108 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICUIiTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t January 29, 1874. 



birds worthy. Dorkings (Coloured) over one year. — Again the 

 hens were the best in my opinion, though a cock took the cup. 

 The first hens, Mr. Patton's, were pattern birds. Dorkings 

 (Silver-Grey).— Only four cocks and only one prize awarded, but 

 Mr. O. Cresswell's bird deserved what it got — a first; thereat 

 nowhere. The hens again were the best. (N.B. — Why will not 

 breeders keep up the beautiful Silver-Greys, birds far more 

 beautiful but not so heavy as the Dark ?) 



Cochins (Cinnamon and Buff), chickens. — Cockerels, twenty- 

 one, pullets hut ten, but again the latter were the best. (N.B. — 

 This is a day of lady-superiority evidently.) The first-prize 

 cockerel, however, was every whit a Cochin ; the third too 

 small. First-prize pullets, handsome birds ; second, the plu- 

 jnage too mottled ; third, small but nicely feathered, but one 

 <jomb was twisted. In pen 98, Miss Milward's, one of the pullets 

 was a beauty. Cochins (Cinnamon and Buff), cocks, old. — These 

 were among the best cocks of the Show. First and cup. Lady 

 Gwydyr's, was no doubt the best Cochin in the whole Show. 

 Second sold for six guineas, and very cheap. Cochins (Cinnamon 

 and Buii), hens, old. — First one an excellent shape ; second good 

 shape but mottled plumage. Cochins (Brown and Partridge), 

 any age. — Good classes both cocks and hens, but the latter the 

 better; six pens were deservedly noticed out of the eleven. 

 Next Cochins (White). — Both cocks and hens were a sight to 

 delight a fancier. They are a greatly improved and improving 

 class. Cocks — first-prize, lovely ; second, good ; third, hardly 

 fit for his place, not so good a bird as No. 150, which, but that it 

 is too yellow, is excellent as a Cochin. Pullets or hens— first, 

 beautiful ; second, better in comb than the first. No. 165, 

 highly commended, very nice. 



The Dark Bralimas were exceedingly numerous, so numerous 

 that I own, as they were so nearly alike in excellence — great 

 praise this — one almost wearied of them. Mr. L. Wright's cup 

 pullets were, of course, very superior, but, indeed, all the Dark 

 Brahma classes were wonderfully good. The Light Brabmas — 

 -fowls for use and ornament in grass-land in the country — were 

 in the cocks good, but some weeds among them, and more among 

 the hens. First and cup pullets very worthy. First and cup 

 old cock stupendous in size. 



Spanish. — Now these are the Bristol speciality, and claim, 

 therefore, special notice. First, cockerels of 1873. — This entry 

 was as good aa any former year. First and cup, Mr. E. Jones, 

 this bird has a lovely face, lying smooth in surface and rounded 

 in form below ; second not flat-faced enough to please me ; 

 third a better comb than first. No. .392, highly commended, 

 but wry-tailed ; No. 100, highly commended, not so good as 

 No. 399 only commended; No. 407, rough cauliflower face. 

 Pullets — very small entry and hardly up to the mark, but first 

 and cup charming birds; second, one very good bird; third, 

 middling only. 416, highly commended, one very good. Spanish, 

 cocks, any age. — First, too rough a face ; second, good and a 

 beautiful comb. Hens, any age. — First, much the best ; third 

 was, I believe, the first last-year's pullet. No. 432 a fine old 

 ien. 



Hamburghs (Gold-spangled). — Few and good. There should 

 have been more entries considering the encouragement offered. 

 Silver-spangled, cocks. — First, an admirable bird, well shown ; 

 third, a very neat bird. The SUver-spangled hens, a very good 

 class, all but one noticed. Hamburghs (Gold-pencilled). — More 

 numerous. First, cock, first-rate. Hamburghs, cocks (Silver- 

 pencilled). — Very few and poor. First prize withheld. Hens — 

 better. Black Hamburghs pressing forward well. First, cock, 

 just the thing. Hens — a good class ; first, second, and third all 

 good, and the highly commended good also. The Black Ham- 

 burghs are so much more Hamburghs and so much less Spanish 

 than in earlier years. 



In regard to the Game, which come next, there was some 

 dissatisfaction among Game breeders, because the Black-breasted 

 Reds and the Brown-breasted were shown in the same class, and 

 this was felt the more as all three prizes went to Brown Beds. 

 First and cup, a thorough good Brown Bed cock ; second, good ; 

 third, out of condition. Among Game pullets third was a good 

 style and colour; second, a good hen. No. 663, Mr. Stagg's 

 highly commended, the best pullet in the Show, but hatched 

 rather late. Game (Any other variety), cocks. — First, a good 

 but odd-eyed Duckwiug cock ; third, a good Pile. On the whole 

 the Duckwings not very good. Game (Any other variety), hens. 

 — First and cup, a beautiful bird, almost faultless; second, 

 Duckwing, better if longer, but colour good ; third, a good Pile. 

 Malays. — Twenty-three entries in all. Cocks — first, a very 

 large bird ; third, remarkably good plumage. The hens were 

 most liberally noticed by the Judges, but struck me as wanting 

 in size, except the prize birds. The Malays are wonderfully 

 like Vultures as one sees them in the pens, specially the hens. 

 But this remarkable look points them out from all other fowls 

 as a thoroughly distinct variety and one worth keeping up. 



