April 2, 1868. ] 



JOUBNAIi OP HORTICULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDENKB. 



283 



this commodity frequently undergoes ; nnd the quantity of food 

 required is about ninety coombs of barleymcal and sixty coomba 

 of Brains daily. The manure from sucii an immense number 

 of fowls, fed upon such a description of food, is very valuable, 

 and frequent applications for the sale of it are made ; but as 

 Mr. Bagsbaw holds a farm close by his poultry yard he prefers 

 to make use of it himself. It takes about six days to make 

 preparations for the market, and about one hundred dressers 

 are employed in the work, but as the birds are not drawn be- 

 fore they are sent to market, the Riblota are bought with thera. 

 Of those killed for Christmas, some IBOO are sent to the goose 

 clubs, and the rest are forwarded to the markets at Leadenhall 

 and Newgate, where they are sold on commission. During the 

 Christmas week no less than from seventy to eighty tons weight 

 were sent away from Norwich by rail, the Geese averaging in 

 weight from '.) to 10 lbs." J 



SELLING BOILED EGGS. 



I BT.a to ask your advice upon the following case. A person 

 advertised in your paper some fowls for sale, first prize Brr- 

 mingham. I wrote about that pen, and he said in answer that 

 he had concluded to keep them, but if I wanted a sitting of 

 eggs I should have an honest one, on the receipt of a poat- 

 offioe order foi* 12s. ; and about ten days ago I received a note 

 from the person saying that the birds of the first-prize pen 

 were now laying, and a sitting of eggs were at my disposal, on 

 the receipt of a post-office order. I accordingly sent one for that 

 amount, and received a box containing thirteen eggs, one of 

 which was quite cracked on one side, but dry, which excited 

 my suspicion. When I broke it, you may imagine my surprise 

 when I found it had been boiled quite hard. I broke two more 

 and they were just the same. There are eight more looking 

 just the same, and I have not the least doubt they have been 

 boiled. What remedy have I ? I withhold all names at present ; 

 but will give mine and his also, as I do not intend to be swindled 

 in that way if I have a remedy. — J. L. L. 



[Have the other eggs opened in the presence of a witness, 

 and if they, or any of them, prove to have been boiled, apply 

 to a magistrate for a warrant, and have the vendor appre- 

 hended and tried for the fraud. Since we wrote the above we 

 are informed that the vendor returned the money, and stated, 

 as is usual, that his man did it ! — Eds.] 



TACKING EGGS. 



I SAW a short time ago that you recommended bran as ma- 

 terial for packing eggs in. I have been very unfortunate with 

 eggs thus packed. Last year I purchased some Turkey eggs, 

 they cost me about 14.s'., and I did not obtain a chick. I paid 

 an extra shilling for packing, and the eggs were sent in bran, 

 but although wrapped in paper were all lying against the lid, 

 and five or six were smashed. The remainder were placed 

 under a good sitter, but at the expiration of the time they all 

 proved unproductive. There was no sign of a chick in any of 

 them. I use moss when it can be had, and I find it answer 

 very well. It wants drying previous to use. — L. B. 



NOTES ON FANCY TIGEONS.— No. 10. 



THE CARKIER. 



There are by common consent of fanciers, and there have 

 been for upwards of a hundred years, three varieties of Pigeons 

 which stand higher than others in esteem, which have been 

 cultivated with greater care, and in which certain properties 

 have been raised to a higher standard. These are Almond 

 Tumblers, Carriers, and Pouters. These birds have been 

 treated in a similar way to florists' flowers. Now we know 

 that the high-class fancy Pouter was derived from the common 

 Pouter, and the Almond Tumbler from the common Tumbler : 

 whence, tlien, must have come the fancy Carrier ? Doubtless 

 from the Horseman, a bird which now writers on Pigeons ac- 

 tually ignore. The Carrier came from the Horseman, not the 

 Horseman from the Carrier, as the better comes by care and 

 selection from the worse, just as the pansy came from the wild 

 heartsease ; though of course the worse will come from the 

 better if there be a want of care, as the pansy will, if neglected, 

 come back again — degenerate, in fact, to the wild heartsease. 



There appears to have been, long before the English fancy 

 Carrier, a breed of Pigeons which was useful, and therefore 



bred in great numbers. These birds showed a great desire to 

 return home, and would fly home great distances, and in days 

 when travelling was slow a winged messenger was indeed valu- 

 able. It stands to reason that the birds that were quickest in 

 flight and surest of reaching home would be most valued, and 

 their form, colour, &o., would not be for a moment regarded. 



