452 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTUBE AND GOTl'AGE GAEDENER. 



[ NoYombM 18, 1875. 



friends and exhibitors criticise the awards made by gentlemen 

 who have been turned adrift into a show to judge in a certain 

 time a certain number of birds without help of any sort or 

 kind, often an attendant not being at hand even to hold a re- 

 fractory specimen. Thinking thus, we wonder the awards here 

 are ever made in these gigantic classes with the precision and 

 accuracy they are, and this year we find about the usual state 

 of things — some mistakes, and some wonderful awards, where 

 previously unknown birds have been at once spotted in classes 

 of many entries and containing birds of much note. Taking 

 them on the ;whole, then, the awards are satisfactory, the 

 arrangements are capital, the feeding good, the attendants 

 courteous, the entries large, and the quality wonderful. So 

 much then for prologue, now for criticisms. 



Dorkings. — Dorkings, as of old, head the list, and would a 

 few years ago have been considered a show in themselves. We 

 have certainly seen a greater number of excellent birds in the 

 Coloured classes at some of the Birmingham shows, but the 

 most captious critic could find but two or three faulty speci- 

 mens in the prize list, and the Silver-Grey — and even more so 

 the White classes — are of rare excellence. The season has 

 evidently been a bad one for moulting, and consequently the 

 classes for adults are in condition far behind those for young 

 birds. 



Class 1. — Coloured cocks head the list. We confess that we 

 think the first-prize bird here overrated. He is a very large 

 dark bird, but ungainly and shaky on his legs, and his comb is 

 not in good order. Second is a smaller bird, but a thorough 

 Dorking in shape, deep-breasted and black-tailed. Third is a 

 grand bird, good in shape and feet, and in vigorous condition. 

 We should certainly have been inclined to put him first. 



Class 2 for Coloured hens contains twenty-one entries against 

 nine cocks. The cup for the best adult bird went to this class. 

 The winner is perfection in colour and in the pink of condition, 

 though hardly up to the size of cup hens, and in this respect 

 inferior to the second and third prize birds ; still we think her 

 well placed. Second is a very large bird, but not in such bright 

 condition. Third very equal with the second, but a little scaly 

 on the feet. Fourth a nice bird, and well placed. Mr. Bartrum's 

 highly commended hen — a veteran winner, we think — is a fine 

 bird. Many birds in this class are not well through the moult. 



Class 3, Cockerels. — This we consider decidedly a good class, 

 the winners being fairly ahead of the other competitors. First- 

 Bud-oup is a darker bird than we like, with much bronzing on 

 the wing coverts; but Coloured Dorkings must not be judged 

 as birds of feather. He is good in shape and massive in limb. 

 Second we thought, all round, the finest bird in the class, but 

 probably his silvery colour prevented his being first. Third, 

 Mr. Biirnell's again, somewhat smaller than No. 2, but darker 

 and very short on the leg. Fourth, a now-celebrated bird shown 

 by Mr. Hans Hamilton, the cup-winner at the Alexandra Palace. 

 We think he has seen his best days for this year, and looks 

 jaded. It is no small honour to Mr. Bnrnell to have bred this 

 bird as well as the second and third prize birds. Fifth, a bird 

 in nice condition but in no way remarkable. Among the highly 

 commendeds the best struck us as being Lord Tumour's Oxford 

 winner, a good bird save in claws ; a fine cockerel of Lady 

 Dartmouth's, apparently thrown out by a swelled toe ; a massive 

 bird of Mr. Clarke's, and a Rose-comb (Badger), which if not 

 overshown may make a fine cock. 



Class 4, Pullets, did not strike us as being so good as the 

 cockerels. Their colour has certainly been brought to great per- 

 fection, but we fear at the expense of form. First is a big bird, 

 but not so good in colour as the second and third, and with re- 

 markably white earlobes. Second is somewhat her inferior in 

 size, but a beautifully coloured bird and in perfect condition. 

 Third nearly a match to the second, rather less in bone. Fourth 

 is not a large bird but good all round, we suppose her shape 

 brought her into the prize list. Fifth-prize bird is small com- 

 pared with her predecessors, with an old-fashioned dark red 

 breast, which we like. Some of the highly commended birds 

 are good. Mr. Parlett's (the Alexandra Palace winner), will 

 make a grand hen. 107 (Rigg), is a good bird but inclined to 

 dark feet. 70 (Lord Turnour), should, we think, have had a 

 place in the prize list. 



Silver-Greijs. — Here we see a great advance on former years, 

 very few cocks being shown with grizzly breasts, and hardly a 

 hen with red in the wings. The cup for the best adult went to 

 a cock. This award is, we unhesitatingly say, oue of the most 

 unfortunate we ever saw. The bird is indeed a large one, but 

 his saddle and hackles are very yellow, his breast is splashed, 

 hia thighs are pure white, and his shrivelled comb hangs on one 

 Bide. Second is barely through the moult, but a large and very 

 fanltlefs bird, and infinitely superior to tbe cup bird; as is also 

 the third, not a large bird, but excellent in colour. 



Hens are a nice class. First is a fine old hen of the darker 

 shade of silver with good robin breast. We shojild have given 

 her the cup. Second is a much lighter-coloured bird of good 

 square shape. Third a very long and large hen; if we mistake 

 not a wiener in former years. 



