412 



JOUBNAL OF HORTIOXJLTDRB AND COTTAGE QAEDENEB. 



[ November 5, 1874, 



H. YarcUcy. c, C. Hemeff(21 ; Miss J. Miiward ; W. H. A. MiUer ; S. Sailer; J. 

 E. Leward. 



JcDGES. — Foultri/ : Mr. E. Hewitt, Mr. W. B. Tegetmeier, and 

 Mr. B. Teebay. Pigeons : Mr. F. C. Escimlant and Mr. P. H. 

 Jones. 



DORKINGS AT THE OXFORD SHOW. 



As I know it is not in the power of all exhibitors to attend 

 shows I send you the subjoined remarks on the Dorkings at 

 Oxford Show, thinking they may be interesting to some of your 

 readers. Looking at the Dorkings as a whole, I think the most 

 marked progress is to be found in the Silver-Grey class. The 

 Coloured class was certainly not equal to last year. 



The cup pen of Coloured birds contained a very nice pullet ; 

 the cockerel was also a stylish bird with good feet, bat on close 

 examination I thought his right hip bone projected a little. 

 Mr. White's second-prize birds I liked immensely, but they 

 were within an ace of arriving too late. There were several 

 very good single birds, but this pen was good all round ; the 

 cockerel large, dark, and good in comb and feet, while the pullet 

 was quite his equal. Third was the cup cockerel at Bath, but 

 his pullet rather small and brown on the wing. The fourth 

 cockerel was a smart dark bird with a good comb, but the pullet 

 was not large and very light in colour, being almost like a 

 Silver-Grey. I must plead guilty to admiring the dark colour 

 for Coloured hens, in order that there may be a marked distinc- 

 tion between them and the Silvers. Mr. Walker's pen was too 

 late, but his cockerel was smallish. Pen 9 (Beachey) would have 

 been good, except for the pullet's toes, which no doubt threw 

 it out; and the same may be said of pen 15 (Gee), the pullet 

 having a broken leg badly set, the cockerel also good. Mrs. 

 Somerville showed a very large pullet indeed, but already show- 

 ing a bumble between the toes. 



The Silver-Greys were, I think, the best class of this variety 

 I have ever seen, and I may say the same of Mr. Cresswell's cup 

 pen, which also took the cup at Birmingham. His cockerel is 

 a thorough Dorking, broad, square, and short on the leg ; while 

 his jet-black breast and tail, and pure white hackle and saddle, 

 make him a perfect Silver-Grey. The second were also a neat 

 pen and perfect, but not possessing the size of the first. Third 

 was a large pen, especially the pullet, but the cockerel grizzled 

 on the thighs ; fourth a pretty pair, but the pullet smallish, and 

 the cockerel a little too much striped in hackle for a Silver. I 

 also admired pen 19 (Cato), but they were not up to the size. 

 Several pens had dark feet and white earlobes, doubtless great 

 drawbacks in good competition. The pullet in pen 2G was fear- 

 fully rusty on the wing. 



Cuckoo Dorkings are a variety I particularly admire, and they 

 are well known to be hardy and good layers : the latter I can 

 personally vouch for. How is it more exhibitors do not take 

 them up '? Never has any variety presented a better opening 

 for an exhibitor. Mr. Gamon was well first with a nice pen, 

 their faults being darkish feet and white earlobes, but they were 

 very praiseworthy, well marked, and a good match in colour. 

 In most of the other pens the cockerel was too light in colour. 

 The pullet in the second-prize pen was particularly good in 

 colour, but not quite perfect in toes ; the cockerel a nice shape. 

 The cockerel in the third-prize pen had a cuckoo tail — a very 

 difficult feature to obtain. 



The next class might well have been for Whites and Yellows, 

 so many birds were there of a yellow tinge. This objectionable 

 feature is not tolerated by the judges in most white breeds, and 

 I live in hope of seeing the day when the same may be said of 

 White Dorkings. The first-prize pen of Whites were certainly 

 the largest, but the cockerel leggy. The second-prize birds 

 seemed very yellow to me, while the toes on the cockerel's left 

 foot were very rudimentary. Third a nice pen. Pen 41 (Pil- 

 grim), was very white in colour, good in comb, and was quickly 

 claimed (£2 10s.). Pen 42 (Robinson), contained the largest 

 pullet in the class. Pen 46 (Cresswell), was the Birmingham 

 cup cockerel, and particularly good in colour, comb, and shape. 

