Docombor 20. 1867. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



485 



protection being offorded. H yon liecp them for a timo nfter potting in 

 the bouHc, remove tliom to a cold frame before they become drawn up 

 woaklv, (jivinR abundinco of nir in mild periods, with Blight protection 

 when the wsnther is Bovero. The pots should be plnngcd in coul iiBbes. 



Names op Pipits (/. T. /!.).—!, Cedar of Lebanon ; 2. Cedms deodara; 

 8, Juniperns recarva ; i, Taxus elcgantissima. (.1 Sci-dliiiijl.— It is quite 

 impossible to name plants from such u specimen. It may be a Bcgonio, 

 or it may be a seedling of one of a dozen other genera. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the Five Days ending December 22nd. 



Wed. . 18 

 Tbnrs. 19 

 Fri. .. 20 

 Sat. .. 21 

 Son... 22 



Mean 



aiQOMETEn. 



Max. Min. 



29.498 

 29.725 

 29 949 

 29.911 

 •J9.B31 



29.783 



29.4(!1 

 29.634 

 2984H 

 29.7S1 

 a9.788 



THERMOUKTBB. 



Mai. Mln 



47 

 47 

 88 

 !>0 

 54 



29 692 47.20 



1 ft. dp. 2 ft. dp. 



45 

 44 

 43 

 44 



44 



44 

 43 

 43 

 42 

 43 



43.09 



Rain In 

 inches. 



W. , .00 



N.W. .00 



W. .00 



S. I .1! 



N.W. I .00 



0.12 



GEIIEilAL BEUUKS. 



Clear; fine; masses of white clouds; clear. 

 Overcast, hoar frost ; overcast; overcast. 

 Low fog ; hoar frost , partially overcast ; overcast. 

 Rain ; overcast and damp ; overcast and mild. 

 Densely overcast ; partially overcast, very flue ; clear. 



POULTRY. BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



JUDGING GAME FOWLS BY COLOUR.— No. i. 



Bnow» Red3.* — In juJging these, thongh the brown-streaked 

 breasted birds are the favourites, it should bo recollected 

 that the red-brown breasted, whether brown- streaked, or clear 

 reddish-brown breasted, are the pure bred birds ; that any 

 black markinRS or streaks on the breasts of the Brown Beds 

 are bad, as showing the Black-breasted Bed cross, and that 

 the birds are less spirited and not pure bred ; also, that only 

 the reJ-browu breasted birds are the most spirited strain 

 of the colour, pale breasts being less spirited. The Ginger 

 Brown Reds are not pure bred, being crossed with the Gingers 

 and (iinger Bed Game. It sbould likewise be remembered, 

 that Brown Bed hens should be of a pencilled dark brown 

 colour with dark red hackles, and not black with yellow hackles. 

 Brown Reds, and Diickwiags also, have often been too much 

 crossed with the Black-breasted Reds and other colours to be 

 pure bred euough for cup and prize takers. All the lighter- 

 coloured Brown Beds are interior birds, and the dark Brown 

 Reds are the true typo of the colour, aud the only prize strain. 

 All throstle-breasted birds with breasts marbled with black, 

 and all blael, -treakod breasted birds are inferior. The streaks 

 sbould bo dark brown and not black, as given erroneously in 

 the " Standard of Excellence," the proper colour of breast 

 being denoted by the name, " Brown-breasted Dark B-jds," or 

 " Red Brown-breasted Dark Reds," which is the true and correct 

 appellation of the Brown Reds. 



In Piles the brightest and reddest-coloured birds are the 

 best, if red-eyed and wliite-legged. Rad-eyed yellow-legged 

 stand next ; and red-eveJ, yellowish-willow-legged, third. No 

 others are very good. The red eye is absolutely essential. The 

 red-eyed, white-leg:»ed breed is the hardest, best, and fastest- 

 fighting Pile of all, and is white-skinned, and as such, better 

 than any yellow-skinned bird, like the yellow and willow-legged 

 (the "Standard of Excellence" puts the white-legged third. 

 which is wrong), though these are often rodder birds when red- 

 eyed, than the white-legged, which are almost always red-eyed. 

 Yellow-eyed Piles are weaker and are nearly always spiritless 

 birds. Red feathers in the tails of Piles show goodness, I 

 think, though any black feathers, such as the old Worcester- 

 shire Piles had, is very objectionable. The breasts should be 

 well marbled with red in the cocks, and well streaked or veined 

 with red in the hens, as better than white breasts which show 

 softness. 



