September 30, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



307 



Cat and Kittens.— 1, A. Bosle, Hinck'ey. 2, T. Pratt, nincklej-. he,}. Guiin, 

 Hinckley. 



Jddge, — Mr. J. Eexson. 



JACOBINS. 



I WAS much gratifietl to see that my letter on the above birda 

 had called forth articles from the pens of such able and experi- 

 enced fanciers as Mr. Harrison Weir and Mr. Huie, confirmatory 

 of my remarks. That the birds known at present uudfr that name 

 are utterly worthless there cannot be a doubt in the minds of 

 those who have seen the old type. What, then, can be done to 

 bring about a better taste and restore the old bird to his proper 

 position ? 



Mr. Weir's remark that judges will in general give prizes 

 when the classes are filled, though there may not Ije a moderately 

 good bird in the lot, has no doubt had something to do with 

 bringing such trash into their present position. This certainly 

 ought never to be the case when the professed object of societies 

 and shows is to improve the breeds of our fancy birds. 



If a class, however numerous, do not contain the requisite 

 properties to a fair extent, then the prizes ousht to be withheld 

 entirely. This, I imagine, would soon bring forward something 

 better. 



The most hopeless aspect of the case, however, is, that many 

 of the present judges hold that those maned birds are the correct 

 type. Some, no dnnht, err from never having seen the genuine 

 mgh-class birds. Were they to see them side by side, I believe 

 no fancier with the slightest good taste could hesitate for a 

 moment in deciding which was the high-bred bird; indeed, it 

 would be easy to distinguish them in the dark. 



If the fine old bird is to be placed in hia proper place, I again 

 say that it is time something should be done; but what to do 

 and how, it is not so easy to say. Perhaps Mr. Weir or Mr. 

 Huie may suggest some way of accomplishing this. I hope the 

 matter will not be allowed to rest here. — Geo. Ube. 



LIZAED CANARIES.— No. 2. 



In a former number of the .Journal (page 147, No. 7oO) I drew 

 attention to a first-prize Lizard, an excellent life-like illustration 

 of which was given, representing a famous bird exhibited at 

 the Palace Show by Mr. T. W. W. Fairbraes of Canterbury. 



I like to be in the company of the "fancy," whether it be 

 the humble artisan or one in more easy circumstances. Like 

 birds of a feather fanciers will mix together. I often think 

 there is an abundance of fraternity about Canary fanciers, 

 although at intervals there may be jars and difference of 

 opinion. It reminds me of birds passing through their period- 

 ical moult — they generally come all right and smooth in feather. 

 During any little chit-chat with a brother fancier something 

 of interest is sure to crop up, either about seed (that has been 

 serious enough of late), cages, or birds. 



The following remarks may perhaps not be uninteresting to 

 those who have of late moved in Lizard circles. Nottingham 

 Canary authorities (and I look upon Mr. Joseph Widdowson 

 as one) have assured me that " the oldest Lizard breeder in 

 England is old Sam Godber, who has bred Lizards all his life." 

 When I heard that remark two years ago I wondered how 

 old the identical " Sam " was, and upon inquiry having ascer- 

 tained that he had passed the age allotted to man, I knew not 

 where to look for one who had devoted so much attention to 

 a particular breed of the Canary. So far as the Canary cause 

 generally is concerned I could mention the names of other 

 veterans — for instance. Waller, London ; Newsome, Bromley ; 

 Bond, Derby ; but cannot pofitiveiy assert that they, like " old 

 Sam Godber," have been in the fancy " all their lives." Find- 

 ing myself in "old Sam's" company (during one of the very 

 recent Nottingham bird shows) in a "little back parlour," where 

 fanciers chose to discuss bird topics (it's no use disguising the 

 fact), I was much interested in hearing him relate his Imow- 

 ledge of Lizards as they ought to be (but not with white eyelids 

 as once stated in a paper now defunct), the famous birds he 

 had bred, and into whose hands they had afterwards passed, 

 to win for their respective possessors laurels as their own 

 " bond-fide specimens " at some of the best shows in England. 

 "Old Sam's" ambition was more for breeding a good thing or 

 two, and either selling them or exhibiting the same in his own 

 locality, than sending them to distant shows. Previous to my 

 personal acquaintance with the veteran Lizard breeder, I had 

 for years previous heard it remarked that So-aud-so's birds 

 had a strain of " old Sam Godber's breed in them." Yes, and 

 if I do not mistake, I think that the famous prize Lizards 

 exhibited by Isaac Stevenson (tbe miner, of Old Basford) at the 

 Crystal Palace some years back, had some of the same strain 

 in them. 



In accordance with my promise I will devote a brief space 

 to exhibitors of Lizard birds who have during the past few 

 years been most successful upon the show stages. I have 

 generally found that where any breeder and exhibitor has paid 



particular attention to the breeding and the bringing of them 

 out, greater success has resulted than would otherwise have 

 been the case had that attention been but partly devoted to 

 the same. 



