Aagust 29, 1837. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



167 



CniCKENH FOR Tajile.— First, J. Cree, Meigle. 

 Third, D. Gellatly. 



Selling. —Firat, A. IV>bortflon. Second, P. W. O^rilv}'. 

 Gellatly. Cominonded, J. Klliot, Belmont, nnd D. Gellntly. 



Ji'DGES. — Mr. Itiilpath, Edinburgh ; uud Mr. Brown, Perth 



Second, Mra. Kidd. 

 Third, D. 



and it is said somp of them had been there Bince eifjht o'cloek waiting. 

 The attractions of the Pigeons seemed immense, and iu many a group 

 of some half dozen stolid staid-looking men, one would have imagined 

 that the fatf of kingdoms was being di^ossed, rather than the prodoce 

 of some particular bird. 



THH HAMBURG PIGEOX SHOW. 



If may interest some of your readers to learn, that a Pigeou Show 

 in this city attracted a very large number of pens, and un enormous 

 coueourj^e of visitors. It commenced on the 15th of August and 

 lasted till the 'JOth. The number of entries iu the catalogue uas 

 li6t>, and nearly all the pens were filled. The catalogues, instead of 

 being divided consecntiTcly in classes of each variety, were arranged 

 so as to show each amateur'.s contribution separately. The first on 

 the list, and tlm only one whose name would be familiar to English 

 readers, was the Prince of Prussia, who sent ten pens of choice birds 

 of different varieties. 



Iu attempting a description of the Show it is necessary to give a 

 slight doscriptioa of the place in which it was held. The Zoological 

 (.rardens at Hamburg are bcantifully laid out to exhibit each variety 

 of animal and bird in its natural condition as far as possible, and 

 would give a good lesson to our Society in London. In the centre 

 was erected, surrounded by a trophy of flags of several nations, a 

 series of excellent pens, each furnished with a porch. 



Taking the birds in order as the different varieties are appreciated 

 with us at present, the Carrtirs were very poor indeed iu quality, but 

 an improvement on the German idea of them a few years since. The 

 .htt-'-rr/is were excellent and nnm'jrous. Two pairs sent by a medical 

 mau in Norway, were of the clearest blue ever seen. A good many 

 showed the gullet of the Owl, but three or four pairs of a dark rose- 

 wood tint, very small, very slim, with small pearled eyes, were the 

 tuo-st blood-like looking birds possible. Those of them which were for 

 sale were claimt-d immediately. The Pouters, according to Gei-man 

 ideas, were all that could be desired. In my eyes the tnie English 

 Pouter was very badiy represented, with the exception of some White 

 hens, which were marvellous. I believe some few of them may find 

 tiieir way over. The Hnniurr and Isahelks were beautiful, numerous, 

 and of everj* shade of colour. They attracted great attention and 

 many of them were at once sold. The Tumblers, according to English 

 ideas, resolved themselves into two pairs, one excellent exhibited by a 

 private gentleman, and one mediocre exhibited by the Prince of Prussia. 

 The classes of German Tumblers were exquisitely filled with Yellow, 

 Silver, Blue, and Black Masques, which have here a reputation for 

 fiauf vol; also, with little feathery-footed mottled or rather speckled 

 birds of excellent head and I)eak, and of all colours. 



Of Barbs, much cannot be said, except that one or two birds of 

 priceless value as regards beak were shown, but all were deficient in 

 eye. There was not one really first-class pair in the Show, T\'ith the 

 exception of one pair of Yellows, on which the owner would put no 

 price. The Tnnn/>rtrr.t would have been tolerable years ago, but iu 

 comparison with those lately imported by Mr. Baily, and sold to Mr. 

 Hedley and others, they wonld be nowhere. The Jacobins formed 

 a very numerous class and exhibited every variety of colour and 

 marking. One pair of excellent Whites with Trumpeter feet, two pair ; 

 very good bat entirely Black, others Silver. Ked, Blue, and Yellowe 

 some with Trumpeter roses ; some Blue, Ked, and Yellow with whits 

 tails. The Nnni, Black, Red. and Yellow, comprised many very good 

 iurds, some of tliem very clean-cat indeed. Spots and Ikhmt-'i were 

 shown in great variety, and were much admired, as were also some 

 beautiful Fn'ffhiti-lcs, of a deep-shaded bine. Faufnils were of every 

 conceivable colour — Black, Blue, Red. Y'ellow, and White ; also. White 

 with black shoulders. White with black tails, red tails, and yellow 

 tails. All of them were pretty but did not come up to our present 

 standard of head and carriage. A collection of upwards of twenty pairs 

 of so-called A'; /'k/pww and ^Jnuiird Pigeons were great favonrites 

 from the very delicate shades of theii- colouring. 



