January G, 1870. ] 



JOCJRNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGK GARDENER. 



19 



with the blue or chequer match, certain it is that in the show pen all 

 birds not really black should be rigorously disqualified. The prizes 

 everywhere are offered to Blacks. On what principle, then, are Blacks 

 sometimes excluded in favour of slaty-coloured usurpers, however 

 superior ? Let such specimens be relegated to the " Any other colour " 

 class, when their owners will qnickly discover the means of breeding 

 to standard. Our suggestions may seem rigid, and too persistent on 

 the side of colour ; but while we yield to none in our intense admira- 

 tion of the structural properties, we recognise that the colour may be 

 improved without any sacrifice of limb, crop, contour, or length. It 

 is quality, not quantity, that we advocate, and the Black strains, if not 

 numerous, can yield a sufficiency of full-sized tall-limbed birds, and 

 are diversified enough to maintain strength without resort to matches 

 which can but impair the pedigrees, and set up a tendency to perpetual 

 and unwelcome reversion. Judicious mating for the highest standard 

 only will do more to establish this department than any attempt to 

 eke out its inferior numbers by deteriorating crosses, and of this we 

 believe our Scotch friends are fully sensible. 



Having reached our present limits, the discussion of the remaining 

 Pouter classes must be deferred until our next. 

 (To be continued.) 



SKY TUMBLERS. 



" Old Bob Eidley " — a Lancashire " chap," snre as e'er 

 " Tim Bobbin " was, and a native, I dare swear, of some village 

 not a dozen miles from " Kachda " (Rochdale), in our county. 

 Bnt I should like to know where "Old Boh" puts up "o' 

 market days," that I could have a " camp " with him o'er a 

 warm pint, on Sky Tumblers, and terriers, foumart, and rat, 

 and trail hunts, Sea., all in liis way, if my guess is right. Cana- 

 ries, Bullfinches, Game chickens, too, as well as gooseberry, and 

 rhubarb, and flower shows, and " a bit o' moorgame sport " — 

 Grouse — I dare say he understands ; for your true-bred Lanca- 

 shire lad knows all about such things innately and in- 

 stinctively, and is none the worse for his love of animals, birds, 

 fruits, arid flowers, and an occasional " warm pint," despite 

 the lamentations of such orators as live on hot cakes and tea, 

 and talk twaddle for their living. Nor is he a whit worse for 

 his love of sport. His heart is in the right place, and capable 

 of as much fervour and truth in all that is good and godly (a 

 time for everything), as in his holiday fancies and pursuits. 

 No cant, no nonsense in him, but bump upright, and manly 

 "afore his betters," if any such exist, and equals alike. So 

 much for " Old Bob Eidley," whose name may alarm, per- 

 haps, some of your more sentimental readers. 



And now for Sky Tumblers, " Old Bob's " sort. He has a 

 few such birds, and describes them perfectly ; though he lacks 

 the self-coloured birds amongst his Mottles and Splashes. 

 Years ago I had all colours, mixed and selfs, and only lost the 

 lot by a Pigeon-loft burglary. The fame of my birds had in- 

 vited a clean swoop — for deportation, doubtless, since " neither 

 top nor tail" did I hear of my flight afterwards. "Old Bob's" 

 birds do not equal those told of, that go up so high they can- 

 not come down by daylight, but have to perch in the clouds, 

 and come down by moonlight, or wait until next morning, be- 

 fore descent again! However, three-quarters to one hour is 

 the best of fljiDg, and quite within the truth ; and trained to a 

 watchman's rattle, flights of twice that time are to be attained, 

 and the birds whistled quietly down at pleasure ; but half an 

 hour of good soaring, and circling, and tumbling is as much as 

 one cares or likes to watch, and is enough. 



Tbe Macclesfield Tumbler, I am told, is a blue bird ; but 

 I cannot get any (gone out with the silkweavers ruined by 

 French treaty) ; and Manchester and Chester make no sign of 

 having the Sky Tumbler fancy in them. All Short-faced Tum- 

 blers to look at only — like too many things now-a-days ! 

 The Macclesfield Tumblers were famous; so are, or were, the 

 White Eyes — Yorkshire Tumblers — all Sky Tumblers, and 

 now scarcely to be found reliable for blood. Cannot you, our 

 Editors, bring out Sky Tumblers in our exhibitions ? They 

 are the best birds for homely innocent fancy in the Pigeon 

 family. 



A word or two for what is called " The Birmingham Boiler." 

