November 14, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
or some one exhibitor shines above others. Then there is new 
interest in every meeting. The general arrangement has been 
much upset this year by the great American Circus, which ocecu- 
pies the central transept, and practically through all the afternoon 
cuts the Palace into two parts. We were much vexed at the 
prospect of this, but must confess that the anticipation was worse 
than the reality. Of course the effect as a whole is not so good, 
still everything has been done to make the best of the circum- 
stances. The poultry are in the western half of the building and 
stretch right to the end among the ferns and water, the Pigeons 
in the east extend into the tropical department. 
Dorkings, of course, hold their old position. The Dark variety 
number ninety-five in four classes. The old cocks do not please 
us ; long stilty legs seem in favour—a great change from the 
traditional Dorking type. First certainly is an immense bird, but 
he has these prevailing faults ; second would be a good bird if 
3 inches could be cut out of his legs ; third seemed unaccountable ; 
the bird has a comb entirely lopping over and yery crooked toes. 
Very highly commended is a stout, short-legged, old-fashioned 
Dorking. ‘he hen class is far better than that for cocks. First 
Mr. Parlett’s beautiful old hen, which won the cup two years ago ; 
we know no hen like her, and her comb looks as fresh as that of 
a pullet. Second short-legged ; a large and true Dorking, mode- 
rately dark in colour. Third very fine too, lighter in colour. 
Fourth white in feet with crooked toes. Ireland produces the 
three first cockerels. The Messrs. Smyth show some fresh wonders. 
First is an enormous bird not over-good incomb. Second belongs 
to the same exhibitor; he is good in colour, comb, and form, but 
his feet are too dark. Third is leggy with a very bad comb, fourth 
stilty with swollen toes, fifth a young and very good bird. Among 
the rest we specially liked Mr. Taylor’s very highly commended 
bird and Mr. Lingwood’s unnoticed one ; 39 (Caws), 41 (Lingwood), 
49 (Peel), and 51 (Barker) are all good. Pullets are a nice class, 
in most respects better than the cockerels—but, oh! the first 
award ! the most antique-looking pullet we ever saw; large in- 
deed, but in the opinion of every Dorking judge we could find not 
a bird of 1878. When will judges cease to encourage the exhibi- 
tion of such birds, which for their utter want of condition ought 
to be passed over? While we write it 1s still sub judice whether 
a protest shall be made or not. Second a good all-round bird. 
Third in nice condition, white in feet ; we think we saw her at 
the Dairy Show. Fourth large, but a little rusty in colour, very 
white in feet. Fifth a bird rich in colour and bright in head, 
but with a sixth toe on one foot. Mr. Taylor’s and Mr. Burnell’s 
very highly commendeds both good. Silver-Greys.—First-and- 
cup in cocks is a noble short-legged Dorking. His neck hackle is 
hardly quite grown, when it is full he will be a very perfect bird. 
Second a fresh-looking cock ; third very fair, white in lobes. 
In hens Mr. Burnell is again first with his splendid square hen; 
second also very large, not quite so good in feet ; third small, but 
nice allround. Incockerels an upstanding round-breasted bird is 
first-and-cup, the son, we believe, of. the cup cock ; he, too, will 
look better in a fortnight with a fuller hackle. Second a good 
cockerel, wanting the breast of the cup bird ; third fair, but weedy. 
The first pullet is not remarkable save for colour ; second an 
old-fashioned bird very short on leg. We liked 139 (Burnell), 
highly commended. Cuckoos arestationary. First a well-shaped 
and dark pair, the cock, perhaps, a little rusty in colour; second 
dark again, the cock too dark in feet and bad in toes ; third very 
pretty in comb and in good condition, the cock rather light in 
colour. White.—THe cup for Cuckoos or White goes to the first 
White cock, we fancy the largest bird of the breed we have ever 
seen ; he might be shorter on the leg. Second a very pretty very 
white cock ; third well shaped and not very large. First in hens 
the fine old cup-winner of many past years, second a good square 
hen, third nearly as good. The rest of the class are not up to the 
winners. The five-guinea Selling class brings out but a moderate 
lot as usual. 
Since we put down the above notes a formal protest has been 
lodged against Mr. J. Walker’s cup Dark Dorking pullet to which 
we alluded, and has been sustained on the ground that she is an 
old hen ; the pen is therefore disqualified. 
Cochins.—The first Buff cock is a well shaped bird even in 
colour, with wonderful foot-feathering, not quite through the 
moult ; second a fresh bird in good condition, with rather more 
black in tail than we like ; third of a really buff hue, smaller in 
comb than we admire. Among the rest of the class we saw little that 
took our fancy. Hens are a magnificent class. The two first are 
about the finest pair we ever saw, with little to choose between 
them. Third good, but not up to the feathering of the others. 
No less than seven pens were very highly commended. We greatly 
admired the form of Mr. Darby’s, though she is a little too pale. 
The first cockerel is a square bird of the old-fashioned type of 
Cochin, which we much like; his tail is dark. Second is also 
capital in shape, heavily feathered, and of arich yellow. Thirda 
very pale bird; we thought his wing a little loose, but we may 
have been mistaken. Fourth very large, with wondrous feather- 
ing. We have scarcely if ever seen such a splendidly feathered 
collection of Cochins as Mr. Procter’s; this bird is, perhaps. a 
little ungainly, or he must have been placed high. We liked 233, 
highly commended (Darby), a large dark bird, and 235 (Lingwood). 