The ArrJwu(}i-tfi were alone worth a visit, and exhibited every 

 possible shading from deep black up to a slate colour, so delicate as 

 t.) become almost a sky blue. They were shown also two pairs with 

 white wings and red bars. The limjndais were very good indeed, of a 

 quality thut has hardly ever been seen in England, some of them with 

 beaks against which our Carriers would look short. The Turhits were 

 ^eat in number but wofuUy low in quality ; Otrh the same, with the 

 exception of two pairs of Yellows, and two pairs of African. The 

 iSimlloica were largely represented, the Blacks being the best. The 

 Starlinffs and SirisM Pi;/fonit exhibited great variety of marking. The 

 mancd Pigeons were good ; the Pri'sfs also of excellent quality but 

 few iu number ; the S/n'^'Jih good, but also few. Several other varieties 

 unknown as breeds to us were exhibited. Every bird seemed iu perfect 

 health, and rather au uunsnal circumstance at a Show, all the birds 

 seemed really paired. 



One curious feature of the Exhibition was, that at eleven o'clock on 

 the Sunday morning between two and three hundred Pigeons, many 

 ot thorn Autwerps. wore set loose in the ceatre of the gardens to find 

 their way home. With hardly au exception they flew to a jjreat height 

 and then began to circle, by degrees they thinned, and then those that 

 remained seemed to form themselves into flights and take theii* depar- 

 ture. At Ibis time it is computed there were forty thousand visitors, i 



ANOTHER WARNING. 



Ih the month of January last I advertised in your Journal 

 for some poultry. Amongst other replies, I received one from 

 a \V. F, Josling, of Writtle, Essex, and it was agreed that he 

 should send me some birds on sight, provided I sent him a 

 post-oflice order for their value — viz., IJ5s. Should I not like 

 the birds I could return them, and he wonld return the money. 

 I sent him the post-office order, but from that day to this I 

 have never received either the birds or the money back. I 

 allowed the matter to stand for some months, and I then wrote 

 him to send back the money, but received no answer. Under 

 these circumstances I wrote to the Superintendent of Police at 

 Chelmsford, and his reply confirmed my suspicions. Deeming 

 it but right that the poultry-dealing public shonld be put on 

 their guard, I have enclosed you the letters. — John Stuabt, 

 ThUtlcbank, Ilrloisbur'jh. 



[Why did you not do what we have repeatedly advised others 

 to do — either require the poultry to be first received by you, 

 or make the post-office order payable ten days after date, 80 

 that you might stop its payment if the poultry were not pre- 

 viously received 1 We have no sympathy for those who choose 

 to run the risk of being defrauded by strangers.] 



DUCKS POISONED. 



A FEW days since Mr. Joseph Wyles, of Welby Warren, sus- 

 tained a somewhat serious loss in his poultry-yard, by the 

 sudden and, at that time, unaccountable death of a large number 

 of fine Ducks. Being utterly at a loss to imagine how the 

 birds came by their death, he decided to call in the professional 

 aid of Mr, Batchelder, veterinary surgeon, of Grantham, who, 

 having made a post mortem examination, decided to forward the 

 intestines of some of the birds to the eminent analyst of Guy's 

 Hospital, Professor A. S. Taylor, a report of whose analysis 

 has just been received by Mr. Batchelder ; from which it ap- 

 pears that he found the symptoms identical with irritant poi- 

 soning. Applying every known test for the detection of any 

 mineral or vegetable poison, he was unable to discover the 

 presence of any such body. In the food given to the Ducks, 

 which consisted of ground wheat, the Professor discovered the 

 presence of the black seeds of the Com Cockle [Agrostemma 

 githftgo] , in considerable quantities, whilst in the intestines 

 of the birds he also found partially digested food of precisely 

 similar description ; and it is to the presence of the Cockle 

 that he ascribes the cause of death, and not owing to the pre- 

 sence of any intentionally administered poison. He states 

 that personally he has had no experience of the effect of these 

 seeds upon animals, but that scientific authorities of repute 

 assign to the seeds of the Corn Cockle a noxious irritant action 

 on animals, especially on birds ; and that the seeds, when in 

 large quantities, act like a poison and destroy life in a few 

 hours. The word "cockle" when used with reference to this 

 seed is not understood in this part of England, the seed being 

 generally known by the name of "corn popple." — {Granthavi 

 Journal.) 



PROTECTING HIVES— BEE FLOWERS. 



The roof of the cheese-box hive protector (described at page 

 129) can easily be rendered waterproof by a coating of thick 

 coarse paint. As I was in urgent need of a cover for my hive, 

 I did not paint it, fearing the effect of the strong smell upon 

 the bees. I have, however, made it thoroughly waterproof, by 

 covering the roof with a piece of old passage cloth. I cut a 

 circle whose diameter was *2 inches larger than the top of the 

 cheese-box, and bending it over the side tacked it round the 

 edge. This not only makes it completely waterproof, but also 

 adds to its neatness, and a coat of paint on some fine day in 

 winter will make it all right. The swarm in this box now 

 weighs fully 30 lbs. nett. 



In looking over some old Numbers of the Jonrnal for hints 

 on bee-management, I find one of 3'our contributors stating 

 again and again, that it is useless cultivating beo-fiowerf, that 



