August 27, 18C8. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HOETICULTCEB AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



159 



large number of entries that it would be almost impossible to 

 get tbrouRli these carefully, bird by bird, before dark, and 

 every good fancier will, naj', must admit, that judging by tbo 

 light of a lantern is scarcely judging at all, especially when the 

 Judges have to deal with the delicate colours of many of the 

 varieties. The very fact of my wishing to bo fair to everyone 

 has brought down the accusation of unfairness. I have always 

 been most anxious since I have had the honour of judging that 

 everyone should have justice done him as far as my ability 

 as judge extended, and I did not think that on this occasion it 

 could be rendered without help. I think instead of the case 

 being said to be unfair, it was the most fair thing I could do. 



It has been said, also, that the Judges at the various shows 

 are incompetent, itc, and have but a slight knowledge of many 

 of the breeds, and often more of the exhibitors — that is to 

 say, they favour the latter. For my own part, I have kept 

 within the last thirty years almost every variety of Pigeon (as 

 also my friend Mr. Cottie), and I have bred them and won 

 many prizes with birds hn'd by myself. Amongst my several 

 pens are two of the Birmingham silver cups, one of them the 

 only teuguinea cup ever offered for Pigeons at this Show; 

 besides which I have had the honour of acting as Judge at Bir- 

 mingham and elsewhere many years, having had the pleasure 

 of handling and comparing very many of the best birds in 

 this country ; also in my profession as an artist I have sketched 

 many of them, thereby still more closely observing their 

 beauties and defects. Further, I can say that when I have 

 entered the showyard to judge, I have not known to whom any 

 of the birds belonged, and with very few exceptions I have been 

 in the same ignorance when I left. I go to judge the birds not 

 the owners, and I can confidently say that I never acted un- 

 fairly in judging at any show in my life, for I consider if a 

 judge cannot be depended on there would soon be n» exhibi- 

 tors. I have endeavoured, aud I trust partly succeeded, both 

 by pen and pencil to bring the domestic Pigeon and its beauti- 

 ful varieties as much and as favourably before the public as 

 possible. These endeavours commenced many many years ago, 

 when there were but here and there a few gentlemen banded 

 together for the purpose of keeping up certain breeds. The 

 love of Pigeons has grown rapidly, grown even beyond my 

 utmost expectations, which is much pleasure to me, but yet in 

 my opinion the fancy wants heart. 



In conclusion, the office of judge is a pecuniary loss to me, 

 and I shall be very happy to resign my post, with my em- 

 ployers' consent, to any one whom the great body of exhibitors 

 have more confidence in, and as for myself at some future day 

 I may again be found at some of the shows, as heretofore, an 

 exhibitor. But I am willing to act as judge as long as I can bo 

 of service. 



Now, a word to the exliibitors. Much has been said about 

 the Judges. As a rule, if possible, I generally stay in Bingley 

 Hall on the Monday to give the exhibitors the reasons why their 

 birds have often lost, &c. I am obliged to be blunt, and I 

 have to .say things frequently which hurt my feelings. To one, 

 perhaps, it is the birds were very much trimmed ; to another, 

 ill-matched ; to another, worse matched — two cocks ; to another, 

 as badly matched — two hens ; to another, your birds were dyed 

 in feather ; to another, your birds were dyed around the eyes ; 

 to another, two tail feathers wanting (this, of course, was in 

 catching the bird, quite an accident) ; sometimes flight feathers 

 from the same cause. In short it falls to the lot of the Judges 

 to find out by time and trouble the mean and paltry tricks to 

 which their fellow men resort to obtain a few poiinds that ought 

 strictly to belong to others who show more honestly. Nor does 

 the fraud end here, for these birds are often bought as good, 

 and sometimes by a young beginner, who at once becomes dis- 

 gasted with the fancy. 



Then there is the borrowing of birds (these are not homl fide 

 property), to gain a medal or a cup. Think, ye that do this. 



Another word. This to the public. When you pass the 

 pens of poultry and Pigeons, and you think the Judges have 

 erred here and there, look well to those birds and, perhaps, 

 like them, you will discover the reason why they obtained no 

 reward of merit though seemitir/l,/ they deserved it. — Harbison 

 Weik, WcUieioh, Brcnchleij, Kent. 



DRAGOON PIGEONS. 



I notice in your Journal of June 4th, a letter from " Wilt- 

 shire Kectou " npon the Horseman and Dragoon Pigeon. I also 

 find in the number for June ISth, the same subject taken up 



"nd enlarged upon by two other fanciers — viz., " A Foueigner" 

 ''nd " J. I. B.," and in a subsequent number I also find Mr. 

