November 10, 1868. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



391 



Game fowls, that if the very UardeBt and gamest Duckwing 

 Greys are required, they can be best produced from a dark 

 willow-legged Grey Duckwing cock put to black-legged Dark 

 Grey bens, also in less numbers from a Dark Grey cock put to 

 Duckwing bens. Duckwings tbus produced will not, however, 

 be perfect in colour, and for exhibition 1 do not recommend 

 such a cross, as " Duckwings with Duckwings " breed more 

 perfect and correct-coloured birds as a matter of course. Dark 

 Birchcus crossed with Duckwings will also produce good Birchen 

 Duckwings. I wish aUo to state that many of our present 

 Piles were produced from the white-legged Pile cocks put to 

 willow-legged Partridge hens, as well as from the reverse of 

 this, as before mentioned. 



I likewise meant to have stated in former papers, that the 

 " whip " or " switch "-tailed birds so-called in our northern 

 counties and elsewhere, I have generally heard termed the 

 " scythe "-tailed birds in contradistinction to the " sickle " or 

 " sickled "-tailed birds. I prefer the latter if hard, and close, 

 and short in feather. — Newmabke t. 



TUMBLER PIGEONS. 



I A5I much pleased with the notes of the ■' Wiltshiee Rec- 

 tor," but I certiiiiily differ from him in some of his remarks 

 on " common Tumblers — but they must tumble, they must he 

 true to their name." 



I candidly confess that it is a difficult matter to find a frret- 

 class lot of good Tumbler Pigeons that will tumble well. By 

 tumbling well I mean that in going over the circle it is fairly 

 kept, the head of the bird being in a straight line with the 

 centre of the tail, no deviation to one side or the other, but 

 true as an accurately turned wheel, and this done so quickly 

 that great care is required not to overlook the action. 



The next quality in a good Tumbler is to tumble without 

 losing any of the height, if the birds are sky Tumblers. Young 

 birds frequently lose a good deal, and particularly if they 

 tumble two or three times at once before they fly forwards, 

 bat old grown birds ought not to lose any of their height in 

 tumbling. 



The next quality is the number of times they tumble in a 

 given period of their flight or the distance they fly. I am here 

 referring to sky Tumblers, and my opinion of them is in pro- 

 portion to the greatest amount of the above qualities ; or, in 

 other words, the birds that tumble the greatest number of 

 times, and the cleanest, in a perfectly circular direction, and 

 with least loss of height, are the best sky Tumblers. 



I differ from "Wiltshiee Bectoe " in his classification of 

 the Short-faced Tumblers being " the highest class." They 

 belie their name in a great measure. I have had some of them, 

 and have seen plenty, but have seen no tumbling from them, 

 and therefore they should lose the false name they bear. The 

 correct eye of the naturalist would, I think, at once pronounce 

 them a malformation. 



I difli'r from "Wiltshire Rector," also, with regard to the 

 eye. If I had him here I could show him one bird with nearly 

 a red eye that would astonish him with its tumbling qualities. 

 It is, of course, a ground Tumbler, and feather-footed also. I 

 have tried and been successful in raising some splendid feather- 

 footed birds. Que of the best Tumblers I ever had was a dark 

 black-and-white feather-legged Tumbler. I took advantage of 

 a son from him and the ground Tumbler referred lo below, and 

 obtained some of the best feather-legged birds imaginable. I 

 like to see pear! eyes in Tumblers, but I have many that have 

 net pearl eyes that are very good Tumblers. 



The Rector seems not to like ground Tumblers. I confess 

 they are my greatest favourites. I have one fine fellow which 

 has great pride in his tumbling. He will, for ten or a dozen 

 times together, it thrown from one's hand, tumble, and fre- 

 quently twice together, before he alights on the hand again ; 

 and as I have described before, his tumbling is perfectly 

 circular. 



I find the best sky Tumblers come from a ground Tumbler 

 crossed with a sky Tumbler. I obtained some beautiful light 

 blue-barred Tumblers from a ground Tumbler and a sky Tum- 

 bler, but they do not in the second generation breed a healthy 

 offspring, and I have broken three pairs of them to pair with 

 the offspring of some dark blue ground Tumblers, in order to 

 raise some dappled ones, and in one or two birds I have been 

 successful, and the tumbling qualities are all I can wish for. 



I have a flight of more than seventy Tumblers, and I imagine 

 some of the best and neatest in the country. They are great 



pets ; I cannot kill one on any account when I look at the 

 watery, young, innocent eye of my pets. 



I am very fond of beautiful-shaped birds. Tumblers of course, 

 also of colour. I think I have about ten pairs of Black and 

 White Splashes, shape and colour grand, and I have preserved 

 them in consequence — that is my pet colour. The next are 

 Red Splashes, but they are not so numerous as they were forty 

 or fifty years ago. 



Whether this characteristic tumbling arises from some par- 

 ticular structure of the brain I know not, but I am sure that 

 there is a much larger brain in the Tumbler Pigeon in propor- 

 tion to bulk than can be found in any other of the great family 

 of Columbid.ie, and I have uniformly found the best Tumblers 

 the most sensible birds. I spend much time in watching their 

 habits, their sympathies, and antipathies. I have them per- 

 fectly docile, and can call very frequently a dozen at once from 

 the roof of tho cote on to ray head, and arms, and hands. 



