June 20, 1S72. ] 



JOURS-iL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE CxABDENEB. 



513 



-sring Game cock and Dark Brahma hens. I think that these 

 birds wiU be found the best for a farm or unconfined space it 

 many chickens are required ; the Game cock, being an active 

 lively bird, -n-ill lead the hens well about in search of food, ihe 

 chickens raise! from this cross are hardy, good layers, early 

 ready for market, and imsurpassed as table fowls. The prefer- 

 ence is "iven to Duck-sving Game cocks, as they are rather larger 

 than the other Game varieties, and match better m colour with 

 the hens. I would recommend that on no account should any 

 cross-bred birds be kept to breed from, as their progeny dete- 



" What' a pity it is that farmers wiU not see how profitable 

 ' fowls may be made. I have just been oyer a friend's farm, and 

 he has been telling me what bad crops he had last year in con- 

 sequence of the vermin. He told me also that his best crop was 

 in a field next to his stackyard, and said that if it had not been 

 ior the fowls it would have been a very heavy one. I tried to 

 explain to him that it was through his fowls clearing this Held 

 of vermin that this particular crop was better than the others, 

 but I could not make him beUeve in then usefulness.— L. L,. 

 Shaejian, Finchleij, Middlesex. 



SILVEE DBAGOONS' BAES. 

 We have read with considerable pleasure the discussions 

 which have been published of late in your .Journal on this sub- 

 iect, and we agree with you that such Kttle controversies do 

 rouse attention to the subject, and oftentimes with a good result 

 do they terminate. , 



Much has been said as to the proper colour of Silver Dragoons 

 bars, much more might be said, but the subject has been pretty 

 well ventilated— so much so, indeed, that the dullest of our f eUow 

 fanciers can clearly see through it, and thus solve the problem 

 for themselves; in short, and in fact, the question black bars 

 or brown bars is simply a matter of choice, upon which a 

 difference of tastes might be expected, and whether the matter 

 be decided now by one or twenty lanciers it wiU stiU remain 

 an open question, to be left to the discretion and preference of 

 whoever may be selected to make the awards vrhere both the 

 Mnds may be antagonists. 



In your Journal of June 6lh you stated that " Mr. J. Bromley 

 suggests that the Birmingham Columbarian Society should 

 decide as to the colour of the bars." We therefore willingly 

 repeat our opinion on the point for the use of those who may 

 value it, and who may have passed unnoticed the number of the 

 journal in which our views were contained. 



Our opinions upon the Dragoon Pigeon were given at some 

 length in your issue of April 21st, 1870, in which all the acknow- 

 ledt'ed varieties were referred to, accompanied by a portrait of 

 a Dragoon Pigeon. The following paragraph we extract from 

 our notes as bearing upon the point at issue : " Silvers are 

 frequently bred from and crossed with Blues, but it is better not 

 to do so for, as a consequence, too often the produce of such a 

 mixtm-e is a muddle of both, resulting chiefly in the production 

 of birds of a silver colour, with black bars and dark flights, 

 vphich are, therefore, not regarded as Silvers, but are looked 

 upon as washed-out Blues. True Silvers may be simply de- 

 scribed as follows :— Their colour is a sort of whity-brown or 

 very hght drab, with darker drab bars, neck, and flights ; they 

 should have hght horny bills and nails ; the hackle is not so 

 beautifully resplendent as in the Blues, the iridescence being 

 ci-eatly diminished by the drab tint of which their colour con- 

 sists. The eyes of this variety part.ake of a rich pearhsh kind, 

 without a particle of yellow observable in them. They are a 

 very attractive variety, and good specimens are very scarce, 

 more especially cock birds." 



These were our opinions given two years ago alter lull con- 

 sideration and mature experience of the breed ; but as the subject 

 has lately been fre«Jy discussed, and our opmion sought, we 

 have again brought the matter before our members for recon- 

 sideration at our last periodical meeting, but the verdict was the 

 same fuUy confirmed,- but tHs time with many additional voices 

 to proclaim with emphasis the brown or drab bars as the 

 proper and established colour for Silver Dragoons. 



Amongst our members we have many admirers of Dragoons, 

 who have made an especial study of them for years, and ex- 

 perience has taught us to prefer in SUvers the brown-ban-ed 

 kind. Indeed, until lately, none other were exhibited, f^'^V'-J, 

 perhaps, because there was not a weU-matched pair of black- 

 barred to show. Odd ones now and then were bred, but were 

 not regarded as show birds, because to foUow precedent brown- 

 barred birds as standard specimens were required. 



So-called black-barred Dragoons were produced as by accident, 

 and not designedly, and they are about as numerous now as they 

 were then. It is true we admire both kinds, and probably il we 

 could introduce any other pretty offshoots from those aU-eady 

 known and recognised we should also admire them, tor were 

 they whit* bars, red bars, real black bars, or even gi-een bars, 

 they would doubtless attract our attention, command our ad- 

 miration, and eUcit our praise ; but we cannot see the wisdom ol 



attempting to revolutionise a settled characteristic by any sudden 

 fi-eaks of fancy to which fanciers ire liable. „,,,,, , 



It is no new thing to produce the so-called black-barred 

 Silvers : but it is quite new, and an entire revolution of things 

 to endeavour to persuade that no others are perfect, and thus 

 i-more the long-known and acknowledged Silvers. 

