Feimary 24, 1876. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTDRE AND COTTAGE GABDENBR. 



159 



Yet I Bhonid be glad to see the practice abolished. It may 

 be comparatively easily done. At the sngKestion of Mr. Fred. 

 Crook (all honour to him for the same) a lady, conspicuous for 

 active benevolence and large-heartedness extended alike to man 

 and all animate creation, oiiered prizes at the Crystal Palace 

 Show of 1875 for andubbed Game and Game Bantams. Though 

 I feared that most of the birds shown in this class would be 

 dubbed on their return homo to fit them to struggle for the 

 honours at other shows, I hailed the event with gladness, as 

 being the insertion of the thin end of the wedge. Let the Palace 

 Committee, then, drive it farther, and make it this year a sine 

 qua non that in the claesea for Game and Game Bantam cock- 

 erels hatched in 1876 the birds must be shown undubbed, or in 

 other words, that birds in these classes if trimmed In any way 

 will be instantly disqualified. In the following year let them 

 drive the wedge quite home, and treat all birds deprived of 

 comb and wattles as trimmed. Other societies will soon follow 

 the lead of the Great Kational, and dubbing will be a thing of 

 the past. 



When Game birds were bred for the arena dubbing was a 

 necessary, perhaps a merciful operation, if the term can be 

 applied to anything connected with the brutalising and degrading 

 sport. Cock-fighting as a national pastime has happily passed 

 away, and with it all necessity for cutting off the combs and 

 wattles of Game cocks. I am only surprised that the senseless 

 practice — senseless because there is no show of reason in its 

 behalf — has so long survived. And is there not every reason 

 against the practice ?— a practice which in the more peaceful 

 struggle for the victory in the show pen places the good-comhed 

 bird on a level with his bad-combed rival in the hands of a 

 ekilfal operator. Many and many a winner of coveted laurels 

 would have had to content himself with a third place or high 

 commendation had he not left his comb behind him. 



Do away with dubbing, and Game breeders will have another 

 point to breed for, judges another point to consider. Both will 

 be equal to the emergency. We shall then see the aristocrat 

 of the poultry yard at the annual Palace levee arrayed in the 

 coronet with which Nature has adorned him, and the great blot 

 of cruelty will be wiped from the fair escutcheon of the fancy. 

 — SuRBEY Parson. 



GAME BANTAMS, AND DUBBING GAME. 



" Wiltshire Kector" quotes the entries at Bristol as a proof 

 that Game Bantams have found their level, which he insinuates 

 IB about the equal of Black Bantams. Now, one show is hardly 

 a fair test as to popularity, and such a late one as Bristol more 

 especially. At the Crystal Palace there were thirty-four Black 

 Bed Bantam cocks and twenty-seven Black Red Bantam hens 

 against sixteen Black Bantams in pairs. This can be partly 

 accounted for by the liberal classification of the Game, and the 

 reverse will tell at Bristol, where Blacks have the advantage ; 

 but still, put them both equal and Game are decidedly the most 

 popular. 



Then, if you take a class of Black Bantams, how many are 

 real Blarks with fanned tails and dropped wings ? Why, nearly 

 half, and they sometimes win. They are neither more nor less 

 than Black Game Bantams with rose combs and white ears. If 

 someone was to offer a cup for the best Black Game Bantams, 

 it would be a good way for breeders to try for Blacks, and turn 

 the birds with faulty combs, ears, &o., into Black Game. 



Now for the dubbing. "Wiltshiee Kector" begins by an un- 

 important mistake: the Sittingbourne trial is about "Bantams," 

 not " large Game," or so the Kentish journal says. Then he 

 suggests that as they are ladies' pets they might be shown dubbed 

 or not dubbed. Well, so they might, and no really good judge 

 would care whether a bird was dubbed or not it he had a good 

 head. The true test of a head is the depth from crown to end 

 of jawbone, if I may call it so. I have not studied anatomy 

 suiBciently to be sure what the name is, but I mean the con- 

 tinuation of the lower mandible. 



The real reison that we want exhibition birds dubbed is this : 

 If a bird is dubbed he can be taken off his run with two or three 

 others, and when he returns can be put down again, and they 

 will soon settle themselves. There will perhaps be a spar or 

 two, but the fags soon recognise their master; whereas, if they 

 get a taste of blood in the first fly (and no pure Game fowl will 

 give in after that, to say nothing of the torture of having their 

 combs mauled, which hurts far worse than dubbing), how long 

 could a bird be kept with his comb perfect ? It is bad enough 

 to have to keep them in feather with the rough handling they 

 get sometimes. 



There are many mistaken ideas among those who do not keep 

 Game on the subject of dubbing. I have often been asked, 

 "How ever can you stand having your pets dubbed ? Does not 

 skinning the throat hurt very much ?" I rather astonished a 

 friend of mine by showiug him a bird on his run that had been 

 dubbed two days. There was not a sign about the bird that he 

 was not in the most blooming condition, with the exception of 

 three narrow scabs where the comb and wattles had been cut 



off. No one who knows anything of them would dream of 

 skinning the throat. It is not only perfectly needless, but 

 actually spoils the whole shape of a bird's head. The less you 

 cut off to a certain point the better the bird looks. Of course 

 the comb most be cut level with the bead, but there is no need 

 to flay the top of the head. 



