400 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 17, 1870. 



thither, doubtless to the great benefit of my liver, but also to 

 my great bewilderment ; so if you please, let the numbers 

 another time run in the order of the pens as they Btand in the 

 Hall, and let me also say that pens with open wire backs must 

 be given up. The birds naturally retire back, and doing so 

 push their tails through the wires, as I saw, to the great iojury 

 of their plumage. Then, also, if they had whole backs, the 

 central rows eould be arranged back to back. With these two 

 exceptions, the first troubling the visitors, the last injuring ex- 

 hibitors, the Show was conveniently and very tastefully ar- 

 ranged, and Mr. Warren, the Secretary, was, like all his brother 

 secretaries that I have ever come across, kind and courteous. 

 I dislike and wish to discourage unkind criticism, that criticism 

 with a selfish motive which is too often appearing, but a hint 

 to improve it is well to drop. " Who are the critics ? " says 

 Mr. Disraeli, in "Lothair." "Those who have failed iu science 

 and art," is the answer. Who are the severe, fault-finding, 

 judge-censuriDg critics in the poultry world ? Those who have 

 failed to obtain prizes. 



The Spanish class was thin, but good. The first-prize pen 

 contained a cock with a wrinkled face and a suspicion of blind- 

 ness, the hen was almost tailless (this last remark I make for 

 the special benefit of" Shropshire Rkctok," who likes matters 

 relating to ie-tail), but this pen beat, of course, the next prize 

 pen, which contained nice birds but deficient in face. The 

 Dorkings (age over one year), were most numerous, but Mr. 

 Martin's rose-combed pen won easily, the moult was on many 

 others. Dorking chickens were abundant and excellent, and 

 " commendations " were rightly sown very thick. I handled 

 the second-prize cock, and found him grand in shoulder and 

 back, and very promising. Cochins were not numerous. Oat 

 of the seventeen pens about a third were Partridge, and one 

 only White. The Dark Brahmas were so few that a binocular 

 was needed to find them, while the Light were blazing in front 

 in long rows. The Game classes were good, and many were 

 grandly-built birds, the "little "bits of things" not, happily, 

 making their appearance. The Hamburghs were poor save the 

 winning birds. The Polish pleased me much better, and the 

 Judges too, as every pen but one was noticed. Great credit is 

 due to the few tenacious and spirited admirers of these birds. 

 Messrs. Boothby and Hinton have written well on them, and 

 have also won with their pete, though missing the first prize, 

 which was, indeed, most excellent. Then came the French 

 classes, which must, indeed, be maluDg way, as they were 

 very numerous. It is easy to see that the silver prizes draw. 

 " Bother the money, I don't want it " (lucky man that !), said 

 an exhibitor, " I want a cup." 



The "Any variety" class was not numerous — seven pens 

 only, yet the birds were very nice, witness the Black Ham- 

 burghs and the prize Malays. By the way, " Y. B. A. Z.'s" 

 two pens of Malays out of the whole seven, to say nothing of 

 the Malay blood that stared at me in the great frames in the 

 Game class. The Game Bantams were very numerous, but 

 mostly too Bantam-like. Where were the long legs, the thin 

 forms, the snake heads we want ? But I went back again and 

 again to admire the cock in the cup pen ; he was, indeed, a 

 Game bird. It was gratifying to see a revival in Sebrights, they 

 numbered ten pens, far more than Birmingham could show a few 

 years ago. Of Ducks, I must say some were " little ducks ;" in- 

 deed, those called Paradise might have been petted by Eve herself. 

 Geese and Turkeys apparently stayed at home all but a few. 



The " Selling class," that class useful in enlarging the poultry 

 fancy, was numerous, and the prices sensible; the Pheasants 

 very beautiful, but very few. I must notice a pair of African 

 Cranes, who craned their necks, apparently thinking, " Where 

 in the world have we got to ?" The dead poultry and eggs were 

 not ornamental, but certainly in the interest of utility, and 

 should, therefore, always appear at a poultry show. 



Mounting the platform-like orchestra I find the Pigeons, and 

 here the numbers were so puzzlingly placed that I had to play 

 a game of hide-and-seek to find them. Strange that so few 

 Pouters were shown, when Fantails numbered so strongly. Is 

 the grand old fancy bird not loved as formerly ? As at Glas- 

 gow, Blues won, and, except one pen, all were good. Good, 

 too, very good, were the Tumblers. Among the Barbs all the 

 winners were Blacks. The Jacobins, first prize, were very rich 

 in colour, and excellent. The Fantails were marked " a very 

 excellent class." Among the Owls nothing could exceed the 

 first-prize birds, they were fairy-like; the highly commended 

 birds, white with blue tailB, much pleased me. Turbits very 

 good. Carriers few, and the few pens not full, but good in 

 quality. Among the Trumpeters there were a grand pair of 



Blacks for first prize. The Dragoons produced a novelty, for 

 a pair of Yellows were first, beating Blues. The "Any distinct 

 variety " class pleased me greatly, and the Black Florentines, 

 together with the Leghorn fowls and Paradise Ducks, were 

 the new things of the Show. Among the " Selling class " were 

 some good birds, and not dear. In short, a better number of 

 fancy Pigeons, more advantageously exhibited, it has seldom 

 been my lot to see. 



