352 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t October 14, 1875. 



Akt other VARiETy OF BRITISH THIRDS. — 1 anii 2, Cleminson & EUerton 

 rStarliDg and Thrnshl. 3, W. Warwick, Darlington (Ihrush). vkc, W. & 0. 

 Biirrisfon (Bramtileflnch). 



StLLiN'G C'LAbS.— 1, G. & J. Mackley. 2, H. Brook. S, Cleminson & Ellerton. 

 vhc, J. Horn ; J. Athersnch : Cleminson & Ellerton. ftc, K. Pearaon ; T, 

 Tenniswood; T. Jobling; Cleminson At Ellerton (2). c, J. Adams; W.Howard. 



Judges. — Mr. G. J. Barnesby, Derby; and Mr. R. L. Wallace, 

 Berwick-on-Tweed. 



LIZA.ED CANABIES.— No. 3. 



Theke is more difEctilty in bringing a perfect-feathered and 

 capped Lizard bird to the post in proper show trim than those 

 of some other breeds. I kuow of no breed except the " London 

 Fancy," where the loss of a wing or tail feather becomes such 

 an eyesore to a judge of birds, and the owners likewise — those 

 who love to see their birds not " out of feather." The grey tip 

 that accompanies the end of a feather to supply the place of a 

 lost one, tends to mar the regularity of feathers somewhat. In 

 some, especially Silver birds, it is the most perceptible. 



Mealy or Silver birds are generally inclined to be of a stouter 

 build than Jonques or Golden specimens, otherwise there is 

 very little difference except in the colonr. As "Golden" is the 

 recognised term by which the one kind is known, by this rule 

 BO ought they to be considered by those who have to adjudicate 

 upon them, and who ou^bt not to let their knowledge of a rich 

 Golden-spangled Fpecimcn be led astray becanse a Golden or 

 Jonque specimen (or, at least, one exhibited for such in a class), 

 should happen to be as deep in colour of cap and lacing, or 

 edging of spangles, as a deep pepper-colonred Norwich bird. A 

 little carelessness in this respect, in what I may term mere 

 surface jodping, may have equally ill effects respecting good 

 and inferior-bred Lizards as it may have upon Norwich birds. 

 There are many nice points to guide one over Lizards. It is 

 true that the deeper the colour of a Golden bird the more value 

 it is, but when a bird presents a colour with the aid of pepper 

 the reverse of golden I look upon the destruction of the colour 

 as grave an error as when the proper rich golden tint is not 

 fully attained. Of course, colour is but one point, although an 

 important one, and a bird being highly coloured with pepper 

 could not be cast aside if fully possessed with all other points. 

 It shonld be the conpideration of the whole, and the bird which 

 gains the most points that shonld win. 



The cap of a Lizard shonld be of good size, and oval in form- 

 ation, extending from the dark beak to the back portion of the 

 crown, where it should terminate somewhat square, neither to 

 run cr extend down the neck or at each side of the cap. On 

 each side of the bead the cap shonld reach the eye-lids, which 

 should be dark. From the neck the spangles gradually increase 

 in size until reaching the bsck, where they should be fully and 

 very regularly developed. The legs, feet, and web, and stalks 

 cf wings and tail black. A good bold headpiece is much prefer- 

 able to a narrow one, for then the cap of a bird appears to greater 

 effect. The chief point is cap, then spangles. The following 

 points will guide those having a fancy to breed and exhibit : — 



Beal-, tbe darker the better. 



Head, the crown should be flattish and wide with size 

 throughout. 



Cap should possess purity, rich colour, and magnitude of form 

 with great regularity, coming to the beak in front, and to the 

 back of the crown behind, and not lower than the eyebrow or 

 lid, which should be dark. 



Neck, short and thick, with small clear spangles, beginning at 

 the back of the cap and gradually increasing in size towards the 

 body. 



BacJc and spangles, wide across the back, and clearly and 

 thickly spangled, the boldest being in the centre, and the others 

 gradually decreasing towards the sides and upper tail-coverts. 



Wings and tail shonld be black, the bastard wing feathers 

 particularly; the oih rs (pinions) black in stalk and web, and 

 fringed with golden or silvery white according to class. 



Throat and breast, golden or silvery according to class, and 

 regular througbont, the richer the golden the better. 



Chest and bodu, the farmer wide, and the body of good size, 

 the bolder tbe better. 



Legs and feet black, and nails not twisted awry. 



Feaihers very close, and not deficient or pied, with the under- 

 neath flue of the Golden-spangled a bluish black, and the flue of 

 the Silver-spangled more of a dark grey. In the yellow portions 

 of the Golden-spangled the richer tbe colour the better; and 

 in the Silver-spangled the colour should be more like newly-cast 

 virgin silver, especially in the cap. It is a fault, however, when 

 a Silver bird approaches nearly midway to a Jonque, which they 

 will do sometimes ; snch are likely to be disqualified, and very 

 properly too, as an undecided-coloured bird is unworthy of a 

 prize. — Geo. J. Baknesby. 



