138 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ March 9, 1871- 



Now, snpposing all these misfortnnes to he accidental, it is singular 

 (perhaps I am hardly correct in writing this term in my case), hut it 

 is strange, that three cases should occur in the same small yard in 

 three months. Possibly I am now going to touch on somewhat danger- 

 ous ground, but the conclusion is rather forced on me. Firstly, I 

 would suggest to judges that their handling of specimens should be as 

 little as possible, and that in most of the classes it is wholly unneces- 

 sary, i shall probably be hooted at as heterodox ! Well, that will 

 not hurt me, my opinion remains the same; hut allowing that some 

 amount of handling is necessary in awarding the prizes — that being 

 over, all handling ought to cease, except by the owners themselves, or 

 in their presence, or, as a matter of appeal, judicially by the committee. 

 I have, however, seen a judge giving a perfect lecture on the intricacies 

 of a breed to an exhibitor on the day when the exhibition was opened 

 to the public, and taking out bird after bird in a manner which I con- 

 fess I thought at the time too rouf^h, and which with wild birds mii;ht 

 easily produce the annoying accidents alluded to. Secondly, sticks 

 should be left at the doors by visitors. Lastly, I think such acci- 

 dents would often be avoided if all the packing and unpacking of the 

 "b.rds were performed with the light almost excluded from the building. 



I am quite aware that our railway of&cials are not too careful over 

 our specimens. I therefore always send mine in round hampers lined 

 ■carefully. — J. Hi^rrox, Warmhister. 



POULTRY KILLED BY A DOG. 



As the law respecting the destruction of poultry hy dogs 

 does not seem to be generally known, the following may be 

 interesting to many of your readers : — 



" The general rule of law is that the owner of a dog is not 

 liable for any injury committed by it to the person or to personal 

 property, unless it can be shown that he previously had notice 

 ■of the animal's mischievous propensity, or that the accident 

 was attributable to some other neglect on his part." Fowls 

 being personal property, it follows that a dog may enter a 

 poultry-yard, and destroy any number of valuable fowls, and 

 the owner of the fowls is without remedy against the owner of 

 the dog, unless he can prove that the miscliievous propensity 

 of the dog was known to its owner, or that the latter has been 

 guilty of some neglect. 



Dogs chasing conies in a warren, game in a preserve, deer in 

 a park, sheep in a fold, or fowls in a poultry-yard may be 

 killed whilst in hot pursuit, but not afterwards. 



A case, which clearly shows the injustice of this state of the 

 law, was recently tried in the County Court at Stockton-on-Tees. 

 A pointer dog, whilst being used in sporting, ran away from its 

 master into a neighbouring town, where it roved about for 

 some days. At length, being hungry, or from some other cause, 

 it efiected an entrance into a poultry-yard, and destroyed four 

 very valuable Cochin fowls. The owner of the property sued 

 the owner of the dog, and tried to show that the latter had 

 been guilty of negligence in losing his dog, and allowing it to 

 range about a town so long without food. The .Judge, however, 

 held that losing a dog was not such negligence as would render 

 the owner liable, and nonsuited the plaintiff, with costs. — * 



[We incline to the opinion that if the plantiff had sued for 

 ihe dog's trespass he might have recovered. — Eds.] 



BIRMINGHAM FLYING MUFFED TUMBLERS. 



I THINK that I can solve the mystery of the origin of these 

 Tumblers, professed by the Birmingham fanciers, or flyers of 

 these Pigeons, to be unknown to them. 



My conjecture is that the common Antwerp Pigeon, not the 

 Antwerp Carrier, a grizzled or strawberry-feathered bird with 

 pearl eyes and not unlike the Tumbler in form, is one ancestor 

 in a cross with the European Tumbler as the other ancestor of 

 these Pigeons, and improved by another and third ancestrnl 

 cross with the English Tumbler for symmetrical specimens. 

 Thus we have the Antwerp's powers of flight (notorious), the 

 mufJed leg of the European Tumbler, and the symmetry of the 

 English Tumbler, more or less developed in these Birmingham 

 Tumbler Pigeons. I found my conjecture upon the fact of the 

 Antwerp, in Lancashire c»Ued "White Eye" from its wild 

 white eye, being a superb flying bird over home. Indeed the 

 Lancashire Pigeon-race flyers use a cross of the White Eye 

 and Dragoon for their sport. But the pure W^hite Eye is kept 

 in crews for high flying, and soars into the clouds and flies 

 in circles almost invisible for one, two, or three hours, over 

 home consecutively. If confined too long without a fly, these 

 White Eyes are apt (as did a crew the other day not half a 

 dozen miles from me) to soar out of sight and disappear for 

 fiver — maybe go back, from some innate instinct, to the home 

 of their fathers, the city of Antwerp, f jr, save a few stragglers. 



they are heard of no more. Such is the White Eye, the blood 

 of which I surmise to be in the Tumblers under notice. Tum- 

 blers the Birmingham birds are and something more, being, 

 I should say, Anglo- Hybrid-Antwerp Flying Tumblers, a desig- 

 nation they need not shame to own in their exemplification of 

 the characteristics implied. 



