341 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 30, 1873. 



filled withaclisting^uished company, and things began to assume 

 a very rosy hue. But as the day wore on there were evident 

 signs of a storm brewing — an ominous silence, and the absence 

 of any marked expression of opinion about the Eemrose-and- 

 Orme birds grew into low whispers, and first one and then 

 another venturing to compare notes with his neighbour ; it only 

 wanted someone more outspoken than his fellows to say the 

 word which raised the whispers to vehement denunciation, and 

 the concealed suspicion into emphatic protest. It was very 

 amusing to hear the decided opinions of some of the opposition; 

 they were so much to the point, and were so conclusive as to 

 the dishonest character of the birds. *' I'm a breeder, sir, I am ! " 

 was one man's declaration of faith, and that seemed to settle 

 the question for half a dozen of his intimates. "I ain't bred 

 birds for forty years without knowing something," was the 

 opinion of another. That was evidently cousidered a settler 

 for me. "You are an excellent judge of birds, you are, sir 

 {noniinativus prononiininn raro expriwitirr^ for which overhaul 

 your Gilbert A'Becket). We've seen some of your judging to- 

 day, and will see a little more to-morrow morning." From that 

 moment I believe Mr. Baxter and I were looked upon as two 

 victims for sacrifice. But the greatest oracle of all was an 

 awful old fellow, of whom, I am sure, even his own circle were 

 ashamed. He was one of that kind of men who, having a 

 smattering of ready wit, try to pass it off as knowledge. But 

 in his case it was tinged with so much coarseness that one could 

 not help wishing that really well-meaning men had not a more 

 sensible and temperate advocate. He walked up and down the 

 Show, firing his shots right and left, and then, with his hands 

 deep in pockets, would seem to be weighing over in his mind 

 whether tarring and feathering or the horseiJond would be the 

 most satisfactory way of vindicating justice on the morrow. In 

 the fulness of his joy at the prospect of the sport when Bem- 

 rose & Orme should be exposed, and the Judges convicted at 

 conniving at a felony, this terrible old man made, like one of 

 old, a rash vow. But people should be careful how they make 

 rash vows. A young man at Whitby Show made a rash vow; 

 he was going to " fetch it oil," or eat the birds. But this young 

 man did neither. And this old man at Norwich vowed that if 

 the birds came out of the ordeal true birds, he would find a 

 carriage and pair and drive Mr. Orme round the city. But he 

 didn't. On Thursday afternoon it was resolved that the Bem- 

 rose-and-Orme birds should be protested against according to 

 Rule 5, and the thing was gone about in a business-like way. 

 Seven exhibitors protested against seven of our decisions, aiid 

 seven half-crowns were deposited, to be returned if the objec- 

 tions were sustained, or forfeited if considered frivolous or vex- 

 atious. I may be wi-ong, but I thought Mr. Mackley smiled as 

 he heard these fated half-crowns drop one by one into the cash- 

 box with a musical chink. 



That the investigation might be conducted so as to remove 

 all doubt as to the genuineness of the birds, the protestors 

 engaged the services of Mr. Sutton, the eminent public analyst; 

 and to insure things being done decently and in order I retained 

 Mr. Stanley, solicitor, to watch the proceedings on behalf of 

 the Judges, for though it was virtually the birds which were on 

 their trial, it was the " decision of the Judges" against which 

 the appeal was made. An arrangement was soon come to by 

 which it was settled that the inquiry should take place at half- 

 past ten the following morning, Mr. Stanley representing the 

 Judges; Mr. Betts, Chairman of the "Alliance,'' representing 

 the club ; and Mr. Frank Willis appeared for the objectors. The 

 furious old man was jubilant, and when we left the HaU at night 

 I believe he was almost afraid to lose sight of us. Mr. F. Willis 

 shook hands with Mr. Orme, and vowed his vow, "It the birds 

 are true I shall be the first to sh.ake hands with you, but if not 

 I shall be the first to trip you up." And then we three wended 

 our way to our hostelry, the "Duke's Palace." I don't know 

 ■what the objectors did, but we had a good supper. 



Nest morning Mr. Orme knocked at our bedroom door, for 

 Mr. Baxter and I had chartered a double-bedded room ; it's 

 half the fun when you're from home to have a chat and a laugh 

 after you go to bed ! When he came in I noticed a change In 

 him and when he asked for the loan of a rasor I thought things 

 were getting serious^ 



" His eye waa stern and wild, his choek was pale and cold as clay ; 

 Across bis tightened lip a smile of fearful moaning lay ! 

 He paused awhile — no trace of doubt was there ; 

 It was the steady, solemn pause of resolute despair. 

 I saw him gaze upon the scroll, once more its words he read ; 

 Then, calmly, with uplifted hand its folds before him spread. 

 I saw him bare his throat and seize the blue cold steel. 

 And grimly try the tempered edge he was about to feel. 

 A sickness crept upon my heart, and dizzy swam my head : 

 I could not ciy, I could not stir, I felt benumbed and dead I 

 Again I looked. Across his face a fearful change had passed ; 

 He seemed to rave I O'er cheek and lip a flaky foam was cast. 

 He raised on high the glittering blade 1 Then first I found a tongne, 

 Hold, madman I stay the frantic deed 1 I cried. And forth I sprung. 

