330 



JOUBNAL OF' HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ October 29, 1888. 



Oar Dnckwing exhibitors seldom exhibit a real match in a pen 

 of Duckwings, but show a cock and hens of different strains ; 

 the bens being from one strain greyer, the cock from another and 

 yellower or higher colonred. When of the same strain the hens 

 are often faulty, being brown-shouldered and too red-breasted. 

 I do not approve of crossing back to the Black-breasted Beds in 

 breeding Duckwings, but if high-coloured orange-backed cocks 

 are required, they can best be obtained by crossing with the high- 

 coloured Yellow-wheaton Duckwings, or the Ginger Blue Duns, 

 or even with the Golden-cinnamon Black-breasted Beds, yellow 

 legs, which coloured legs all three of these sorts have. Brown 

 Beds and Ginger Beds will often give orange shoulders to 

 Duckwing cocks, but this cross spoils the black breast for Duck- 

 wings. Orange Piles will also breed Duckwing cocks orange- 

 backed, but this cross gives too many white feathers. Duns 

 will breed pure Black-breasted Duckwing cocks. Crossing with 

 Black-breasted Beds always spoils Duckwing hens in colour, 

 bnt good-coloured cocks can be obtained by this cross. 



I think that fair and honest exhibitors would do better if 

 they made a rule of always exhibiting the true and pure-bred 

 Duckwings instead of any of the crossed birds. The late Lord 

 Hill, of Hawkstone, Salop, was, I have been told, the best 

 Silver-Grey breeder in England, and would not allow a single 

 red feather in his runs or walks, especially in breeding. 



The great objection to breeding the Silver Duckwing Greys 

 in-and-in is, that the cocks, and sometimes even the hens, 

 become too pale, and are liable to have the silver-mealy breasts, 

 also the white or grey-spotted black breast in the cocks. 



I have known "Duckwings bred with Duckwings" for a 

 quarter of a century, crossing with the same colour from dif- 

 ferent but good strains, and the stock is still very good. 



The Silver-Grey Duckwings are now very rare at our exhi- 

 bitions, as willow-legged Duckwings are seldom or never pure 

 Silvers, which when really pure have the white, blue, or blackish 

 legs, and never willow or yellow legs, which latter belong to 

 the sorts not Silvers ; the wUlow legs to the Grey Birchen and 

 Birchen-Grey Duckwings, and the yellow legs and yellow eyes 

 to the true Yellow Birchen Duckwings. The purest Silvers are 

 the mealy grey-breasted mealy-silver Duckwings with white 

 legs and silver-pearl grey eyes, cocks' and hens' breasts the 

 same colour ; but this breed is now almost extinct. 



The wniow-legged Birchen-Grey or Grey Birchen Duckwings 

 are most common of all ; the red eye inclining these rather to 

 the grey than to the yellow hackle, but the willow leg and 

 yellow skin keeping the breed yellowish in feather. The yellow 

 or daw-eyed breeds of Duckwings seem to have been first bred 

 from the Light Gingers or Black-breasted Gingers with yellow 

 eyes and yellow legs. 



Our judges at most exhibitions do not, I think, in general 

 judge our Duckwing hens well ; they give attention chiefly to 

 the cocks, and not equally to cock and hens, thus we generally 

 866 exhibition Duckwing prizes awarded to hens with brown 

 shoulders and red breasts, which hens are all cross-bred 

 mongrels, though they may be the right match lor " their 

 brother," a handsome high-coloured cock, also a handsome 

 mongrel-bred bird. I think the judges should select only the 

 silvery bluish-grey hens with the delicate pale silver-fawn 

 breasts for their prize hens, allowing no brown wings at all, 

 nor yet coarse red breasts, than which nothing looks worse ; 

 and a cock that truly matches such hens as these is the best 

 Duckwing cock for a cup or prize in my opinion, whether " too 

 silver " or not. Too much stress, I think, is laid on high 

 colour in the back of prize Duckwing cocks. — Nevtmakket. 



some favourable features offered by the Committee to exhibitors, 

 amongst which is an auction sale, whereby exhibitors may dis- 

 pose of their prize and surplus stock. The prize list includes 

 several silver cups for poultry. Pigeons, and cage birds ; one, 

 value six guineas, subscribed for by several breeders, is offered 

 for the best pen of Light Brahma chickens. The prizes for 

 cage birds are liberal. 



LORD TREDEGAR'S POULTRY SHOW. 

