FANCIERS' JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 



107 



throughout the house, picking here and there a spider or a 

 fly. He would hop to an open door and take a cautious gaze 

 at passers by, and if disturbed would fly back, out of the 

 reach of harm. He was the joy and pet of the household, 

 but as the vigorous Northern winter set in, he was obser- 

 ved to droop, and at length perished a victim to acclimation. 



The mocking-bird should never be- exposed to inclement 

 weather, but should have the benefit of fresh air as much as 

 possible, protected, however, from the scorching rays of the 

 sun by a covering thrown over the cage. 



The mocking-bird is clothed in plain but neat attire, yet 

 its lively and graceful motions, together with its elegant 

 form, are quite sufficient to render it attractive as a house- 

 hold pet. 



The plumage of the male and female closely resemble each 

 other. The following marks are considered sufficient to dis- 

 tinguish them : 



"The male has the white on the wings extending over the 

 whole nine primaries, or quill feathers, down to and well 

 over the coverts; these are also white, though sometimes 

 tipped with brown, the white of the primaries extending 

 equally on both vanes of the feathers. 



" In the female the white is not so clear, and extends only 

 over seven or eight of the primaries, and more on the broad 

 than on the narrow vane of the feathers ; the black of the 

 wing is also less deep, being of a brownish shade. 



" The mocking-bird measures nine and a half inches in 

 length ; at an expanse of wings thirteen inches. The upper 

 part of the head, neck, and back, dark brownish-ash. "Wings 

 and tail nearly black ; primaries as described above ; first 

 and second row of coverts tipped with white. Tail cunei- 

 form ; the two outer feathers wholly white; the others, ex- 

 cept the middle ones, tipped with white. Neck, breast, and 

 whole under parts clouded white. Iris of a yellowish-cream 

 color. Bill black ; base of the lower mandible whitish. 

 Legs and feet black, and stoutly formed." 



The mocking-bird is subject to diseases peculiar to its 

 variety, which may be described as follows : 



Diarrhoea, or looseness of the bowels, is often produced 

 by improper diet, by allowing their food to sour in the cage. 

 Meal-worms, spiders, grasshoppers, and dried currants will 

 often relieve. 



Blindness. — For this there is no remedy. Whenever it 

 occurs it must necessarily prove fatal ; for with it is asso- 

 ciated disease of the brain, through the medium of which 

 the optic nerve is affected. 



Baldness, or the dropping of the head feathers, usually 

 commences around the eyes, and is generally fatal. 



Symptoms. — Continued restlessness, and rubbing of the 

 parts on the perch or cage. 



Treatment. — Flowers of sulphur, rubbed up with a little 

 water to the consistence of paste, and applied twice per day 

 to the afl'ected parts, will allay the itching, and may com- 

 pletely check the disease if early applied. 



Pip. — If they refuse to eat, examine their tongue care- 

 fully, and you will discover a horny scale upon the end of 

 the tongue, which should be removed ; if allowed to remain 

 it will be at the sacrifice of the life of the bird. 



James S. Bailey, M.D. 



Albany, N. Y. 



8@f A. D. Warren, Worcester, Mass., had, on exhibition 

 at the Buffalo show, just closed, two coops of his recently 

 imported Golden Chinese Pheasants. They were quite an 

 attractive feature of the show. 



EXHIBITION OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA 

 POULTRY SOCIETY. 



The number of entries at this exhibition was not as large 

 this year as last, but the fowls were better than at any pre- 

 vious show. 



The largest contributors were A. A. Miller, who showed 

 forty coops ; C. B. Elben, twenty-three ; S. H. Cook, twenty; 

 and Joseph Bamford, fourteen. Mr. Miller took 34 society 

 and special premiums; Mr. Elben, 19; Mr. Cook, 16; and 

 Mr. Bamford, 14. 



The show of Dark Brahmas, was much better than that 

 of last year. The Dark Cock which took 2d this year, is 

 the same one that took 1st and special last year. 



D. J. Rogers, of Mansfield, Pa. , exhibited eight beautiful 

 pullets, which had been carefully selected from the H. H. 

 G. Sharpless yards. Mr. Miller, of Oakdale, Pa., also ex- 

 hibited three pullets and two hens from the same yards, 

 which were very fine indeed. These two gentlemen also 

 showed some very finely marked cockerels, but they were 

 quite young, and not sufficiently develoj^ed to show to best 

 advantage. A pair of hens shown by S. H. Cook, were well 

 matched and finely penciled. 



The display of 



LIGHT BEAHMAS 

 was quite large and very good. C. B. Elben, exhibited a 

 cock whose pedigree runs directly back to the yards of Mr. 

 Felch. He is a very fine bird, combining large size with 

 compact form, and with medium length of leg. 



The 2d premium cock was lately purchased by Mr. Gregg, . 

 from P. Williams, and is a good sample of Mr. Williams' 

 breeding stock. While both styles have their admirers, we 

 confess to a decided preference for the former, as coming 

 nearer to what the Brahma fowl ought to be. 



While the show of chicks was very good, and some fine 

 birds were exhibited, yet they were almost without excep- 

 tion, to our mind, too long in the legs, and lacking in com- 

 pactness of form. In 



BUFE COCHINS, 

 the number of entries was not large. The principal exhib- 

 itors in this class were Joseph Bamford and A. A. Miller. 

 Two cocks exhibited by A. A. Miller, and recently pur- 

 chased by him of Jos. M. Wade, Esq., were fine in form and 

 carriage, even in color throughout, and of that shade of col- 

 oring most prized by Cochin fanciers. 



A cock shown by Jos. Bamford, was also very fizie, but 

 was more loose in the feathering, and, to our fancy, in- 

 ferior in color ; and while appearing very much larger than 

 either of the two above mentioned, was found to be of exactly 

 the same weight as one of them. Both of these exhibitors 

 showed some excellent hens and chicks of this variety. 



PARTRIDGE COCHINS 

 were pretty well represented as to number, and were fair in 

 quality. Many of the birds were rather young for first- 

 class exhibition birds. There was but one trio each of 

 Black and White Cochins ; these however were very fine. 



THE DORKING CLASS 

 was not very largely represented, though the specimens 

 were quite good. 



C. B. Elben, J. Dyer, and others, made a good display of 

 American Dominiques. This class is evidently growing in 

 favor, and promises in the future to attract a larger share 

 of attention than it has hitherto done. 