As some proof of what exhibitors have done, and the oppor- 

 tunity offered to others, I may state that during the season 

 of 1874-5 Mr. Fairbrass won no less than thirty prizes (eleven 

 first, nine second, and ten third) with his Lizards, besides 

 twenty-two honourable mentions. With one exception the 

 above is the greatest achievement I am aware of respecting 

 Liz'ird Canaries in one season, and Mr. Fairbrass may be justly 

 proud of his birds when he states in a letter to me, "I feel a 

 pleasure in forwarding you an account of the number of prizes 

 won." The exception alluded to was that of Mr. W. Watson, 

 jun.'s, famous Lizards, which the same year and the season 

 prior to the above won twenty-three first, twelve second, and 

 eleven third prizes, the birds having been exhibited for the de- 

 cision of the following ten judges : Messrs. Barnesby, Willmore, 

 Moore (Fareham), Calvert, Tnckwood, Bexson, Moore & Wynn, 

 Blakstone and Clarke of Sunderland. Without exception Mr, 

 Watson's Silver-spangled Lizard cock was one of the finest 

 birda ever exhibited of its class. Mr. Watson was the winner 

 of numerous prizes, besides a silver medal tor the best bird in 

 five classes at Newcastle, a silver medal at Leeds, and a copper 

 kettle at Darlington. 



Instances are known of other breeders gaining more prizes 

 with Norwich and other birds, but there ia no comparison 

 betwixt the Norwich and Lizard breeds, it being much more 

 difficult to bring perfect-marked Lizards to the front than Clear 

 Norwich birds. I have often thought it would be well to 

 encourage exhibitors in exhibiting their own bred stock by 

 offering prizes to the most successful exhibitors and breeders 

 of various kinds of Canaries. 



The following are the names of a few enthusiastic admirers 

 who have at various times gained some repute as breeders cr 

 exhibitors of Lizards: — Williams & Tuckwood, Nottingham; 

 Stevenson, Basford ; Taylor & Stevens, Middlesbrough; Rev. V. 

 Ward, Hythe; Ritchie, Darlington; Fairbrass, Canterbury; 

 Aehton & Martin, Manchester; Belper, Derby; Hawkins and 

 Judd, London; Watson, jun., Darlington; Reid, Halifax; Smith 

 and Preen, Coventry; Mackley, Norwich; Buntiog, Derby; 

 Hayes, Suttonin-Ashfleld; Warren, Macclesfield, besides other 

 numerous breedei's in the neighbourhood of the last-mentioned 

 town and in Lancashire and Yorkshire. — Geo. B. B.vbneset. 



BRITISH BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION. 



CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 



This Association held its second annual Exhibition on the 

 2l6t, 22nd, and 23rd inst. ; and although we have had such an 

 unprecedented bad season, a few magnificent supers of honey 

 ornamented the show-tablea. But it was amongst the hives and 

 appurtenances that the value of the Association's labours was 

 chiefly shown. The hives now shown were almost without 

 exception good ; inventors and makers had taken the lessons of 

 last year well to heart, and adopting what they thought most 

 useful, had in many instances added novelties of their own, 

 which still further improved the whole. A very large attend- 

 ance of bee-keepers gathered together and enthusiastically 

 handled the exhibits, freely buying for patterns those they 

 admired most. Nearly everything of value in the Show was 

 claimed where a fancy price bad not been asked. A prize was 

 offered for the best collection of hives and bee-furniture. The 

 first was awarded to Messrs. Neighbour & Sons, whose collection 

 made a grand show of itself. Conspicuous among the hives was 

 a large bunch of melilot clover standing 10 feet high ! This 

 plant is said to be highly attractive to bees, and is often sown 

 for their exclusive use. Mr. Marriott, the Crystal Palace bee- 

 master, had displayed his exhibits in a pretty attractive manner, 

 but an almost entire absence of modern bar-frame hives pre- 

 cluded hia winning second prize, which was awarded to Mr, 

 Abbott, and an exira prize of equal merit to Mr. Lee. 



In the class for observatory hives there was nothing novel, 

 and the Judges evidently thought a second prize sufficient award 

 to Messrs. Neighbour for their well-known Woodbury observa- 

 tory. Mr. Marriott showed an observatory hive full of comb 

 but no bees. This exhibit had much better have been away, as 

 the comb was evidently infested with wax moths, and infected 

 by foul brood. In Class 2, for the best moveable-comb hive for 

 depriving purposes, the competition was very close, several 

 exhibits showing points of excellence that their neightonrs did 

 not possess. The Judges had a difficult task before them, but 

 they eventually awarded the first prize, a silver medal and £1, 

 to No. 4. Mr. C. N. Abbott ; and a bronze medal for second prize 

 to Mr. J. M. Hooker for No. 13 ; Mr. Cheshire's hive of 1874 

 with some further improvements being passed over. Both the 

 prizetakers had adopted many good points of Mr. Cheshire's 

 hive, and to them added a multitude of contrivances of their 

 own, which, especially in Mr. Abbott's case, in our opinion 

 spoils the whole. Nothing is more essential in a hive than 



