October 2, 1866. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



267 



another. Wo aro used to them, and do not notice them. It 

 would appear that in these things, as in many others, to stand 

 still is to be left behind, and change seems to bo necessary. 

 The lesson to be learnt from all these changes is, that society 

 accepts them in a perfectly good spirit, without condemning 

 those who adhere to the old style, or over- admiring those who 

 adopt the new. There is a wonderful virtue in tho habit of 

 making tho best of everything, and in allowing people to be 

 right although they may differ from us. He who wears a white 

 hat is no longer shouted after. Nino out of ten men wear 

 cither dear-stalkers or wide-awakes without being stared at. 

 I wish to see tho same spirit introduced into poultry arguments. 

 We want differences of opinion to exist without being sup- 

 ported by thinly veiled personalities, or unkind inuendoes. I 

 allude to the letters that have appeared on tho question of 

 vulture hocks in Brahmaa. If it can bo shown that they are a 

 characteristic of the breed, or even an improvement, although 

 a recent introduction, I have no doubt those among the public 

 who breed them will hasten to secure the new point. There is 

 no reason why the rules that were laid down years ago should 

 never be altered, but they will be alterations. Years ago 

 errand boys did not eat ices, nor would a penny buy a dessert 

 of pine apple for a working man ; it is a novelty and an al- 

 teration. It is said that in a foreign country where all the in- 

 habitants were humpbacked, a straight man entered church 

 during divine service. The minister was praying, and he 

 prayed for the deformed man who had just entered. So the 

 time may come when the one pen in a Brahma class lacking 

 the vulture hock may be the object of ridicule and pity. I 

 cannot help thinking those who originally framed the laws, 

 and erected the standards by which poultry is judged, did so 

 wisely and well. There has been little or no alteration for 

 many years, and progress has proved that the setting forth 

 was guided by sound principles. — Brahma, N.Y.H. 



ROUGH NOTES ON ERRORS AND OMISSIONS 



IN THE POULTRY CLUIt's " STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE." 



(Continued from pai/e 246.) 



Malays. — General shape, first part as in the " Standard." 

 Back, very short and not very long, and rather round, instead 

 of flat. Body, very short, and not long and round. Wings, 

 very short, even to tho body. Breast, rather narrow. Thighs, 

 shorter than the legs in proportion, but well in to the body. 

 Hen to correspond with cock, one-third smaller in size. 



Cock. — Invariably " yellow or daw," and never red at all, as 

 in "Standard." A great mistake. Wing, with green bar, and 

 never blue. Breast, cither reddish, yellowish brown, or greenish 

 black. Colours, yellowish, brownish red, greyish yellow, white, 

 piled or pied, and black. Legs, either yellow or yellowish olive- 

 green. Skin, very yellow indeed. 



Hen. — To correspond in all the colours with the cock. A 

 "red-eyed " Malay is an impossibility. 



The " Standard," has omitted four varieties of the Game 

 Fowls, which aro all occasionally exhibited. The Dark Greys, 

 Dark Birchens, lied Duns, and Blue Duns. The former two 

 sorts are seen at most exhibitions, and Red Duns won the first 

 prize at Sheffield in 1857. Blue Duns are rare, and are seldom 

 exhibited. The Dark Birchens are a very different bird from 

 the Yellow Birchens, being dark-eyed and dark-legged. They 

 are closely allied to the Dark Greys and Brown Reds, being bred 

 from these sorts. The Yellow Birchens, on the contrary, are 

 nearest allied to the yellow-legged Duckwings, a much lighter 

 bird. The term olive-legged is rather promiscuous, there being 

 olive-green, olive-brown, and olive-bronze. The Black-breasted 

 Reds are of a much redder colour than the Brown Reds, which 

 are always either of a browner or more brassy colour than any 

 other Reds. The Brown Reds are as much superior in shape 

 and carriage as they are inferior in beauty of colour to the Black- 

 breasted Reds, as a general rule. The Brown Reds are " gamer," 

 and possess a more enduring eourage than any, Dark Greys ex- 

 cepted. 



In judging Game fowls, the preference should be given to 

 the white-skinned birds over the yellow-skinned, as being more 

 English and "gamer," except in the willow-legged Black-breasted 

 Beds, and willow-legged Duckwings, which are prize birds, and 

 should be yellow-skinned, as also should Blue Duns, being 

 yellow-legged. The yellow-skinned show more of an East 

 Indian origin. The willow-legged Duckwings are the " gamest ". 

 of all the willow-legged Game fowls. 



