January 12, 1S71. ] 



JOUKNAIi OF HORTICULTURE AKD COTTAGE GARDENER. 



35 



to the front with a grand cockerel, again bearing out onr remarks on 

 this class at Birmingham. The Becond ancl thirtl-prize birds were 

 little behind, and all the prize birds were remarlvable for the sonnd 

 state of the feet. This remark applies to all the Dorking classes, and 

 ia the more singular when compared with the tender feet seen at all 

 previous shows. Mr. Martin's bird was not sent. 



2. The cnp pen contained the very best pullet we think we ever 

 saw, her companion not so good, but would have looked grand any- 

 where else, and Mr. Patton amused himself and the public by putting 

 £1000 upon this pen. Well, he had a right to be proud of them, 

 though a " cool hundred " used to be thought suihcieut to deter pur- 

 chasers. The second-prize pen was also very good, and Grey, like the 

 first ; third, a fair pen, very dark iu colour, soon claimed at £10. 

 Both these classes were equal to anything seen this year. 



3, 4. Old birds, hardly go good. The first-prize cock was a good 

 bird, a little defective in one foot, but beating easily Mr. Martin's 

 Rose-combed bird, which had evidently had more work than was good 

 for him, though still good enough for the second prize ; third fair. 

 The first-prize hens we thought a mistake ; they were very dark birds, 

 but not so line as the Grey second-prize pen. Third again a dark but 

 small pair, and there seems to us to be an evident tendency in the 

 Judges this year to make Dorkings birds of colour. The highly com- 

 mended pens, 60 and 63, were grand birds, and the hens on the whole 

 were better than the cocks. Except this last class, we thought the 

 Coloured Dorkiugs remarkably well judged. 



5, 6. Silver-Grey cocks were far from equal to those shown at Bir- 

 mingham, or perhaps LondoH, but the prize birds were fair and well 

 placed. In the hens the prize birds were equal to any yet shown, but 

 the rest only moderate. 



7, 8. In "White cocks we thought an unnoticed pen, 93, as good as 

 any. First prize very good ; second very small ; third a lart;e bird, 

 but coarse in comb. The tirst-prize hens very imperfect in the Dorking 

 toes ; second very fair in quality ; bat the third hardly equal to the 

 highly commended pen 99. Both White classes were very moderate 

 in quality. 



COCHINS. 



9. Buff cockerels a fair class, but behind Birmingham. The cnp 

 pen was a very fine bird, in spite of decided faults, and honestly 

 shown ; a little hocked, comb badly serrated, and a little heavy 

 in carriage, but a tine, even, deep gold colour, and shoTvu with all his 

 tail in. Second came a rather clumsy and rather hocked bird, but 

 equal to the average this season ; third also hocked, and with a slipped 

 wing, but fine in colour, also too much tail, but shown with it " all 

 there.'' 



10. The pullets, on the other band, were by far the best class of 

 the season. First-prize rather wanting in shape, and decidedly not 

 equal to the second, which was Lady Gwydyr's old grand pen, and, 

 in spite of a bad match, the best this year. Third pen fine shape, 

 but bad combs, and one a very bad colour on the cushion. The 

 highly commended, 13-i, was a really good pen, but the high com- 

 mendation of 138 must have been meant for 139, the colour being very 

 bad, while 130 was fair in every way. Another good pair was dis- 

 qualified by plucked hocks. 



11. First-prize old cock beautiful colour, large and massive ; 

 second very good, but a trifie clumsy ; third good in colour, but nar- 

 row in the saddle, and wretchedly feathered. A middling class. 



_12. Hens, on the contrary, were a small but very good collection. 

 First a grand pair of light Buffs ; second a medium colour, and only 

 inferior in leg-featliering ; third well feathered, rather darker ; the 

 two highly commended pens also good, and the three prize pens 

 decidedly the best three pens seen together this season. 



13. Partridge cockerels a fair class. First a good colour, but bad 

 in every other point, and very small ; the third-prize bird worth a 

 dozen of him ; but had Mr. Tudmau's highly commended pen 170 

 more leg feather, he would have been better than either, fan 179 

 (unnoticed) also a good bird. Second-prize a moderate bir3, but in 

 first-rate order. Pen 173 appeared to us to be the same as the first at 

 liondon, and was probably passed for his hocks. 



14. First-prize pullets a grand pair in every way ; second bad and 

 streaky, and far worse than Mr. Crossley's, the hocks of which, how- 

 ever, appeared doubtful. Third-prize moderately good in marking, 

 but beautiful in shape, and deserving their place. 



15. 16. The tirst-prize Partridge cock was of very bad carriage, 

 actually drooping to the tail ; second-prize far better, but on the whole 

 we preferred the third-prize bird, though coarse in the head. Pen 201 

 a fine bird, but sadly knocked up, and not fit to show. Of hens there 

 were only four entries. The first took the cup, and was a truly grand 

 pen ; second not far off in quality ; third middling, one bird having 

 a very coarse head ; the fourth pen had one very good bird, but the 

 other spoilt the pen. 



17, 18. First and second White cockerels very good ; third and the 

 rest not up to the mark, and we thought it a poor class, the Judges 

 thinking the same, only one other pen being noticed. Pullets much 

 better, ond the prizes well placed. 



19. The first-prize old White bird was very fine in every way, but a 

 little scaly on the feet ; second-prize very large, but we liked the third 

 better, in spite of a little yeUow. 



