130 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTOEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEK. 



[ Febroary 11, 1875. 



birds alive with their heads off it wonld be easy to tell them at 

 a glance, they are so unlike in shape, attitude, habits, &c. A 

 good many years ago a few fanciers tried to push forward the 

 Tumbler style, but, fortunately, they did not succeed. Black is, 

 I think, the best colour for a Barb, or white if they could be 

 got fine enough. Reds and Yellows never show so well, though 

 as good as the others in poiuts, and the colours are besides often 

 not good. As to their having the same origin nothing can cer- 

 tainly be known now, as they are both very old varieties, and it 

 would take Dr. Morgan, I am persuaded, a very long time to 

 make the one out of the other ; so I trust with the fancy talent 

 he evidently has that he will rather take up one or both and set 

 himself the task of improving them, which I feel sure he could 

 do if he set himself to it. 



Being in the scribbling mood I wish to say a few words more, 

 but this time I am to be reluctantly in opposition to " Wiltshibe 

 Eectob;" but I know well he will forgive me, though I may not 

 be able to bring him to my way of thinking. It is about English 

 Owls. A short time ago (I speak from memory) in one of his 

 articles he said they were a nice variety of birds, and that they 

 ought to be encouraged. Now here lies our difference. I think, 

 on the other band, that they are a lot of degenerate mongrels 

 that ought to be extinguished at once. This, I think, must be 

 quite clear to anyone who looks at the foreign Owls and the 

 English, unless there are two standards for Owls, which I never 

 heard was the case. Ours are beyond a doubt a degenerated 

 form of the bird, quite as much so as our old Trumpeters in 

 comparison with the new type as it is called (the old it should 

 be). This I think is felt if not acknowledged by Owl-fanciers and 

 breeders of the English sort, as it is quite evident that they are 

 crossing with the foreign birds; but this ought not to be if 

 there is a standard for the English bird. The best way to make 

 an improvement would be to have only one class for Owls at 

 shows. This would put good breeders on their mettle, and I 

 am sure that within a short time as good home-bred birds could 

 be shown as the foreign. The best foreign birds are really gems, 

 and they must be good fanciers who can turn out such lovely 

 birds. I tried them twice — I have such a fancy for them, but I 

 fear our climate is against them ; but in the south of England 

 I cannot see what is to hinder them from succeeding. The hens 

 with me never lived over the second winter. If those who have 

 them would refrain from overshowing them, they would have 

 a far better chance of succeeding in breeding them. This is 

 one of the evils of shows. They often fall into hands that want 

 them for nothing else, and so are lost to the fancy. I intended 

 to have made a few remarks on Jacobins, but find this is already 

 long enough, but may yet do so. — Buiio. 



THE POULTRY-KEEPEE.— No. 30. 



PLUMAGE OF THE PENCILLED HAMBUKGH. 

 The plumage of the Silver variety does not differ from the 

 Golden variety except in the ground colour. The Silver variety 

 is of a clear white, the Golden of bright chamois yellow. In 

 the Silver the feathers of the hackle and the head should be of 

 a pure white without the slightest spot (fig. 34), and that to the 

 back and shoulders where the beautiful black markings begin, 

 which show on the feathers of the back (fig. 3.j). These mark- 



Fig. 34.— Hacklo Feather 



of form in proportion as the feathers get towards the under 

 parts, and they end by becoming mixed on the sides and abdo- 

 men. The same markings are repeated on the covert feathers 

 of the tail, the feathers becoming longer and longer in approach- 

 ing the large sickles, the beginning of which they hide. = 'j* 



The large wing feathers (fig. 36) are neatly but a little irregu-'* 

 larly marked with numerous black cross marks. The large 



Fig. aT.—TaU Feather. 



Fig. 36.— Wing Feather. 



sickles have the more regular charaeteristi markings, and are 

 very like the large covert feathers of the tail (fig. 37). The 

 front of the neck is like the hackle, white, and forms with it 

 and the head an entirely white part, which occurs in circles 

 over the rest of the body. 



Back Feather. 



ings are repeated on the feathers of the shoulders, the covert 

 feathers of the wings, on those of the breast and thighs ; but 

 the marks diminish a little in intensity of colour and neatness 



THE MEALY POUTER. 



" Alas ! Hope is not prophecy. We di-eam. 

 But seldom does tlie glaJ fultilmeut come." 



Two days ago my attention was directed to a melancholj' 

 editorial article in the pages of a contemporary, whose hopes as 

 to the ending of this subject have been evidently blighted. I 

 should not have taken notice of this at all but for the cool pre- 

 sumption of its Editor, taking to himself the credit of legislating 

 upon a matter which, only twelve months ago, he admitted to 

 me that he knew nothing whatever about. He challenges me 

 for my " cool claim to the credit of a proposal which we believe 

 first came from ourselves." Why, I advocated the raising o£ 

 this bird many years before the journal in question or its Editor 

 was known to the fancy. As for having a class for this bird, 

 that was debated by Mr. Ure and myself over and over again, 

 when we were members of the North British Columbarian 



