December 1, 1S63. ] 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



443 



in passing a bird shop in a laige town, saw a pair of good 

 Barbs in a cage outside; being in want of such Pigeons, 

 he stopped and inquh-ed the price — that was not out ot tlie 

 way — "but are they a pair?" "Yes, Sir." "Well, I am 

 an old Pigeon-fancier, and I live in the neighbourhood, and 

 I think they are two cocks." " Well, Sir, as you are an old 

 Pigeon-fancier, and as you live in the neighboiu'hood (hope 

 of future custom arising), I confess they are two cocks." 



But I may have it said in reply to my advocacy of this 

 plan, which has already found favour with two wi-iters in 

 yoiu- Journal, there are honourable dealers : Mr. Baily, for 

 instance, would never deceive you. Granted at once in Mr. 

 Baily's case, but the price ! and I own I dare not have 

 dealings with men in business, unless I can see my birds. 



As a further reason, I will give my own case, a simOar 

 one to that of many. Of recent years I have been a breeder 

 of black Bantams, and had (for death, alas ! has thinned 

 them), some as good pullets as I have ever seen; then, lo! 

 my best cock dies, and where am I to get another ? Or, I 

 have birds to spare, and no fancier living near me ; I take | 

 them into Bath, and have a magnanimous offer at a dealer's 

 of eighteenpence a-head ! Of coui'se, at such a price I will 

 not sell them, so with regret I kill them, whereas another 

 poultry-fancier might just want what I have too many of, 

 and be wondering where on earth he could buy them. 



Such a special column as suggested by your correspon- 

 dent, " An Exhibitor in a Small Way," and approved 

 by " EeoMET," would meet the difficulty ; open solely, re- 

 member, to your subscribers, and to no dealer on any pretence 

 whatsoever. As to being an unfair act in regard to trades- 

 men, I would reply. We amateurs are driven to it in self- 

 defence, for either prices are absurdly high, or there is a 

 pleasant prospect of deception before us. All that "Eqomet" 

 says about fairness at exhibitions I readily endorse. Mistakes 

 there may and must be occasionally. If there be known un- 

 faii-ness, the press is open. As to Judges, procure known 

 good ones, and trust to their judgment. I may difl'er here 

 and there fi'om them, "many men many minds," but when 

 acting as Judges I abide by their decision. 



Well said, " Egomet," about Cmustmas-day. Let nothing 

 break the circles gathered round the hearth on that day, 

 replete with kindness and good wOl to and among men. 



I also agree with " Egomet " as to a list of the pens sold, 

 their prices, &c., being printed at the end of the prize lists. 

 This could easUy be done. The great point is to increase 

 and make easier the means of mutual assistance among the 

 poultry brotherhood ; and, rely upon it, this will also increase 

 the love of poultry — in fact, add to the brotherhood. When 

 people see others reap pleasure from a pursuit, and the 

 many difficulties as to procuring birds, &c., done away with, 

 they will wish to try their hands. Prejudice ai'ises from 

 ignorance, pleasure comes with knowledge. 



I have throughout this paper gone upon this supposition, 

 that aU lovers of poultry are faii- and honest, as upon this 

 being the case the success of the plan would whoBy depend. 

 — Wiltshire Eectoe. 



TuiucKYS.— First, W. Hewer, Sevenhampton. Socoad, Miss J. Milward, 

 Newlon St. Loe. 



Gkkse —First, G. Hanks, Quobwcll. Second, R. P. Rich, Cllippenham. 

 Hifflily Cimimended, Mrs. A. P. Smitli, Beversbrook ; — Coleman, 

 Bevel sbrook. 



DccKs (Aylesbury). — First, G. Hanks, Quobwell. Second, Mrs. A. P. 

 Smith, Beverwbroolt. 



Ducks (Rouen).— First, J. W. Brown, Uifcott. Second, Mrs. Kent, 

 Newton. 



Dlcks (Any other variety).— First, Miss J. Milward, Newton St. Loe. 

 Second, — Colpraan, Beversbrook. 



SwEEPSTAKKS (Game Cock).— Prize, A. Ecatii, Cjine, Higlily Com- 

 mended, F. Bailey, Calne. 



Judge. — Mr. J. E. Eodbard, Wrington, near Bristol. 



CHIPPENHAM POULTEY SHOW. 



The following is a list of the awards at the Show recently 

 held:— 



DoEKisos.— First, E. Hedges, Chilton. Second, F, Bailey, Calne. Highly 

 Commended, T. R. Hulbert, Cirencester. 



Spanish.— Prize, A. Heath, Calne. 



Gamk ( Black-breasted and other Reds).- First, H. Waller, Calne. Second, 

 H, Stevenson, Landsend, Chippenham. Highly Commeuded, J. Orlidge, 

 Chippenliara. Commended, T. R. Hulbert, Cirencester. 