 Pen 50 (Tearle), also very good in colour, but hardly large 

 enough. I append my name in order that exhibitors may take 

 the above remarks for what they are worth, and shall be only 

 too glad when brother fanciers will do the same for me. — T. C. 



BUBNELL. 



GUISBOROUGH CANARY SHOW. 



The following awards were made at this Show, held on 

 October 30th and :Jlst : — 



Norwich —<^lcar Yellow —1 and 2. J. Adams. 3, J. Stevens. Middlesbronch- 

 hc, Moore & Wynne, Northampton, c, Quinn & Sod, York. Clear Bttff.—l and 

 2. J. Adams. 3, H. Winter, Oinisborodgb. he, G. Cox, Nortbumpton. c, 3. 

 Bexson. Derby. 



Norwich.— i?Dfn/i/-martfd Yellow or Buff.—\ and 2, J. Adams. 8, G. Cox. 

 he, Moore & Wynne c, Qninn & Son. 



Norwich.— jTicfc^fi or Unevenly marked YeUoip. — 1 and 2, J. Adams. 8. J 

 BexBon. /i^. J. Galec, Darbngton. Ticked or Unevenly-marked Buff —\ and '2, 

 J. Afiams. 3, T. Tenniawood, Middletibroagh. he, J. Bexson. c, Moore and 

 Wynne. 



HonvicB.— Crested— I, R. Hawman, Middlesbroagh. 2. W. J. Hampton, 

 Darlington. 3, G. Cox. he, tiuinn A Son. c. Petty & Cuss, York. 



Lizards.— Gold or Silver-spangled.— 1 and 3, Cleminson & Ellerton, Darling- 

 ton. 2. Holdswortb & Oliver. Harrogate. 



Cinnamon.— /onqtic-l and 2. J. Adams. 3. M. Burton, Middleabrongh. he, 

 E. Winter. Gnisborwngh. c, J. Bexaon. Bu#.— 1 and 2, J. A.lams. 3, G. Cox. 

 e, J. Bexaon. 



Yorkshire.— Clear Yellow. — I, R. Williama. Guisborough. 2 and he, E. 

 Winter 3. J. Williama. c. J. C. Hewiaon, Guisborough. Clear Buff.— I. W. 

 Winter. Guiaborough. -i, J. Stevens. 3, J. Garbatt, Great Ayton. he, J. Pear- 

 son, Great Ayton. c, L Belk. Dewsbury. 



Yorkshire.— ric-fcerf or Uiievenly-mnrked Yellow or Buff —1. J. Stevens. 2, J. 

 Rowland, Skelton. 3, J. Williams, he, W. Carrick, Middleabroogh. c, J. 

 G-irbntt. 



Green.— CZear.—I, J. Rowland. 2, J. Stevens. 3, T. Tenniawood, North 

 Acklam. 



Coprw.— Crested.— 1, J. Garbutt. 2. L. Belk. 3, J. Stevens, he. J. Sedgwick, 

 Stockton-on-Teea. e. J. Lennard. Guisborough. Plain^headed.—l, L Belk. 2, 

 J. Thackray, Bradford, 3, E. Moon, North Ormeaby. he, J. Stevena. c, J. 

 Garbutt. 



Casar-!.— Any other variety.— l, R. Hawman. 2, L. Belk. 3. Fryer & Hoi 

 South Sto'^ktoii. ke, M. Burton, c. Johnaon & Armatrong, Northallerton. 



Goldfinch .\Tule — £»arfc.— 1 and he, S. Bunting, Derby. 2, G. Cox- 3, R. 

 Hawman. e. Fryer & Holt. Any other variety —\. ii. Huatiim. 2, T. Tennia- 

 wood. 3. Moore it VVynno. /ic, J. Stevens, c. H. Winter. 



Goldfinch —1, S. Bunting. 2, H. Weat, Darlington. 3, W. Bishop, Gis- 

 borough. he, M. Burton, c, W. Carrick. 



Linnet.— 1, M. Burton. 2, S. Bunting. 3, W. Carrick. he, J. Carrick. c, J. 