As matter appropriate to our subject I will relate an anec- 

 dote of the Antwerp Carrier Pigeon. A calico printer, who 

 spent some time in Belgium, brought a few pairs of these birds 

 to his home in England near Manchester, and kept them in 

 confinement until they had bred him a young stock, for cer- 

 tainty, as he thought, of settling old and young birds safely. 

 Conceive his surprise when, the first time the old birds rose 

 into the air, they darted away regardless of the young birds 

 behind, which alone remained, and, as he concluded, were lost. 

 But lost they were not, for they flew home into Belgium, and 

 this after a sojourn of twelve months and one breeding season 

 in England ! 



The same person gave a pair of the young birds (the young 

 birds I mentioned) to a friend, who transported them to his 

 own loft, some twenty-fire miles distant, and the first flight — 

 they had never flown before — made by these young Antwerp 

 Carriers was to the place of their birth, over several towns and 

 a range of hills of no inconsiderable height. So is demonstrated 

 the instinctive homing faculty of the Antwerp Carrier, for these 

 very birds were not trained birds, and yet the old birds crossed 

 a great part of England and the Channel into Belgium, and 

 their young nestlings traversed twenty miles or more of inland 

 route safely, the face of the earth in each instance being 

 unknown to old and young birds alike. — Eeadeb. 



COLCHESTER POULTRY SHOW. 



This took place on the 2st and 2nd inst., and consisted of nearly 

 three hundred entries of poultry, and upwards of one hundred entries 

 of Pigeons, besides Rabbits. The awards were as follows : — 



DouKi^GB.— Coloured.— \, Henry Linswood, Barking, Needham Market. 2, F. 

 Parlett, Great Baddow. he, Mrs. G. Meek, Balcombe ; J. Norman ; W. Tippler, 

 Roswell, Chelmsford : J. Froat ; Jlra. G. Clarke, Long Sntton. c, J. Norman ; 

 J. Frost, Parham. White.— \ and 2, J. Robinson, Garstang. c, Rev. F. Tearle, 

 Gazeley Vicarage, Newmarket. 



Cochins. — Cinnamon and Buff. — 1 and c, Henry LinErwood. 2, J. K. Fowler, 

 Aylesbury. Any other VarieUj.—l, T. Sharpe, Ackworth, Pontefract (Par- 

 tridge). 2, Horace Lingwood, Greeting. Needbam Market (Partridge), c, J. H. 

 Dawes. Moseley Hall, Birmingbam : Horace Lingwood (Partridge). 



Brahmas.— Z>arA:. — 1, Horace Lin^r«'Ood. 2 and c, H. Dowaett. Pleshey, 

 CbelmBford. he, W. Burrows, Diss, Norfolk ; Horace Lingwood. Light, — 1, H. 

 Dowsett. 2, Mrs. A. F. Bamett, Erdington. 



Sp.a,nish.— 1. Nichols & Howard, Camberwell. 2, F. James, Peckham Rye. 

 he, E. W. Shalford, Maidstone : W. Saunders, Lowestoft. 



Fbenxh {Any Tariety).— 1, "W. Burrows. Diss (La Fleche). 2, Mrs. J. Cross, 

 Appleby VicaraiTP. Briug (Crevr-Ccem-). /ic, W. Boutcher, Netting Hill (Creve- 

 Cceur) ; Mrs. E. Williams, Henllye, Berriew (Creve-Cceurt ; "W. Tippler (Houdana 

 and Creve-Uceur) ; W. Dring, Faversham (Creve-Ccenr). c, J. K. Fowler; A. 

 H. Pa'ey, Dedham (Houdan) : "W. Drinc (Houdans). 



GxinTt.—Blaclc-hreasted and other Ecds.—l and 2, S. Matthew, Stowmarket. 

 c, G, Barton, Wj-mondbam; H. E. Martin, Sculthorpe, Fakenham; R. Hull. 

