18 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 6, 1876. 



first cock was very good, but the hen dark in eyes; second and 

 third better hens, but cocks odd-eyed. Brown Reds very good, 

 first and cup going to a perfect pair in fine order. Any other 

 variety were all Piles. First the best cock we have ever seen ; 

 the hen was pale in leg, but these left no chance for any other. 

 Second a fair pen; but third bad — old-fashioned with blotched 

 legs and feet, but the only pen available. Silver- Grey Dorkings 

 very good, as also Dark; the second largest, but cock lop-combed 

 The cup for the Hamburghs and larger varieties was given to 

 Spanish, these being uncommonly good. In Cochins Buffs 

 were first, Whites Becond, and Partridge third. Brahmas, 

 Light, no third was given, but the two winners were fair pens. 

 Dark very good. Hamburglis, Silver-spangles were good in 

 most cases ; the second-prize pen better in some respects than 

 the third, but cock a little tilted in comb. Others very good, 

 especially the first Silver-pencils. Bantams, Red, a large class. 

 First-and-cup a grand pen of Black Reds ; second Brown Reds, 

 very good in colour ; third old Black Reds, but the hen faded. 

 In the Variety class was one very good pair of Piles ; second of 

 that colour were stylish; third Duckwings, a little faded. Greve- 

 Cceurs and chickens a failure. In Backs only the variety of any 

 note, and some of the money previously withheld was awarded 

 extra here. Turkeys were a grand class. 



Pigeons were very badly provided for, and were shown in 

 pairs, though the winners in each class were such as would come 

 to the surface in more severe competition. 



POULTRY— Gajie.— Cocfc.— 1, H. E. Martin. 2, Holmes & Destner. S, C. W. 

 Brierley. Black-breasted Beds.—l. C. W. Brierley. 2, H. C. & W. J. Maaon. 

 S, J. Maaon. Brown and other Reds, except Black-breasted.— Cap and 3, C. W. 

 Brierley. 2, Sales & Bentley. Duckwings and oilier Greys and Blues.— 1, H. C. 

 and W. J. Mason. 2, Holmea & Deatner. 3, J. A. & H. H. Staveley. Any other 

 variety.— 1, H. 0. & W. J. Mason. 2, J. F. Walker. 3. R. Walker. Dorkings. 

 — Silver-Grey — 1, J. Walker. 2 and 3, W. Roe. Any variety— 1, W. Arkwright. 

 2, J. Walker. S, W. Roe. Spanish— Cup, H. Beldon. 2. J. Powell. 3, W. 

 Rowbottom. Cochins.— 1, J. Walter. 2, H. Beldon. 3, A Bamford. Bkahha3. 

 — Light— 1, J. F. Smith. 2, H. Beldon. Dark— I and 3. T. F. Ansdell. 2, J. F. 

 Smith. Hambubghs.— Silver-spanaled— 1 and 3, H. Beldon. 2, Holmes and 

 Destner. Silver-pencilled— -1, 2, and 3, H. Beldon. Golden-spangled— 1, Holmes 

 and Deatner. 2 and 3, H. Beldon. Polands.— 1 and 2, H. Beldon. Bantams.— 

 Blaclc-breasted and other Reds.— Cup and 2, W. F. EntwiBle. 3, A. S. Sugden. 

 Game, any variety.— I, Bellingham & Gill. 2, W. F. Entwiale. 3, R. Newbitt. 

 Ant Variety.— Chickens.— 1, J. C. & H. Elwis. Guinea Fowls.— 1, F. Clater. 



2, E. Snell. 3, W. H. Garforth. Tubkeys.-1, W. H. Garforth. 2, J. Walker. 



3, G. Mangles, vhc, B. H. Brookabank. Ducks.— Avlesbtir>/.—l. J. Walker. 

 2, W. Stonehonae. Rouen.— 1, J. Walker. 2, W. H. Garforth. Ducks.— Any 

 other variety— I and 2, A. & W. H. Silvester. Extra 1. J. Walker. Geese.— 



1, W. H. Garforth. 2,J. Walker. 3, J. White. Selling Class.-1, J. F.Walton. 



2, P. Powell. S, R. Newbitt. 



PIGEONS— Caehlebs.-I, J. Walker. 2, J. E. Crofta. Jacobins— 1, J. E. 

