December 81. 1868. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE (JARDiSNBB. 



511 



capable of a decision), whether they are birja of the season ; 

 or tho object in giving the awards is frustrated. In the yoimR 

 Uarb class, I hear from one exhibitor whoeebirds were noticed, 

 that his were sixteen months at least, and that with tho ex- 

 ception of two or three pairs, all had seen " the light of other 

 days," than those of 1868, and were, as he describes it, " quite 

 old enough to talk." One of the best judges of a Barb writes 

 me, " that he is of the belief that there were not more than 

 two pairs of Barbs shown at Glasgow, which were bred in 1808." 

 " I can safely say," he adds, " I never had birds so developed 

 at the age." And this from one who has bred some of the 

 best specimens ever seen. One pen to my knowledge was well 

 known last year. 



I am not writing in order to blame exhibitors, as I know 

 some who purchased birds to show, and believed that they were 

 young. Those who send their specimens of the season's pro- 

 duce have not the slightest chance against these older, and, 

 consequently, more developed competitors, and it is, in fact, 

 simply a throwing away of the entry fees. The question is, 

 Can a judge decide ? For my own part, between the very early 

 hatched birds of the year, and those late bred of the previous 

 season, 1 would not attempt to do it, and I consider he would, 

 indeed, be a clever judge who could. If, then, the question is 

 an open one, there will always be exhibitors ready to take ad- 

 vantage, and so distance the real competitors of the year, and 

 make the classes for young birds anything but satisfactory. — 

 W. Masset, Sjyalding. 



FEOM WILTSHIRE TO GLASGOW, AND WHAT 

 I SAW THERE. 



PART 2. 



At five o'clock a party of gentlemen, numbering between 

 thirty and forty, sat down to dinner — it was the tenth annual 

 dinner of the North British Columbarian Society. Oh ! ye 

 maligners of the fancy, who used to write, " This was a lovf 

 neighbourhood, inhabited chiefly by dog fanciers, Pigeon fan- 

 ciers, ttc." — could ye, if ye yet survive (which I doulit), have 

 looked in upon that company of gentlemen of education and 

 position, ye would have apologised on the spot. It was a kindly 

 gathering, and the dinner and dinner-table decorations were ad- 

 mirable. Never was Her Majesty's health drunk more loyally, 

 nor more of heart entered into toasts and speeches. Jacobite 

 Bongs (how long a sentiment outlives a principle !) reminded 

 me that I was in the country of the Preten — no, of Prince 

 Cliarles Edward. "Our Journal" was honoured by the way 

 in which its representative was received, showing that the organ 

 of the fancy was well loved by northern fanciers. One parti- 

 cular and very pleasing event Qf the evening was the presenta- 

 tion of a magnificent epergne, palm-tree-shaped, to the Trea- 

 anrer of the Society, Mr. Wallace, by his brother members. 



At length, all toasts being over, from that of the first Lady of 

 the land to the ladies she rules, we adjourned to the Trades' 

 Hall for a private gaslight view of the Show. I soon find 

 myself in a fair-sized hall filled with Pigeon pens, and am pro- 

 ceeding to examine the birds, when I am told that this is not 

 the Show, but merely its appendix. Led on further, I enter 

 a grandly proportioned room, 70 feet long by 33 wide, and this 

 ball is also as full as possible of Pigeon pens. Around the 

 walls and in the windows are pens closely placed. Across the 

 Hall are long tables, and lines of pons back to bock on each 

 table, with gangways just suiBciently wide to walk down. The 

 pens are bee-hive-shaped and all wire, so that no heavy wooden 

 backs hinder the view, which was imposing from the number 

 of birds, and pleasing from the lightness of the pens, each with 

 its feathered inhabitants. The total number of pens in both 

 halls was .')8L Such a number of birds bad never before been 

 brought together even at this the Birmingham of Pigeon shows. 

 This was partly accounted for because the " members' challenge 

 cnp," value £30, was this year to be finally awarded. For the 

 possession of this treasure there was a close competition be- 

 tween Mr. James Montgomery, the President of the Society, 

 and ilr. Fulton, of Deptford, the well known dealt r and exhi- 

 bitor. Mr. Montgomery showed ItjOpens, Mr. Fulton 143 pens. 

 The former gentleman was successful. The cup, designed by 

 the Committee, and manufactured by Muirhead, of Edinburgh, 

 was urn-shaped, with a cover, on which was a Pouter in frosted 

 silver. The cup was placed on a stand, at each corner of which 

 was a Tumbler, a Carrier, a Jacobin, and a Fantail matching 

 the abovenamed Pouter. 



To return to the birds themselves. We have in England 



been long aware that the Pouter is tho especial favourite of the 

 Scotch fanciers, hence it was no surprise to lind that the show 

 of Pouters was a large one ; but Ihey outdid my anticipations. 