DucKwiNos are either Birchen Grey, Yellow Birchen, or 

 Silver Grey, the last the purest bred, the lirst colour being 

 between the two extremes, and the most common colour of the 

 red-eyed, willow-legged prize breed. Any red, brown, or yellow 

 marlangs in the hens are objectionable ; they should be of a 

 pure bluish silver-grey, more or less silvered according to the 

 strain. The red-backed Duckwing cocks are cross-bred birds 

 from the Red breeds, and aro never pure bred Duckwing 

 Game. A coarse red salmon-brick breast is a great defect in 

 Duckwing hens, and shows the Red cross in them very plainly. 

 In a pure-bred bird the hen's breast should be of a delicate 



* Light nails are the most common defect in oox breeds of Brown Reds. 



pale or silvery fawn colour, instead of a red fawn, which last 

 colour is proper only for Partridge hens. The white-skinned, 

 blue and white-legged Duckwings incline most to the Silver- 

 Grey colour ; and the vellow-skinned. willow and yellow-legged 

 b-rds to be Yellow Birchens, the yellow-leg?od birds being 

 the true Yellow Birchen Duckwings. The red eye, however, 

 inclines them to both grey and reddish feathers, and the yellow 

 eye to the yellow feathers only. The pure white-legged Silver 

 Duckwings and Mealy Greys have the rare pearl-grey eye. The 

 " old Yellows " were produced before the " old Silvers," which 

 latter were more diflicult to produce. 



All Duckwings were originally bred from various Black- 

 breasted Reds, though some breeders and writers term them 

 an original breed. Some prefer Silver Dackwiugs, and some 

 the high-coloured yellow birds ; the middle colour, the Birchen 

 Grey Duckwing, is most common. 



The BncK-Br.E.\siEr> Red is most common of all, and varies 

 most in its strains, which are more numerous than any colour 

 shows. Of legs, they have all colours, and when with the true 

 red eye, in this breed really good birds may be found with any 

 colour of leg. The only two necessary points as to colour m 

 the cocks are, that they must be bright red, neither Ught or 

 pale, nor dark or dull, and have the red eyes, without which 

 eye all strains are inferior. The hen should be of a rich red 

 partridge-brown colour ; hackle reddish-gold or golden red (the 

 redder the better for spirit), with dark stripes iu most strains, 

 but not iu all of them. 



In White Game the red eve and white leg are essential, as 

 giving the pure white colour." The " Standard of Excellence " 

 gives yellow legs, but birds with these always incline to a 

 yellow tinge and are not so game as the red-eyed, whitedegged 

 Whites are, though if red-eyed, they are better than the yellow 

 or daw-eved Whites. 



Black'Game should, of course, be black-eyed and blackish- 

 legged. Bluish-black is the best tinge for the legs, the blacker 

 i the better. The yellow-eyed Blacks aro poor. Cocks black or 

 brassy ; hens always entire black. W'hits-skinned better than 

 yellow-skinned. 



Dark Greys jind Dakk BincHENS (dark combs), should be 

 grey in the cocks in the Greys, aud dusky yellow or birchen in 

 ' the Birchens. Hens very dark in both sorts, and marked much 

 alike with grey and birchen. Legs and eyes quite jet black in 

 both sorts, or as black as possible. Greys are the better of these 

 two sister sorts and harder. 



GiNGEE Reds.— Cocks red-breasted ; red combs and faces ; 

 eyes red. Combs and face never gipsy as in Brown Beds. Lege 

 vrhite, yellow, or yeUowish-wiUow. Hen light ginger partridge 

 colour. 



Gingers are lighter and yellower than the preceding. Ihey 



should have veUow eves. The cock and hen should both be 



ginger-breastu'd, never gipsy in face, but rbd. The - Standard 



of Excellence ' gives the Ginger Brown P^d as the true Ginger 



j Red, which is quite a mistake. Gingers' legs should be yellow 



1 or light willow. i. , , » 



' In Red Duns, for good birds, red eyes are essential, bnt 



many have yeUow eves and legs. White-legged birds are best ; 



blue-legged next. These are the only two red-eyed strain.?, 



and are true Red Duns, the yeUow-eyed burds being the true 



Ginger Blues. , j ..u 



Blce Doss when pure bred are blue dun-coloured witb 



yellow eyes and legs in the case of the hens; cocks often 



