38 THE PIGEON-FANCIER. 



that are held all over the country, and by con- 

 sulting the show catalogues describing the vast 

 assemblages of birds that are brought together, 

 supplying in each instance the owner's name. 

 The first public Show held in England was at the 

 Baker Street Bazaar in 1852, under the patronage 

 of Prince Albert. At the head of the Fancy ranks 

 Her Majesty Queen Victoria, whom I have been 

 informed has a splendid collection of birds. Mr. 

 Fulton has had the honour of supplying Her 

 Majesty, and the account of the first transaction 

 no words better than Mr. Fulton's own can de- 

 scribe. The birds that exchanged hands on 

 this occasion were a pair of red Jacobins : 



" I had an application from a Mr. Tait, the 

 address and letter being in a most beautiful hand- 

 writing. The place I took to be Shaw Fame. I 

 replied, stating the price. The answer came to 

 send on the birds. I replied that my terms to 

 strangers were post-office order or cheque, pay- 

 able in eight days. The answer duly came, but 

 this time with the heading of the paper repre- 

 senting the stamp of Royalty, and upon seeing 

 the cheque enclosed, and reading the letter, I 

 found I had refused sending birds on approval to 

 our Most Gracious Majesty the Queen of England ! 



" Oh ! to Jacobin fanciers, I need not tell how 