Gami; (Any other variety).— First, J. Mu.'pratt, Heytesbury. Second, 

 J. Coulter, Acton Turnville. 



CncHiN-Cm.vA (Any variety).— First, Miss J. Milward, Newton St. Loe. 

 Second, H. Witchell, Xetbury. 



Hamburgiis (Golden-pencilled).— First, n. Witchell, Tetbury. Second, 

 J. S. Maggs, Tetbury. 



Hamburghs (Silver-pencilled).— First, J. W. W. Hulbert, Chippenham. 

 Second, G. S. Sainsbuty, Devizes. 



Hambcughs (Giilden.spangled) — First, J. S. Maggs, Tetbury. Second, 

 Mrs. Murlon, Bishopstrow. 



PoLASns (Any vanoty).— First, J. Phillips, Cbippenham. Second, J. 

 Hinton, Hinton. 



Aky other Distinct or Cboss Bbeed. — First, J, Hinton, Hiatou. 

 Second, J. J. Vox, Devizes. 



Bantams (Game).— First, F. Bailey, Calne. Second, F. H. Phillips, 

 Cbippenham. 



Bantams (Any other yariety).— First, J. J. Fox, Devues. Second, E. Cam. 

 bridge, Bristol. 



NEW TAEIETIES OF PIGEONS. 



I HAVE to oifer my thanks to Mr. Alfi-ed Heath, for his 

 kindness in replying to my request for a description of that 

 variety of tame Pigeons that has recently been exhibited as 

 Isabel Pigeons. From his writing I recognise them as 

 Dutch Powters. Gottlob Neumeister, in his German work 

 on Pigeons, says they are of various colours, as black, blue, 

 red, yellow, isabelleufarbig (buff-colom-ed), and white; fre- 

 quently with white wing-bars on the isabellen, blue, and 

 red, but he has never seen white wing-bars on the black. I 

 remember seeing a pair at the Crystal Palace which most 

 likely were Mr. Heath's, and they exactly resembled Herr 

 Gottlob Neumeister's plate of the Isabellenfarbigen Hol- 

 liindische Kropftatibe. They should, therefore, be called 

 Isabel Powters, and not Isabel Pigeons, as the word Isabel 

 refers only to their colour, and not to the breed. 



I should also be obliged by a description of those Pigeons 

 shown as Satinettes and Neapolitans, as both these names 

 have appeared in catalogues of recent Pigeon shows ; and as 

 I am not acquainted with the breeds, at least by those 

 names, I ask some breeder of them for full pai'ticulars of 

 then' origin, peculiar points, colour, &c. 



May I beg of any Pigeon-fancier, or reader of The 

 Journal of Horticulture, who is acquainted with the 

 Lowtau or Ground Tumblers of Intlia, to send a description 

 of them ? Also, if any one can tell what variety of Pigeons 

 it is that the natives of India train for high flying. Are 

 they like any of our high-flying breeds of Tumblers ? I have 

 myself a wonderful Tumbling breed of Pigeons, many of 

 which while flying throw from fifteen to thirty summersaults 

 in a minute ; some of them roU tiU they touch the ground, 

 and a few can hardly fly from excessive tumbling. Thus 

 taking an interest in Tumbler Pigeons, I should be greatly 

 obliged for any account of the Indian, or any other new 

 variety. As to the reason of a Pigeon's turning over while 

 flying, I may refer to that at some futui-e time. — B. P. 

 Bkent. 



SINGULAE DEPOSIT ON A HFV'E FLOOE. 



A jSTEW MATEBIAL foe hives — FOUL BEOOD. 



Well acquainted as I have long been with the very large 

 accumulation of filth of all kinds too frequently to be seen 

 on the slates of the cottager's hives, yet I certainly was not 

 prepared for what lately met my view upon lifting a hive 

 from its stand, revealing as it did a most extraordinary 

 accumulation of a jelly-like substance, covering the whole of 

 the slate, to the dejitli of three-eighths of an inch, and which 

 when removed would have filled a large breakfast-cup. It 

 was not merely a cursory glance I had of this singular sub- 

 stance, for, having transferred the hive to a clean slate, I was 

 enabled to examine it at my leism-e. What makes it the 

 more remarkable is, that the hive was a new one, tenanted 

 by a swarm of the present season, the combs clean, and the 

 bees healthy, the slate, also, being a new one from a quarry 

 close by. The owners of the hive thinking I might be an 

 intending piu'chaser, expressed no surprise when I called their 

 attention to the state of the slate, remarking, they always 

 found lots of dirt, but upon close examination they also 

 expressed gTeat surprise, never having seen anything like it 

 before. It struck me at first there must have been a quantity 

 of moist sugar introduced into the hive ; but I found it had 

 not been lifted since it was tenanted by the swarm. I can 

 compare it to nothing but calves' -foot jelly, having the same 

 motion when shaken, and resisting the touch with the same 

 degree of elasticity. A few bees only were clogged and help- 