The cup pullet is a canary Buff, of pretty shape, but not very 
large ; second much hocked, short-backed, and like all her owner’s 
birds in foot-feathering ; third a good bird rich in colour ; fourth 
very large, failing a little in colour or she must have been higher. 
278 (Mrs. Steven) would be a valuable bird but for some ticking 
in neck hackle. Taken all round the Buff classes were very re- 
markable and well filled. Partridge were not quite so numerous. 
The first cock is not quite through the moult, but a capital bird, 
specially in feathering; second good, but longer in tail; third 
much smaller, but well shaped and in fair condition. The first 
hen is a splendid bird all round ; second clear in pencilling, but a 
little short of feather and narrower ; third a big bird with too 
much comb. If we mistake not we have seen some of Captain 
Heaton’s team in another name this season. The first cockerel is 
a model in shape, good in colour, but not large ; second young- 
looking and massive; third too big in comb, but very bright in 
colour, which we think a great point and one rather too little 
thought of at present. First pullet is splendidly pencilled, but 
has some tail ; second good in shape, with very clear but rather 
heavy pencilling ; third in some ways a falling-off from the first 
and second, buta goodall-round pullet. Mr. Darby’s wonderful old 
White cock bird is again to the fore, looking a little past his prime 
and hardly through the moult, still his white is glistening and 
such as we know in no other bird ; second must have been near 
him, a very fine bird in shape and in capital condition, though the 
least yellow ; third fine too. The first hen is well ahead and in 
capital condition ; secona an old friend, small, but beautiful in 
form ; third a model of shape, but a little rough from the moult. 
The first cockerel is the Oxford winner, now a httle more yellow. 
We believe that a protest was lodged against this bird, but not 
sustained, though not pronounced frivolous. Second a short- 
legged bird, good in shape, colour, ard feather; third a fine 
cockerel, a little longer on leg than we like. The first pullet (to 
use an hibernicism) wasanoldhen. A protest was lodged against 
the award and sustained, but the card of disqualification was sub- 
sequently removed and one substituted to the effect that the bird 
was exhibited by mistake in a wrong class. We hope to hear 
some further explanation of this explanation. Second a pretty 
very white pullet; third a well-shaped hocked bird, but a little 
yellow. Time failed us to examine the Blacks and Cuckoos satis- 
factorily, so we must leave them till next week. 
Dark Brahmas.— Old cocks are a good class, numbering ~ 
eighteen. First is a grand hocked bird heavily feathered. He 
will look much better in a few weeks’ time, being hardly through 
moulting yet. Second is a large bird, rather coarse in head, 
with a tendency to squirrel tail. We thought he might have 
given place to the third-prize bird, which, though in poor condi- 
tion, looked the better of the two. Lady Gwydyv’s very highly 
commended is another good one out" of condition. The cup hen 
is a beautifully marked bird, and good in shape and feather, but 
we did not like her comb. Second and third are well-made 
birds, good in marking but not so well feathered as they might be. 
Miss Shuter’s highly commended pair are both of a good sort, 
densely marked, and look likely to breed good cockerels. We 
noticed many hens in this class have combs which are very nearly 
single, a fault which greatly spoils the appearance of the head. 
Cockerels muster thirty-four pens, which we did not think up 
to the average of the last few years. The cup went to a well- 
made hocked bird with the best comb in the whole class. Second 
is a wide bird also hocked, asin fact are most of the winners 
in the Brahma classes. This one would probably have taken first 
had he not had crooked middle toes. Third and fourth are 
both fair birds, rather loose in comb. The fifth-prize bird will 
look better in a few weeks, having hardly yet got his hackle. 
Miss Shuter’s very highly commended pen is very good, and we 
thought 518 (Harle) might have been mentioned. The class for 
mottled-breasted cockerels is poor. The first is a fair bird, 
and so is the fourth, but we did’ not like either second or third. 
Pullets are a large class (53), and there are many very good 
birds. The cup was awarded to a beautifully marked one with a 
most perfect head. She might have had a little more leg-feather 
with adyantage. Second and third are both well-marked birds, 
good in shape and feather. Fourth is a densely marked pullet. 
and Miss Hunter’s other pens are of the same character, 597 
(Peake) is also a very well-marked one, though failing a little 
on cushion. 
Light Brahma cocks are a small but very good class. First 
is a grand old bird, good in colour and very heavily feathered ; 
second is a well-known winner; third is a good bird, but rather 
wanting in chest. 633, unnoticed, was the cup cockerel in 1875, 
and we think fully deserved a very highly commended. The cup 
hen failed a little in colour, but is otherwise very good. The 
second and third awards would haye been better reversed, as the 
latter is much the larger of the two, and nearly equal in other 
points. Fourth isa good bird but rather out of condition. The 
cup cockerel is a splendid bird, with hardly a fault; second 
we thought a great mistake, he is hollow-chested, grey on fluff, 
and very leggy; third is a much better bird, but rather poor in 
condition, and not as well shown as Mr. Lingwood’s birds usually 
