January 16, 18G6 ] 



JOUBNAL OP HOETICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDEN 



55 



number each miistoreil, and I shall speak of pens and not of 

 single cocks. First, Game, the largest entry of all — 275 pens. 

 Has not the Game fowl, in spite of cock-ligliting being at an 

 end, and not being an over-profitable sort, such a hold upon 

 the English mind that nothing can shake it off ? The length 

 of leg in many struck me as being too great. Clearly by the 

 number of entries the Black-breasted and other Beds are still 

 the favourites. Englishmen love " a Red Game cock " as of 

 yore ; and yet what a beautiful bird is a Duckwing cock ! and 

 what a black prince is the Black (lame cock ! and how pleasing 

 the symmetry, the chief thing that catches one's eye, in a 

 White one ! Next in number to the Game came Cochins — 

 21S pens — yes, not as I expected, Dorkings, but much-abused 

 Cochins ; and yet one sees hundreds of Dorkings for one Cochin 

 — so many Cochins, and many so excellent. I gi-eatly admired 

 the first-prize White. Next, not Dorlungs but Hamburghs — 

 195 pens, twenty-eight being Blacks. I am sure it is a mistake 

 in the south and west of Engkaud people not keeping Ham- 

 burghs. Then Dorkings — 132 pens. Shakspeare saw your 

 ancestors not far from this place, for I feel proud to be in 

 Shakspeare's county ; but he never saw such Dorkings as these, 

 and .Tustice Shallow's " short-legged hens " were pigmies to 

 you, I warrant. I noticed but few Silver-Grej'S. Brahmas — 

 5(i pens, divided, as they always ought to be, into Light and 

 Dark. Spanish — 38 pens, and very good. Polish — in all but 

 35 pens, and yet prizes for six varieties. Twelve prizes to be 

 shared by only thirty-five pens ! Why should the Polish go 

 down ? In an exhibition no fowls look better ; few are so 

 attractive — many crowd around their pens : the Bl.ack with 

 white crests nobly contrasting, the Golden handsome, the 

 Silver elegant. Come, brother fanciers, take to Polish. What 

 a good chance of prizes for you ! Large breeders, adopt this as 

 an extra variety. Present your wife or daughter with a sitting 

 of eggs next March. Next came Creve Coeur — 20 pens, and 

 last of all Malays — 13 pens. 



I turn now to the pigmies. Of Game Bantams actually 

 99 pens ! Why is this ? First, they are very easy to breed, 

 their eggs being almost all fertile ; and then they are pretty to 

 look at, and remind Englishmen of Game fowls. Surely the 

 Judges had some difficulty with this class. Throwing aside a 

 few coarse birds, a great number seemed to me " one as good 

 as another." I own I think shows are becoming overburdened 

 with these easy-to-breed miniature Game fowls ; and as to profit, 

 with them, of course, there is none. Next — but how far apart ! 

 — came the Blacks, which, though true Bantams in shape and 

 carriage, number only 19 pens ; of White there are only 14 ; 

 of Silver-laced, only '.) ; of Gold-laced, but 8 ; and yet, standing 

 for a long time at the end where tlie Sebrights were shown, 1 

 noticed they came in for more admiration than any birds near. 

 It is indeed a pity they are so few. They cost trouble, but 

 v.'hat a result if successful ! I am thoroughly jealous of the 

 number in which Game Bantams mustered. Happily the 

 aristocratic Sebrights were far away from them, and I hope 

 did not hear about them, or their feelings would have been 

 hurt. Sm-ely, too, the Blacks are fitted for gentlemen's pets, 

 and White for ladies'. As to spirit, what Game Bantam has 

 more than a Black Bantam cock ? 



Next, gentle reader, we will go and see the Pigeons. The 

 stah-case is steep, so, if a lady, please accept my arm. The 

 Pigeons ! Well, hero they are along the gallery, in an excellent 

 position to be well seen. There were 331 entered, being a 

 greater number than ever seen before at Bingley Hall. This 

 is well, for people seem too often not to know what charming 

 and ornamental pets Pigeons are. Among the higher-bred 

 Tumblers my preference ran for the Mottled. They also look 

 belter in a show than Almonds, not so often standing all of a 

 heap in a corner. The Powters were better in length than 

 colour ; the Carriers good. A special word for the Paints : A 

 pair actually weighed i lbs. 15 ozs., others a few ounces less. 

 These large birds deserve to be extensively bred. The Barbs 

 wore very excellent. This is also a variety of Pigeon I rejoice 

 to see gaining ground : the Blacks, especially, have so much in 

 them ; and oh ! those lovely purple and green hues around the 

 neck of the cock. Few Pigeous have higher claims to regard. 

