NoTomber 8, 1866. ] JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



307 



in flesh of all Game fowls. Willow-legged Piles are from 

 willow -legged 1 Mack-breasted Rede, and blue-legged Piles from 

 the blue-legged Black-breasted Reds ; in fact, all the Piles are 

 originally Si »i Black-breasted Reds. 'Die yellow-legged Piles 

 are the worst of all, being tbo least courageous, scarcely stand- 

 ing steel. The willow and blue-legged are both inferior birds, 

 though more spirited than the daw-eyed Piles. The Cheshire 

 Pile has been mnch crossed with the Brown Red, this being 

 the older cock-fighter's favourite cross of all. — Newmaeket. 

 (To be continued.) 



BEARING CHICKENS ARTIFICIALLY. 



I beg to offer, for the benefit of your subscribers, my ex- 

 perience of hatching chickens by incubators. The incubator 

 I have made uso of is Messrs. E. & J. Crook's, of Carnaby 

 Street. It is inexpensive, extremely simple in its construction, 

 and perfectly free from any unpleasantness in its appearance 

 and use, so much so that it may be used in any sitting-room 

 without inconvenience. Messrs. Crook have published rules 

 for the management of their incubator, and I can safely say 

 that by strictly adhering to them success is certain. 



I have found little difficulty as regards rearing the chickens 

 with the assistance of an artificial mother for warmth, and an 

 enclosed yard for the chicks to exercise in. Both the incubator 

 and artificial mother were supplied by the same firm. 



Of course, taking upon one's self the duties of a hen occa- 

 sions trouble to the breeder, but rien sans peine, and I firmly 

 "believe that stronger and finer chickens may be reared under 

 this system than by leaving them with the hen. However, 

 those who dislike trouble will do well to give a sitting of eggs 

 to a hen or two at the same time as they fill the incubator, 

 and make the hens take the charge of all. 



I exhibited at the Southampton Poultry Show some CVve 

 Coeur chickens hatched and reared entirely without a hen. 

 The birds were strong and well developed for their age, but 

 ■being hatched very late could not compete with older birds. 



I have hatched Ducks with equal success, and have found 

 the incubator especially useful in saving the life of many a 

 chick when the hen has only partially hatched a Bitting and 

 deserted the rest of her eggs. — Ceeve Cceue. 



unfit for the table by those who have never tried them. Lot 

 them once try a well-fatted chick, and opinions will imme- 

 diately change. 



These birds are much *' cried up," hut not so mnch as they 

 v. ill lie wlini Ihcir habits and properties are better known. 

 They have gained their present position entirely on account 

 of their beauty and utility ; and whatever "Newmabkit" may 

 say to the contrary, they are of all others the sort that com- 

 bines these two qualities in the highest degree. What can bo 

 more beautiful in fowl-form than a light Brahma hen, with her 

 large, round, plump body, clear white feathering relieved with, 

 a delicately pencilled neck, and little black tail peeping out 

 among heavy masses of the purest and softest white feathers, 

 the whole set off with such a pretty face and head turmounted 

 with a tiny pea-comb, like the earlobes and wattles, of the 

 brightest scarlet, and with a brilliant yellow beak and legs, 

 the latter well fringed with white feathers '? The dark Brahma, 

 with his pencilled hackle and saddle, black mottled breast, 

 strong, thickly-feathered, yellow legs, and glossy green tail 

 plumes, forms a picture of beauty which no Game bird can hope 

 to surpass, with his closely-cropped head, vindictive expression, 

 spare neck, and long thin legs, like his human counterpart the 

 prize-fighter. Many look at the latter as the type of manly 

 beauty, and, consequently, view the former as the ideal of his 

 kind. Hence we find the" feathered combatant exalted upon a 

 pinnacle of glory to which his real merit and value would never 

 have raised him. — A. E., Bristol. 



BRAHMA POOTRAS. 



Peeeaps you will allow me a small space in your columns to 

 «nter my protest against the unreasonable and unfounded con- 

 demnation passed by " Newmaeket " on Brahmas, in your 

 Journal of the lGth of October, and the disadvantageous com- 

 parison of them with Game fowls, for the latter, perhaps 

 having some good qualities, can scarcely possess every merit, 

 and no weak point ; and while to their admirers they may 

 appear very handsome — indeed, the climax of gallinaceous 

 beauty — with their raw heads, and vicious, pugnacious ex- 

 pression — there are others of us who cannot be so enraptured 

 over the heroes of the cockpit, and who do not choose to con- 

 sider all other fowls as " awkward," " clumsy," and " ugly." 



