MMch 1S77. 



jo0R:un oj? aaaTiGULTUBB and cottage gaedener. 



157 



Silvers, email and well laced. We Bnppoee a little mossing on 

 the cock's tail went Bgaiust them, otlierwise we Ibought tbpm 

 the beat pair. Any other Tariety I'geventeeu eiitriet^), were a 

 capital aud moBt iutere^tiug class. First a pair of WLite c'etn- 

 legged, better tban aijy we have seen f'^'i* a long 'ime. Stcoud, 

 White-boct d, nicely shown. Tliir-1 a, perfei , little pair of 

 Pekins ; the beu, perhaps, was not quite so Coc'vn-like in style 

 as the cock. Mr. Phelps and Mr. MoCrae ahow-l ^ood pairs of 

 Cuckoos, and Mrs. Holmes a pretty pair of Black-booted. 



Ducks — Atjleshu-ry (soveneijtrief-) — First a very large pair and 

 not over-fatted ; tectiud a good drake but a dreadfully fat Duck; 

 third fair bnds. Bouens .twelve entries) — The cop pair wtrti a 

 msgniliceat Duck a.ud a drake which looked uuhealihy iu 

 throat aud hill; seoou.l a good pair; third a gond drake and a 

 Duck showiug tiio much white om the wing. Mr. R. Gladstone's 

 very highly cojimended ai d highly commended pairs looked 

 healthy and liue. Blacks (fourteen entries) — F'irtt «ere very 

 small and t'eoidedly the best pair; second were large bat very 

 lustrous. We 5 id not think the third so good as one of this 

 owner's vtry highly comrceudtd pairs. 



ORNXiicNT.vL W-vTE^FOWL (seventeen entries), were a beautiful 

 and most attractive class. The cup went to Mandatius, Biuall 

 and good iu all Ih^ir pi ints. Second faultless t.'arolina'^, the 

 Dorchester cup pen we fancy. Third the well-known Ktsarkaa 

 or Paradise Ducks. Among the very highly commeiidfds were 

 a pair of the no.*' Pekiu Docks and small Egypti«u G-ese — C. 



The judging, we believe, was divided thus:— Mr. Teebay the 

 Game, G»me Biotams, Silkits, Jlalays, aud Hamburghs ; Mr. 

 Hewitt, DorkiugH, tJnohins, aud Waterfowl; Mr. NichoUs, Dark 

 Brahmas, French, Polish, Lt^ghorns, Andalusiaus, aud the 

 Variety class ; and Mr. Howard the remaining poultry classes. 



PIGEONS. 



H-iViNG spoken of the Show generally last week I now come 

 to particulars. 



Pouters come first, an arrangement which I have noticed to 

 be on the increase, and I think these very tail birds deserve this 

 position. Their pens are higher and wholly different in shape, 

 and the formation of the bird is so peculiar that it, attra'-ting 

 the instant notice of non- fancier visit rs, deserves the first [->lace. 

 Blue pied cock< — First a bird of Mr. Fulton's (854), well shaped, 

 but legs t"0 fur*ard and uot ovtr-oleau in plum-ige. Second, 

 860 (Watkin), a good bird with wondrously long legs. Third, 

 Fulton. No. S58, belouKiug to Rhv. W. J. Burdett, was the best- 

 coloured bird iu the claes, a pure Blue without a ti<'k, anf^ with 

 good bar, but iu tis^nre too thick : a pity this. Black pied cocks. 

 — First-and-cup (Wroot) a good style aud a good shape, and 

 soperioi in sleuderrjess to the general run of Blacks. Sccund 

 another good bird (Fu'tm), but crop loose. Third (Fultm), a 

 good all-roond tiird. Yellow or Red cocks. — First (Herrieff), a 

 Red and very fine, with vast crop ; this bird was all but winning 

 the cup. S>C)nd Mr. Fulton's Yellow, an old friend. Toird a 

 Red (Gill), the best Red as to colour iu the Show, but deficient 

 in crop : the c dour with a good crop would win first everywhere. 