20. The White hens were the best class of all the Cochins, or of 

 all the year ; we were truly glad to see the true old shape, the true old 

 colour, and the true old feather back again. Every pen but one was 



mentioned, and the prize pens were simply maenificent. It really sur- 

 prised us to see s^^ch a class after what we had seen at the previous' 

 shows. Wherever have the birds been to iu the meantime ? 



BRAHMAS. 



21. The Dark cockerels were a remarkable collection of forty-five 

 entries. Blr. Moor repeated his Palace success with a bird rather 

 small and low in saddle, but of excellent colour and general shape ; 

 second-prize a bird never before exhibited, quite different from the 

 ordinary type of Brahma, standing very tall, and with hardly the 

 accepted tail, but of extraordinary symmetry and grace for so large 

 a bird ; the second-prize Birmingham bird came third, the Birming- 

 ham cup and many other well-known winners being only highly com- 

 mended. Altogether the quality of this class was beyond anytlnng v:& 

 have ever seen. 



22. Pullets not so good, but better than at any previous show this 

 season. First-prize, large bird, of fine dark colour, and in good con- 

 dition, but bad shape, coarse in the head, and mossy in pencilling ; 

 second a good pair, one very heavily hocked, but not plucked ; third 

 very poor, both in shape and marking, and much worse than several 

 other pens. Pen 322 we thought the best iu the class, though only 

 highly commended. Besides the prizes, thirteen pens were noticed by 

 the Judges. 



23. The cup was taken by Mrs. Hart's first-prize cock claimed ai 

 Birmingham, which won also at London and Manchester, and iu spite- 

 of his white tail we thought him well placed ; the second was ia 

 wretchedly bad condition ; thii'd very fine, being the same as took second 

 at Birmingham. 



24:. The cup was taken by the first-prize Birmingham pen, though 

 only highly commended at Manchester tbe week before ; such is thes. 

 uncertainty of judf^ing. We liked the second best of all, being grand 

 iu shape, but 'n:: bird had a tumour on the breast; third a fair pen- 

 This class was very middling. 



25, 26, 27, 2S. The Light Brahmas were at this Show far behind 

 the Dark in quality. The first and second cockerels were first and 

 second at Birmingham, both small, but of beautiful shape. Tha 

 first-prize pullets were Mr. Crook's well-known pen ; second dirty, but 

 very good ; the third contained one very good bird, but the other poor, 

 The cocks looked mostly out of condition. First a fine massive bird 

 of beautiful colour, but very coarse in the head ; second very good 

 indeed ; third wanting in colour, and very yellow. First-prize bona 

 hardly equal to second, though more showy. 

 SPANISH. 



29. The cockerels were a grand class, and far surpassed all pre- 

 vious collections, though not equal to what we expected owing to the 

 weather. The cup and second were correctly judged, though the cup^ 

 bird went " all to pieces " next day, which occasioned many remarks 

 on the judging by those who had not seen the cup bird as he was ; th& 

 third-prize was wry-tailed, which should have disqualified him. The 

 cup Palace pen arrived in bad condition, and was passed over, hut 

 jticked up wonderfully during the Show. Many other birds were very 

 good. 



30. Spanish pullets were a very hard class to judge. On the whole, 

 in spite of much discussion, we thought the awards well placed, but 

 the sis highly-commendeds by no means represented the full merit of 

 the class, which was really wonderful. This was partly owing to the 

 ungalvanised wire fronts of the pens being rather injudiciously oiled, 

 and several of the birds poking their fair heads between the bars paid 

 the penalty of feminine curiosity by showing stains which did not 

 really belong to them. 



31. 32. Old cocks were not up to the Bristol standard, owing to the 

 severe weather, only one pen besides the prize hens being commended 

 in a class of eleven. Hens were a small class of six. The first-prize 

 took the cup and were magnificent, the second being not a long way 

 behind ; the third only of fair average quality. 



FRENCH FOWLS. 

 33, 34. There was not a pingle La Flccbe cock in the French class, 

 and only one pair of hens, which took the third prize and deserved it. 

 The first and third-prize cocks were Creve-Cceurs, and we thought tho 

 third best. The second was a Houdan, and in his nght place. The 

 first-prize hens were also Creve-Cceurs, and the second Houdans. 

 These classes were not of remarkable merit, and, with perhaps tho 

 exception named, weie certainly well judged. 



HAMBURGHS. 



35, 36. Nearly all the Hamburgh classes were a treat to inspect. 

 Gold-spangled were very thickly commended, and deservedly so. The 

 cocks were well placed. We remarked with regret in this class several 

 combs which had evidently bad the razor across them. In hens, the 

 first were very neat and almost too dark on the breast, but it must be 

 considered they were shown genuine. Second beautifully marked, but 

 not a perfect match. Third middling in quality, but shown in splendid 

 condition. 



37, 38. As a class, the Silver-spangled were not equal to the Gold", 

 thouf^h in both classes the cups went to this breed. Cnp cock a beauti- 

 ful tail and breast, but not perfect in bars. Second a little clouded in 

 tail, but a good bird ; still, in every point, we thought him inferior to- 

 the third. The one highly-commended bird was also very good. The 

 prize hens were all good, and Mr. Howe's highly-commended pen, 

 616, was weU worthy an extra prize. 



39, 40. The cup Gold-pencilled cock was a beautiful bird, with the 