 Crofts. 2, J. Walker. Antwerps. — 1 and 2, W. F. Entwisle. Any otheb 

 Variety.— 1, J. E. Crofts. 2, J. Walker, A. & W. H. Silvester. 3. J. G. Knowlea. 

 A. & W. H. Silvester, vhc, J. E. Crofta. Fantaii.3. — 1 andv/tc.O.F. Loversidge, 

 2, H. Yardley. Selling Class.— 1 and 2, J. E. Crofta. 



Judge.— Mr. E. Hutton, Pudsey. 



PORTSMOUTH POULTRY AND PIGEON SHOW. 



Pabt 2. 



Having looked through the 417 pens of poultry I next come 

 to the 240 pens of Pigeons. The order in which they are placed 

 in the catalogue is new, but hardly to be approved, for instead 

 of the high-class varieties being put first — viz., Carriers, Pouters, 

 and Tumblers, we have wattled birds of all descriptions, the 

 rule of noBe being the guide, then Tumblers, and last of all — ah ! 

 name it not in Scotland — come Pouters. This is really too bad, 

 for Pouters ought to be first of all rather than last of all. 



Carriers. — Fulton and Maynard carried almost all before them 

 in all colours save in Blues of 1876. An odd-looking mottled 

 bird of Mr. Ord's won in Carriers any other colour. Dragoons, 

 far too much honoured by being placed next to the Carriers 

 (depend upon it the Committee were all long-nosed men !), 

 showed some good birds in all classes, but the Judge was very 

 sparing of his highly commendeds and very highly commendeds. 

 The White class was particularly strong, and I was glad to see 

 it, for a White Dragoon is one of the most elegant of Pigeons, 

 and the two winning White hens were singularly elegant birds. 

 In the Any other colour a good Red cock first, but the second 

 not sound in colour as to tail, that great difficulty. Among the 

 hens of this class a good Yellow of Mr. Baker's first, and Red, 

 sound in tail, second. Cf the Dragoons of 1876 a good Silver 

 second, and a highly commended Chequer. In a Show of 240 

 Pigeons there were over fifty Dragoons. Truly this is a popular 

 class in England, showing, I think, that elegance and a naturally- 

 bred and good flying Pigeon has great attractions ; for the Dra- 

 goon is the naturally-bred Carrier, and I expect in very old days 

 our best heavier Dragoons would have been called Carrieis. 



Tumblers few, but very good. Cocks, a capital Kite of Mr. 

 Baker's second. Hens, a Red Mottle second; a good Almond 

 first. 



Passing by Barbs and Fantails as deserving, I come to the 

 Jacobins. First, a Red of Mr. Baker's, with the sides of the 

 chain quite closing in whatever position the bird stood, and the 

 hood neat and cap-like ; second a Black, also Mr. Baker's, very 

 good, with great length of ohain; third Yellow and good in 

 colour. Nob. 588 and 589 Red, good in colour. All the prize 

 birds were somewhat large, and if they are to have length of 

 feather in chain, &c, they must be large. 



Pouters were not strong in numbers. Baker and Fulton won 

 in cocks. In hens the same owners, and Mrs. Ladd third with 

 an elegant-shaped, but not large-enough cropped bird. 



In Any other variety, cocks, a grand Black Trumpeter first ; 

 in hens Mr. Baker won all, his White Owl being the beBt. 



There was in a permanent building on the ground used, as 

 I imagine, for a Drill Hall in inclement weather, a capital col- 

 lection of English Gage Birds, and as we may well imagine at 

 Portsmouth, a splendid lot of foreign birds. The Canaries 

 almost smelt of pepper, and Goldsmith's line now bears a mean- 

 ing and a signification he never intended — 



11 "Who peppers the highest is surest to please." 



Ecstatic spinsters and dowagers hovered in delight round the 

 cages whether of English or foreign birds, according to their 

 fancy, be that fancy turned to sprightly Norwich, neat Lizard, 

 or high-shouldered Belgians, in the catalogue spelled Belgiums ; 

 indeed, it was the worst-spelt catalogue I ever had in my hand, 

 names of owners spelled incorrectly, and owners' names given to 

 their dogs. Dun spelled " Dunn," Dragoon " Dragon," Coppy 

 printed " Poppy," &c. The printer's reader is clearly no fancier. 