 The white Fantails were better than the coloured, as surely 

 they always are. A coloured Fantail is as paiufid to my eye 

 as would be a variously-coloured Swan. The Antwerps were 

 too numerous, for what arc they but sharp fliers, looking 

 nothing in a pen '.' Why not more Jacobins '? they are woiih 

 breeding. The high-bred Balds were very pretty, but few and 

 not perfect — a foul thigh, a coloured feather on the head, a 

 .slobbered cut ; but how diflicult it is to breed them free from 



these blemishes, as I weU know ! The Dragons were very ex- 

 cellent. I particularly admired Mr. Percivall's Blues. The 

 Turbits were also a good class, and, like the Dragoons, drew 

 two " very highly commendeds " from the Judges. Let me 

 speak a word about the Laced Fantails — very beautiful birds if 

 very clean, though they look like a freak of Nature. There 

 was also a pair of Frilibacks, birds not often seen, and very 

 queer-looking. So much for the Pigeons ; would that I could 

 more freciueutly see such beautiful birds. 



I next determined to go for a while to tho Dog show, so 

 speedily waUced thither. Curzon Hall is a sipiare, with a 

 narrow gallery running all round it. On the ground floor were 

 the larger Dogs, in the gallery the smaller. I began according 

 to number, and passed along noble Bloodhounds, quiet and 

 self-possessed. Why should they be disturbed ? They looked 

 perfectly at ease, like true gentlemen, looking at one as if utterly 

 forgetting or despising the crowd, and deeply cogitating some 

 weighty matter, or solving some stifi problem. On I pass, 

 glancing at shaggy Deerhounds dreaming of their native glens, 

 smooth fawning Ctreyhounds, strong Foxhounds, then other 

 Hoimds. One as I came near happened " to lift up his voice 

 and cry,"' and what music he made ! Then came httle Beagles 

 and Pointers of all sizes, lovely to look at — beaten, however, 

 by lovelier Setters ; curly-coated Betrievers strong and fierce, 

 as two proved which managed to slip their chains and engage 

 in fierce fight. Then one came upon the " Dogs not used in 

 field sports" — Mastiffs like lionesses; Newfoundlands; Sheep 

 Dogs with no sheep to watch, and therefore not quite comfort- 

 able, "Othello's occupation" being gone. But what now? 

 Oh, those marvellously ugly Bulldogs, but lying so marvellously 

 quiet — '■ Old King Dick " wrapped in royal slumber, reproving 

 Shakspeai'e's 



" Crne.isy lies the head that wears a cro\^"n." 

 Bull Terriers came next, and by no means sleepy, each one 

 apparently regretting that nobody's calf came near enough. On 

 to black and tan Terriers, ready to make love to everybody ; 

 little Scotch Terriers ^vl■iggling their caterpillar-like backs to 

 every one. Pomeranian Pugs, beloved in the last century, 

 figmiug in many a picture with their behooped mistresses, and 

 now, it seems, beloved again with crinoline, Dogs and dress 

 equally ugly. I was, however, pleased to notice that some of 

 the seven Pugs exhibited had not had their ears cropped, one 

 of the micropped taking a secoird prize, and it was manifest how 

 far less ugly the ixucut-eared ones looked. Upon ascending 

 the narrow gallery I observed many visitors leaning and looking 

 over the balustrade down upon the square below, and I followed 

 their example. Truly a beautifid sight lay beneath, for you 

 saw all the different large Dogs at a glance from this altitude. 

 They resembled some marvellously wrought and variously 

 coloured carpet. I felt that I could look upon them for hours. 

 In the gallery were the tiny pets. One Toy Terrier rejoiced in 

 a coat or cloak of green velvet with rich gold fringe or border ; 

 and he lay on a cushion made to match his coat, with nothing 

 of his tiny self visible save his saucy little head. He received 

 no prize, however — perhaps the Judges considered he had gold 

 enough already. 



There were in all 781 Dogs exhibited, the larger as a rule 

 very quiet (here and there a bad-tempered one), but the small 

 Dogs very noisy, just as with unfeathered bipeds, the little 

 folks making a great fuss and disturbance, while the large 

 people rest quietly on their size and position. Let me not 

 forget to name the inhabitants of the Puppy pens — poor little 

 fellows, so pretty and so bewildered ! wondering, perhaps, 

 whether they were always to Hve in such a busy world. There 

 was a boy, too, combing his pet puppy ; and there was a Dog 

 lying one moment motionless, the next he started up and 

 wagged his tail, and gazed forv.ard ^vith bright intelligent eyes ; 

 for why ? — he recognised his master in the crowd. A horrible 

 thought came into my mind : Suppose all these Dogs went 

 mad, or even all got loose ! Then oh ! their intolerable bark- 

 ing, it beat its way into one's brain. I could bear it no longer, 

 and I hurried back to Bingley Hall, where, after the yelping 

 and barking, I said to myself, " Welcome, gentle crowing !" 

 I wander lo\-ingly round the Show, I know it is my last 

 visit, admiring again and again some pet pen. How one 

 gets to have one's favourites at a Show, taking one's fi-iends 

 to them, and lavishing our admiration on them. I must 

 say that I could but notice the exceDeut arrangement of every- 

 thing. I heard high praise bestowed upon the civility of 

 the attendants. The fowls were beautifully clean ; not so, 

 however, some of the Pigeons, with the habit which these 

 birds have of attempting a bath out of their drinking- vessels, 