 Mr. Gill had also a large Yellow but somewhat thick ; he de- 

 servedly had a v.H.c White cocks — A very good class iudeed. 

 First the beet Wbite Pouter now alive. Sec nd (Baker) a tbo- 

 roughly gO' d l>ird; an of third and of the four others noticed. 

 Pouter hens — Blue pied. — First (Fulton) a very charming hen. 

 bifih'ped on one wing aud pretty playful; but, as if she knew 

 her fault, kef/t t'-^'C best wiii^ to the front. Second (Bak. r), very 

 good o.'our aud half moon. Black pied heus. — Fir^t-and-cup a 

 very elegant slenrfer boa ff Mr. Fulton's, very rightly placed. 

 Second (Bnker), over gay. Yellow hens, an excellent class. First 

 (Foltoi t, good colour and crop. Secand ditto in every respect 

 save colour, it being red. Thirda Y'ellow. AnotherYellow, v.h c 

 Mr. Baker had a very large. cropped bird, a Red, which hod 

 an H c. White hens. — Fir-t Mrs. Ladd's White, which sbe may 

 be gratified to hear is considered to have more than taken the 

 place of the bird tbatdied coming from Edinburgh. The Judges 

 and fanciers ai?reo in their estimate < f the grandness of this 

 bird. .Secnd Fulton, third Biker. Mr. Heath's commended 

 bird will yet do better. The Pigmies were chiefly noticeable in 

 having two hens ( f the standard colours, one a Black pied and 

 another a Bine pied, both good attempts and deserving praise 

 for the pains ami skill bestowed. 



Carriers. — Chaa3pi"n class for cocks over one year ; and mark, 

 every one of these birds to be eligible for admission must have 

 won not less than three first prizes of I'l each. Six binis were 

 foncd equal to the < ccasion, and Mr. lickroyd'a bird with eiior- 

 EaouB wattle above aud below stobd, as he must stand, first. 

 Mr. Maynard had the honour of breeding this Carrier. Next 

 oame the uon eligiblee fir the champion class, being the Black 

 cocks aepari.tf;'l from the Duns. First Flicker; secrmd Heri- 

 tage, a good Pigeon ; third Chandler. Dun Cf ( ks.— Cup Fulton, 

 aecood Baker. Other classes followed, the Black hens being 

 very superior; and the first Dun (Eckroyd) a particularly nice 

 colour and with even flis(hts. The young Black cocks were re 

 garded as excellent. 1 believe the Judge wishes it to be known 

 that he at first threw out Col. Hassard's birds, judging them not 



bred in 1876, thinking thoai older; but afterwards he was con- 

 vinced they wire geLuine young birds. These young cl., aa 

 were very j,ood. 



Dragoons. — An old and good fancy now revived and won- 

 drously popular, a popularity which even Antwerps have not 

 been able to effect. The great prizewinner of the day is certiinly 

 Mr. R. Woods. The most valuable prizes, whether £ r Blues, 

 Yellows, Silver^, Chequers fell to Mr. Woods both in cocks aud 

 hens. IJot renders must not conclude that his birds only were 

 good, far from it. Almost every Blue ccck was good; so cf 

 many Yelhtwp. Iudeed so even are the Dragoons now at large 

 shows that only little points decide. 



Short-faced Tumblers. — The Almonds were not very numerous 

 and many of them did not please tliose close critics Almond 

 fanciers, Mr. Eckrnyd'a cup cuck and Mr. Baker's rich hen, first 

 prize, excepted. The Shortfaces not Almonds were a little more 

 numerous than usual, even in the Black Mottled class. Mr. 

 Henning's two best birds, the cup and second-prize, were very 

 charming, followed well by Mr. Baker's third. Bald and Beard 

 Stiortfaces were fairly numerous. First Mr. Woodhouse, a 

 Blue Bald; second Blue Beard, same owner ; third a very rich- 

 cobiured neat Rod Bild. Mr. Reddock had two good Black 

 Ba'ds, acd Mr. Murphy a good Red. Among the other Short- 

 faces Agates were the winners, aid Buker and Fulton their 

 owners. 