With a parting look at all sorts of foreign birds I go next to 

 the Babbits. First come the strictly fancy animals, the Lops, 

 the best contrasting colours in the front — viz., the Black-and- 

 white. Dear pretty " Bunnies," you carry my mind back to 

 days when I kept you — days when my pockets were distended 

 with marbles and tops. Now men and women delight in Rabbits 

 — yea, as I see, soldiers and ladies. The excellency of the Lops 

 must be apparent, by the fact that a buck (Mrs. Dresing's), with 

 ears 22i inches by 51, got only a very highly commended. 

 Getting away from Lops come the foreign varieties, one a huge 

 giant weighing 16-J- lbs. ; then the small, neat, clean Dutch, and 

 quaker-like Silver-Greys, Belgian Hare, and Himalayas, which 

 look as if they had been indulging largely in taking black snuff. 



In the same tent with the Rabbits are the Gats, thirty-three 

 pens, naturally enough nearly all owned by ladies. No Tor- 

 toiseshell Tom was there, and not more than one female of that 

 colour worthy of the name. Tabbies were better, among them 

 a terrible cat and her three kittens, all of whom were double- 

 jointed and had a hundred claws. Oh, dreadful kittens ! If the 

 little boy in Punch exclaimed with a rueful face of an ordinary 

 kitten after some scratching experiences, " Mamma, has tittens 

 pins in their toes?" what would he have said of you, you 

 dreadful kittens ? Of other and more proper kittens there was a 

 nice entry, among them a Blue Tabby (869), and a Silver Tabby 

 (865), which pleased me greatly. There was, too, another rather 

 dreadful kitten having twenty-six claws — i.e., eight more than 

 it ought to have, and some long-haired Cats always thin from 

 their life-long labour of keeping their long hairs clean, for Puss 

 in health will always be clean at whatever cost of trouble and 

 saliva. 



Next to the Cats come Guinea Pigs. Well, and why not ? 

 they please the boys and girls, and with a prize will be doubly 

 pleasing. Guinea Pigs have got up in the world, and now, like 

 St. Bernard Dogs, boast of two varieties, the rough and the 

 smooth, the former called Abyssinian. They are in colour like 

 the English, rich tortoiseshell, and the growth of their hair is 

 very curious, for not only is it rough, but it grows in a series of 

 rosettes, not very unlike the rose in a Jacobin Pigeon or a 

 "feather" in the coat of a horse. The little animals seem to 

 carry targets on their sides to be shot at, with a prize for who- 

 ever hits the bull's-eye. These little Abyssinians are quaint- 

 looking rather than pretty. 



Across to another and larger tent containing the Dogs. Al- 

 though the attendance, especially at the early part of the day, 

 waB very small, yet such is an Englishman's love for a dog that 

 everyone, I think, found his way into this tent. There were a 

 little over two hundred animals exhibited, and the strength of 

 the Exhibition was in the Newfoundlands, which were indeed 

 well worth seeing. Next to them in excellence were the Blen- 

 heim Spaniels. The Fox Terriera Beem to me to be growing 

 more and more Beagle-like ; and some dogs entered as White 

 English Terriers were simply Bull Terriers. The Wire-haired 

 Terriers were numerous, and No. 1000 was no doubt the real 

 thing; a great Pigeon fancier, strange to say, was his owner 

 (Mr. Maynard), and another great Pigeon exhibitor took first in 

 Black and Tan Terriers (Mr. Fulton). Know a Pigeon know a 

 dog, it seems. 



Specially to be spoken of was the life-saving contest. A dummy 

 sailor was made which at a distance a man even might mistake 

 for another man. This dummy was thrown from a boat moored 

 200 yards from shore, the competing doga were on land, and 

 each in turn let loose when the dummy was thrown overboard. 

 I made the acquaintance of the hero of the firBt day — viz., 

 " Monarch," a black Newfoundland of noble presence, who 

 swam direct to the dummy, seized it, and at once brought it to 

 the shore ; this done in about a minute and a half. This beau- 

 tiful dog is owned by Mr. T. Loader Browne of Chard. He was 

 second at Birmingham when about a year old. He measures 

 21 inches round the head in front of his eyes. On the seoond 

 day a Retriever, I believe, was first and a Newfoundland seoond. 