Sale op Pbize Fowls fbom Lady Gwydyk's, — The followin;; 

 are the prices realised for some of the best of Lady Gwydyr'a 

 birds recently sold at Norwich. — A splendid pair of Buff pullets 

 were secured by Mr. H. Bryant of Whitton for 32s., and a fine 



White Cochin adult cock was knocked down to the Hon. and 

 Rev. F. De Grey for ,£1. Lot 41, a pair of valuable Cochin hens, 

 after a keen competition were purchased by the same gentleman 

 for £2 12s., and he also purchased a pair of milky-white Cochin 

 pullets of pure extraction, and cheap at two guineas, the price 

 given. Lot 84 a Dark Brahma cockerel and pullet was bought 

 by Mr. Field for 19s. Lot 91 consisted of a handsome pair of 

 freckled-plumaged pnllets which went for 2.5s. to Mr. Bagshot. 

 Lot 92, a pair similar in description, was bought by Mr. Lovely 

 for 20s. Dr. Holden became the owner of two Light Brahma 

 hens imported from America, for lis. ; and a pair of superior 

 Dark Brahma cocks, noble-looking birds, went to Mr. Melton 

 for 25s. 



EXHIBITING POUTERS. 



The schedule of the Kilmarnock Exhibition, which has just 

 been issued, shows the usual liberality and enterprising spirit 

 of the Committee. Year by year some improvement is effected 

 for tbe benefit of exhibitors, which no doubt contributes to the 

 swelling of the treasury. 



I wish to call the attention of Ponter fanciers to an important 

 addition in their classes, which may be overlooked or misunder- 

 stood. I refer to the new classes 47 and 48 in tbe schedule. It 

 will be observed that the other classes are for standard-pied 

 birds, while these latter bear the designation Any other Pouter. 

 The intention is obvious. Tbe words "staniard pied" need 

 not mislead anyone to the belief that they aim at strait lacing in 

 the matter of the pied marks. The utmost usually seen in that 

 direction on a standard specimen is mere approximation ; there- 

 fore no one need be deterred from entering any bird that has a 

 chance of winning. The new classes are evidently intended for 

 birds for which no other class is provided, as well as for those 

 which, though possessing all the essential elements of a Pouter, 

 are yet disqualified in some particular from competing in the 

 standard classes. It is unfortunate that we are still in the dark 

 as to what these disqualifications are, for though I raised the 

 subject several months ago no reply was evoktd. 



I am perfectly certain that Mr. Huie, if he still holds his 

 former opinions, will hail the innovation as a step in the right 

 direction. It declares in a practical manner that the Pouter is 

 a bird of shape, and supplies what he so urgently pleaded for— 

 viz., an opportunity for the young and the poor fancier to obtain 

 a small share of success and encouragement. — D. McVaught, 

 Kilmaurs. 



A RETROSPECT. 



Thottgh the apiarians of Great Britain have to lament an 

 unfavourable season for bees, and therefore a poor harvest of 

 honey, many of them are virtually enriched by another year's 

 experience ; and all know that experience is the best and most 

 effective teacher. I am thankful that what little I know of bees 

 and their management has been gained from experience and 

 not from books. Indeed, I never read a book on bees till I 

 began to write about them thirty-five years ago. Huber once 

 said to a friend, " I am much more certain of what I state than 

 you are, for yon publish what your own eyes only have seen, 

 while I take the mean among many witnesses." I am con- 

 vinced that the intelligent readers of this Journal would trust 

 and prefer the evidence of their own eyes to " the mean among 

 many witnesses," for facts are more trustworthy than plaus- 

 ible guesses and opinions. 



During the present season we have had recorded by Mr. 

 Campbell another case of two fertile queens living together in 

 a hive belonging to a neighbour of his. Mr. C. says the hive 

 " was filled bv a first swarm last year, and headed by a queen 

 three years old. In May this year the owner discovered a young 

 queen going abroad 'on her marriage flight ; but as_ the bees 

 often hatch a young qneen when the reigning one begins to fail 

 in her powers of reproduction, this circumstance was taken 

 little notice of -at the time. However, about four weeks after, 

 the owner came to me and said that his young queen was a 

 drone-breeder, filling the brood nest with youcg drones. I 

 went to assist him to drive the bees and take out the objection- 

 able queen. On driving we found the old one and young too. 

 The old one was removed, and the young one with the bees 

 returned to the hive. The drone-breeding was then discon- 

 tinued. This is of very rare occurrence, as a young queen 

 generally kills the old one as soon as she is hatched." On this 

 phenomenon I shall make no comments at present, the object 

 being to put the reader in possession of few facts and figures 

 that have come before our notice. 



One writer has stated recently that bees live only six weeks 

 in summer, and that the young destroy the old bees and push 

 them out of the hive. I am sorry that the statement has been 

 made, for no statement could be much more incorrect. After a 

 little more experience the writer, I think, will acknowledge his 

 mistake. ' Bees live nine months, bnt;many of them are worn 

 out with hard work in summer, and lost in stormy and showery 

 weather before they reach their allotted span. I have had a 