 Crossland gives his experience of the Antwerp Pigeon. I, like 

 the last-named gentleman, should have preferred writing on 

 the subject at an oalior period, but have been unable to do fo. 



I have been, and still am, a great admirer of Dragoons. I 

 have kept them for years, and at one time had few others, and 

 having at the present time about forty show birds of this 

 variety (various colours), my ideas may, perhaps, be deemed 

 worthy of some notice. 



In the first place, in reviewing " Wiltshiue Hector's " re- 

 marks, I must say 1 cannot agree with him that there should 

 be any distinction acknowledged between the Horseman and 

 Dragoon. My opinion is, that they are one and the same (as 

 their name signifies), and do not admit of a line being drawn 

 between them, for it would only make more complicated the 

 difficulty experienced in severing the Dragoon from the 

 Carrier. Accepting "Wiltshire IIectou's " quotation from 

 Moore's work of the Latin titles of the two varieties, the Horse- 

 man, " Columba tabellaria minor ;" the Dragoon, " Columba 

 tabellaria minima," and adding the Carrier, " Columba ta- 

 bellaria major," I think it must he quite apparent that these 

 names intimate that they are simply various grades of one 

 kind, and that they are so must be obvious to any one who has 

 studied them. 



Now, "Wiltshire Eector" says, "As Carriers should be 

 always Black or Dun, so the Horseman and Dragoon should 

 never be of those colours." Thus I gather from this and other 

 portions of his letter, that he allows only of Black and Dun 

 Carriers, and ignores Blues aud Whites altogether, which I am 

 much surprised at. That Blacks and Duns are generally the 

 best few would deny, but to ignore the others is quite un- 

 reasonable. 



I know the difficulty of procuring Carriers of a good Blue 

 colour, and I also know the scarcity of good Whites ; but there 

 are some splendid specimens of both kinds, and that is why 

 we should rather value them more. I have myself a pair o£ 

 Blue Carriers, both good, but the hen is a perfect bird, and 

 from the many smoky specimens exhibited, I think it would be 

 well to encourage the fancier to endeavour to improve the 

 Blues and raise them to the level of the others. 'The supe- 

 riority of the two varieties I attribute to the encouragement 

 that breeders have had to cultivate Blacks and Duns, whilst the 

 others have been allowed to a certain extent to degenerate. I 

 believe that if a class were formed for them at most of our 

 shows, instead of only a few, the fancier would be stimulated 

 to cultivate Blues and Whites, which of late have been con- 

 siderably neglected. I will not dwell upon this point, but will 

 leave it to Carrier fanciers to decide. However, I would say, 

 that the Black Carrier, in my opinion, is certainly the variety 

 to be preferred from its uniform raven blackness, which con- 

 trasts so beautifully with the light-coloured wattle and rich 

 bright eye, which in the other varieties is comparatively lost. 

 The Blacks and Duns are also more numerous, from the fact 

 that the colour does not require the same care to produce as the 

 Blues ; for Blacks and Duns are frequently paired together for 

 breeding, with but little fear of their progeny being spoiled, as 

 far as colour is concerned. 



Dragoons are of five acknowledged colours — Blue, Silver, 

 White, Yellow, and Bed. Pied and Mottles, as " Wiltshire 

 Rector " mentions, are as yet not acknowledged, but are 

 merely the result of an injudicious cross between some of the 

 above-mentioned varieties. Dragoons are certainly the most 

 graceful of the Pigeon tribe. There are others which ought to 

 be much admired for their pretty gay appearance, their rich 

 and varied colours, their compact little form, their large size, 

 their aiirial performances, or the other many qualities which 

 the numerous kinds possess, yet, in my opinion, the Dragoon 

 is second to none for symmetrical and graceful form and nice 

 proportions, which should commend them to the notice of the 

 fancier, if they had no other recommendation. 



Our friend "Wiltshire Rector" suggests that neither 

 Dragoon nor Horseman should be lost sight of, but that their 

 characteristics should be clearly given. I wonder who wOl be 

 found to give a properly-defined description of the difference 

 between the Horseman and Dragoon. I would recommend 

 that no one should attempt to do so, it would only make " con- 

 fusion worse confounded." 



The show Dragoon should partake much of the general out- 

 line of the Carrier, possessing all the beauty of form and 

 carriage without being so coarse in appearance as the Carrier 

 is when above two years old. I contend that Dragoons should 



