July 3, 187J. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETIOULTOBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



15 



size of the Bath and "West of England. This was very different 

 eight years ago. Dorkings begin the classes ; this natural enough, 

 as we are nigh the county whence they take their name. Spanish 

 first at Bristol. Dorkings first at Hants and Berks, and among 

 them first of all come Coloured Dorkings, cock aud hen. I 

 have myself no objection to this showing of pairs, and consider- 

 ing the pairs, the whole number of birds shown was 111, and at 

 Clifton there were 262 single birds shown; so, counting single 

 birds, and not pens, there was no such great diilereuce between 

 the two Shows. Counting bird aud bird they stand thus — 

 Clifton, OUO head of poultry; Reading, 414 head of poultry. 



The Coloured Dorkinijs were good, but in the third-prize the 

 hen was apparently half silver-grey, so light was her colour. 

 Bev. G. F. Hodson also showed a very good pen. Of Silver- 

 Greys proper there were very few, and those shown with the 

 White ; the first Whites a beautiful pair. All the varieties of 

 Cochins were shown together. Among them. Buffs first, White 

 second, and Blacks commended ; they might have been H.c. 

 instead of c. Many of the Game were too small. Among Black 

 Reds Mr. Matthews showed a beautiful pen. No. 45. The se- 

 cond-prize Brown Reds pleased me much. Mr. Matthews' first- 

 prize Duokwings were beautiful ; the second too light in colour ; 

 the next pen. No. 61, better in this respect according to my 

 taste. The Polands were treated liberally, being separated into 

 Golden and Silver. This, no doubt, was (juita right. This ar- 

 rangement brought three pens of Golden and five Silver; all 

 were good. Mr. Hinton took first with a pair of Silvers, which 

 he valued at ouly £2 2s., and nothing with a pair in his estimate 

 worth i*21 ! Of course the first-prize birds were sold at once, 

 their price being only 10s. more than the prize they won. This 

 singular difference of estimate in birds by a veterau fancier and 

 veteran Judge was singular. My view wa3 that the hen in the 

 unnoticed pen was the better, particularly the marking of her 

 topknot. Shall I congratulate or condole with Mr. Hintou on 

 his luck ? The Spanish were not much. The Hamhurghs, un- 

 like eight years ago, were numerou.?, but another show kept, it 

 was said, Mr. Beldou's birds from Reading. In all the varieties 

 there were many, and some good. In size the birds shown in the 

 same varieties varied much, some to my mind being over large. 

 Brahmas in both classes were strong, the Whites, even the 

 prize birds, too yellow. Among the Dark was one pen. No. 141, 

 that struck me more favourably than it did the Judge, for it 

 was unnoticed; but then the Judge can handle birds, the ;-e- 

 porter only can look at them, fur I once tried, but was sum- 

 marily stopped. The Game Bantams were too much Bantams. 

 There was a pen which belonged to the same owner as the second- 

 prize birds, and nest to them, which contained a thoroughly 

 good cock, wing well tucked-up, and tail without the suspicion 

 of a squirrel turn. The Any other variety Bantams were not 

 numerous — no Silver Sebrights (where were those shown at 

 Clifton? they must have been first). 



Passing the few French fowls of different varieties I reach 

 one of the best classes in the whole Show — that for any de- 

 scrix:)tion not in the former classes. First Malays. That noble 

 bird of Mr. Hinton's, bred splendidly large — how did he manage 

 to get him so fine ? Second Black Hamhurghs ; rather too 

 nearly related to Spanish. H c.s were thickly scattered, a pair 

 of Scotch Dumpies being thus noticed. The legs were short, 

 but the fowls larger than I used to see in that class in Scotland. 

 A pair of Andalusians were also present, a variety always grateful 

 to the eye at a show from their unique colour ; so also pleasant 

 to see from their rarity was a pair of White Malays. If I 

 were a committee, one man made into many, I should give more 

 prizes to a Variety class than any other, for I am sure it is the 

 class of all others that pleases the public. I would give four or 

 five prizes, always withholding some unless the specimens were 

 worthy. It must be borne in mind that other classes are for 

 enthusiastic fanciers of their special varieties, but the Any 

 variety is the people's class, and also the class in which a man 

 exhibits his second and smaller hobby, or his wife's it may be; 

 and " any variety " gives variety, and variety is always pleasing. 

 Rouen Ducks good, Aylesburys not so good. Among other 

 Ducks, good East Indians first; Mr. Sainsbury's Shovellers, 

 shovel-like bills indeed, second. Two pens of Muscovys, for- 

 merly often seen in farmyards in the Fens. Geese^ in pens, at 

 least very few — only two. Mr. Ridley's Turkeys very fine. 



Pigeons. — The food is too often scattered on the floor, conse- 

 quently the wattled birds were starving. I put this remark 

 first, and I hope fanciers will demand that there should be pang 

 for food or not send their birds. It is almost a case for the 

 Society for the Prevention of Cruelty, and for an article in " The 

 Animal World." 



