Oecamb*T 1, 1870. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



439 



feet very much deformed. Third prize a good pair every way, and 

 well placed. Fourth very middling, not nearly so good aa pen 122. The 

 fifth prize we liked far better than the second. This class was mode- 

 ratoly good, and we thought darkness of colour seemed to have governed 

 the awards a good deal. 



4. The cup pullets, a noble pen, and in their place ; one pullet 

 perhaps a little down in the fifth toe, but hardly any other fault could 

 be found. Second prize a good pen, but not so good as several others, 

 particularly pen 157. The third prize contained one remarkably fine 

 bird, but thy other far too weedy for a prize pen. The same may be 

 said of the fourth, which we thought better of than the third, one bird 

 being unusually fine. Fifth prize were also very unequal in both size 

 and quality, or mast have been higher, and the same may be said of 

 the sixth prize. Indeed there were grand single pullets all through 

 the class, but except the cup pen there was hardly a really good pair to 

 be seen. 



5. The first and second Silver-Grey cocks were good birds and well 

 judged, regular Dorking frames, and much style. The third good in 

 size and colour, but both feet in a frightful state. The fourth had a 

 deal of white in the throat, and several specks on the breast ; the next 

 pen (228) we thought better of. The fifth a pretty bird, with good feet 

 bat yellow. Pen 216 contained a beautiful and large bird, and must 

 have been second but for some white mossing on the breast ; as it was 

 we fancied him better than the fourth. On tbe whole this was a fair 

 class, but Beveral of the birds had no business in it. 



6. The pullets we thought not nearly so good as last year. First 

 prize a very nice pen, and deserving the honour. Third prize, a pen 

 of good average excellence; also fifth; but we should have made 

 tbe second and fourth prize exchange positions, the fourth prize 

 being much finer. 



7. The first prize "White cock was a really grand one. Second 

 also good, and but for a rather faulty comb would have run the other 

 haird for place. Third prize very handsome and stylish, but rather 

 wanting in substance. Pen 264 contained a massive bird, but with 

 imperfect feet, which probably kept him from displacing the third 

 prize. This class showed much progress. 



8. The prize White hens were good birds, and correctly placed, 

 but the rest of the class was far from equal to the cocks. 



COCHINS. 



9. The Buff cock3 did not answer our expectation. The cup was 

 a fine massive dark bird, rather clumsy, but a little mealy in the 

 quills of his wings. Second prize and third prize murh better in shape 

 and colour, but smaller, and the third prize scaly on the feet. Both 

 these birds had lost their tails, either naturally or by artificial means. 

 Aa they belonged to the same exhibitor, we fear the latter. The fourth 

 we did not like, being small, and mealy oq the saddle. Fifth very 

 large, but not well set up, and fluff several Bhades darker than the 

 breast. Mr. Burnell's, No. 313, was a fine bird, and we thought 

 worth more than he got. The rest were inferior for a Birmingham 

 class. 



10. The cup cockerel was magnificent, and only wanted a little 

 more leg feather to make him perfect. He showed that line even deep 

 "old colour which is now getting rare. The second prize was almost a 

 cinnamon, splendidly feathered, and fine shape. He would have been 

 better had his wings been carried better ; but as he was, no other bird 

 eoold have been given his place. Third, a fine Cinnamon, honestly 

 shown, and also deserving of his position. Fourth, rather light for 

 breeding, but very even in colour, as was also tbe fifth prize. The 

 sixth had a mealy wing, but good in other points. Pen 365 was a 

 remarkably good cockerel, but rather light in colour. The four pens 

 last mentioned had an uncommonly short allowance of tail. 



11. The cup Buff hens were fair, but one was far inferior to the 

 otheTS, and we thought them far inferior to Mr. Cattell's third-prize 

 pen, which were a long way the best in the class. One hen in the 

 second-prize pen had a badly slipped wing. The fourth and fifth were 

 good average pens, and we rather thought the highly commended pen, 

 404, ought to have displaced the latter pair. We did not think this 

 class neai-ly so well judged as the preceding. 