I have no wish to stand-up for cock-fighting ; it unquestion- 

 ably is one of the worst forms of gambling, and for that reason 

 is certainly deserving of being put down ; but I must say that I 

 cannot see as much cruelty in letting two cocks get to each other 

 as in coursing a wretched hare with two dogs, each its superior. 

 The cocks do not want any urging to make them fight, but will 

 do it fully at any time or place ; it is " in them," and they do 

 not want teaching. What " Wiltshire Rector " means by 

 saying that " once let all Game cocks be dubbed, and cock- 

 fighting is for ever done away with " I do not know ; but if he 

 thinks that by not dubbing Game fowls he will prevent their 

 fighting, he will find he has made a mistake. This is worse than 

 the " bread-and-milk theory." In conclusion let me say that I 

 quite agree with "Wiltshire Hector " about the cruelty of our 

 ancestors, but I do not include dubbing as a trace of it. It 

 benefits the bird all his after-life, and the pain is small, as the 

 comb is not nearly so sensitive as other parts of the body. 



Let me recommend " Wiltshire Rector " to devote some of 

 his surplus energies to prevent the " carving " and " stitching " 

 that is performed on Hamburghs and Spanish. They are only 

 tortured to please the eye, while Game are dubbed because it is 

 essential for their welfare. If I was never going to exhibit again 

 I should dub just as much as I do now — that is, all the stags I 

 propose keeping. — Fitz. 



BOURNEMOUTH POULTRY SHOW. 



The south of England is not rich in poultry shows, and we 

 welcome this new one cordially. The Show was held in the 

 Assembly Rooms, where the light was good and the birds ap- 

 peared to advantage. The quality was not very superior, and 

 the breeding season evidently kept many of the best birds at 

 home. Mr. John Martin of PatshuU, Wolverhampton,' awarded 

 the poultry prizes, and we did not hear one word against any of 

 his awards. Mr. Esquilant judged the Pigeons, and made good 

 work with rather a severe job, as some of the classes were very 

 heavy. 



Dorkings had two classes, and came in good numbers. A 

 fine pen of Coloured won the cup; the cock a deep-bodied bird 

 with a grand hen of great size and of beautiful colour. The 

 second cock was also large and very good in comb and colour. 

 In the next class Silver- Greys of great excellence were first. 

 The cock charming in colour and looking very bright, but he 

 had rather white earlobes. Good Whites were second and third 

 with not much between them. Mr. Cresswell's pen was empty. 

 Light Bralnnas were not a very gay lot. The first old hen was 

 the best bird in the four classes; her colour was good and 

 hackles very dark, and with these points she was very large and 

 well-feathered. Darks were perhaps better, the hens were better 

 than the cocks. A good pullet of very distinct pencilling was 

 first. Third went to a good and cheap hen, which we liked 

 better than the second pullet, for the latter was rather too pale 

 on the breast. In Cochins a nice pen of old Buffs were first; 

 the hen of good, clear, and even colour. Second went to a 

 well-grown cockerel of pretty colour, with a fair old hen. In 

 Partridge the first old cock was a large bird, but he did not 

 look quite well when we saw him. In Game the cup went to 

 fine Brown Reds ; the cock splendid in head and of grand 

 shape and style. We admired, too, very much the first Piles, 

 for they were bold in carriage and neat in head. Sjjcinish made 

 about the ordinary show. The first cock was large in face and 

 fair in comb, with a nice hen, and we quite liked the award. 

 In the French, Creves of great excellence were first, being very 

 large and deep in body, and of raven blackness. In Soudans 

 the hens were better than the cocks, but we have often noticed 

 this at other shows. Hamhurghs really mustered very credit- 

 ably. The cup went to good Golden-pencils. The first Gold- 

 spangles, however, must have been close on their heels. The 

 Silver-pencilled were the weakest of all. We liked the mark- 

 ings and head of the third-prize Golden-pencilled pullet, and 

 the first Golden-spangled cock was a grand bird in every way, 

 his comb and colour being first-rate. Leghorns only made two 

 pens, and only one prize was awarded. We thought them 

 equally poor, liking, of the four birds in the two pens, Mr. 

 Kitchen's pullet best, but her mate's comb threw them out. 

 Neither had good lobes, and we thought their legs should have 

 been of a deeper yellow. Bantams were better in quality than 

 numbers, though some nice Blacks were shown. The Black 

 Ducks were in a good light, and many of the pens seemed of 

 equal merit. The winners were of beautiful colour. Polands 

 were a grand lot. Splendid Silvers with huge crests first ; a 

 marvellous pen of Blacks second, perhaps as good as any pen 

 out for some seasons ; and third fine Silvers. There was a pen of 

 Golds (Boothby), and a pen of Blacks (Edwards), which we liked, 



