December 7, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



497 



think we mentioned at the Palace. Third Mr. Boissier's glisten- 

 ing "White bird. Dr. Snell showed a cockerel in this class 

 suffering severely from the "new disease;" the bird was very 

 properly sent home with some of his companions on the second 

 day of the Show. We only trust that the complaint may not be 

 disseminated from him, and earnestly hope that exhibitors will 

 not risk causing irreparable loss to their neighbours by sending 

 birds about in such a state. The first White hen was magnifi- 

 cent, the cup bird twice at the Palace and at many other places. 

 Second a poor little bird without proper development of the 

 fifth toe. Third a fine hen, but with one foot somewhat 

 crippled. We should certainly have put Mr. Boissier's highly 

 commended bird second. 73 (Haynes) a fine pullet but yellow. 



Brahmas. — Dark. — Mr. Lingwood's Palace cup bird was again 

 to the fore ; his head is one of the smallest and most beautiful 

 we ever saw. Second a very nice bird with good orange legs ; 

 his comb is a little too high behind, his breast minutely and 

 prettily ticked with white. Third too large in tail, otherwise a 

 very good bird. Fourth hardly equal to the first three, still a 

 nice bird ; he does not rise quite enough towards the tail. Mr. 

 Hamilton seems likely to become as great in Brahmas as in 

 Dorkings. We thought 296 (Pritchard) the next best to the 

 prize birds. The class was not good throughout. First-and-cup 

 in pullets was the Palace cup bird, which we have before 

 described. Second a Silver-Grey bird with small and delicate 

 breast-pencilling, much to our fancy, though a little white to- 

 wards the throat; her shape is nice. Third well marked all 

 over, specially on the back. Fourth poor in leg-feathering; 

 hardly Mr. Lingwood's type of bird; her pencilling clear all 

 over, though rather blunt. The old birds were better than the 

 young, and in better condition. The first cock was in strikingly 

 blooming trim for an adult; the gloss on his wings and tail was 

 wonderful ; he is black-breasted, hocked, and moderatelymarked 

 in hackle. Second not in good condition, fine in shape and 

 foot-feathering, with densely striped hackle and much white in 

 tail. Third a true Lingwood type of cock ; we think his con- 

 dition should have placed him second. Hens were a capital 

 class. First was as perfect a bird in the whole of her markings, 

 especially on the back and cushion, as possible ; she is a little 

 deficient in size and leg-feathering. Second a large and well- 

 pencilled bird, hocked, and a little browner than the first. 

 Third not quite so massive or heavily feathered as the second. 

 340 (Lingwood) a very fine heavily feathered hen. There was 

 hardly a bad -bird in the class. Light were by no means equal 

 or nearly equal to the Crystal Palace classes, though many 

 capital birds were shown. The first cockerel was very good in 

 style, his head and comb neat, neck-marking clear, but perhaps 

 a little too much pencilling on saddle. Second we think the 

 Cirencester winner, very good in shape, a little long in tail. 

 Third fine in breadth and cushion ; he is too long in shank, and 

 his comb rather high at the back. Fourth a very pretty bird, 

 too dark on the back, but when he stands well up his neck hackle 

 covers this. 352 (Miss Borrow) good, comb a little coarse. 

 359 (Lady Dartmouth) good in colour and breadth. Pullets. — 

 The first winner is not large, but very good in colour, form, and 

 hackle; her tail feathers beautifully laced. Second a finely 

 grown well-feathered pullet with beautiful neck hackle. Third 

 very large, a little gawky. Fourth as pretty a bird in style and 

 shape as any in the class, but deficient in hackle-marking. Mrs. 

 Crook's very highly commended bird nice but creamy, other- 

 wise she must have been in the prize list. 383 (Mrs. Bain) 

 another good bird; 393 (WatBon) nice in Bhape but tinged; 394 

 (Dean) small butpretty ; 395 (Horsfall) very good, and we thought 

 worthy of at least a " very highly commended ;" 399 (Mrs. Wol- 

 locombe) the largest bird in the class, but very like a hen about 

 the head. ThiB class was decidedly a good one. In cocks, first 

 of course was Mr. Horsfall's wonderful old bird. We need not 

 again describe him ; he stands up so well in his pen that he is 

 always seen to the fullest advantage. We fear he is a little in- 

 clined to a yellow tinge. The champion cup was awarded to 

 him, and we thought moBt deservedly. The second cock is a 

 grand bird, if he were a little shorter in leg he would be better. 

 Third, barring hocks and long legs, onr ideal type of bird. His 

 foot-feathering is Bplendid, and if he could only be cut down a 

 little he would be an admirable cock. The very highly com- 

 mended bird was good, but spoilt by a yellow tinge. 409 (Mrs. 

 Drummond) a nice bird. 416 (Mrs. Tindal) broad, but with much 

 sap in the feathers. The first hen was good in shape and every 

 point all round ; her tail was a little lighter than we like, and 

 her size small. Second a much larger hen, but too long in leg; 

 in fact, legginess seems the prevailing fault in Light Brahmas. 

 By some error no award of third prize was announced. Mr. 

 Bloodworth's very highly commended bird was good in shape 

 and feathering, but too creamy in colour. 