I believe the best Tumblers if kept too much on very stimu- 

 lating food are most subject to vertigo and wasting. I should 

 like to hear if any of your numerous readers have tried any 

 experiments on the above diseases. I had a very valuable 

 bird which began to waste, and became so light as to be merely 

 bones and feathers, yet he always kept the feathers smooth. 

 An old friend told me when he had birds in that way he inva- 

 riably pulled out all the tail feathers. I am glad to say I have 

 tried the experiment with my bird, and with perfect success. 

 For vertigo I have tried a few remedies, but without success, 

 but I have only seen one case. — E. W. 



SOUTHAMPTON POULTRY SHOW. 



This year's Show, held on the 10th, 11th, and l'2th inst., consisted 

 of considerably more than six hundred pens, and the Victoria Kooms 

 proved tar more eligible for the purposes of Buch a display than those 

 hitherto used tor this Exhibition, being better ventilated, and tho light 

 throughout good. The remarkable excellence of the Show as a whole 

 was a matter of general congratulation, whilst most of tho prize birds 

 were such as have a very fair chance of holding good their high 

 position at any meeting. There were hut few Spanish fowls shown, 

 and most of them scarcely in the good feather that could he wished. 

 Grey Dvrliiiijs were especially good, and we believe many were claimed 

 at the opening of the Show. CofJiins were very fair. The Brahma 

 classes, however, were the chief feature of the Show, the Dark-feathered 

 being not very largely represented ; hut the Light-coloured were there 

 in extraordinai-ily large classes, .ind of a quality not seen for many 

 years past. The silver cup given to this variety caused an almost 

 general entiy from tlie very best blood in the kingdom. The Game 

 fowls proved very good, hut as yet hardly in perfect feather. Hani- 

 hurghs were generally so good that a visitor might easily have fancied 

 he must be inspecting either a North Lancashire or Yorkshire show. 

 French fowls were superior to those commonly shown. Onme Bantams, 

 Duels, Turleiis, and &(Sf were especially noteworthy. 01 Pheasants, 

 strange to say, there was not a single entry. 



ri'fcons were never shown so numerously, nor of equal quality, at 

 any of the preceding Southampton shows. The extra variety class of 

 Pigeons contained many new varieties. There was a very good show 

 of live Foreign bin/s, and also of Mules and Cmiaries. 



Eggs and dead dressed poultry were especially worthy of note. A 

 pau'^ot young cocks, plucked and trussed for the table, a cross 

 between tho Grey Dorking hen and Light Brahma cock, actually 

 weighed IGJ lbs., and the next best couple proved nearly as heavy. 

 So much for the improvement in useful poultiy. The Committee and 

 Honoraiy Secretaiy were exceedingly attentive to the welfare of the 

 birds. 



Spanish.— First, J. R. Rodbard, Wrington. Second, J. Jcnner, Lewes. 

 Commended, J. Jenner ; H. Loe, Appnldurcombe. 



DoBKiNGS,— First, J. Smith, ShillinRlee. Second, Dr. D. C. Campbell, 

 Brentwood. Very Highly Commended, H. Picldce, jun., Eavliy. Highly 

 Commended, St. J. Coventrv, Wimborne ; E. Pople, West Moulsey ; W. 

 Peacncke, Efford ; J. Elgar,' Newark ; Hon. H. FitzivilUam. Wentworth 

 "VVoodhousc. Commended, R. Pople ; J. Smith ; A. Saunders, Aldermoor, 

 Old Shirley ; W. Stanford, jun., Stevning. 



Cochins.— First and Commended, F. W. Rust, Hastings. Second, J. 

 Gardiner, Bristol. Third, J. R. Rodbard. Highly Commended, Rev. 

 S. C. Hameilon, Warwick ; G. White. 



Bkahmas (Dark).— First, G. G. L. Macpherson, Erncknell. Second, 

 Rev. J. Ellis. Highly Commended, Rev. R. Parker. Ipswich. Bommended, 

 G. Meares: P. D. iladdox. Bitterno ; J. H. Cuff, Metropolitan Cattle 

 Market ; C. F. Here, Tunbridgc. 



Bbahmas (Light).- First and Second, J. Pares, Postford. Very Highly 

 Commended, H. M. Majnard, Holmewood. Highly Commended, P. 

 Crowley, Alton. Commended, Miss B. Greene, Wickbam. Fnreham. 

 C/iicitens.- First and Cup, H. Dowsett, Pleshey, Chelmsford. Second, 

 F. Crook, Forest Hill. Vei-y Highly Commended, H. Dowsett. Highly 

 Commended, P. Crowley ; F. Crook ; H. M. Maynaid. Ccmmonded, Mrs. 

 Astley, Tring ; J. Pares ; W. H. Gotch ; S. Felgate, Ipswich : C. H. Lang. 



Game (Black and other Beds).— First and Second, S. Matthews, Stow- 

 market. Highly Commended, H. C. Dear. Commended, T. H. Rigden, 

 Hove ; C. F. Hore, North Stoneham Park ; W. Pyne. South Lancing. 



Game (Any other variety).- First, T. Dyson, Halifax. Second, S. 

 Matthews. Commended. Rev. T. L. Iremonger, Goodworth ; H. Loe. 



