November 25, 1876. 1 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



473 



more expensive for non-exhibition fowls. In all cases where 

 soft food is given it is best scattered upon the turf in different 

 corners each morning. 



It is not necessary to keep a cock with a number of fowls. I 

 cannot account for it, as I can see no reason why it should be, 

 but I have seen repeated inetances where birds have laid more 

 eggs for a given number of the same breed and age without the 

 male bird than with one. It is better to pen five hens with a 

 cock a few weeks before the required time for hatching, and make 

 sure of almost all the eggs being fertile. Every cock will during 

 the year lessen the profits 10s. at least. — Gallinacultubist, 

 Matnpton-in-Arden. 



KILMARNOCK ORNITHOLOGICAL 

 ASSOCIATION'S SHOW. 



This was held in the Corn Exchange Hall and Butter Market 

 on the l'2th and 13th inst. The Pigeons were arranged in the 

 large hall in rows, at a convenient height for observation. The 

 Canaries were hung on the wall at one end. The poultry and 

 Babbits were shown in the Butter Market adjoining the hall, 

 on a lower level. The Society may be said to have reached a 

 mature age, and to be one of the oldest in the country, being 

 established in 1852. 



The poultry were a large show of C0.3 pens. To show the dif- 

 ference between Scotch and English tastes we give the num- 

 bers of pens exhibited of each variety : — 



Spanish 12 



Brahma Pootras 19 



CocbiDS 18 



Dorkings S7 



Game 153 



Hamborghs 78 



Polands 13 



Trench 22 



Scotch Greys 27 



Bantams V6B 



Malays 6 



Other varieties 6 



Ducts, Oeesc, &c S3 



Selling classes tl 



6IJS 



It will be seen from this that the China fowl is not in repute 

 about Kilmarnock. The Scotch people being eminently a prac- 

 tical people have almost discarded the Brahma fowl and his 

 relatives. There are not wanting evidences from England also, 

 judging from letters that appear from time to time in the 

 poultry papers, that Brahmas and Cochins are on the decline. 



We were much struck with the fine display of Game fowls. 

 They seem the favourite breed about Kilmarnock. The twelve 

 pens of undubbed Game showed from the faulty combs of some 

 of them, that were Nature left alone the places of the dubbed 

 ones might often be reversed. The IlamburgJis were also a 

 good show. Though small fowls they are good layers and con- 

 sume little food considering their size, and as ornamental fowls 

 we consider them entitled to about the first place among poultry. 

 French are increasing and already number more than Brahmas 

 or Cochins, a position they ought to hold we were told. The 

 class for Scotch Greys contained twenty-seven pens, and was 

 one of the best in the Show. We never saw such a good lot 

 together before. Although not to be considered ornamental 

 poultry, they have other good points in such perfection that 

 they are sure to increase in public estimation. Of Bantams, 

 while Black-breasted Reds, Piles, and Duckwings were shown 

 in considerable numbers, only two pens of Brown Beds put in 

 an appearance. Sebrighta were, as they always are at Kil- 

 marnock, well to the front. 



The Pigeons were a first-rate collection of 446 pens, and 

 when we say that out of this number Antwerps were eight. 

 Dragoons only four, and common Pigeons nineteen pens, this 

 makes 415 pens of really fancy Pigeons. The Pouters were 

 judged by Mr. Huie of Glasgow, his announced colleague, Mr. 

 George Ure, being prevented attending. Mr. Jones judged the 

 rest. 



Commencing with Pouters, 123 pens, the classification adopted 

 was, as suggested in this Journal — viz., to class Mealy with 

 Blue, rather than with the artificial Black Bed and Yellow. 

 The first class was for Black Red or Yellow cock, standard Pied 

 — that is, without any glaring mismarking, for pied to a feather 

 no one expects or can expect to see. No. 610 (Andrew Dunleavy) 

 was a Black of fair colour, rather gay on crop, but a well-shaped 

 bird. No. 611 (David Thomson) a Yellow of fair colour and 

 good proportions, well-feathered limbs, good crop, wanting in 

 pinion. To him was awarded second prize. No. 012 (.James 

 Walker), third prize, a Red of good colour, well-marked crop, 

 and wanting in pinion. He was a stylish kind of bird, but too 

 much cow-hocked. No. 613 (Thomas Wood, Y'ork), hiehlycom- 

 mended, also a Red of fair colour and style. No. 614 (James 

 Walker), fourth, a very good-coloured and marked Yellow, with 

 well-shaped and feathered limbs; an upstanding bird, a trifle 

 short in feather. He was to our taste, considering everything, 

 the second best in the class. No. C16 (Ridley & Dye), first and 

 special, a glossy Black of very correct marking except a rather 

 small bib. A very handsome bird of fine lines and finished look- 

 ing. Clean limbs beautifully set and feathered. All over a 

 good Pouter, he is a credit to his exhibitors, who carried oS the 

 cream of the Pouter prizes. Credit is also due to the breeder of 

 all, or nearly all, their fine exhibits, Mr. Mitchell of Glasgow. 