 Duckwino and other G-reys and Blues.— 1 and 2, S. Matthew, c, J. H. Salter, 

 ToUeshunt D'Arcy, Kelvedon. Any other Varietij.—l and 2, S. Matthew (Piles). 

 he, J. H. Salter (Piles), c, J. J- Hazel, Great Bromley, Manninfftree. 



'Bx-^iBURGns.—Gold-spannled.-l, L. Wren. Lowestoft. 2, Mrs. Pattisson, 

 Maldon. Silvcr-apangled. — l, H. Pickles, jun.. Earby. 2, H. M. Maynard, 

 Holmewnod, Ryde. e, Ker. F. Tearle; C. Turner; JTrs. Pattisson. Gold- 

 peneilled.—l and c, H. Pickles, jun. 2, W. Tickner. Silver-2}encilbid.—l and 

 2, H. Pickles, jun. 



PoLANDS (Any variety).— 1, W. K. Patrick, West Winch. Lynn (Golden). 2, J. 

 Hinton, Warminster (Silver), he, H. Pickle«. jun. (Silver): W K. Patrick 

 'Golden), c, W. K. Patrick (Golden); W. J. Woodbouse, West Winch, Lynn 

 (Silver). 



Game 'BAyT\-:iis.—Blacl--hreasted and other Reds.— l.V?. B. Jeffries, Ipswich. 

 2. E. Cambridge, Cotbam. he, W. B. Jeffries; H. L. Cocksedge. Bury St. 

 Edmunds; Nicbols & Howard. Any other Variety.— 1, Rev. F. Cooper (.Dnck- 

 wintrl. 2, Hon. E. Gifford, Ampney Park. Cirencester (Duckwing). he, R. 

 Swift. Ally variety except Game.—l. M. Leno, Markvate Street (Laced). 2, E. 

 Cambridge (Black), he. Rev. F. Tearle (White); H. M. Maj-nard (Black); S. 

 and R. Asbton, ■\Iottram. 



Any other Variety.— 1, Rev. A. G. Brooke, Shrawardine (Malay). 2, W. 

 Wildev, Cosbnm ( Andalusian). Extra 3. W. Massey, Spalding (Wliite Leghorn). 

 Dvc'ks— Bo lien. —1 and 2, J. K. Fowler, c, Mrs. E. Wbeatley, Ingateatone. 

 A>ilesbiiry.—l and 2, J. K. Fowler, he, Mrs. Pattisson; H. S. Wiggins, Stow- 

 market ; W. Tippler. .4711/ other Variety.— 1 and 2, M. Leno (Viduata Whistling 

 Duck and Mandarin), e, S. &. K. Ashton. 



Selling Class.— 1, H. Dowsett (Brahma). 2. J. ManselL Longton. Stafford- 

 shire (Spanish), he, J. F. SiUietoe, Wolverhampton (Spanish); H. H. Thomp- 

 son, Colesbill, Farringdon (Gold-pencilled Hambursb); S. Felgate. Langham, 

 Essex (White Cochins), c, O. Barton (Brown-breasted Red Game) (2); H. M. 

 Mavnard (Light Brahma); H. S. Wiggins (Coloured Dorking): J. Norman 

 (Coloured Dorking); E. W.Sbalford (Black Spanish); W.J. Woodbouse (Black 

 Red Game). 



Selling Class.— 1, J. Froat (Coloured Dorking). 2, H. Dowsett (Brahma). 

 he. T. Rogers, Walsall; J. Norman (Coloured Dorking) (2); E, W. Shalford 

 (black Spanish) (2); D. C. Campbell, M.D., Brentwood (Dark Brahma), c, C. 

 Turner, Great Baddow (Silver-Grey Dorking). 

 PIGEONS. 

 Carriers.- 1, H. Yardlev, Birmingham. 2. F. W. Metcalfe, Cambridge. 

 PovTEiis.— 1, P. H. Jones, Fulham. 2, Withheld. 



IvniihFCf.—Almoud.-l. 2, he, and c, J. Ford, Monkwell St., Lnndon. Aui/ 

 other Varifdj, Short-faced.— 1 and c. J. Ford. 2, P. H. Jones (Kite). 

 Owls. — 1 and he, P. H. Jones. 2. H. Yardley. 

 Fastails.— 1, H. M. Maynard. 2. P. H, Jones, he, H. Yardley. 

 Jacouins.— 1. W. E. Easten, HiUl. 2, R. Richardson, Beverley. 

 TuKBiTS.— 1, R. W. Richardson. 2, G. H. Gregory, Taunton, he, H. Yardley. 

 c, T. Holmes. Lower Sydenham. 

 Baebs.— 1, H. M. Maj-nard. 2 and he, H. Yardley. c, P. H. Jonca. 



