90 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTURB AND COTTAGE GABDBKBB. 



[ Joir at, len. 



(.411 Old Sutjcridfr).— Homcrocallis Sava. (S. C. ;?.).— Your Fern is ouo | 

 ol the Innuratn.l.lo varinlions of Allivrium PIIIi-foemln». Wo believe it ' 

 to be the une (llatiDi^ni.sbcil OS "variety Prilrhardii." {W. IJ. K. Herbrrl). 

 ;^'y»""n orienlalo vnrieRotiim. (f. r.l.— 1. Dancus carols j B. n CrDcifor, 

 insnmdoDt <or dittrmination ; H, AntliylUs vulnorarla; 4, Gcuista tinc- 

 loria ; C, Scaudi.\ rtcttu ; C, Cucuuoptis KaelUi. (J. X>.).— 1, Veronica i 



spfcata ; 2, Spiraea Filipondola tl.-plcDo. (i?. Jam<«on),— HoIcoA laBatns. 

 iO. P.),— 1, CratwKus eaniiuiuoa ; 2. Craiiegoa (or Moapllus) oricDtallB. 

 (if. M.). — CoDtaurfa deprcvaa. IT. F. J/,).— Your plants may probably 

 prove to be as foUow .—1. L«'acotb'>e Lobbii ; 2, Picria formoua, bot we 

 are doubtful of them, and t^bould bo glad of further Bpcclnens if in 

 Uoom. 



METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS in the Suburbs of London for the week ending July 27th. 



Satx, 



Mean.. 



aiROMCTEB. 



Max, I Min. 



29.994 

 28,862 

 29.987 

 29.9,7 

 29H27 

 29.7^ 

 29.769 



29.941 I 29.873 80.87 47.14 



TiniDIOlIBTIB. 



4r> 

 68 

 44 

 48 

 42 

 62 

 41 



Earth. 



1 ft. dp. I ft. dp, 



W 

 67 

 69 

 65 

 67 

 67 



66.71 



6i! 

 63 

 64 

 G3 

 64 

 64 

 62 



6it.29 



Wind. 



S.W. 

 S.W. 

 W. 



s. 



S.W. 



lUinln 



inobes. 



.CO 

 .00 

 .00 

 .09 

 .00 

 .00 



.00 



0.00 



tsENEau. B&MAKSS. 



Clear and.'flno ; very fine; clear at night. 

 Partially overcast ; very fine ; overcast. 

 Densely overCAst; overcast; clear and fine. 

 Overcaiit ; line, white clouds ; very fine. 

 Clear and fine ; ovcrcsBt ; hcft\'j* clond^. 

 Slightly overcast ; densely overcast ; cloudy. 

 Densely overcast ; cloudy ; clear and fine. 



POULTRY, BEE, AND PIGEON CHRONICLE. 



THE PODLTEKS COMPANY. 

 TuiNKS, dear Mr. Editor, for your article on ponltry and 

 poulterers. Please to keep the ball in motion, and it will roll 

 till it come in contact with shins whose owners will wince. I 

 shall have little to say on this occasion, but I will return to the 

 charge. Tou have opened a proli6c field. I'lom their con- 

 nection with birds " poiilters," miscalled "poulterers" — I 

 think it is Pr. Johnson who says, when ignorant people make 

 a mistake they always do it by addition— hence poulterfrs. I 

 tell you I am only to-day in possession of your article, and 

 have not time to go into it. but I promise you I shall return 

 thereto. As it is, I shall flounder about among the mines of 

 lore it lays bare. We go a long way back for choice poultry. 

 In Holy Scripture, where detail is given of the food supplied 

 to Solomon's table, we find "fatted fowl" enumerated. Capons 

 belonged to the early days of our monarchy. Their good ijua- 

 lities were known to the '■ Swan of Avon." His justice is said 

 to be " with good capon lined." To thia day there is an annual 

 trip on the Thames by the Corporation of London, called the 

 Swan-hopping, and the water-bailiff is bound to see that all 

 Swans within the jurisdiction of the City are marked. The 

 manner of marking ia, that when forward as cygnets they are 

 out obliquely through the bill till it bleeds. Instinct teaches 

 the bird to lessen the pain and bleeding by putting ita bill 

 continually in the cold water. The purpose is soon answered, 

 and when the wound ia cicatrised there remains the mark of the 

 cut, which can never be removed. Those who caught one of 

 these Swans were bound to return them to the City of London. 

 I believe Norwich by its charter is bound to consume a certain 

 quantity of oats in fattening a number of Swans. Some must 

 be consumed, some given away. The Corporation do not even 

 pay the same respect to the Swans that American sailors do to 

 horse beef — 



" They eat the fat and snck the bones, 

 And pitch tiio rest to Davy Jones.'" 



Fine idea of retribution, that the man who took tho U.S. 

 contract for navy beef and supplied horseflesh, is in a future 

 state compelled to eat it for ever. 



