IG 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



f Janaary 6, 1876. 



was given in this class to an immense fellow ; his feet seemed 

 the worse for wear, otherwise he must have been higher. Hens 

 were another good class. First a beautiful bird all round, and 

 rightly placed. Second another noble bird, not quite so good in 

 feet. Third lighter in colour. We preferred Mr. Beechey's 

 highly-commended bird to her. 



Silver-Grey cocks were a poor class beyond the two first 

 winners. First a very silvery and showy bird but with one 

 spur behind. Second the Birmingham cup bird, not looking as 

 he did, but having lost his sickles and apparently been in a fray 

 of late. Third poor, speckled in breast and yellow in hackle. 

 His owner's unnoticed bird was better. Hens were large and 

 good. First a fine bird but with an ugly little straight comb. 

 Second not so good as third in our opinion. 



Whites.— Fimt the Crystal Palace and Birmingham cup- 

 winners, now very handsome with flowing sickles. Second had 

 a handsome comb but no tail. Third was a curiosity, a large 

 single-combed bird much ticked with colour on the back and 

 hackle. We were informed on the highest authority that he 

 was last year a celebrated winner in the Coloured classes, and 

 went through this strange transformation at his last moult. 

 This award opens a grand field for discussion, firstly as to 

 whether a single comb is or is not a disqualification in a White 

 Dorking; secondly whether coloured markings are admissible. 

 We have never seen them before in a prize pen at any liitle 

 local show. Hens.— First a long bird beautifully shown, but by 

 no means the right bird in the right place. Second a square 

 well shaped Dorking, apparently rather antique. Third large 

 and very white but with a broken tail. Her owner's unnoticed 

 bird (the Palace cup hen) struck us as otherwise being the best 

 bird in the class. 



The Cochins were very splendid, we should almost say they 

 were the best classes in the whole Exhibition. Every variety 

 was well represented, and we wonder if a better collection of 

 adult White cocks and hens was ever seen before. Blacks, too, 

 were admirable, and seem to be attaining the true Cochin shape 

 with other good points. 



In Buff cockerels the winner won the champion cnp for the 

 best pen in the Show. He is a good bird in every way, and we 

 have described him before, but we should say there were many 

 other single birds in the Exhibition which were at the least 

 worthy of sailing in the same boat with him. The second and 

 third were good cockerels and of nice colour. We liked all Mr. 

 Burneirs three noticed birds immensely, and so we did Mr. 

 Hodson's unnoticed one, and if we mistake not this latter was 

 the Swindon cup cockerel. Buff pullets were capital ; the winner 

 was charming in colour, but a little too hocked for our taste. 

 We never mind heavy feathering if only it carls well round, 

 and so almost loses itself in the fluff. Second and third were 

 very pretty birds. We liked, too, Mr. Burnell's very highly 

 commended pen, and Mr. Crabtree's, 133. In old Buff cocks the 

 first and second were both grand birds and well worthy of their 

 places. They were in good condition and looked bright and 

 strong, as we must say the Winkburn Hall birds generally do. 

 Third was another very good old bird of grand shape and size. 

 In hens the cup bird was too pale for our taste. She is a fine 

 bird, but we like a richer colour. Second a good hen and in 

 pretty condition. Third also a fine hen, and apparently quite 

 young. Nearly every bird was noticed, and the quality through- 

 out was wonderfully good. 



In Partridge cockerels Mr. Shrimpton's bird is coming to the 

 front. He is a beautiful chicken and the same, we believe, as 

 we noticed at the Palace as likely to make a good one. The first 

 was a good cockerel, large and light. The second we have com- 

 mented on before, he is looking as well as ever. In the winning 

 pullets the first was beautifully pencilled, but we thought her 

 rather small. Second, a large bird and closely coming-up to 

 her. Third, a neat bird and fairly marked. In old cocks the 

 winners only call for remark, they were in fine condition, and 

 we hked their position, though we believe others thought the 

 first Ehould have come in between Mr. Taylor's two birds. In 

 hens the first won easily, and a grand one she was. We almost 

 thought we should have come here for the cup Cochin hen. 

 She is a model in shape and markings. Second and third were 

 good hens and well shown. 209 (Rodbard), a very good bird, 

 and we should think one useful for stock purposes. 



White cockerels were weak. We thought the winner was 

 well placed, but he is nothing wonderful. Second was the 

 Oxford cup bird. He has lost some of the red he had on his 

 wings, but he is not a good colour even now. Third we did 

 not like, much preferring any of the other noticed birds. The 

 fault throughout the class was bad colour and want of shape. 

 Pullets were better. Mrs. Tindal's manager informed us that 

 her winning bird had not been shown before. She is beautiful 

 in colour. The second was Mr. Fowler's bird, and our ideas 

 about her are well known. The third was poor in feathering, 

 and narrow. To our mind the best pullet in the class was Mrs. 

 Holmes's. We thought she was a perfect gem and should have 

 won easily. Mr. Woodgate's pens were empty, as they were, 

 too, in the cockerel class. 23G (Actou Tindal) unnoticed, was 



the bird we believe which has been under dispute. White 

 cocks were very grand. The winner was the Yarmouth bird, 

 and very nine he is. He is a son of " Marquis," and was bred 

 at Pembury. Second is a very fine old cock with a good head 

 and chest, but a little tinged in colour. Third we believe was 

 the Devonport cup bird. Ha is superb in colour and hackles. 

