the most striking fowls to visitors 

 in the whole show tent, the metaUic splendour of his plumage 

 being such as to arrest the attention of even the most casual visi- 

 tor. Game Bantams did not muster of so good quality as might 

 have been anticipated. Every variety of Hamhurqhs was 

 shown of the highest chai-acter ; a grand and wonderfully well- 

 spangled cock shown by his Grace the Duke of Sutherland taking 

 the silver cup, Mr. Henry Beldon running very closely in nearly 

 all the Hamburgh classes, and in some excelling. Many years 

 will probably pass before so close a competition in these breeds 

 will take place again — it was, in fact, a treat for the Hambm'gh 

 fanciers of this district to closely examine so perfect specimens. 

 In Polish fowls the entry was so few, though of generally high- 

 class birds, that it natiu-ally suggests a limitation of the number 

 of classes for this description of poultry in future exhibitions. 

 The Gold and the Silver-spangled left little room for exception, 

 but the Blacks with White Crests were a poor apology for those 

 shown so meritoriously some eighteen or twenty years back. 

 All the descriptions of French fowls were richly deserving of all 

 praise, but were mostly getting into deep moult. In the Variety 

 cock class the three prizes went respectively to Malays, Black 

 Hamburghs, and Sultans shown from the best yards in the king- 

 dom. In hens, the best pen of White Spanish shown for some 

 years headed the prize Ust, Sultans and Black Hamburghs taking 

 the other prizes in the order named. Turkeys, Geese, and Ducks 

 were all good classes ; and we cannot forget to draw attention to 

 the exhibition of both Black and White Bantams of very supe- 

 rior quality, and in exquisite feather. 



The Pigeon classes were, perhaps, scarcely as heavily filled as 

 might have been reasonably expected from the prizes given, but 

 the whole of the classes were uniformly good, the Black Barbs, 

 Black Trumpeters, Silver Dragoons, and Silver Owls more espe- 

 cially so. The Carriers were of high value, pai-ticidarly the 

 Duns, a really first-rate Black one being disqualified for gross 

 trimming of white feathers fi'om the thighs. 



The weather being favourable to out-of-door amusements, the 

 visitors mustered strongly, and no doubt this week's Show wiU 

 bear a favourable comparison with any that may have preceded 

 it, whether viewed simply as to the poultry and Pigeons shown, 

 or the attendance of those persons most interested in poultry 

 pursuits. 



Spanish.— Cocfc.—l and 2, E. .Tones, Clifton. 3, Miss E. Browne, Chardlei^k 

 Green, ftc, Mrs. Allsopp, Worcebter. Hrjis.— 1, Cnp, and 3. E. Jones. 2, MisB 

 E. Browne, he, T. Boulter ; Mrs. Allsopp ; P. H. Jonea, Fulham. 



DoRKlNGS{Coloured).— Coc/f.— 1, J. Chisman. Rownhama, Southampton. 2, J 

 Martin, Claines. 8, Kev. J. G. A. Baker, Old Warden, Beds, he. Viscount 