In Barbs the good old names of P. H. Jones and Miyuard 

 stood high. The former gentleman has been one of the steadiest 

 fanciers i f this class for a great number of years. 



Jacobins. — Concerning ttiese one peueral remark may bemadej 

 viz., that the leng'h of the chain feathers from back to front 

 has visibly increased r.f late, but a little break iu the top of the 

 hood will make its unfortunate appearance still. Oh, that ugly 

 gap ! The cup Red cock was a charming exception. Second 

 Red cock (Fulton), as good a bird save iu hood. Third (Biker) 

 short face aud good long flights, quite the Jacobin shape. 

 Yellow cocks. — First (Fulton) very good, but not equal to Reds 

 iu hood, though not had even in that point. Second (Frame) 

 rather too loose iu mane. Third (Heiitage) very goid. Bla-ks, 

 — These will come too long-faced. First (Baker) small, neat 

 and good flights ; seofiud good long bird, bad hood; third very 

 good flights. Jaiobin hens.—RaAB: First (Fulton) neat and 

 small, and yet good Jock points. Yellow hens : Cup (Frame) 

 very excellent; would that the face were shorter. Black bens : 

 First a very pretty bird if intense black. The White Jacoldna 

 are ootning on well, but many of them were sadly dingy, not the 

 clear beautiful whita. London fanciers have a difficulty v.-ith 

 their white- pi nmaged pets. First (Baker) a wondeifuUy good 

 White. Third (Mr. Jesse Thompson) nice shape and good mane. 

 Among (he Any other colour Jscobius were some very queer 

 colours, but with magiificent Jack points. First a very washed- 

 out Yellow, but such a good Jacobin ; s-CO'id Dun ; thiid a kiud 

 Y.-Uow Splash. These lighter birds would help the Whites 

 much, and have hence much value. 



Funiails — Two divisions, English and Scotch. Former, cup 

 (Maynard) was like a man with Scotch blood that will show. 

 Others were regular large, flat-tailed English biids. The grace- 

 ful little Scotch have improved in tail of late. In fact the two 

 nations have joined, and each are the better. A very pretty 

 pair I f Black Saddlebacks took a first prize in the Otht r coloured 

 class. Next to the White these are the handsomest Fans. 



Nuns. — A little more numerous, and a Scotch fancier all the 

 way from pretty Montrose deserved aud won the first prize. 

 Some of these birds were very dirty. 



Trumpctrrs — Mr. Hutchinson's magnificent Mottles won the 

 cup ; the best birds in the fancy. 



English Owls.— The champion class, like all champions, small 

 but so good. There were in all fifty-three English Owls to 

 niueteen foreign. The former seem to be now the favourites, 

 but I hope the latter will be cherished, fir they are among the 

 most lovely and are the smallest if Pii/eons. 



2'„,.;„7,,._Blue, Silver, Red, and Yellow. The prize birds, 

 especially Messrs. Eckroyd and Salter, very snpermr. In the 

 small class of any other colour the first was a good Black and a 

 pretty Pigeon, but with a head like a mouse. No. KiOT very 

 superior iu this point. 



Magpies bid fair to be more numerous than the bird from 

 which they take their name. Singular is the fate < i Toy Pigeons. 

 A veiy few get into lasting favour, many new birds come and 

 soon disappear. Mr. Salter's Yellow cup bird was singularly 

 good aud neat. As good Mags aio shown <f the three colours 

 Black, Rod, and Yellow, what a pily that a still older bird the 

 Nun ia net as f irtunate. 



Swallows and Archangels next. Mr. Long's first Red Swallow 

 of a very rich colour; and Mr. Tedd's second, black in colour 

 and very correct in markings. With Archangels it is a case of 

 standstill : pity this. 



Hunts, the aldermen of Pigeons, on the increase. Amnsing 

 very was it to see the big things cuddled up in handkerchiefs 

 and put iu the scales. Not that they resisted, no ; giaiti have 

 easy tempers. 'Tis your little bipeds leathered or nnfaatherea 



