M»y 16, 18U. ] 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICULTtJEB AND OOTTAaE GAEDENEK. 



389 



like animals than birds. They seem philosophically to say, 

 " We will take life easily whatever happens." When my 

 dog for the first time entered with me, there was not the 

 cackle and strut of other fowls, rather " We should like to 

 be alarmed, but it is not worth while thus to disturb our- 

 selves." A Cochin cock seems to possess (supposing I 

 believed in the transmigration of souls), the spirit of some 

 easy, fat, good-natured fellow. I am sure if Cochins were 

 the only inhabitants of Canada, or people Cochin-like, they 

 would quietly give it up at once to the Yankees. Will 

 Waddle is a good easy soul ; if a man he would enjoy nothing 

 so much as sitting in the sun and smoking a long pipe 

 (short pipes imply fidgettiness). He acts upon the motto, 

 "I win not plague myself about trifles, nor meet trouble 

 half way." Wise bird ! May I ever be like him. 



A word in regard to the appearance of Cochins generally. 

 Most persons on first seeing them exclaim, " How ugly ! " 

 But we should remember there are two kinds of taste — the 

 taste natural, and the taste acquii'ed. A child seeing Ham- 

 burghs would at once admire them — this is the taste natural 

 — just as all children like water, but have to acquire the taste 

 for beer. But the taste for Cochins has to be acquired. 

 Granted, but this rather adds to the pleasure when acquired, 

 and it is worth acquiring I assure you, good readers. The 

 hen Cochin I hold to be handsomer than the cock. This is 

 singular, as throughout creation (save, ladies, in the case of 

 yourselves), the male is the better-looking of the two — e. </., 

 among beasts, the lion ; among birds, the Pheasant ; and 

 in poultry, the Cochin cock is the only exception. I like 

 the head of the hen, so sagacious-looking and gentle, not a 

 bit bold. I like to watch her just stepping out, her intelli- 

 gent-looking head in a listening attitude. The colour of my 

 Cochins is light buff. I should like to have the subject of 

 colour in these birds debated, as the earlier-imported ones 

 are said to have been dark, and I am a stickler "for original 

 colour in fowls and Pigeons, as being the purest ; though 

 no wonder that a colour so novel and unique in fowls as buff 

 in its many shades should have been so much sought after. 

 The cock Cochin looks best, I fancy, when he is eating ; you 

 see then his width of back, and the beautiful tints of his 

 plumage. I find, though my birds have a grass run, that, j 

 save in damp and mild weather, they make but little use of | 

 it; so unlike energetic Game fowls, who would daily be 

 round and round the four acres. As to laying, we all know 

 their marvellous powers. I have had forty eggs in forty days. 



that spacious apartments are provided for their accommoda- 

 tion at Hereford. This further extension of liberality on 

 the part of the Society was only agreed to at their last 

 meeting, and though late in the day it is — ^Neveb too Late 

 TO Mend. 



A CRY FOE SYMPATHY. 

 A FEW weeks since " Y. B. A. Z.," or the "Persian" gen- 

 tleman, expressed his opinion that exhibitors ought to have a 

 little more courtesy shown them. As this fact was indelibly 

 impressed on my own mind, I fully expected that some of 

 your numerous correspondents would echo his sentiments 

 and go more fully into the matter, but have looked in vain 

 for any further remarks on the subject. Since adopting 

 poultry as a hobby my experiences have been painful in the 

 extreme. First, I was foolish enough to suppose that as an 

 exhibitor of a pen of poultry I was entitled to free admission, 

 the same as if I exhibited a fat cow, but I found I must pay 

 my half-crown- like the ordinary public. As I find the 

 poultry generally the most attractive part of a show, and veiy 

 few exhibitors send less than three or four pens, I cannot 

 see the justice of this. On one occasion I had a pen of fowls 

 mis-sent, and did not receive them until nearly a week 

 after the show was over, and had to pay something con- 

 siderable for carriage. On sending the bUl to the Secretary 

 of the show, stating that as the mistake was owing to no 

 fault of mine, I thought the Committee should pay the extra 

 carriage, I did not get even the courtesy of a reply. This 

 recalls to my mind going some sixty miles to London ex- 

 pressly to see a poultry show at the Agricultural Hall, 

 Islington, held in tlie minor haU at the same time as the 

 dog show. I found that to see the poultry I must pay 5s. to go 

 through the dog show, as there was no other way to see the 

 poultry. Truly, thought I, no wonder they manage better 

 for poultry in France. — Black Spanish. 