 Orme heard me, but he heeded not ; one look around he gave, 

 And ere I could arrest his hand, he had begun to— shave : " 



and while doing so gave us a peep behind the scenes, and related 



some extraordinary stories anent Canaries, Canary breeders, 

 and Canary exhibitors. 



Half-past ten found us at the Hall, and our old enemy looked 

 quite pleased to see us once more almost within reach of his 

 ctvttch. I believe he looked upon the inquiry in the light of a 

 coroner's inquest, and thought that Bemrose & Orme and the 

 Judges were corpses. But there was plenty of life in Mr. Orme 

 yet, and when the analyst had retired to the committee-room 

 (where I should have said the protested birds had been placed 

 under lock and key), he led in his trump in the shape of a siuall 

 cage of partially-moulted birds, in which was to be seen feather 

 in every stage of development. These birds were ex.imined by 

 everyone most minutely, while Mr. Orme tried to " lay out " a 

 Uttle money to advantage. But 20 to 1 on the birds was not 

 even a sufficiently tempting price, and when the cage was 

 handed back to Mr. Orme with the honest confession, " It we 

 had seen these first we would never have protested," I thought 

 how the seven half-crowns would be whispering to each other 

 in the cashbox. Five minutes later the analyst's verdict was 

 given — Perfectly genuine ; and the next thing I saw was Mr. 

 Orme being carried " shoulder high "and then "tossed; " and 

 there is plenty of height in St. And:ew's Hall to give a man a 

 good hoist. I never was " hoisted," but I have heard lads who 

 have been tossed in a blanket at school say that going-up is 

 very nice, but when you come down it feels as if you had left 

 your liver sticking against the ceiling. I think this must have 

 been Mr. Orme's idea, for after one " hoist " he clasped one of 

 his enthusiastic friends by the neck, and as botli could not go-up 

 the interesting performance ended by shaking hands all round. 

 The first to redeem his promise was Mr. F. Willis. The obstinate 

 old curmudgeon refused to be satisfied, and the carriage was not 

 forthcoming, and the last I saw of him he was standing in front 

 of the first-prize Ticked Jonque solemnly asserting that it had 

 rubbed its colour off on the back of the cage. 



Had the inquiry been conducted in any other way there is 

 no kuowiug to what results blind prejudice might have led. 

 Ouce on a time I used to do 220 yards in decent form, and once 

 I trained for a mile. I don't know what sort of a performer 

 Mr. Baxter may be, but he looks as if he could go, and I have 

 no doubt that if the inquiry had been placed in the hands of 

 some who had made it a foregone conclusion, we should both 

 have had an opportunity of showing our agility. Later in the 

 day the Sheriff of Norwich presented the cup to Mr. Orme, 

 and next morning in the " latest intelligence " column of the 

 papers appeared the result of Mr. Sutton's analysis. — W. A. 



BL.iKSTON. 



HIGH- COLOURED CANARIES. 



In the secret mode of feeding and moulting I confess I have 

 no experience ; aud as Mr. Blakston states that the birds must 

 be of good breed, the operation simply improving the colour, 

 probably he can inform me how it happens under such circum- 

 stances that my bird should have changed from a rich orange 

 to a green straw-colour buff. I am disposed to think that if 

 Mr. Bemrose would publish in the Journal from whom he pur- 

 chased and the price paid for the two birds previous to putting 

 them under treatment and exhibiting at the Palace, it would 

 somewhat assist other persons in forming an opinion on the 

 merit or demerit of his discovery, aud the quality and value of 

 the birds required for being coloured. I have not the slightest 

 intention to dispute Mr. Bemrose's mode of colouring, and I 

 quite believe his statements to be correct, but I contend that 

 birds artificially coloured, by whatever process, are not legiti- 

 mate. If artificial colouring is to be considered legitimate, the 

 mode of colouring must be leift to the discretion of the exhibitor, 

 and the birds disqualified at Cheltenham would have been legi- 

 timate. If genuine Norwich birds will not retain or perpetuate 

 their colour, how is it that fanciers have for so many years been 

 enabled to maintain, and by judicious and careful breeding 

 gradually improve, the colour, and that a fresh exhibitor, to 

 whom the secrets must be unknown, can occasionally com© 

 forward and carry off some of the best prizes ? — R. J. Tkoake. 



I HA^'E read with a great deal of astonishment Mr. R. J. 

 Troake's letter about colouring Canaries by feeding, because 

 his arguments are, to say the least, somewliat peculiar. Why 

 should a good Belgian moult-off his best points, which are part 

 and i^arcel of the bird's bony structure, and the colour not en- 

 tirely fail in the moulting of a true-bred Norwich, which colour 

 is produced by a peculiar method of feeding ? Why should it 

 not ? You might as well expect a Belgian to turn into a Pigeon 

 as to expect it to change its conformation ; whereas in the case 

 of the feathers of birds, it is a well-established fact that they 

 will alter at moulting. Look at the Lizards : they repeatedly 

 throw out white feathers after their second moult, and I have 

 myself been accused of malpractices because a Crystal Palace 

 winner which was claimed changed the colour of his feathers 

 when he moulted. 



I take it that if Mr. Bemrose's birds had been fed as he fed 

 them — and there is the secret — they would have kept their colour 



