416 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 27 1866. 



and these always cnt or dnb best. Brown Reds are often called 

 the Gipsy Reds and Dark Reds for similar reasons. 



Red Cheshire Blood Piles. — These birds have been most 

 fought next to the Brown Reds, and are the quickest, fieriest, 

 and most active of all the Game fowls. This Pile has the 

 bright red eye and white leg, and should be of a bright red 

 colour, the reddest birds being the best. They were celebrated 

 for sharp fighting and activity, and are very quarrelsome. — 

 Newmarket. 



(To be continued.) 



PAISLEY POULTRY CLUB EXHIBITION. 



The first Poultry Club Show took place on the 17th inst., in the 

 new Drill Hall, which is well lighted, spacions. and in every way 

 adapted for a poultry show. The Show was confined to birds hatched 

 in 1866. and nearly two hundred pens competed. Judging from the 

 number of visitors, the public support was fully insured. 



The competition for Spanish was unsurpassable, so far as quality is 

 concerned, in a chicken show. The cock in the second-prize pen was 

 perfection, and consequently won the medal. We believe this bird 

 was bred by Mr. Crawford, of Beith, from his own stock, which is un- 

 doubtedly the best in Scotland. Game fowls were well represented. 

 The Grey Dorkings were in remarkablv good condition ; also the 

 Hamburglus. The Brahma Pootra, Buff Cochins, and the White were 

 also of great merit. It is rarely that so good a class of Polantls is 

 found at any show. The Golden-crested were the victors. Of Game 

 Bantams, any kind, there were twelve entries, and there was much 

 excitement among local breeders when it was known that some of the 

 crack breeders from England were competing in this class ; bnt they 

 had to succumb to the beautiful pen of Black Reds exhibited by Mr. 

 Sharp, of Johnstone. The cock was a model, although the hen was 

 not quite a match for him. Blacks and Whites were also excellent. 



The Duels were good, more especially the Variety class, in which 

 many of the rarest and most beautiful-plumaged birds were well 

 shown. 



Spanish. — First, A. Yevill, Airdrie. Second, J. Hamilton, Paisley- 

 Third, J. Ferguson, Paisley. 



Dorkings (Coloured).— First. A. Paterson, Airdrie. Second, J. Hamil- 

 ton. Third, H. Heys, Barrhead. 



Cochin-China (Any colour).— First, J. Stuart, Helensburgh. Second, 

 E. Brock, Campsie. Third, J. Stuart. 



Brahma Pootra (Any colour).— First and Second, A. Campbell, Blyth- 

 wood. Third. Major Smith, Johnstone. 



Old Scotch Breed.— First, S. Young, Nielston. Second, W. Poden, 

 Hamilton. Third. A. Grant. Kilbarchan. 



Hamburgh .Golden-spangled).— First, J. McAdarn, Busbv. Second, J. 

 R. Rennards. Third, A. Jardon, Irvine. 



Hamburgh (Golden-pencilled).— First, J. Smith, Stewarton. Second, 

 J. Mitchel, Paisley. Third, D. Black, Paisley. 



Hamburgh (Silver-spanKled*.— First, J. Stuart, South Arthurlie. Se- 

 cond. A. Glen. Third, J. McAdam. 



Hamburgh I Silver-pencilled).— First, J. Hamilton. Second, W. Park, 

 Parkhcad. Third. A. Glendinnina. Strablane. 



Game (Black-breasted and other Reds).— First and Third, J. H. llcXab, 

 South Arthurlie. Second, J. C. Neilson, Airdrie. 



Game (Duckwin«).— First and Third, G. Mclndoe, Xeilston. Second, 

 J. Arthur, Barshaw. 



Polands (Anv colour). -First, D. Barclav, Kilbarchan. Second, R. 

 McNab, Cardonald. Third, J. Hamilton. 



Any other Ritr.ED. — First. W. R. Menzies, Crossmvloof. Seoond, R. 

 Abercrombie, Paisley. Third. J. Boyd, Paisley. 



Game Bantams.— First, J. Sharp, Johnstone. Second and Third, W. R. 

 Menzies. 



Bantams (Black).— First, J. C. Xeilson. Second, W. R. Menzies. 

 Third, J. Boyd 



Bantams (.Any other kind). — First, W. Morris, Paisley. Second, D. 

 Morris, Paisley. Third, J. King, Paisley. 



Best Pen Bred by a Member of the Club.— Silver Medal, J. Fergu- 

 son. Second. J. Mclnnes, Paisley. 



Best Spanish Cockerel.— Silver Medal, J. Hamilton. 



Best Dorking Cockerel. — Silver Medal, A. Patterson. 



Best Cochin-china Cockerel.— Silver Medal, J. Stuart. 



Best Old Scotch Breed Cockerel. — Silver Medal. A. Grant. 



Best Hamburgh Cockerel. — Silver Medal. J. Pollock, Busby. 



Best Game Cockerel.— Silver Medal, J. H. McNab. 



Best Game Bantam C6ckerel.— Silver Medal, J. Sharp. 



Ducks (Aylesbury). — First, J. Dryboroush, Arkleston. Second. J. 