 °We have, unfoi-tunately, in our category of fancy phrases and 

 names a hist of misapphed terms, and those often mislead the 

 amateur Pigeon-keeper, and sometimes ruffle the calmer fancies 

 of the more knowing ones. We are of opimon that such is the 

 chief cause of difference as to Silver Dragoons. Silvei;s ! Ah ! 

 there's the question, for in reaUty there's more against that 

 name than either of 'the kinds in dispute. The name we think 

 is an inappropriate one, answers as well to one as the othei, but 

 in fact, is unsuited to either, though the teim Silver 1ms long 

 been used in describing both kinds. Thus, experienced fanciers 

 woiSd know, that in%eaking of Silver Dragoons, Fantails 

 Owls Caii-iers or Kunts, that the brown-ban-ed kmdweremeant, 

 because the flights and tail feathers of these kinds must be of 

 the same coloSr, or in accord ^^}'.}'^%.''?^°'f^''^°i^,'^^}tt 

 the Turbit and Baldhead, being white-flighted and white-tailed 

 birds, are understood to have darker or black bars It therefore 

 seem. foUy to endeavour- to transfer the Utle from vaneties 

 ab-eady estabUshed to one not yet in existence, even though it 

 wovp I'dmittedto be better; for although there are (of Silveis) 

 rhos'ewhi" more nearly approach black than their feUows, yet 

 the darkest of these are, in truth far fi-om being black; and the 

 more intense the colour of bars for Sdvers with coloured flight 

 and tail, the more certain is the last-named appendage to be of 

 a bluish cast, and the more yanegated with green lustre is the 

 neck of the bird likely to be. , ,. i- ■ 



Now we are not opposed to a change when such alteration is 

 advisable or can be' supported by weU-grounded argument 

 backed up bv precedent or sustained by sound theoiT; hut by 

 the adv^^rat^ of the black bar aU these essentia s seem to 

 be f orgltten. It is not sufficient for a sohtary pair of dark-barred 

 birds to be exhibited, and because they win a few pn^e^^*^ 

 certain iud"es that henceforth none other are perfect. This is 

 sStrtirmuchto expect, and we cannot help eehng sm-pnse 

 thit in the controversy which has taken place the names of one 

 or two f^ciers have appeared in support of Wack bars whose 

 exnerience should have taught them to use more care and 

 thought in advocating a chan|e of fashion which would ahenate 

 scoref of persons fi-om the ranks of fanciers, who would thus 

 desert the fancy in disgust at the needless and ever-changing 

 flScies of gentlemen who have been looked upon as authorities, 

 iTt who, whilst destroying that confidence n themselves, also 

 wouldSdln the destruction of the admir.able variety of Pigeon 

 bv which their reputation was gained, and to which breed the 



hLIest prases have been ^^f^' ^^%'^l^'^''^\^°l' ^^LTZ 

 sefk to overthrow the very kind of Pigeon l^^T helped to 

 establish.-BmiiMGina Columeabian Society-J. W. Ludlow, 

 Secretary. 



nxFOED PorLTBY SHOW. — The Committee are desii-ous of 

 adto ° to theii schedule a class for Black Bantams, but it being 

 ?heflr°st Show held at Oxford our funds wiU not admit of giving 

 nrizes in evei-y class. We hope with the , assistance of the 

 Fanciers of thole beautiful Uttle birds to give a c^P /or that 

 lanciers o Cruiws has kindly promised a gumea. 



^hrp'^ize'^chelriTe ^ifbe inT^int next week. We shall be glad 

 of subscriptions however small.-JosEPH Kixg, Hon. Sec. 



EVENLT-MAEKED CANAEIES AXD MULES. 

 THBquestionis-(pi-esumingof course thatabirdhasare^lar^ 

 fm-med can extending from a point a httle above the DacKoi 

 th™ ill toVe extrem'e back of the head, runmng m a regular 

 Sie on bSti siles a Uttle above the eye and foi-ming a complete 

 pIUtisp -nith a nair of regularly-marked -wings)— Are tneie Diras 

 evBS%^neveSy-markld,oriithecapundersuchcircumstances 

 tJ be regarded as a mere blot? That is the question ; but 

 nsttd'ofconfinSg themselves to the f^-^^^-^^ XT<^-r'e- 

 what way it is to be regarded as an uneven ™ai^' J°^ .^°X 

 Tpondents offer opinions on matters totally n-relevant to the 



'"?4m now'Se'r to Mr. Blakston's letter No, 1. The remarks 



contliedThereL may be -^/«"^l<',^„lnr;tTenTirlly 

 estimation of Mr. Blakston but T^ust confess that I entirely 

 fail to see their force. The writer says, .^e prefers penoiiea 

 eyes and evep saddle. Has a bird two saddles? ^^Jj^^t ^^"er 

 encefs there between a cap and two wing ™^^^;. fi^jf^^^Xo ,ly 



ThSMr^^Hiran ^hf hi speak., <. ;;cn^^^^^^^^ 



(^.'!e^%"STsiSpr;i^gtu%tTA^^^^^ 



marSg " SpeSacie eye marks " is a common expression with 