And now descending the orchestra, I go to inspect the Can- 

 aries, which, to say truth, drew my heart to Southampton. It 

 seems to mo that fowls endure a show, and in the evening get 

 excited ; that Pigeons dislike a show; but that those dear little 

 bits of caged vanity Canaries delight in a show, quite revel and 

 glory in it, and think it such an excellent opportunity for getting 

 admiration. How they like the company ; how, if healthy, they 

 Btrut and hop and twitter; how they pop their heads through 

 the hole in front, not by any means always to get water, but to 

 get nearer to you, and to show off their little heads ; how each 

 tiny bit of feathered conceit seems to say, " Come now, am I 

 not the very prettiest of all? Say so, there's a good chap." The 

 Clear Norwich stood, as they always ought, beingpar excellence 

 the Canaries, first and foremost, and more thorough Jonques 

 (I prefer that term to Yellows), it was impossible to imagine, 

 as may be inferred from eleven being noticed out of twenty. 

 Oh ! Why would the breeders make a poor country parson 

 break the tenth commandment ? Clear Buff (no, I wo'n't have 

 it); Clear Mealy followed, and such "intensifying the colour 

 under the meal," as soys our "W. A. B.," I never saw ex- 

 ceeded. Mealy ! why, sir, they were, some of them Jonques 

 frosted on the back. Cleaver cleft his competitor in twain, and 

 secured second prize. Marked and Variegated Jonque and 

 Mealy were also good. The Any variety Norwich were chiefly 

 Crested birds, some of great beauty, the dark full crest in many 

 being as good as possible. Then the Belgians, those to my 

 poor untutored mind elongated bits of distortion ; but, please, 

 no challenge from your admirers, for I should claim "liberty 

 of clergy." Kindred to Belgians clearly are Scotch Dons, a few 

 of which appeared ; they are Belgians sent to a posture-master, 

 and taught to put down their shoulders. Then came the 

 Lizards, and I felt What a pity it is that your great and singular 

 beauty does not last more than one season. The first-prize 

 bird was fairly gold, and the Silver-spangled were also very 

 excellent, all noticed but one. But, perhaps, the gems of gems 

 were the Goldfinch Mules. I could not leave them. Think of 

 all beiDg so good as to be noticed. Bo wonder, when suoh a 

 perfection of colour, markings, and shape, are possible of 

 attainment that Mule breeders, in spite of a hundred dis- 

 appointments, should still persevere. Here was a Jonque, 

 pure in colour, with a Goldfinch glow on the head, and even 

 wings. Then the Mealy first-prize was cream of the cream, 

 a suitable description for So light a bird. Perhaps this bird 

 was the best of all, and the fine Goldfinch beak in place of the 

 shorter Canary beak gives a delicate point to the slender shape 

 of Goldfinch Mules, and sets off their symmetry. " Any other 

 variety " class produced some singular Mules as to breeding, 

 and a first-prize London Fancy. I own I was perfectly fasci- 

 nated by the Southampton Canary Show, which exceeded all 

 even that I had heard of it. 



The British Birds gave variety to the scene, though one 

 pitied the Larks, and said to the Nightingale, " You bird of the 

 night are indeed out of place here." Then the Foreign Birds 

 gave colour to the scene. First-prize Cockatoo got off his 

 prize ticket and trampled it under his foot — his estimate of 

 honour ! The Macaws and Cardinals gave a tropical glow to 

 the Show ; while Whidah Finches, old favourites of mine, 

 whisked their long tails or moved slowly like Court ladies. 



Such was Southampton Show, something worth writing 

 about ; and why, I ask, should there not be cage birds at all 

 covered shows? An ornithological exhibition must bring 

 more visitors, and be in itself more beautiful than merely a 

 poultry and Pigeon show. Embrace all varieties of birds, and 

 you cater for all varieties of tastes. The man who loves a 

 Game cock despises a Canary, but the lady who loves the latter 

 thinks the former a horrible bird. Please them both ; do 

 another year at Bristol as is done at Southampton, and then 

 Clifton ladies will send their pets, and many more come into 

 the Drill Hall. — Wiltshire Rector. 



NON-PAYMENT OF PRIZES. 



At the Great Horton Show held September 10th, a prize list 

 of which appeared in your columns, we obtained second prize 