Hahburghs were not striking classes, the Golden-pencils and 

 the Blacks being the best. Golden-spangles. — First in cocks a 

 nice bird all round, with good natural comb, not sufficiently 

 marked on wing; he was too timid to Bhow his carriage off in 

 the pen. Second a peculiar bird, good in carriage and very dark 

 in colour, his comb is very narrow for a Spangle ; we observed 



that hiB eyes were a little scurfy. Third a pretty stylish bird, we 

 liked him as much as any in the class. The cup for the best 

 Hamburgh hen went deservedly to the first Golden-spangle ; 

 Bhe is a beautiful bird with most lustrous moons evenly dis- 

 tributed over a rich ground colour. Second another good bird 

 in nice condition, not quite so perfect in spangling. Third fair, 

 with large not very even spangling. The Silver-spangles were 

 not very good. First cock a pretty bird with natural not over- 

 good comb, and earlobes tinged. Second a very moderate speci- 

 men with splashed tail and yellow hackle. Third the best bird 

 in Btyle and form, he had a little too much white in breast, and 

 had apparently once had a comb too heavy on one side which 

 had been " improved." The first hen was pretty with even 

 mooning all over and not too black in general effect. Second 

 another of the same type. Third too blaok with spangles run- 

 ning together. Golden-pencils. — The cup for cocks went to this 

 breed. The winner is very pretty, beautiful in comb and colour 

 and with a nicely edged tail. Second had a nice honest comb ; 

 we do not ourselves like so much contrast as he has between the 

 colour of neck-hackle and saddle. Third a small neat bird, his 

 Bicklea are black with a ourious bronze bar across them. The 

 first hen was good all round and in good condition, her neck- 

 hackle not clear enough. Second out of condition, well barred. 

 Third a fair bird, coarse in pencilling. Silver-pencils were, as 

 everywhere now in the Bouth, poor classes. The first cock very 

 yellow but with nicely laced tail. Second and third very indif- 

 ferent. 541 (Dr. Snell), very unhealthy ; we begged the Secretary 

 to have him removed. The first hen was well marked but poor 

 in comb. Second fairly marked with a clondy hackle. Third 

 nearly white in breast. Blacks were well-filled classes ; cocks 

 numbered seventeen, and nearly every pen was noticed. Hens 

 twelve. It is unfortunate that a breed like this, of which lustre 

 is one of the first points, should not be placed in an upper tier in 

 the best light, especially so in a place like the Drill Hall at 

 Bristol, where there are so many light positions. Such, how- 

 ever, was not the case, and these classes were in a very indiffer- 

 ent light. The first cockerel was a lovely bird all round, and 

 found a purchaser at the auction ; his carriage, comb, and 

 lobes were all perfect, we thought he might be a little more 

 lustrous. Second a very glosBy-green bird. Third a smaller 

 bird, also good in colour. Mr. Serjeantson's very highly com- 

 mended cockerel looked to us a capital one. Of the winning 

 h9ns the first and third were good in shape and lovely in colour. 

 It Btruck ub they would make a good match. Second a nice 

 hen in comb and colour, a little heavy in tail. — C. 



Cochins. — These classes were again on the whole extremely 

 good, the Whites particularly so ; in fact we seldom remember 

 to have seen better, and we hope that thoBe who bo persistently 

 assert that the breed has deteriorated were at Bristol to see 

 for themselves. The Buffs we thought the weakest in quality, 

 while there was an improvement in the Blacks. In Buff cock- 

 erels Mrs. Tindal's Palace bird was again first. His colour is 

 very good, but we do not admire his head, still he was well in 

 his place. The second and third were both fine chickens, but 

 both seemed a little faulty in colour. We liked pen 82 (W. A. 

 Darnell), but his wings were also a little tipped in colour; 77 

 (Mrs. AUsopp) we admired very much. In pullets we did not 

 think the general quality nearly equal to the Palace claES. The 

 first was the largest, but the second the best in colour ; pen 91 

 (Capt. Robin) looked very aged indeed. In old cocks we liked 

 the third best ; he is full in the hocks, but is a wonderfully 

 well-coloured bird, and has peculiar hackle feathers growing 

 among his fluff. Hens were good, the first capital in colour, 

 large, and Bhapely; the second waa also very good; 115 (Percival), 

 was not of good colour, but of admirable shape. In Cochin 

 cockerels we liked the awards ; the first was a fine upstanding 

 bird. In pullets the first-and-cup had a look of age about her 

 head ; she was well marked. Second and third being prettily 

 pencilled, but only fair in size. In adult cocks the first waa 

 good and well feathered ; second was nearly equal to him. In 

 hens the winners were all well pencilled and of good size ; 161 

 (JoneB) we liked very much, as too we did 159 (Pope). White 

 cockerels were capital, the first large, white, and showy; but 

 we preferred the second, which is the first Palace bird; he has 

 much more depth and saddle. Third we did not like ; he was 

 the bird we said was "too Pouter-like" at the Palace, and we 

 still think the Eame. Pullets were admirable, and the winners 

 well selected. Perhaps first and second might have changed 

 places, but they were both good birds. In cocks we liked the 

 Bhape of the first one very much ; the second is the cup Palace 

 bird; the third we also liked perhaps as well as any. Mrs. 

 HolmeB's (202) was a grand bird, and of snowy whiteness. Hens 

 were a wonderful lot. There were half a dozen really good, and 

 we liked 222 (Acton Tindal) better than the second-prize bird ; 

 the latter looked small and tucked up ; 226 (Turner) was very 

 good, but not in feather. In Black cockerels the first was we 

 think the Palace bird, looking capital ; second a wonderfully 

 showy cockerel, .good in colour and symmetry ; third also very 

 showy and good ; 232 (Storer) was much hocked, or else of 

 marvellous colour, and was a bargain to someone at the reduced 