'See, another egg, George!" "Yes, sir, they be the best 

 yowls you ever had, and mind you keep 'um." Can we not 

 improve their shape for the table and also their flavour ? 

 One friend tells me he always has his Cochins jugged like 

 bare, and that so cooked they are excellent. The flavour of 

 the eggs I think very superior, and tlie grass (they came 

 from a town), has improved their colour inside and out. The 

 mistress likes them, the cook gets hold of them when she 

 can; but as yet they appear chiefly on the breakfast- table. 

 Improve the shape and taste, what fowl could eclipse them ? 

 Sui'cly these are the birds for those to keen who mourn over 

 the number of eggs sent from abroad, and who have little 

 room. Thus I have in all good faith detailed the reason 

 I have taken to Cochins, and my experience with them. 



WiLTSHIBE EeCTOB. 



YEW TEEES POISONOUS TO DUCKS. 

 We were made a present of some fine Aylesbury Ducks last 

 year, and one by one they aU got swelled crops and died. 

 The person who had the care of them had the last one 

 opened, and found a hard ball of yew leaves collected in the 

 gizzard, which prevented all food passing, and was evidently 

 the cause of its death. There were yew trees hanging over 

 the wall of the yard, just over the water where the Ducks 

 drank, and the leaves falling into the water were swallowed 

 by them, and caused the misfortune. It shows there can- 

 not be too much caution used about these dangerous trees, 

 as theu: leaves falling into water may afi'ect animals as well 

 as birds.— (H. C, Kingsfort, in Irish Farmer's Qaxette.) 



Exhibition Pens foe Titekets. — ^AUow me to announce, 

 for the comfort of any Turkeys who may have suffered from 

 past imprisonmente at the Bath and West of England Shows, 



PIGEONS AND EOOKS. 



I MUST really beg to differ from our friend " Wiltshire 

 Eeotob" as to his opinion respecting the above, expressed 

 in his letter in No. 214. I have on many occasions known 

 Pigeons forsake their abode when they have been placed near 

 a rookery, although their house has been situated in a most 

 comfortable and sheltered spot where neither cat nor rat 

 could possibly have access to disturb them, and it has been 

 attributed solely, and I believe on good grounds, to the 

 proximity of the rookery. I do not for a moment mean to 

 throw a doubt on "Wiltshire ItECTOE's" word as to his 

 having kept Pigeons at his own house near a rookery, as 

 there are always exceptions to every rule, but I think that 

 in most cases it will be found that Pigeons have a decided 

 dislike to rooks. 



Our friend "Wiltshiee Kectob" again remarks that 

 Pigeons will not stay in houses that are placed on the top 

 of a pole. Now, in the southern part of England at various 

 places, and particularly at farms, we often see Pigeons with 

 such a house, and that they breed and live well there. A 

 friend of mine keeps about twenty-five in a simQar house, 

 and they do extremely well and are very healthy. I think 

 " Wiltshiee Eectok" must allow that if these houses are 

 built well, with roomy compartments, his fears of cats, rats, 

 and draughts may be altogether dispelled ; in fact, I am 

 rather partial to these houses, and I think that if any reader 

 is desirous of having one, and have it made, as I suggest, 

 with roomy compartments, he will find that Pigeons stop 

 and thrive very well in them. — Hambuboh. 



WILD EOEEST FOWLS OF ENGLAND 

 Aee very little known to the public, but they have been 

 kept for a century in a very remote part of the county of 

 Somerset, adjoining that extensive tract of land known as 

 Exmoor Forest, sheltered by an old ruin, and I may say 

 almost unacquainted with man, except the shepherd. 



These little fowls weigh 5 lbs. or thereabouts; carriage 

 rather low, somewhat resembling the Partridge ; body very 

 round and plump; rose comb, round wattles, and red ear- " 

 lobes; colour pale blue with a shade of achre; male and 