 We must confess there were some other birds which we liked 

 as well as any of the winners— namely, 247 (Bloodworth), 248 

 (Tindal), 254 (Procter), and 2.57 (Talbot), but the class was so 

 even that we can well imagine the Judge being perplexed. Hens 

 were almost better than tiie cocks, and made to our mind the 

 best Cochin class in the Show. The winner is enormous, and 

 grand in shape and feathering; et voila tout,ior her comb is 

 hideous, and her colour bad. Second a neat hen and third 

 here last year. Her comb is very beautiful, and rising four years 

 she was more like a pullet than one or two birds which won 

 in that capacity in other parts of the Show. Third was the bird 

 which won the cup in 1675 for the best Cochin hen in tho 

 Exhibition, but she is not in good feather now. Among many 

 other very excellent birds those calling for especial remark as 

 being very good are Messrs. Whitehead's, Talbot's, and Per- 

 civali's. 



Black Cochins were splendid, the two best classes of the 

 colour we ever saw. Introducing these two fresh classes must 

 have paid Mr. Cambridge well. The winning cocks were all 

 good. Mr. Darby's were in gorgeous bloom and very black 

 throughout. Mr. Badger's birds were good and glossy, but not 

 BO large as the winners. In the next class hens won all the 

 prizes. Pullets can do nothing in Cochins against hens, though 

 we should say Mr. Turner's must have been near third place. 

 We liked the first hen very much, and if she is sound in colour 

 she is cheap at catalogue price. The noticed birds were all 

 good, and also many of the unnoticed ones. We were very glad 

 to see these handsome birds so looking-up, and still more so to 

 find how well Cochins generally mustered, and that they appear 

 to be as great favourites as ever. Since writing the above we 

 learn that Mrs. Holmes's White pullet was left out of the prize 

 list because the Judge thought her an older bird. By January 

 it is very difficult to know what is a pullet and what is not, but 

 in this case we thought the bird was certainly an 1875 chicken, 

 and much younger-looking than some of the other prize Cochin 

 pullets in the Show. 



Spanish. — We always expect to see a good display of this 

 variety here. The date of the Show suits them, and for a num- 

 ber of years some of the most successful exhibitors of Spanish 

 fowls have resided at Bristol. The collection this year has, we 

 think, equalled any of its predecessors. Possibly on previous 

 occasions one or two grander specimens may have been pro- 

 duced, but the general quality and condition of the birds would, 

 we thought, have compared favourably with any we have ever 

 seen. Though we admired the beautiful manner in which the 

 birds were shown, we desire oar remark to be clearly under- 

 stood as referring to those that were honestl}' shown, and not to 

 those that had had the Bcissors so ingeniously applied to their 

 combs. We noticed four instances in which, to lighten the 

 weight and prevent the comb falling over, a large piece had 

 been cut from the back, and in another case the serrations had 

 been shaped to an approved pattern. We trust this matter will 

 receive the attention of judges, and that the offenders will 

 accept this warning, as we shall expose every case of this de- 

 scription that in future comes under our notice. Cockerels, — 

 First (Hyde), pretty bird with a good quality of face, and a comb 

 nicely curved over the back of the head, which showed no signs 

 of giving way. Second (Miss Brown), a good bird, a little more 

 open in the lobe than the winner, but the white was coarser, 

 and the back of the comb not so well placed over the head as 

 that of the winner. Pen 518 (Boultou), third, also a good-faced 

 bird. We will describe his comb on a future occasion, if we 

 ever have the opportunity of seeing him. Fourth, 529 (Jones), 

 a neat bird that will improve and take a higher position at some 

 future time. Pullets. — First (Goddard), the winner at the Alex- 

 andra Palace, and second at the Crystal Palace, a fine open- 

 lobed bird, but she appeared to be a little crooked in the neck. 

 Second (Chilcott), a large-faced bird, but iuclined to be coarse. 

 Third, same owner, was small in face, but the white was of 

 beautiful quality. Fourth (Jones), larger in fare, a good white 

 but very wrinkled. Mr. Jackson's ai^d Mr. Palmer's highly 

 commended pens we liked, and they must have run the third 

 and fourth pens very closely. Cocks. — First (.Tones), a fine- 

 faced bird. Second (Chilcott), in many points better, but his 

 eyes appeared nearly closed, which doubtless lost him the first 

 position. In other respects we considered him the best in the 

 Spanish classes. Third (Jones), a good-faced bird, but his comb 

 looked suspicious. Pen 654 (Mills), a Crystal Palace winner, we 

 liked better. Hens. — First (Mrs. AUsopp), a beautifully-faced 

 bird, and in fine condition. Second (Chilcott), almost as good. 

 Third, a nice hen but not yet ready. 5C0 (Moore), the largest- 

 lobed hen in the class, but out of condition. Pen 5G2 (Sillitoe), 

 unnoticed, we thought should have been highly commended, 

 she had many good points. We ehould have considered the 