Polish (Any variety), cocks. — First, Golden ; second, Silver ; 

 third. Black. Would there were more Blacks, as they are the 

 original Polish, and after all, perhaps, the handsomest. Pen 

 No. 647 contained a cock and hen by mistake, but very good. 



Polish (Any variety), hens. — First, Golden and good; second, a 

 good Silver. 



French fowls appear, by their number, to have a good hold on 

 the public favour. 



Any other distinct variety, cocks. — First, a good Black Cochin 

 cock, and truly glad was I to see him. There were Sultans, 

 Leghorns, Andalusians, Frieslands, White Dorkings, &c., and 

 very good and interesting almost all of them. Among the 

 hens the first prize went to an excellent pair of Black Cochins. 

 The whole class was a good one. Everyone noticed the hybrid 

 Pheasant and Brahma, No. 726. The Pheasant was most visible 

 in the bird, but the booted legs proclaimed the Brahma cross. 



Among the Ducks the Rouen were particularly good ; and in 

 the little East Indians, which were a capital lot, Mr. Sainsbury's 

 were first. There were also Mandarins and CaroUnas, the 

 prettiest of the pretty. 



Geese and Turkeys. — Very few. 



Game Bantams (Black-breasted and other Reds). — Not so 

 numerous as usual. A Brown Red took third prize. Game 

 Bantams (Any other variety). — First and cup, the hen rather 

 large ; third, a very excellent pen — the whole class a good one. 

 Black Bantams. — First and cup, cock rather large ; the second I 

 preferred to the first; third, Mr. Cambridge's, were good. In- 

 deed the little Blacks were a good lot, and I was pleased to see, 

 as an old Black Bantam breeder, that they were numerous. 

 The Sebrights are, in regard to the Silver, improving. The 

 breeding Gold and Silver together made the latter so cream- 

 coloured that the real Silver were seldom seen — now it is dif- 

 ferent. First and cup, beautiful Gold; second, good SUver. 

 No. 834, commended, were nice and silvery in colour. I have 

 good hope that we shall see again the delicate and beautifully- 

 coloured Silver Sebright in perfection. White Bantams were a 

 little and poor class, and the first prize properly withheld. 

 Game Bantams (.Any variety, any age), cock birds, were on the 

 other hand somewhat numerous and decidedly good, more than 

 hall of them being noticed in one way or the other. The first 

 and cup bird was what a Game Bantam should be ; second and 

 third were also good, but not quite worth the price asked by the 

 owner — ilOOO ! I had hoped never again to see these ludicrous 

 figxrres. X'50 is more within the region of common sense, and 

 would suffice to prevent a sale. 



THE PIGEONS. 

 Carriers, cocks (Black or Dun, any age). — Ten entries, and 

 many very good birds. Seldom have I seen a better class, or a 

 larger proportion of superior birds to the number of entries. 

 Hen Carriers of the same age and colours were also good. Some 

 were chiefly wanting in age — no cause of regret, aa their prize 

 time is coming. Blue Carriers were again very good, which is 

 saying a great deal ; but it was hardly wise to offer prizes for 

 Whites. There were three entries, and only one bird at aU 

 Carrier-like. 



Pouters. — Among the cocks was a capital Black, which took 

 the cup. N.B. — Pouters are getting more numerous at provincial j 



shows. Glasgow influenced the Crystal Palace, and the Palace 

 influences all other English shows. Blue, Black, and Yellow, 

 in the order written, took prizes among the hens, the last a nice 

 sprightly bird. I much long to see more and better Yellows at 

 our English shows ; we want some Dundee birds to come south. 

 The Almond Tumblers were very few, but sure to win. Hardly 

 more in number were the other Short-faces, but as good. First- 

 prize, a Black Mottle ; second, a beautiful Red; one, and only 

 one, Bald ! 



The foreign Owls were lovely ; the English Owls very foreign- 

 like. There were Mr. Fulton's grand-skulled Barbs, and three 

 good Trunqietcrs ; of Jacobins a respectable number and of 

 respectable quality. The same may be said of the Fantails. 

 The Turbits were still more numerous. The Nuns again were 

 but few, while the Dragoons of all colours were quite a show. 

 This is what I like to see — not merely three or four birds sure 

 to win, but a large number of rising birds from rising fanciers. 

 Such classes show spirit in fanciers. I like also to see that a 

 fancier far away from London, like Mr. Bishop, of Dorchester, 

 can take to a class and win against great names, even against 

 the dreaded "Bob." I should like to see other fanciers as 

 spirited, and not " cowed," as some are, by such exhibitors as 

 Messrs. Fulton and Yardley. It is not like English pluck to act 

 thus, and it would be more Enghsh-like to persevere. Here 

 was Mr. Bishop ahead, and far ahead, though little "Bob's" 

 good old blood-red Dragoon fairly got a second. I want again 

 to see, as at the Palace, some good old grizzle Dragoons. 



Antuerps, Short and Long-faced, were strong classes. The 

 Any other variety class was not as numerous as usual. This ia 

 a class in which lady fanciers might well compete, as they are 

 specially fond of the pretty-feathered varieties. 



Having now gone through aU the classes of poultry and Pigeons 

 I have only to say that good arraiagement was the rule, as always 

 at Bristol.' There was Mr. Roue hard at work in his secretary's 

 office, looking energetic even under the depressing influences of 

 bad weather and too little support. There was Mr. Cambridge 

 ready aa ever to render assistance to me. Dear old Bristol ! 