There was, then, this class of useful Pigeon ; useful, therefore 

 valuable. Not a show bird — not a bird of points and proper- 

 ties, but of utility. Call the bird the Persian Pigeon, or the 

 Turkish Pigeon, or the Scandaroon, or the Bagatin, or the 

 Horseman ; the bird is one and the same, perhaps some larger 

 than others, but substantially the same. The bird was a bird 

 of utility, and capable of being trained to greater utility, and 

 naturally feather or shape, save as tending to utility, would be 

 uncared for. The shape of these Pigeons was well suited to 

 cleave the air ; formed as we make the fastest boats, they were 

 to other Pigeons— for example, the Kunt— what the University 

 racing boat is to a barge. These Pigeons had also in common, 

 notwithstanding differences of name, more or less of naked 

 himp-hke flesh round the eyes, and above and below the base 

 of the beak. From these birds came, by care, and selection, 

 and good judgment in matching, a florists' flower of Pigeons— 

 the fancy English Carrier, just as in like manner came the 

 Almond Tumbler and the EngUsh fancy Pouter. 



One only objection is to be met — viz., that the best show 

 Carriers are always black or dun, while Horsemen are of all 

 colours. But this difliculty is answered thus : It is well known 

 that some properties appear in excess attached to one particu- 

 lar colour, and that the best fancy birds of certain varieties of 

 Pigeons are always of a certain colour — e. ;;., Fantails white. 

 Dragoons blue. The Carrier is the high-bred cultivated gentle- 

 man, the Horseman the useful labourer. As it is said to take 

 three generations to breed a perfect gentleman, so it certainly 

 takes several generations to breed a perfect Carrier. The 

 Carrier has been a gentleman these 150 years probably, but he 

 has refined and become a more perfect gentleman, just as a 

 series of dukes have become in the same number of years. I 

 look at a first-class Carrier and think, "Ah! your fine Eton 

 and Christchurch, and good food, and good housing, and care- 

 ful mating during the last 150 years have done wonders for you 

 and your forefathers ! " Then glancing at the shorter-necked, 

 thicker-skuUed Horseman I think, "You have not had such 

 advantages, but you are the most useful fellow still." 



I shall not go into the fancy points of the English Carrier, 

 inasmuch as every Pigeon book gives them, but I will remark 

 upon the bird generally. As the Pouter is the noblest-looking 

 Pigeon that walks, so the Carrier is the most graceful ; but to 

 see well-bred Carriers to perfection you must not judge of them 

 when in cages at an exhibition, for there they never look well ; 

 they stand at bay in a corner, and do not for one moment look 

 at ease. But suppose you suddenly open a loft door, and there 

 are a few Carriers within ; they are bold enough not to fly, 

 but unsociable enough to dislike and resent the intrusion, and 

 stand on the peas giving a cross snort at you, and as they 

 stand they look the very perfection of graceful strength. They 

 remind me of the story of Queen Anne and her sculptor. Said 

 the Queen, " You have made me in my statue look stern." 

 " Madam," replied the sculptor, " God only can combine dig- 

 nity and grace." Now, we may see the two combined in the 

 Carrier. No wonder he has so long enjoyed the title. The King 

 of Pigeons ; no wonder an old fancier chopped off his head in 

 royal fashion, and did not ignominiously wring his neck. 



The colour of the Carrier in my opinion is best when black, 

 and the blacker the better ; then the statuesque look is more 

 visible — that hard solid look which reminds one of stone. 

 Unless I greatly mistake, the present show Carriers are many 

 of them too small, just as we see too many show Game fowls 

 erring in this matter of size. You want in the Carrier the ap- 

 pearance of strength, as well as grace, which size alone can give. 



I hope that having now opened the subject of the Carrier 

 eminent breeders of this bird will give us their experience, and 

 do for it what has recently been done in these pages for the 

 Pouter. — WiLTsniRK Eectok. 



P.S. — I cannot forbear expressing my gratification at the 

 excellent articles which have appeared recently in this Journal 

 on one branch of the fancy Pigeon subject, from the pen of 

 Mr. Huie and others. The late Mr. Brent appealed again and 

 again for fanciers to speak out, but in vain. Now, however, 

 the publication of the work entitled " Pigeons " seems to have 

 aroused our friends, and made them dip their pens in ink to a 

 good purpose. "Pigeon-fancying," remarks Professor Huxley 

 "is a great art and .mystery," and I am sure it requires 