No. 617 (R. H. Blacklock) an unnoticed Bed of a good stamp in 

 colour, marking, and shape, worthy of highly commended we 

 thought. No. 018 (Ridley & Dye) a Yellow, good colour and 

 stylish, bub too deficient in marking for a " standard Pied " 

 class. In this class Mr. Mitchell showed bis old Yellow bird, 

 but besides being of a bad colour and no great marking, he is 

 down from age, loose-feathered, and quite out-classed. Blue or 

 Mealy cock, standard Pied, were twenty-one in number. The 

 first of note, No. 022 (A. Dunleavy), highly commended. A 

 capital Mealy of a light tint, well-cut moon, but not easy to say 

 anything about pinion trom his light colour. No. 623 (James 

 Ferguson), a Mealy of a better colour, brighter red in beak and 

 bars, but not of the same proportions as the last. No. 62-1 

 (James Walker), fourth prize. Blue, well-marked, good in colour 

 and style. No. 625 (Hugh Thomson), highly commended, a 

 very good Mealy, but rough-legged and rather wide on them. 

 No. 626 (Ridley & Dye), first aud special, a Blue, such another 

 as their Black in the previous class — an easy win. No. 628, 

 same owners, second prize, a Mealy, large and fine, well 

 marked, but not a good colour. We would not have placed him, 

 he was so loose-feathered and down on the wings from age. 

 No. 631 (J. Mitchell), third. This bird was, we were told, full 

 brother to the first-prize one, and rather better in every respect 

 excepting being too gay on the crop, which takes away his 

 finish. Still we would have given him the Mealy's place. No. 634 

 (R. Crow), highly commended. In many respects a fine bird 

 but with too small a moon. No. 635 (Andrew & Cunningham), a 

 first-rate Blue, but much too white on crop. No. 637 (James 

 Walker) was a handsome Blue and evenly marked, but looked 

 shortish in limb. Class 41 was for Pouter cocks, any other 

 colour, standard Pied, and included Whites. Here, again, Ridley 

 and Dye came in first with a very fine White, long in feather 

 and limb, slim-girthed and good "in crop. Second prize fell to 

 an immense and handsome bird, something between a Sandy 

 and a Mealy, but more inclining to the latter, as he had faint 

 bars. He showed a good sprinkling of black ticks about the 

 head and body. We should think he was about the biggest bird 

 in the Show. Both third and fourth prizes went to good 

 Whites ; in fact, except the Mealy or Sandy spoken of, the class, 

 composed of fourteen birds, was all White except No. 655 (J. B. 

 Spence) a Red Chequer. He is a handsome shapely bird, and 

 though chequered with a powdery tint on his body feathers, his 

 neck and wing secondaries are of a deep rich red, richer and 

 darker perhaps than the colour of any other Red Pouter in the 

 Show. The next class, 42, for Black, Red, or Yellow Pouter 

 hens, standard Pied, brought out nine birds. The winner was 

 easily found in No. 600 (Ridley & Dye), first and special, a sweet 

 Black hen as near perfection as generally found. She was good 

 in every point, especially in due proportion of limb and feather. 

 Her hmba nicely set and feathered; colour good aud marking 

 also. As is too often the case, her moon instead of ending in 

 fine points ran up to her eyes, and this was the only eyesore 

 about her. No. 663 (James Walker), second prize, marked in 

 catalogue Red, was a Yellow of fair colour but not well marked, 

 having no pinion. No. 664, same owner, third prize, marked in 

 catalogue Yellow, was a fine Red (they seem to have transposed 

 these two pens), the best Red for colour in the Show, finely-cut 

 moon, but no pinion, well-shaped and feathered limbs. We 

 would have made the Red second, and the Yellow third. 

 No. 659, still the same owner, was a solid-winged Black of fair 

 colour and good style. Eleven Blue and Mealy hens competed 

 in the next class, 43. Here, again, Ridley & Dye were success 

 ful, taking both first and second prizes with Blues. Both were 

 well-marked nice birds, but though the first was the largest the 

 second was the nicest in shape, but was unfortunately Kite- 

 barred. Mr. Mitchell's well-known Mealy came in third, and a 

 most taking hen she is, one of the slim-girthed kind that never 

 thicken. She is over three years old now, and but for the fact 

 of her having a division of colour in her moon, otherwise finely 

 cut, dividing it into two parts, she would not have been beaten 

 by any Pouter hen in the Show. No. 674 (J. Walker), fourth 

 prize, a Blue finely marked and stylish, quite as good as the 

 other winners, and taking them together they were a very even 

 lot. No. 675 (D. Liwrie), highly commended, well marked, but 

 wanting in general finish like the winners. The next class, for 

 hens of any other colour, standard Pied, including Whites, 

 brought out only eight. Here James Walker, No. 676, was first ; 

 and Ridley & Dye, No. 677, second with good Whites; third 

 and fourth fell to Joseph Secular and John Secular with hens 

 of the same colour, and all the four were of a handsome and 

 stylish appearance. No. 670 (R. H. Blacklock), a very glossy 

 and good Black, wrongly entered in this class. Twenty-two 

 young Pouter cocks bred this year comprised Class 45. No. 685 

 (A. Hutchison), commended ; a tidy little Mealy of good shape. 

 No. 688 (J. Walker) a dull-coloured but evenly-marked hand- 

 some Red, commended. No. 089 (Thomas Wood), highly com- 

 mended, a slightly-made Red cock, of colour much above the 

 average, and heavily stained on the rump aad tail as many fine 

 Reds are. No. 090 (Hugh Thomson) Smoky Black, otherwise a 

 good bird and well marked. No. 692 (Hugh Thomson), first and 