The recognised exhibition sorts in most localities, I believe, 



aro the following nine :— 1, Black-breasted Reds, most com- 

 mon ; willow-legged (cup birds). 2, Brown-breasted Reds, next 

 most common, the first bird (cup birds). 8, Duckwings, willow 

 legs, red eyes ; Silver-Greyhens. 1, Red Biles, white legs, red 

 eyes; the Cheshire breed. 5, Blacks, black legs, black eyes ; 

 Black and Brassy. 6, Dark Greys and Dark Birchins, black 

 eyes and legs ; dark hens. 7, Whites, red eyes only, white legs 

 only. 8, Red Duns or Ginger Blues. The red-eyed the best. 

 9, Blue Duns, yellow legs, yellow eyes ; all blue dun-coloured. 



Willow, black, and white legs are the exhibition colours of 

 legs ; but the black, white, and carp-brown-legged birds are 

 " gamer " than either willow, blue, or yellow-legged birds. For 

 eyes, black and red are the only true Game eyes. 



The Malays and the Bantams are well known to bo the 

 shortest in body of all poultry, the Malays having very short 

 wings, carried high ; and the Bantams, long wings and carried 

 low. The wings of Game fowls should be just intermediate 

 between these two sorts, which is about true perfection as far 

 as symmetry goes. The Malays may sometimes have a 

 yellowish-bay eye from crossing, but their true characteristic 

 is the " yellow or daw eye " always. Malays are a most worth- 

 less variety of poultry, being great, cowardly, coarse, yellow- 

 fleshed birds, though not bad layers, but worst for table of all. 

 They vary in weight from 8 or 9 to 6 lbs. in tho cocks. 



The " Standard," seems to have omitted the large Black 

 Brahma Pootras altogether, a breed often seen. The feather 

 of Malays, I omitted to state, need not be hard like the Game, 

 but is more loose, coarse, stringy, and woolly than the Game 

 feather. The " Standard " is well arranged, was no doubt 

 much required, and is only at all erroneous in Game fowls and 

 Malays. — Newmarket. 



DROPSY (?) IN SPANISH FOWLS. 



The following seems so curious that I shall be very glad if 

 you will kindly give me your opinion. 



A Spanish cockerel, a month old, keeps forming large air- 

 bladders immediately below the skin. Yesterday he was like 

 a round ball with a pair of legs, wings, and a beak. As soon 

 as I was satisfied the bladders were filled with air, I opened 

 them in three places, and there was a collapse as if an indian- 

 rubber ball had been pricked. He appears in excellent health. 

 He is running free in the stable-yard with forty others of about 

 the same age. — J. D. S. 



[This case of Spanish-fowl disease is not the first we have 

 met with of air and fluid between the skin and flesh. Our 

 experience leads us to believe the cockerel's present health 

 will not last long. We have always found it a fatal disorder. 

 We are obliged by the disorder being thus made public, and 

 shall be glad of any one's relative experience.] 



WOODSTOCK POULTRY SHOW. 



The annual meeting took place in Blenheim Park, on September 

 18th. The Show was a very superior one, the fowls, &©., being quartered 

 in convenient wooden pens. Some of the Ducks sent by the Duchess 

 of Marlborough were of extraordinary dimensions, and the fowls were 

 altogether well represented. 



Dokkings (Coloured).— Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. Chickens.— 

 Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. 



Bkahmas.— Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. Ch ickens.— Prize, Duchess 

 of Marlborough. 



Cochin-china, — Prize, — Hurrnan. Chickens. — Prize, H. Church. 



Hamburgh (Spangled). — Prize, — Hurrnan. Ch ickens. — Prize, J. James. 



Game.— Prize, J. Hutt. Chickens.— Prize, J. Hutt. 



Geese (White).— Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. Goslings.— Prize, J. 

 Hutt. 



Geese (Grey). — Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. Goslings— Prize, H. 

 L. Gaskell. 



Ducks (Aylesbury).— Prize, Duehess of Marlborough. Ducklings. — 

 Prize, Duchess of Marlborough, 



Ducks (Coloured). — Prize, J. Hutt. 



Turkeys (Black). — Prize Duchess of Marlborough. 



Turkeys (Grey).— Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. Poults.— Prize, 

 Duchess of Marlborough. 



Prizes offered by A. W. Hall, Esq., for the best pen of Poultry bred in 

 1866.— Prize,-*. Hint. Cluckens.— Prize, Duchess of Marlborough. 



Wolverhampton Poultry Show.— The classes are confined 

 to birds hatched in 1866, except in the case of Ducks and Pigeons. 

 The first prizes are £2, and the third 10s. The hall in which 

 the Show will be held is well suited for the purpose ; in fact, 



