Jttnnory 23,18fl8. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending anuary 21st. 



POULTRY, BEE, and HOUSEHOLD CHRONICLE. 



GAME FOWLS. 



CCP AND rniZE SORTS .\NI) COI.OUliS.- 



-No. 1. 



1. Brown Eeds. — These are essentially the Dark Eeila, and 

 are often so termed. 



Cock. — General colour a rich dark brown red. Beak dark ; 

 npper mandible darkest. Comb, face, wattles, and deaf-ears all 

 of a darkish gipsy-red colour. Eyes large, bold, full, aud of a very 

 dark blackish brown ; the pupil not -visible in the eye. Neck- 

 hackle, or mane, rich dark brownish red, thickly striped with 

 dark stripes under the outside feathers — " cut out " dark. 

 Shoulders generally of a dark brown maroon rod, but often of 

 a rich orange red. Back a rich dark brown red, darker than 

 the other parts of the plumage. Upper wing dark brownish 

 purple red, or of a rich orange red in the lighter birds. Lower 

 wing invariably of a dusky, smoky, very dark brown. Breast 

 and thighs either red-brown, streaked with darker brown, or of a 

 clear red-brown ; any black streaks or markings objectionable. 

 Tail dark greenish black, with dark fluff or down at the roots. 

 Legs, feet, and talons, or nails, of a dark iron-brown or blackish 

 bronze. 



The wing often has a greenish bar, but the hardest birds are 

 without this as a rule. 



Hei). — General colour dark blackish brown, streaked, grained, 

 and pencilled with a rather lighter brown on the dark ground. 

 Comb, face, gills, and deaf-ears of a dark gipsy-purple colour, 

 never red. Eyes large, bold, and full ; as the cock's. Neck- 

 haekle a golden-coppery dark red, thickly striped with very 

 dark stripes. Breast and thighs dark ; the former streaked 

 with lighter brown on the dark brown ground. Legs, feet, 

 and claws, talons, or nails, as in the cock. 



Light nails or talons are very objectionable in this breed, as 

 is a light beak or eye. 



2. Black-bre.istei) Reds. — These should be essentially the 

 bright reds, neither too light or pale, nor dark or dull. 



Cod;. — General colour a rich bright red. Comb, face, gills, 

 and deaf-eara bright red. Eyes always red, either bright red 

 or dark red. All other colours of eyes, as yellow, bay, or 

 light brown, are inferior. Neck-hackle, or mane, rich bright 

 red, lighter towards the shoulders, aud striped underneath 

 ■with dark blue stripes. Back, shoulders, aud upper part of 

 wings a bright full red, rather deeper iu colour than the hackle 

 or mane. The wings with a bright steel-blue bar across them. 

 Lower part of wings a rich reddish bay or rich reddish chestnut 

 colour, darker underneath. Wing-butts very dark brown. 

 Tail dark greenish black, with not too much Qufi at the roots, 

 aud that scanty aud of a whitLsh or yellowish grey dun colour. 

 Breast and thighs of a dark bluish black. Legs, feet, and 

 claws willow or dark willow colour. 



Willow legs are the favourites, but there are good birds with 

 all colours of legs. Good red eyes aud a bright red colour are 

 the true requisites for Black-breasted Eeds. 



Partridoe Red Hen. — General colour a rich reddish Par- 

 tridge-coloured brown, often with yellow shafts to the feathers. 

 Beak as legs in both cock aud hen. Comb, face, gills and deaf- 

 ears as the cock, but scarcely so red, though quite red. Neck- 

 hackle a rich reddish golden colour striped with dark stripes. 

 Breast and thighs a reddish fawn colour, or reddish bay colour, 

 tinged with salmon colour. Tail dark blackish brown. Legs, 

 feet, &c., willow preferred for cup birds. The nails should be 

 dark with willow legs. 



For courage willow-legged birds are not the best of this 



colour as a rule ; the blackish, carp-brown, and the white- 

 legged birds, when red-eyed, being of the highest courage. — 

 Newmakket. 



FURTHER REMARKS ON THE JUDGING OF 

 BUFF COCHINS. 



Encouraged by the favour.able criticism of " Nemo " and 

 " Y, B. A. Z.," I venture to supplement my former letters, in 

 which I pointed out some anomalies in judging Buff Cochins, 

 by a few additional remarks. First, let me say " one word" 

 in reply to " Y. B. A. Z." 



A Cochin pullet or hen, minus the few principal feathers o£ 

 her tail, can scarcely be said entirely to lack that member. A 

 case iu point came under my immediate notice very recently. 

 A pen of Cochins, iu this apparently tail-less condition, was 

 passed over without mention at an exhibition of poultry. 

 About a week afterwards they were sent to another, but in the 

 meanwhile a very minute tip of black had projected beyontJ 

 their tail fluff. It was just visible, and only just, but it made 

 all the difference, and the birds referred to at once obtained 

 precedence over some of their successful rivals of the previous 

 week. 



Another case has come to my knowledge, where a pair of 

 Cochin hens were excluded from the prize list because one of 

 them was tail-less, and, the Judges concluded, was therefore 

 trimmed. In this case the bird had moulted her tail later than 

 the rest of her plumage, and the principal feathers had not 

 made their appearance; but, as in the case before referred to, 

 they were all there, and if the Judges had onlytaken the trouble 

 to handle the bird, they could easily have convinced themselves 

 that not a single feather had been abstracted. 



If, then, it be possible for a judge in the great majority of 

 instances to satisfy himself beyond reasonable doubt as to 

 whether trimming has or has not been practised, it is plainly 

 his duty not to disqualify till he has ascertained by actual in- 

 vestigation whether the phenomena are due to nature or art. 



It may of course be objected that a bird in such a condition 

 is not fully developed, and therefore ought not to be exhibited. 

 I have before replied to this, that, if so, secretaries should ntf 

 longer announce that the ages of the birds exhibited will be 

 taken into consideration by the judges ; but I will venture 

 further to illustrate the case in point by a parallel instance. 

 What judge ever yet disqualified a Cochin pullet for not having 

 " put up " her comb ? And yet what judge could say, with 

 certainty, of any pullet to which he had given a prize while in 

 such an undeveloped stage, that she would not within a few 

 days dovelope a comb too large, or twisted, or falling over? 



If, then, a bird lacking the principal feathers of her tail 

 ought to be disqualified, so, too, ought a bird whose comb has 

 not undergone that process of development which usually pre- 

 cedes laying. 



I have mentioned this question of comb incidentally, and as 

 illustrating another subject ; but I am anxious to call attention 

 to it on other grounds. Would any brother fancier enlighten 

 me as to the cause of twisted and crooked combs in my favourite 

 breed. Buff Cochins ? 



I have been very careful to breed, on both sides, only from 

 birds with irreproachable combs — low, firm, straight, and evenly 

 serrated ; aud yet the majority of ray pullets are developing 

 tlieir combs, pome twisted, some falling over, many more like 

 that of a Dorkiug than a Cochin. So long as their combs 

 remain iu the chicken stage they can hold their own in compe- 

 tition ; but as soon as ever the usual development takes place 

 their value as exhibition birds is at an end. If any brother 