"Newmaeket," no doubt, is a most accomplished critic of 

 Game fowls, and is quite at home when pointing out the 

 qualifications necessary to constitute a good bird ; but from his 

 remarks upon Brahmas, I am induced to say ne sutor ultra 

 crepidam is a motto he would do well to consider before he 

 again pronounces judgment on a variety of fowls that is now 

 ■deservedly becoming one of the most popular and most ad- 

 mired. Let us see how far the opinions expressed are borne 

 out by fact. That Brahmas are large and heavy there is no 

 ■question, and I should say, cirteris paribus, the larger and heavier 

 a fowl is the better ; but because a bird is large and heavy, it 

 is not a consequent condition that he is also awkward and 

 clumsy ; and we find that while Brahmas are the one, they are 

 not at all the other — on the contrary, possessed of a majesty of 

 carriage that no other sort can claim. It is admitted, that they 

 are abundant layers, and that alone is not a small feature in 

 their favour, especially when we consider that a Brahma hen 

 will lay in a year twice the number of eggs that a Game hen will ; 

 and if you set her to hatch her eggs she proves herself to be 

 the best of mothers, and will rear a brood of chickens that will 

 flourish and thrive when and where your Game chickens would 

 be dying through cold and damp. Brahmas are, according to 

 the testimonies of the most experienced persons, the hardiest 

 of all the domesticated breeds, Cochins and Game bearing no 

 ■Comparison with them in that respect. Brahmas are declared 



THE BIRMINGHAM COLUMBARIAN SOCIETY. 



It i3 a matter of congratulation to find that the meetings of this 

 Society aie enlisting so large an amount of public favour and atten- 

 tion, whilst the disinterested courtesy of its members to every visitor 

 well deserves such a reward. Its Exhibitions are not held with any 

 desire for pecuniary gain, the solitary restriction (a necessary one), 

 being that visitors are admitted by ticket only, free of any charge, and 

 easily procurable on application to any member of the Society. The 

 very 'large club room, used as the place of exhibition, is on the ground 

 floor, is exceedingly spacious and well lighted, and was literally thronged 

 with fanciers. , 



By the general rules, one portion of the prize schedule was devoted 

 exclusively to single Pigeons, imperatively birds of the present year, 

 and to insure certainty as to the individuality of these specimens, 

 and also to then- being actually bred by the members themselves, at a 

 certain age they had each of them to bo printed by an appointed officer 

 on the under side of the wing with the badge of the Society, nor could 

 any dehciency in this particular be held as admissible. Not the slightest 

 effort at imposition was made, nor was it possible to succeed had it been 

 attempted. . 



As the Society now embraces most of the leading fanciers of 1 lgeons 

 in the midland counties, the competition was anticipated to be very 

 close, and it certainly proved so, as may be imagined from the fact 

 that not only did many single birds bred by the same amateur compete 

 with each other in the classes for young birds, but in not a few instances 

 the rivals proved to he twin specimens taken from the same nest, and, 

 consequently, such Pigeons proved almost as similar as the very peas 

 themselves on which they had been accustomed to feed. A task of no 

 easy character, therefore, devolved on the Arbitrator, and at the 

 unanimous request of the members a well-known local gentleman 

 accepted the office, and his conclusions proved most satisfactory. 



The display of plate prizes, tortoiseshell tea-caddies, gold lockets, 

 paiutim-s, &c., took the visitors by surprise, whilst the excellence of 

 the birds throughout was not by any means less remarkable. Ibe 

 Caniers, White Powters, Dragons, Antwerps, and a few of the » n °rt- 

 faced Tumblers, were of surpassing excellence, and exhibited in land- 

 less condition. Some immense Runts were shown, but in a variety 

 class so replete with reelierelu breeds of fancy Pigeons they could only 

 obtain " high commendation." The large display of " Satmettes, 

 shown by the Secretary, Mr. Noye, was such as was never before seen 

 at any exhibition, either in this couutry or the Continent, and their 

 lovely feather and condition were the theme of general praise. Under 

 the guidance of long-practised amateurs, and most of them also owners, 

 the arrangements of the Show were unexceptiouable, and the extreme 

 quietude and order that prevailed were worthy of emulation by Com- 

 mittees of all similar meetings. 



We understand it is now purposed to extend the Society a ettorts to 

 the whole of the surrounding districts, constituting a Pigeon show for the 

 midland comities. In furtherance of this view the next monthly meet- 

 in" of this Society will be held at the Ship Inn, Steel-house Lane, 

 Binninoham, on Mondav, December 3rd, at eight o'clock in the evening, 

 when any amateur of Pigeons who may wish to attend will be cordnUly 

 welcomed by the members. 



YOUNG BIRDS. =„„„„* 



CAERIEES.-First and Cup. lor best pen in show, - Barnes. beCOTH 

 and Third, — Walker. Highly Commended, — Foster. 



PowTP.ns — First. — Foster. Second, — Smith. , „ —. . , „ 



TriuLKRs iShort-facedl.-First. H. Yardley, Market Hall, Birmingham. 

 Second, Withheld. Third, — Careless. 