 Henderson, Motherwell. Third, A. Pollock, Riccartsbar, Paisley. 



Ducks (Any other kind).— First, R. Brock. Second, T. M. G. Benton, 

 Darnlee House. Third, A. Grant. 



The following gentlemen officiated as Judges : — Mr. E. C. Benton, 

 Darnlee House ; Mr. W. Farquhar, Barrhead : Mr. Jas. Miller, Glas- 

 gow ; Mr. Thos. Bitchie, Glasgow ; Mr. J. Paton, Stewarton ; and 

 Mr. H. Todd, Paisley. 



MANAGEMENT OF STEWARTON HIYES. 

 I have one Stewarton hive with four boxes, and the two 

 middle ones are both filled with comb and honey ; the upper 

 box or super is filled with comb aud some honey, not much ; the 

 bottom box is filled with comb only. 'Would it be advisable to 

 take one of the middle boxes, as the season is far advanced, or 



leave it till the spring? The reason this was not done before 

 is, the bees have recently been moved from a long distance — 

 about forty miles, and were rather unsettled, but now they 

 seem quite reconciled. — Edward Meachen. 



]We should remove the super and nadir, leaving the two 

 central or body boxes. After extracting the honey, all the 

 empty combs should be left undisturbed, and the boxes care- 

 fully put away until spring.] 



THE EGYPTL4N BEE. 



Upon- the 16th of June I removed the first comb from the 

 Egyptian colony, and gave it, along with some other spare 

 combs, to a whole swarm of English bees, minus the queen. Two 

 royal cells were in due course constructed, but unfortunately 

 on examining these on one occasion, I slightly injured the apex 

 of one, if not of both, and the inmates never matured. I again 

 supplied the bees with a sealed royal cell from another Egyp- 

 tian nucleus formed on the 23rd of June, but after the lapse of 

 the usual period no queen appeared, and the cell was de- 

 molished. I allowed matters to remain in statu quo for some 

 time, when, on examination, I found eggs had been deposited 

 in worker cells notwithstanding the absence of a queen ; but 

 as in course of time the convex coverings appeared on these, I 

 at once conjectured the presence of what has been termed a 

 " fertile worker," but which I chose rather to designate by the 

 more appropriate term — an imperfect female. Contempora- 

 neously with the hatching of these drones, which turned out to 

 be pretty well marked Egyptians, appeared two royal cells con- 

 tiguous to the male brood, and apparently containing drone 

 larva?. These the bees in due course sealed, but contrary to 

 Huber's statement they allowed them to remain beyond the 

 three days after sealing, and until they were almost matured, 

 when they were also demolished. 



Here, then, was an apportunity afforded me which I longed to 

 possess. I had sometimes before known drones produced in 

 hives where there was no visible queen, but was never able to 

 discover the ovipositing bee. I determined, therefore, to ex- 

 amine this colony with the utmost care. I drew up frame after 

 frame, and minutely inspected every bee. I noticed one bee 

 rather peculiar both in its appearance and movements. It 

 looked an Egypto-Italian, though in reality it could not be so, 

 as I had no young Egyptian queen as yet to breed such. On 

 narrowly watching this bee for some minutes, I became con- 

 vinced I had at last discovered the object of my search. 

 Wherever it went, it was the object of attention, being fre- 

 quently fed and fawned upon by the other bees. Timid, like a 

 queen, it would evade inspection by hiding in every crevice, 

 or huddling among the bees. Sometimes during my examina- 

 tions, for I had no difficulty in recognising it, it would enter 

 the cells as queens do, as if intending to oviposit, but I was 

 never so fortunate as to detect it in the act. Its abdomen 

 was very rotund, and tapered rapidly to a point, differing in 

 this respect from the one described by the Genevese naturalist, 

 and whose abdomen " seemed less, and more slender than that 

 of workers." The insect presented no external characteristics 

 of a queen, and on the whole differed little from the form of a 

 worker unless minutely examined. 



We know that the French naturalist Eiem was the first to 

 discover the existence of what are called " fertile workers." We 

 are also aware of Huber's confirmation of this discovery, with 

 the anatomical investigations of Mademoiselle Jurine, and the 

 important experiments of Baron Ton Berlepsh and the distin- 

 guished entomologist Leuckart, of Giessen, as detailed by Ton 

 Siebold, all with the same results. Still the subject is far from 

 being exhausted, and I was very anxious that this bee should 

 he anatomically examined, and its ovaries dissected by a com- 

 petent party ; and it occurred to me that Mr. F. Smith, of the 

 British Museum, who, I believed, took a great interest in the 

 mysteries of bee life, might kindly undertake to do this. Though 

 personally unknown to that gentleman, I therefore took it 

 upon me to ask of him this favour. To this request, however, 

 made on the 20th of July, Mr. Smith has not favoured me with 

 a reply, and in consequence of my delay in the hopes of hear- 

 ing from him, the hive in the meantime dwindled away, and 

 the ovipositing bee disappeared. This caused me some re- 

 gret and disappointment, as such an opportunity is seldom 

 offered. 



What definite objects in nature are attained by partheno- 

 genesis in the honey bee is yet an entire mystery. Granting 

 its truth as established, it has occurred to me that the extra- 



