September SO, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTXJRB AND COTTAGE GARDENBE. 



273 



BlHTAiis (Any other variety).— 1. G. S. Hall, Ely (White foather-legged). 

 a, Rev. F. Tearle. Extra 2, S. & R. Ashton, Mottram. c, A. Storrar 

 (Black). 



HAMBCEOHa (Golden or Silver-spangled).—! and Cap, H. Pickles, jun. 

 Skipton. 2, S. « R. Ashton. 



Hamboeohs (Golden or Silver.pencilled).— 1, W. K. Tickner, Ipswich. 

 2,H. Pickles. Jan. 



Spanish.— 1. T. C. A E. Newbitt, Epworth. 2, G. S. Hall, Ely. 



Brahma Pootra (Dark).— 1, J. T. Ashley. 2, H. Dowsett, Pleshey, 

 Chelmsford. 



Beahsia Pootea (Light).— 1, J. Pares, PostJord, Gaildlord. 2, H. 



^)0W66tt 



Airr OTHER Vabiett.— 1, H. Pickles, jan. (Polands). 2, T. Spnrr, King's 

 Lynn (Japanese), c, k. S, Rae, Ely (Silver-spangled Polish). 



Any Breed Except DoEKnJGS. — Chickens. — 1, H. Dowsett. 2, W. 

 Dring, Favorsham (Houdansl. he. Miss Hales, Canterbury (Light 

 Brahmas) ; W. K. Patrick, Lj-un (Polands) ; Mrs. E. Williams, Henllys 

 (Creve Coears). 



Sei-lino Class.— 1, Dr. D. C. Campbell, Brentwood. 2, B. Branford, 

 March (Silver-pencilled Hamburj^'js). 



TcEKEVs (Any variett).- 1, T Morton, Offord D'Arcy (Cambridge). 

 2,G. S. H.111. he. }. B. Hides, Wisbech Fen (Cambridge). 



Docks (Ronen).— 1, L. Patton, Hillmore, Taunton. 2. G. S. Hall. 



Duces (Ajlesbury).— 1, S. Deacon, jnn., Oundle. 2, C. Havers, Ingate- 

 Btone. 



Ddcks (Any other variety^.- 1, S. & R. Ashton. 2, T. C. Harrison. 



Geese (Any variety).- 1, J. T. Ashley. 2, A.. Grounds, March. Goslings. 

 —1, J. T. Ashley. 2, T. Morton, he, H. Mitchell, Warboys. 



PIGEONS. 



Caeeiers.— 1, P. W. Metcalfe. Cambridge. 2, J. Addison, Cambridge. 

 lie, R. Hall, Cambridge; H. Yitrdley, Birmingham, c, E. Walker. 



Tdmblees. — 1, J. H. Irving, Lingfield, East Grinstead. 2, J. Fielding 

 Jan., Rochdale. 



Owls.— 1, J. Fielding, Jan. 2, G.S. Hall (White). Jic, J. Fielding, jun. 

 J* H. Irving. 



Pouters. — 1, B. Rnston; jnn., Chatteris. 2, E. Walker, Leicester. 

 kc, G. S. Hall ; U. Yardley. 



Barbs.— 1 and 2, J. U. Irving, he, J. Fielding. Jan. ; H. Yardley. 



Fantails.— 1, H. Yardley. 2, T. C. & E. Newbitt. he, G. S. Hall. 



jAcoBtHS.— 1, T. C. & E. Newbitt. 2, U. Yardley. he, G. Johnson, 

 Kettering. 



TtTREiTS.- 1, H. Yardley. 2. J. Fielding, jnn. he, T. C. & E. Newbitt. 



Amy other Variety.— 1, H. Y'ardlev. '1, T. C. Marshall (Magpies). 

 he, T. C. Marshall (MaKpies) : J. T. Ashley (Runts) ; H. Yardley. 



Selling Class.— 1,H. Yardley. 2, E. Walker (Pouters). c,LadyPigot, 

 Branches Park, Newmarket (Nuns). 



E.XTRA.— c, C. B. Bates (Doves). 



Edward Hewitt, Esq., of Sparkbrook, near Birmingham, was the 

 Judge. 



LANCASTER POULTRY SHOW. 



The tenth annual Exhibition of the Lancaster Agricultural Associa- 

 tion was held at Lancaster on the 21st iust. The foUowing are the 

 awards made for ponltrr, the Show of which was bat small : — 



Game (Any colour). — 1, T. Mason, Lancaster. 2, J. Hodgson, Barton. 

 e, J. Hodgson ; T. Mason. Cock. — 1, J. Hodgson. 



Hambcbghs. — GoUitn-peneilled. — 1 and 2, B. Bee. Silver-peneilled. — 

 1,-J. Robinson. 2, B. Bee. Golden-spangled, — 1 and 2, J. Robinson. Silver- 

 spanatcd. — 1 and 2, J. Robinson. 



DoEKiNGS. — 1, R. Smalley. 2, W. H. Butcher, c, R. Smalley; J. 

 Robinson. 



Cochin-China (Any colour).— 1 and c, J. Robinson. 2, J. Parkinson. 



Spanish (Black) — 1 and v, G. Standen. 



Game Bantams.— 1, W. H. Butcher. 2, J. Parkinson, c, J. Robinson. 



Turkeys. — 1, J. Cock. 2, R. Richmond, c, R. Stackhouse. 



Ducks.- Aulesbury. — 1 J. Robinson. 2, B. Bee. e, J. Robinson ; R. 

 Smalley. Rouen. — I. J. Parkinson. 2. J. Walker, e, J. Robinson. 



Geese.— 1,W.H. Butcher. 2, B. Sandham. c, R. Stackhouse. 



JcDGEs. — Mr. E. Teebay, and Mr. Tait. 