 They numbered 2'Jl pens — just about one-half of the whole. 

 I would say, let dreamers of the surpassing beauty of the birds 

 of former years go to Glasgow, and they mill confess that the 

 present beats the past. If you dream of Black Pied Pouters ol 

 raven blackness, there they are alive ; if of Dark Reds and 

 rich Yellows, there they are alive. If you dream of perfectly 

 marked Blues, there they are ; if of perfection of shape, there 

 it is ; if of size, there it is, for tho Glasgow birds were gigantic. 

 There was another point connected with this Show, there was 

 scarcely one bad pen — those bad pens which show that the 

 exhibitors are ignorant of what a good bird is. There were a 

 few small pretty birds here and there, and some large but not 

 graceful birds; but the rule was large and good, and the prize 

 birds were super- excellent. I was once looking at a remark- 

 ably ugly white bull at a large agricultural show, and I heard 

 his owner asked by a rough wit why he brought it there. He 

 replied, " To get a prize." " Oh !" was the answer, " I thought 

 you brought it to be laughed at." Now such exhibition stock 

 was not in the Trades' Hall, Glasgow. The Black Pied birds 

 bred this year were abundant and good. I would notice Mr. 

 Fulton's first-prize. Then beautifully slender were his first- 

 prize Whites. The first-prize Blues, Mr. Montgomery's, were 

 birds which I hovered round, and went back to again and again. 

 As to the prize Reds and Yellows, they were colours of the 

 deepest and richest kind ; and the Mealy had the grace o{ 

 shape, though, of course, lacking the beauty of colour. Among 

 so many and such good birds it is difficult to particularise, but 

 I cannot omit a word of praise to the colour and size of Mr. 

 Montgomery's three prize pens of Red Pied cocks : the colour 

 was grand. For the Pouters " irregular iu colour and mark- 

 ing" — the North Biitish Columbaiian Society is wonderfully 

 kind to Pouters of all colours— I own I cared much less. 

 Chequers, Sandies, Splashes, &c., are useful but not orna- 

 mental. The hen Pouters deserve all the praise bestowed on 

 the cocks. To the Pouters my first visit was naturally enough 

 made. Indeed, my gaslight view was a ramble of wonder, half 

 pitying, however, the poor birds suddenly awoke from their 

 first sleep. Next morning I took a general view; then I paid 

 a patient and particular visit to every pen iu rotation ; andon 

 Friday wandered here and there, examining and delighting 

 over the best specimens. 



Next to the Pouters in number and excellence came the 

 Carriers. Of these there were ninety-three pens, among them 

 some of the finest or most promising birds ever seen. As is 

 usual, the Blacks were the best. 



Passing on from the Carriers, those tender, frail, greenhouse 

 darlings, the Short-faced Tumblers, claim my attention — 

 twenty-three pens. Those were most beautiful. I held in my 

 hand an Almond cock of perfect feather, tail well marked, 

 hackle rich, head and beak charming. But perhaps the very 

 gem of the Short-faced were Mr. Fulton's first-prize Black 

 Mottles. But I pass on to the Barbs, which occupied oiie 

 corner to themselves, and made that corner glitter with their 

 rich purple metallic hues. Of them there were twerity-nine 

 pens— a beautiful class, and beautiful specimens of this high- 

 class variety of the fancy Pigeon. Mr. Frame exhibited a pen 

 of seven young Barbs of various colours as extra stock, and 

 not for competition, which when shown for a prize must haye 

 extra good birds to beat them. 



The Fantails numbered eighteen pens. Our Scotch friends 

 excel in Fans ; I saw some at Mr. Huie's, of wonderful motion 

 and carriage, real Bread-tailed Shakers. They have also a breed 

 of Saddle-back Fans, which are striking and very pretty. 



But to the Show. Jacobins, then Trumpeters — among them 

 the most wonderful bird known, the black cock in Mr. Mont- 

 gomery's first-prize pen ; Turbits, those soft-feathered bits of 

 loveliness; English and foreign Owls, the latter to the former 

 what the Short- faced Tumblers are to the commoner birds; 

 Dragoons and Nuns, not numerous ; Beards and Balds — I pre- 

 ferred the second-prize Red Balds ; and then, last of all, " Fancy 

 Pigeons not otherwise classed," chiefly pretty-feathered or 

 quaint-looking German Toys. Not a single pen of Bunts, which 

 I regretted, and no prize for Antwerps. The Scotch fanciers 

 use them as nuises, but say that they see nothing in them to 

 entitle them to a place at an exhibition. 



Some large sales were tfiected in the Hall, one large Vrl 

 selling for f 20, and a pair of young ones for £14. It would be 

 well if exhibitors who do not at tbe last mcmtut S^nd their 

 birds would put a note to that tllect in the pens of the birds 