 Calvert, 



British JiiRD.— Any other variety —1, Fryer & Holt. 2, R. Pearson. S, G. 

 Cox. he, J. Rowland, c, W. & 0. Burniston. 



Selling Clabs — i. J. Thackray. 2, T. Clemiiison. Darlington. 3. W. & C. 

 Bumiaton. /ic, W. Henderson, Whitby ; G. Cox. c, J. Shephard. GuiBborougb. 



Cage OF Six.— 1, Cleminson & Ellerton. 2, T. Cleminson. 3, W.J. Hampton. 

 he, S. Bunting. 



Foreign BiRDa.— Rev. F. H. Morgan (Ro8e.neckfi). 



Judge. — Mr. J. Calvert, York. 



THE TUKBIT. 



The shouldered variety is one of the prettiest of our fancy 

 Pigeons, and commands the admiration of all at first sight. It 

 is small, neat, and elegant in appearance ; rather short ; chest 

 broad and full ; active and interesting; good breeders ; andean 

 be had in a great variety of colourings ; which, in the shouldered 

 birds, gives a pleasing contrast and beauty of plumage pectiliar 

 to this variety of Pigeons. 



The head of the 'Turbit is quite peculiar, and diiiers from any 

 other variety of Pigeons except the Owl, which it somewhat 

 resembles, "rhe head shoiild be broad, full, and short, while the 

 top should be somewhat flat. The beak should be white, broad 

 at the base, like that of a good Owl; but perfectly straight, and 

 cannot be too short. In this point, as well aa in size, Turbits 

 have degenerated much in late years — too much regard being 

 paid to frill and purity of marking, at the expense of other 

 equally important points. 



" The eye should be large and full, of a dark hazel colour, 

 having the pupil black. A point of great merit is for the eye to 

 be encircled by a buff-coloured lash or cere." Most of the birds 

 imported from England at the present day have a point or peak- 

 crest in place of the shell-crest or turn-crown. They look very 

 neat ; but I do not like them as well as the shell-crest. I have 

 never bred a bird with a point or peak-crest from shell-crested 

 birds ; but, in most cases, when a shell-crested Turbit is crossed 

 with an Owl, the point or peak-crest is produced; which would 

 seem to indicate that a peaked bird is not as pure as the one 

 with a perfect shell-crest. The point-peak or shell-crest is 

 formed by feathers growing upwards on the head and neck, and 

 coming to the point or crest just above the head. In good birds 

 the neck feathers grow backwards from the throat, forming 

 what is called by fanciers a perfect mane from the crest down 

 to the shoulder, as in good Jacobins. The gullet is also a very 

 important point in Turbits, and is formed by a loose skin, 

 forming a kind of dewlap under the beak, which, in good birds, 

 will continue until lost in the purle or frill, which should be 

 well developed, with the feathers growing each way outwardly 

 from the centre of the breast, and cannot be too large. The 

 better the frill the more valuable the bird ; young fanciers 

 seldom paying any attention to other points if the bird is well 

 frilled and comparatively well marked — losing sight altogether 

 of head, beak, and gullet. The secondary wing feathers, greater 

 and lesser wing coverts, and scapular feathers, should be the 

 only feathers coloured in the shouldered birds ; the rest of the 

 plumage, including the ten flight feathers, should be pure white. 

 We would remind the beginner that we are describing a perfect- 

 shouldered bird, like the cut above {fig. 115*) — which our artist 

 has re-engraved from the London Jouen.il of Hobticultdre, 

 and which we have not yet seen — they always having more or 

 less coloured feathers on the body under the wing, sometimes 

 extending to the rump and thighs. But if the coloured feathers 

 do not show at all when the bird is at rest, and it is otherwise 

 perfect, it would be classed as a good bird. "The colouring should 

 be as pure as possible, the following being the recognised colours 

 of the present time in the shouldered birds ; Black, blue with 

 black bars ; Blue, with white bars, and plain-winged Blues ; 

 Silver, with white bars; Silver, with black bars; Silver, with 

 brown bars; and plain Silvers; also, plain Red and plain Yellow. 

 Booted Turbits are not unusual, and are supposed to be of German 



^ We reproduce the original engraving from the twentieth volume of our 

 new seiies. — Eds. J. of H. 