Carriers. — Second-prize better than the first if the cook had 

 not been Roman-nosed. Tumblers. — Ouly two pairs : first good 

 Kites, second fair Black Mottled^ And tell it not at Glasgow, 

 not a single Pouter in the Sbow, except a girl who was having 

 a tiff with her lover in front of the pens, and she pouted so well 

 I should like to have put her in a large pen, labelled " A good 

 Pouter, but by no means to be commended." FantaiJs. — Blue 

 first — first, no doubt, because of the arity of the colour con- 



sistent with fairness of shape and tail. Miss Milward won second 

 with Fantails of the special Fantail colour — pure white. The 

 Trumpeters were much better than at Clifton. Blacks first. 

 Mottled second. Almost all the eight pens had merit. 



Homing Birds vera very numerous indeed — the largest class 

 in the Show. All but one XJair belonged to Reading or its imme- 

 diate neighbourhood. How these birds were to be managed was 

 in tills way : " The birds," said the catalogue, " will be liberated 

 at two o'clock on the last day of the Show, hiring been pre- 

 viously stamped with a number which will be unknown to the 

 owner. The prizes not to be paid to the winner unless the 

 number which will be found on the birds on their return home 

 be communicated to tho Secretary by a letter posted on the day 

 after the Show." This notice I own I cannot understand. First 

 prize, according to ordinary judging in the tent, went to a pair 

 of Slivers ; second to a pair of Red Cbequers, by no means of a 

 rich colour. 



The Antj other distinct variety class — seventeen pens, three, 

 however, empty — brought together a pair of Runts not match- 

 ing; a pair of very old Barbs, which reminded me of the tale of 

 a poor woman near me, who bought a second-hand dress of a 

 material which had once been very good rather than a new 

 dress of an inferior material, new and showy, but not good. 

 Upon her being questioned by a neighbour as to her preferring 

 the old dress to the new she answered, " I likes the has-beens 

 better than the never-wases." The second prize in this class 

 went to a pair of Isabels — the cock a nice upright bird — or, aa 

 they did not show clearly the white bars, they might be called 

 Pigmy Pouters. But the Pigeons that caught and attracted my 

 attention most were entered as Chequered Antwerps. These, 

 thug called probably by the printer's mistake, should surely be 

 called Chequered Archangels, and exceedingly pretty birds they 

 are — good, clear, blue-chequered wings and yellow necks, the 

 colours contrasting admirably, and the form Archangel-like. I 

 should like to know the history of these birds, and whether they 

 breed true, for without doubt they are very pretty. 



Such were the poultry and Pigeons. I strolled through the 

 Dog tents, and shall not soon forget a lovely Maltese reposing 

 on Its blue velvet cushion, on which was embroidered its name, 

 *' Madge." I looked at the Rabbits, aud was glad, as a fancier 

 of Lops when I was a boy, that they held their own still. I 

 walked from one part of the ^how to another ; had to pay 2d. 

 for sitting two minutes in a chair, a very sharp boy pouncing on 

 me, and a man of stern aspect coming up after aud demanding 

 a second 2rf., and scarcely believing me when I told him I had 

 already paid. Oh, Hants and Berks ! this is scarcely a "royal" 

 proceeding to charge for a rest on a chair. Why, Bath and 

 West of England would scorn to do it, for around the band-stand 

 were at Clitton plenty of seats, and the music was listened to 

 without being disturbed by exacting man aud boy. I noticed in 

 my ramble a very pretty rustic pole-house for Pigeons. I notice 

 it, not wisbing anyone to buy or erect such a cruel abode for 

 the poor birds, but simply to show that the fancy is attracting 

 attention now, or such an ornamental work would scarcely have 

 been exhibited. May the Hants and Berks prosper, and increase 

 as much in the next eight years as in the eight years that have 

 last passed. — Wiltshike Rector. 



MOBE SHOWS. 



I W.VS exceedingly pleased this week to hear that another town 

 in Devonshire was about to hold an exhibition of poultry and 

 Pigeons for the first time. It always gives me pleasure to hear 

 such news, so I wrote and obtained the. list of prizes that were 

 to be offered ; I found they were small to what we generally see, 

 but I also found that the entry fees were small as well, and in 

 proportion to the prizes. Taking into consideration that the 

 town contains only a few inhabitants comparatively speaking, 

 that there are only a smill number of fanciers residing there, if 

 any, aud that this is the first effort — taking into account these 

 drawbacks, I think the deficiency in the amount of the prizes 

 cannot be wondered at. But my object in writing this is not so 

 much about the South Molton Show, for that is the name of the 

 place to which I refer, but to put it forth as an example to other 

 pUces which have every opportunity to form a good show. 

 There are scores of towns in England that have everything that 

 is necessary to get up a really good exhibition, aad yet with all 

 their advantages they do not make a beginning. I feel certain 

 that if some of these places were to make an effort by offering 

 liberal prizes with low entry fees, were to adhere to the regula- 

 tions that are formed, and were to have competent judge.', they 

 could not fail to make it a success, l-et every town make the 

 most of the advantages it already has ; and should anybody be 

 desirous of establishiug a Show, let him take care that there is 

 no other show to be held on the same day that will be likely to 

 interfere with the arrangements. This can be avoided by 

 advertising when the show will be held as soon as it is decided 

 upon. Also let sufficient and qualified judges be appointed, and 

 let the public know who they are to be by printing their names 

 on the hst of prizes, and in the poultry journals. I trust 