 In common with many exhibitors who signed the memorial 

 to the managers of this Show, I did not exhibit at the Show in 

 1867. I am sorry to say that several who signed the memorial, 

 nevertheless did exhibit some poultry. Under these circum- 

 stances it appears to me that the memorial is no longer binding 

 on the remainder, and that those who like may, therefore, be 

 free to show at the approaching Exhibition. As regards this 

 identical Show, I beheve that every effort the Committee could 

 make, was made, and, therefore, the blame does not really 

 attach to them, and it is, perhaps, saddling the wron;:; horse to 

 make them suffer. Eailways, and especially the G. W. E., rule 

 ns all with rather too iron a hand. — Y. B. A, Z. 



The SouTHAMnoN PonLTET and Bird Show. — The entries 

 for this Show will close on Friday, the BOth inst. We notice 



NOTES ON FANCY PIGEONS.— No. 12. 



TUMBLERS IN GENERAL. 



I HAVE as yet in these notes treated of two classes of fancy 

 Pigeons, Pouters and Carriers, including in the latter class all 

 Pigeons that carry — viz., the Horseman, the Dragoon, and the 

 Antwerp. I have every reason to be gratified for having started 

 the subject, as there have been, first, many and very excel- 

 lent and useful papers written on Pouters ; also some good 

 papers on the Carrier class from " A FouEioNEr.," Mr. CroB- 

 land, Mr. Ludlow, " An Old Fancier," and others. There 

 has been naturally enough a liitle difference of opinion, but I 

 must say I have read all the communications with interest, 

 and with, what we should none of us be above, a desire to 

 learn by the experience and opinions of others. 



It is this free communication of our different yiews which 

 leads to acquirement of knowledge, and in the case of Pigeons 

 will fend to raise the fancy to the position which I hold to be 

 its due — namely, a high position. Eightly, I think, says Dr. 

 Bechstein, " Concerning the domestic Pigeons in their several 

 varieties much might be said. Of Pouters, Tumblers, Jacobins, 

 Shakers, cSrc, a volume might be written, and a very interest- 

 ing one too. The extraordinary changes of plumage, and 

 molification of form which have been produced in these birds 

 are equally curious and interesting." Then, we must remem- 

 ber, that whatever is tame or domestic tends to make np and 

 complete that beautiful thing we call a home. Hood, speaking 

 of a dreary, forsaken, miserable-looking house, says — • 



*' No (ioff was on the threshold, preat or small ; 



No Pigeon on the roof — no household creature — 

 No cat demurely dozing on the wall^ 



Not one domestic feature." 



The absence of all these made the house dreary and forsaken ; 

 it did not look like a home. 



Pigeons can be kept where fowls cannot live in comfort; 

 they will prosper where even flowers will not grow ; they can 

 take the country into London, and help to make for the humblest 

 citizen a home. 



But it is not of Pigeons generally, but of one variety I must 

 speak at this time. Pouters and Carriers have had their 

 description and praise, now comes the next class, the trim, 

 compact, dainty little Tumblers. They boast not quite the 

 ancient lineage of the Carrier and the Pouter, but the Almond 

 Tumblers began to be honoured about a century ago, and they 

 have increased in beauty with time. But of them by-and-by ; 

 this paper is to treat of common Tumblers — yes, common 

 Tumblers. And what a good thing it is that common things, 

 things easiest to be had, yet afford great pleasure. The com- 

 mon little flower garden gives as much pleasure to its owner, 

 he not being able to have more, as a rare garden does to its 

 owner. The Linnet in its cage affords its young master or 

 mistress as great enjoyment as in after years will the longest 

 and lankiest Belgian Canary. So the common Tumbler grati- 

 fies its possessor, net being yet a skilled fancier, as much as 

 the most difficult to breed and rarest Pigeon. I say common 

 Tumblers, but then they must tumble, they must be true to 

 their name. I object to Pouters that will not pout, to Shakers 

 that will not shake, and to Tumblers that do not tumble. Such 

 Tumblers are not true to their name, you look up and they do 

 not tumble. Let them be hidden in a pie-dish at once, let 

 the little feet that would not turn up in life show their toes 

 uppermost through the nicely browned crust, and that too 

 without delay. I never keep Tumblers of the commoner classes 

 that do not, or cannot, or will not tumble. I say, " Die, im- 

 postors !" Of course, in regard to the highest class. Short- 

 faced Tumblers, this matter of actual tumbling is not a ne- 

 cessity, as these birds are birds of many fancy points, rather 

 than fivers, but I never keep common Tumblers, or Beards, or 

 Baldheads, etc., that cannot tumble. 



Not long since I was in a seaport town and found out as 

 usual the bird shops. I was seeking Tumblers, but found none 

 to my satisfaction. I wanted neither Almonds nor any bred 

 from or crossed with Almonds. I found no Tumblers in the 