I do not know how it is, but when August is nigh and the 

 sun is hot, we feel disposed to be lazy, and to take our time, 

 and would rather wander into twenty tales, giving a part of 

 each, than keep sledfastly to one. Well, 1 was asked once 

 to dine in Essex from a Norwich Swan. I do not like a 

 dinner of one dish. Venison may be tough, or high, or worse. 

 Fancy a dozen sitting down to a haunch that reveals its pre- 

 sence at a distance and from under a cover, and becomes simply 

 unbearable on a closer acquoiLtance. It is vulgar in the present 

 day to quote "Peregrine Pickle;" but who has not sympa- 

 thised with the carver when at " the feast after the manner of 

 the ancients," and when he had tucked the tablecloth into his 

 waistcoat preparatory to carving the dis', on which the host 

 " himself much prided," — " the belly cf a newly farrowed sow 

 stufied with liver, garlick, pennyroyal and other condiments," 

 he sprang from the table exclaiming, " This is the essence of a 

 bed of garlic ! " Unfortunately he dragged the taUeclolh with 

 him, to the great discomfoit of the guests. 



But the Swan. There were learned quotations about royal 

 dishes — the Swan, the Peacock, the Heron, the sturgeon, and 

 the boar's head; but the Swan bad the advantage. Did not 

 Penelope sing of her Swans ? Had they not always been the 

 portion of the npper classes? Everyman felt he could ex- 

 tinguish any talkative fellow at a table by saying, Have you 

 eaten Swan ? How do you like it ? — B. 

 (To be continued.) 



BLACK-BREASTED RED GAME FO\ST.S. 



Last year at the meeting of the Hampshire Ornithological 

 Association which took place at Southampton, some little 

 amusement was caused by a few Brahma breeders stating it 

 was not possible to get up an amateur cup for Black-breasted 

 Red Game, whilst such a cup could easily be provided for their 

 pets. I, as Vice-President, happened to be present, and at once 

 took up the challenge. The result is that I intend, should the 

 subscriptions reach a sniEcient amount, to offer two cups, one 

 of ten guineas, and one of five guineas for the first and second 

 pens of Black-breasted Bed Game chickens of 1869, and am 

 pleased to say have been most warmly supported by Messrs. 

 Gibson, Stagg, Matthews, Hodgkinson, Ames, and tioe, who, 

 together with myself, at once subscribed a guinea each. The 

 reason for restricting tho competition to chickens is, that it is 

 unfair to place them in competition with more mature birds 

 whose size pives them every advantage. 



The conditions of competition are as follow : — The birds 

 must be Black Bed Game chickens of 18(i0, shown in pens of a 

 cockerel and one puUet. The subscription to be one guinea, 

 without prepayment of which no exhibitor to be eligible to 

 compete. Entry fee the sum usually paid for ordinary pens. 



It would be almost impossible personally to apply to each 

 breeder, but I am convinced that there are many who would 

 gladly subscribe their guinea if the subject were properly brought 

 under their notice. I shall feel obliged if any gentleman who 

 would like to join us would kindly write me ; and as it is in ocn- 

 tempiation to form a Black-breasted Bed Game fowl club, I 

 shall be glad of the names of those who would like to become 

 members, and any suggestion they might otTer ae to formation, 

 itc, would be most acceptable.— H. C. Diii:, X,i-th Sinni:)tttiii 

 Park, near Southampton. 



BIDEFORD AND NORTH DEVON POULTRY 

 SHOW. ; 



The following are the airar^U at ibit) Show, held ou the ''iAn^ inst. : — 



DoBKraos (Colonred). — 1, G. M. WaUb, Hftledon, Dollon. 2, 3, ftnd 

 hc,K. C Thynnp, Penstowo, Str.'ittun. 



DoBKHios (Whito).~2, C. Ufiinintt. BiJeford. 



SrANisn.— 1, S. R. Hnrrif, Corgaroo, St. Day. 2, To&kld & Tnekey, 

 Bristol. 8. W. Norswnrthy. 



Game (Black and Brmvn-brrnptcd).— 1. E. C. Pope, Fnlnioath. 2, N. 

 Trclcvpn, Stralton. 3. W. W, B. Coliftm, DimslHnd, BrandiKcoroer. 



CocHiN-CniKA.— 1, J. H. Dftw*'.;. BirnilTiyliNin. 2, W. t,. Trowin, Kilk- 

 hamptoD, Stmttod. S, Mrs. J. Milward. Newton Rt. Loe, Btistol. 7ic, H. 

 Stephenson, Lynipsham Rectory, \Vestou-E)-jper-MaTe. 



Brahmab.— 2, Mrs. A. C. Thyiiue. :>. L. H. Ricketts. Eanwc-ll. Tic, Mrs. 

 A. C. Thynne; J. Heal, Parkham. c, S K. Hiplmin, Morchard Blsbop. 



Hambuhuhs lGol(I-p(.'!icillfd).— 1, S. H. Harris, Cusgame. 



Haubuhohs (Goid-Hpnn(;1ed).~l. S. R. HarriB. 2, J. Modvay, Nowtoc 

 Ab' ot. 8, Woodley ii. Banbury, Stratton. 



Hamburobs (SjJver-spougled).— 1, S. R. Harris. 