LOP-EARED RABBITS: 



THEIB POINTS AND THEIR JUDGES. 



LocD and many have been the complaints of late concerning 

 the judging of Ksbbits at the poultry shows, and if we are to 

 believe in the old axiom, that where there is much smoke there 

 is some fire not far off, we must conclude that these complaints 

 are not unfounded. Indeed, what can be more natural than 

 that men whose hearts and hobbies are simply in the feathered 

 tribe, should feel comparative indifference, and perhaps even 

 contempt, for a fancy in which their sympathies have never 

 been enlisted? and this being the case, can it be wondered at 

 that the llabbit section should be slurred over, sometimes from 

 sheer impatience and distaste for the task, or from absolute 

 ignorance of the points which constitute the excellence of the 

 specimens '! I feel confident that it would pay any committee 

 to offer £1 and 10». for first and second prizes, if they would 

 bat let it be known distinctly that a special judge would be ap- 

 pointed for Babbits, for there is nothing but uncertainty at 

 present; and how can it be expected that an exhibitor will 

 send his Rabbits fifty or a hundred miles or more, spending ,5.9. 

 in entrance fee and carriage, when the first piize is only 10.5,, 

 and without having (for this is the great consideration), any 



sort of guarantee that they will be judged by men who under- 

 stand them ? 



Now, the points of a Lop-eared Eabbit are well defined and 

 universally recognised by the fancy ; but as it appears that 

 they are sometimes lost sight of, it may not be ill-timed to put 

 them down in a concise form, and then say a few words on 

 each point. First, Length of Ear; second. Width of Ear; 

 third, the Marking ; fourth. Position of Ear ; fifth, the Make 

 and Carriage; sixth, the Eye; seventh, the Weight. As to 

 Colour, it cannot be c.^lled a point, one colour being the fa- 

 vourite at one time, and then, perhaps, some other taking its 

 place ; for instance, blue and white was once a favourite colour, 

 but now there are only two shows in England where the classes 

 are arranged with regard to colour, and where blue and white is 

 specially mentioned. Perhaps, however, we should be right in 

 saying that at present the colours stand in the following order : 

 — black and white, yellow and white, tortoiseshell, blue and 

 white, grey and white, all self colours being equal, or, if not, 

 grey coming last. 



Now, as to the first point — Length o/ Ear.— However the idea 

 first originated, it is certain that during this century the para- 

 mount aim among Lop-ear fanciers has been to breed length, 

 and it is astonishing what they have done of late years. A 

 very few years ago 20 inches were thought a marvel, and there 

 are fanciers now connected with the Kent and Surrey Club who 

 remember the first Rabbit that reached the then extraordinary 

 length of 19 inches. It was bred by the late Mr. Baxter, of 

 Whitechapel, and so keen was the bidding for it, that he said 

 he would not take less than a guinea an inch, and it was 

 bought at that figure by the late Dr. Ducheyne. The word 

 " breeding," so far as the lop ear is concerned, means, I con- 

 ceive, nothing more nor less than Nature turned literally up- 

 side down. I believe there is not a wild lop-eared Rabbit in 

 any country, but that they have all come from a prick-eared 

 stock, and been obtained by art, and on the principle of selec- 

 tion. No breeder at all events, will deny that it is impossible 

 to get length of ear without warmth, which goes some way 

 towards proving my position. Take a few ordinary wild 

 English Rabbits, and you will find that their successors in a 

 few generations will, from the enervating influence of warmth 

 and confinement, be oar-lopped (their ears remindirg you of 

 the oars of a boat), aud after a while they will be perfectly 

 lopped and hang dead down, the confinement, with artificial 

 feeding, giving them a size which you do not see in the wild 

 Babbit, aided, of cour.-e, by a selection of the largest and best 

 in other respects for breeding purposes. But Nature, if you 

 turn her out with a pitchfork, will come back again if yon do 

 not watch her. Turn your fine lop-ears into a paddock, and 

 they will soon come to the oar-lop, and you will eventually 

 find your old-fashioned little friends, the prick-ears, back 

 again. I have not seen this theory discussed in any book, but 

 I have certainly heard nothing that at all shakes my ecjnfidence 

 in its correctness, though I am open to conviction if any of 

 your more intelligent contributors can enlighten'me. I how- 

 ever, would guard myself against being understood to say that 

 all prick-eared Babbits might in time produce lop-ears. I 

 should like to live till this would be the case with Himalayans, 

 which certainly come from hot countries. 



To return, after a short digression, to the first point. In 

 measuring for length, it is well to have some wash-leather 

 glued to one end (which we will call the beginning) of the rule, 

 as the finger and thumb of the left hand have then a firmer 

 hold of the tip of the ear without hurting the patient, and if 

 the other end is steadied by a friend, the pulling of the right 

 ear with the finger and thumb is simple ; all the indiarubber 

 lies in the^J last inches. 



2. II'irf(/( of Ear.— Lay the rule straight across the widest 

 part of the ear with the assistance of a friend, and pull it 

 what little it is capable of. A well-shaped ear will be wide 

 and round at the end, and this is always considered a great 

 recommendation for breeding purposes. 



3. II/a?-Ai»3.— There should be a white dash on the fore- 

 head, a little' white on each side of the nose, coming up from 

 the jaw and breast, a very short chain of white spots on each 

 shoulder, and then an unbroken colour on the back right down 

 to the tail, forming what is commonly called the saddle, the 

 belly and legs being perfectly white like the breast. As to an 

 unbroken colour, there must be an exception with regard to 

 Tortoiseshells, where a variegated colour is a beauty ; but theie 

 must only be white where I have named. There is an ex- 

 ceedingly 'beautiful stuffed specimen of a variegated Tortoise- 

 shell in the British Museum, presented by no less notorious a 



