June 17, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



481 



ing these birda. At one perioii the Vintners' Company possessed 

 over five hundred Swans, but the number is now much leas, as, 

 since they have ceased to be served up at great banquets and 

 entertainments, the value of them has greatly declined. — 

 {Cassetl's Old and New London for June.) 



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\ 



BELGIAN CANARIES.— No. 1. 



Belgian Can.ihies are not every f.tncier'e fancy, and they are 

 not the fancy either of most 

 individuals who patronise 

 bird exhibitions. Lady 

 visitors in particular have 



a strong dislike to the ^ 



Belgian breed of Canary, 

 preferring a cosey looking 

 high-coloured bird — for in- 

 stance, a Norwich bird — to 

 the " ugly, consumptive- 

 looking creatures," as they 

 are so often pronounced to 

 be, more particularly thoee 

 birds of true Belgian form. 

 But it may be asked, Wheu 

 and where are birds of " true 

 Belgian form " to be Been ? 

 It is true that at some of the 

 best shows last season a few 

 good birds were exhibited, 

 but it is invariably the case 

 that many ill- formed, sparse- 

 feathered, or part-feathered 

 objects, almost approach- 

 ing cripples, are sent for 

 competition, which neither 

 gain a mark of distinction 

 for themselves or their 

 owners. 



I may mention in par- 

 ticular the last Darlington 

 and Crystal Palace Shows 

 where most of the finest 

 specimens were exhibited, 

 several of which possessed 

 the essential points of high- 

 class-bred birds. This is 

 not of common occurrence, 

 for it is only occasionally 

 that really exceptional birds 

 grace the stages, notwith- 

 standing the frequent 

 "much ado about nothing" 

 made by some self-opinion- 

 ated fanciers, who persist in 

 ** holdiug-up " their birds 

 as eclipsing all others, de- 

 spite the opinions of nu- 

 merous other fanciers and 

 judges included. The best 

 of fanciers are those exhi- 

 bitors who can bear defeat 

 philosophically, or, as I once 

 heard it remarked, " take 

 their gruel " without be- 

 coming ill-tempered. But 

 some fanciars will not be 

 convinced, for 



*' He that complies against his wUI 

 la of his own opinion still." 



There is some just reason why a mother naturally entertains 

 the notion that her own babe is the best, but with bird 

 fanciers and their birds the matter is very different; therefore, 

 when a fancier enters the birda of his choice for exhibition 

 against others he knows nought of, and the owners of which 

 birds have the equal right to pin their faith upon their particular 

 feathered pets, each and all should make-up their minds to 

 abide by the opinions and decisions of those engaged to decide 

 npon the respective merits of the birds. 



I well remember an ardent fancier who disregarded most 

 other points in a Belgian bird except " stand," or as he used to 

 Bay, a " leggy bird," contending that the bird which could show 

 the longest legs and stand most erect upon them was, in his 

 opinion, the best. But I believe it was looked upon as sarcasm 

 on my part when I told him to establish for such birds the 

 name of *' Malay Belgians." Other would-be Belgian ftinciera 

 will almost entirely ignore all other points except " shoulders." 

 Good stand and hi^h heavy shoulders are each important points 

 in a Belgian bird, and it is anything but agreeable to the eye to 

 witness a heavy-shouldered bird balancing itself upon its legs 

 with its tail projecting straight out. A bird to rank first at an 



'%N\i 



exhibition should be well up in all or most points to qualify it 

 for so distinguished a position. 



I believe it was at an exhibition in the great cotton city, where 

 I had been judging, that a person (who I afterwards found out to 

 be a bit of a fancier), introduced himself to me in a somewhat 

 abrupt manner by asking if my name was So-and-so. I replied 

 in the affirmative. He said, " You've been judging Dutch birds 

 here." I said, " Indeed, I do not recollect such a class in the 

 schedule." He said, "I will show you the birds in the room." 



Curiosity induced me to 

 follow the man to the Bel- 

 gian classes, where he made 

 a sudden pause opposite a 

 cage containing abird which 

 he loudly said, "You ought 

 to have given first prize 

 to." I remarked that I had 

 been judging Belgian birds 

 not " Dutch." 'The man, 

 who was the owner of the 

 bird in question, appeared 

 somewhat puzzled, and 

 drew down the laughter of 

 the several fanciers who 

 had been listening to his 

 remarks to me. This was 

 merely another instance of 

 the ignorance existing in 

 some minds as to what 

 really constitutes a thorough 

 Belgian bird — understood 

 amongst the elite of the 

 fancy to be a bird of po- 

 sition. A Dutch bird is 

 another bird entirely, not 

 possessing the high shoul- 

 ders of a Belgian bird. 



The illustration in our 

 present issue represents a 

 Bufi Belgian bird exhibited 

 in Class 1.5 (No. 479), by Mr. 

 James Doel, of the Prince 

 George Hotel, Stonehouse, 

 Devon. In the same class 

 Mr. Doel exhibited three 

 fine buff birds, the one 

 from which the sketch was 

 taken having been awarded 

 a first prize. In Classes 14 

 and 15 Mr. Doel sent six 

 specimens for competition, 

 with which he won five 

 prizes. 



The engraving represents 

 a three-quarter front view, 

 not the most favourable 

 position to show-oS the bird 

 to the best advantage, but 

 still representing the easy 

 style the bird possesses, and 

 which commanded so much 

 the attention of many en- 

 thusiastic admirers of Bel- 

 gian birds at the late Crys- 

 tal Palace Exhibition. The 

 bird was sketched as it 

 stood at ease upon the stage 

 without either flattery or the fiddling movements being gone 

 through. 



The bird is tolerably well up in most of the characteristic 

 points of a Baft Belgian. — Geo. J. B-UINESBv. 



112. — Belgian canaly. 



HASLINGDEN SHOW OF POULTRY, &c. 



This was held on the 10th iust., and, like all its predecessorF, 

 the day was very wet : in fact no Committee that we know is so 

 unfortunate in the selection of a day, for though changed almost 

 every year, this has been their unfortunate lot. As regards 

 entries this was decidedly the show of the season in this county 

 (Lancashire), and as to quality it is not likely to be surpassed, 

 most of the best exhibitors contributing. The pens were of 

 wood, mostly with wire netting in front, on account of which 

 the birds were rather dilfioult to handle. 



Ducks were the first section, the entries not being large, but 

 the quality of the winners was good, although the Rouens were 

 not in good feather; the cup going to an exquisite pairof Chilian 

 Teal ; the second in which class were Mandarins. Cochins, 

 Buff, cocks, were very good, the first, not the largest, was most 

 perfect in colour; the second large, but losing in that respect. 

 In hens Mr. Taylor's grand old bird left little chance for otherp, 