 I have a flight of twelve that will soar and fly half an hour or 

 more, and tumble, too, nicely, and crack their wings like whips 

 as they wheel about — a sign of strength of flight ; in fact, equal 

 their cousinB, Sky Tumblers, in all but velocity, being, I think, 

 a trifle heavier on the wing. I believe the Roller (why so called 

 except for tumbling ?), certainly Sky Rollers, to be a cross-breed 

 betwixt the Sky Tumbler and the Berlin, Dutch, or German 

 Tumbler, to gain strength, and the muffed leg, admired by 

 some fanciers. The colours are various, with a tendency to 

 throw birds with white flights and beards, termed "broken 



baldpate " by " Old Bob," and almost, though not always, 

 with muffed legs. In short, the Roller is a hardy, prolific, and 

 well-flown bird, to be bred in any colour you please, except 

 baldpate perhaps. Crossed again with our Sky Tumbler, the 

 Macoleefield, or White Eye, I feel sure, barring downy legs, it 

 would rival the best pure Sky Tumbler in every point of form 

 and performance. 



I wish " Old Bob " a merry Christmas, and a happy New 

 Year. — Readeb. 



I respond to "Old Bob Ridley's" wish for the desired 

 information, and inform him that Mr. W. Crook, tobacco 

 manufacturer, High Street, Swansea, South Wales, has what 

 he terms the common Mottled Tumbler, and he is open to 

 show any gentleman the height and the length of time they 

 keep up. I myself will vouch for their flying from two to 

 four hours any or every day during the winter months, and in 

 summer time they will regularly fly four and five hours with- 

 out dropping, and when at their flying height you can only 

 just see them, and you could place a sieve over them, the 

 flock being thirteen. 



I have frequently seen Mr. Crook destroy his young birds if 

 they did not fly two hours when at the age of four months old. 

 His principal coloured birds are black, black and mottled heads, 

 red mottled and white, with clean legs, broad chest, short face 

 (or short beak), silver eyes, and are strong well-built little birds. 

 I have certainly heard of these pretty little creatures doing 

 only, as " Old Bob Eidley " states, three-quarters of an hour ; 

 or one hour is thought good work. Mr. Crook calls such birds 

 roadscrapers or chimney-pot destroyers. I have been keeping 

 these little creatures for upwards of twenty years, but I never 

 have come across such birds as the above gentleman keeps. 

 — An Eye Witness. 



MISMANAGEMENT AFTER AN ACCIDENT. 



I had a Stewarton hive with a strong stock of bees left in my 

 care in September, and it had the misfortune to be upset in 

 November, the bees and the combs sent to the ground out of 

 the body box, and the combs in the super detached from the 

 top. I replaced the hive and took the super off, picked up the 

 combs which were covered with bees, shook them off into the 

 super, and replaced it. I then tied the combs with thin string 

 firmly into the frames of 'a hive something after the Woodbury 

 style, feeling satisfied that the queen was with them as they 

 had had every chance to leave the hive in search of her, it being 

 upset about two hours before I reached home. With the aid of 

 a little tobacco smoke I got the bees into the frame hive, tied 

 the remainder of the combs which were in the super into frames, 

 placed them in the hive, and having shut the bees in, took 

 them into the greenhouse which was kept just warm. Next 

 morning I opened the entrance to see if they would take to 

 their new home. During the afternoon the fire had to be raked 

 out, and the greenhouse was allowed to go so cold as to chill 

 them, when it was no little trouble to pick them off the windows, 

 plants, &c. I warmed them in a bell-glass and returned them 

 to the hive, fastened them up, and took them to their old stance. 

 A few days afterwards, being a mild day, I let a few out ; some 

 flew off, two or three flew about a short time, and then alighted 

 on the hive, but they remained outside until numbed with cold. 

 I wrote to the person to whom they belonged, requesting him 

 to bring a weak stock and unite them ; but preferring to know 

 if the queen was all right, he brought a shilling's worth of 

 chloroform, and with a little cotton wool put it into the hive at 

 the entrance to stupefy the bees ; he found the queen all right, 

 but the chloroform not only stupefied the bees, but killed them 

 outright. A few days afterwards I discovered them as we had 

 left them on the bottom board of the hive, but on examining the 

 frames I found that the bees had fastened the combs. Can you 

 say why the bees would not return into the hive when in the 

 greenhouse, and when placed on their original stand? — J. B., 

 Monton. 



[The final catastrophe was but the natural result of the mis- 

 taken course which was pursued. The only chance for the 

 poor bees after you had temporarily secured their combs and in- 

 ducted them into their new domicile, was to leave them at per- 

 fect liberty on their old and well-accustomed stance, where, if 

 favoured by mild weather, they might^have licked up the spilt 

 honey, refixed their combs, and, perhaps, ultimately have 

 prospered in spite of their misfortune. When, however, bees 

 are confined under such circumstances they must perforce fill 