Cockerels. — First is a remarkable bird. We should have given 

 him the cup. Second a nice cockerel. A less honest exhibitor 

 than Miss Pasley would have pulled-out some feathers on hia 

 legs. Third a small bird, but very silvery and well-coloured on 

 breast. Commendations were sparingly given in this class, and 

 many nice birds were unnoticed. 



Pullets. — The cup went to a pale-coloured bird with a good 

 robin breast. This is a rare combination, and we think meri- 

 torious. Second is a bird of the same type, as good in frame, 

 but not so sound in breast colour. Third a fair pullet. The 

 class as a whole we did not think so good as the cockerel class. 



Cuckoos we consider a failure. The first cock had a bad comb 

 and a nearly white tail, otherwise his markings are good. The 

 second we thought a better bird. The third decidedly larger, 

 but with badly-marked wings. The winning hens are all very 

 dark ; the first of medium size, the second and third very small. 



Whites are good classes, numbering twenty cocks and fifteen 

 hens. This shows the policy of dividing the classes, which we 

 believe was conceded on Mr. Buruell's liberal gift of a cup con- 

 ditionally. First is a fine cock, large and square, and in splendid 

 condition. Second a pretty white cockerel, not large — the Ox- 

 ford cop bird, we think. Third a very young and massive 

 cockerel, promising to be a grand cock. We liked Mrs. Hayne'a 

 commended cockerel and an unnoticed one of Mr. Stratford's. 



Hens. — Here Mr. Cresswell is again first with a lovely hen, 

 which also carries off the cup. She is long-bodied, of pure 

 colour, and faultless in comb and feet. Second is a pretty bird 

 from the same yard in excellent condition. Third is a good 

 short-legged hen. 212 (Mrs. Hayne) is a sprightly bird, but 

 thrown out by crooked claws. 



Class 13 (Selling), contains some valuable birds and bargains, 

 but as usual in these classes the unions of cock and hen are 

 somewhat ill-assorted birds. The first pen contains a grand dark 

 cock with a poor, badly-coloured, little hen. Second and third 

 are nice cockerels belonging to the same exhibitor, mated with 

 very dark pullets hardly their equals. There are cocks in the 

 class which would have probably won in the open classes. 



Cochins. — The Cochins are very good, but taking them as a 

 lot we do not think them quite so good as last year. Perhaps 

 the best class of Cochins is that for White hens, which is cer- 

 tainly wonderfully good; many of the other classes contain 

 several fine birds, but no one class contains the number of 

 splendid specimens as does that for White hens. Cochin 

 prices seem as good as ever, and we hear of specimens realising 

 extraordinary sums. Some go so far as to say Cochins have 

 been the piice de resistance of the season, and have come to 

 the front in quality better than any other breed. We hardly 

 think this, though acknowledging the merits of many of the 

 Cochin birds, for we feel the Houdans have done wonders in 

 1875 in marching along the road that leads to complete and final 

 success. But for the Cochins. Buff coc'ka come first on the 

 list with half a score of entries. The winner is the champion 

 cock of last year, and well, too, he looks on this occasion. He 

 has come out a good colour, and looks as broad and massive as 

 ever; still there is something about him which does not make 

 him so startUng to look upon as he was in 1874. NevertheleKS, 

 he should have had, we think, the cup for old Buffs before the 

 Buff hen, even if he was not near the i£21 piece of plate, which 

 we know some think ought to have been his. The other birds 

 in this class were good and well placed. We liked the third- 

 prize bird very much ; he looks as if he would make a grand 

 stock bird. Mr. Darby's pen was empty. In old Buff hens we 

 did not care for some of the awards ; the third-prize hen was 

 pior in every way, and we preferred many pens to her. The 

 best hen in the class was, perhaps, Mr. Darby's unnoticed bird, 

 but she had a cold in her eye, which we conclude threw her oat ; 

 but even putting first and second as they were, one of the 

 pens 253 (Lingwood), 254 (Hendrie), or 258 (Gwydyr), should have 

 come in third before the hen with that honour. Buff cockerels 

 were a nice lot. The winner was indeed a winner; he won first 

 prize, his section cup, and the ±'21 cup for best pen in the Show; 

 but whether he should have had the latter honour is a matter 

 of great doubt. He is a nice showy bird, a little loose in one 

 wing, but good in head and other points. Second a nice square 

 bird of good sound colour. Third a large cockerel of fine shape 

 and possessing many good points. Fourth another nice cockerel 

 of fine colour with a pretty head. Mr. Lingwood's highly- com- 

 mended pen was very good, and so was Mr. Taylor's. Pullets 

 were a very choice lot, and the awards about correct. The first 

 is very even in colour and good in shape, but a shade small ; 

 the second very beautiful in colour and grand in all points ; and 

 the third a smart pullet of great promise, and looks admir- 

 ably in her pen. Fourth a large bird of nice shape, but not 

 over-good in colour. 310 (Proctor) a. very large but rather mottled 

 pullet. 



Partridge cocks were a fine lot. The winner was large and 

 square ; he has lost a serration of his comb, which makes him 

 look rough about the head ; he has a nice breast and thighs, and 

 very golden hackles. For second place we should have gone to 

 Lady Gwydyr's highly-commended bird ; he is very rich in colour 