12. The cup pullets were badly matched — the darker a grand 

 bird, but the other mealy in colour, and weedy in shape. "We thought 

 the second prize better. Third prize a decided error, the birds having 

 no fluff or cushion, and very little of the Cochin about them. Mr. 

 Alfred Stretch's pen, 446, should, we think, have had this position. 

 Thefonrth, fifth, and sixth promised well, but needed a deal of filling 

 out yet, and we greatly missed the fine-shaped birds Mr. Mapplebeck 

 ns&d to show in this class. 



13. Except the prize birds, Partridge cocks were a poor class. 

 First prize a very fine bird, but we liked the third prize better than 

 Mr. Tndman's second, the latter showing the least possible suspicion 

 of being round in the back. 



14. In the cockerel class we did not much like any but the first 

 prize bird. 



15. The first prize hens were fine, but not so good as Mr. Tudman 

 has shown before. The second prize contained one beautiful hen, but 

 we preferred the same exhibitor's highly commended pen, 529. 



16. The first prize pullets were a very nicely-marked pair, with 

 specially neat heads. It would be rather a hard choice between them 

 and second, which were very like them. The third prize were am ill, 

 and did not look their age, Fourth very middling, arid hardly any 

 of Uae birds equal to the winners of last year. 



17. Of the White cocks we liked the second prize best, the first 

 being very yellow ; the third very large, but almost bare-legged. 



18. The first prize cockerel well shaped and clear, but small. 

 The rest nowhere. £n both these classes the birds seem to us to be 

 losing fluff and shape. 



19. The first and second prize hens were good pens, and nicely 

 shown. Third prize very large, but exceedingly dirty. The highly 

 commended pen, 595, almost deserved an extra prize. 



20. Of the pallets, the second prize was certainly better than the 

 first ; both nens being very neat, but all the White Cochins decidedly 

 need more attention to be given to shape. 



BRAHMAS. 



21. The old Dark Brahma cocks were exceedingly well judged, the 

 first prize, especially, being magnificent. The second prize was the 

 same as won second at Bristol in January while the cup-winner at 

 Bristol and Birmingham was unnoticed on the present occasion, 

 having moulted very light. 



22. The cockerels were very inferior to last year's lot taken as a 

 whole. The cup was taken by a very fine bird, but much too dark. 

 Second and third good shape and colour, but small. Fourth a beauti- 

 ful bird, and we tbink he ought to have had the cup. The fifth was 

 inferior to several highly commended birds, and the sixth prize was 

 much too narrow for a Brahma. 



23. We think that the hens also were mistakingly judged, Mr. 

 Lacy's third prize hens being the best in the class. The second 

 prize waB correctly placed, but Miss Pennant's highly commended pen 

 (731) ought to have been third, in spite of rather a brown tinge. 



24. The greatest mistake of all, however, we consider, was in 

 the cup for dark pullets, which was given to a pen absolutely worthless, 

 either for shape, size, or marking, and badly streaked with white. 

 They were infinitely inferior to Lady Gwydyr's pen 763. The second 

 and third pens were fine large dark birds. The second prize should 

 have been first. The sixth prize were remarkable for fluff, but in 

 other respects only middling. The best pair by far were dreadfully 

 out of condition, and deservedly obtained only a highly commended, 

 notwithstanding which they were bought by a well-known breeder at a 

 good price. There were several other very good pens up and down, 

 but the total value of the class would not be half that of lust year. 



25. The Light cocks Bhowed progress, the first prize only needing 

 rather more feather, while the second would have run him hard had 

 the hackle been better striped. The third had a Cochin style of tail 

 we did not like. 



26. The first prize for cookerels went to a "pretty" bird of fine 

 shape, but with wattles much longer than earlobes, which we did not 

 like, and tail too much sickled. The second prize belonged to the same 

 exhibitor, and was very similar, but better in tail. The third was a 

 splendid bird for size, and in wonderful condition, considering he had 

 crossed the Atlantic, but short of feather. Fourth, a nice clear bird, but 

 rather too heavy hocks for the amount of feather his legs carried. We 

 thought Mr. Pares' highly commended pen, 829, ought to havo dis- 

 placed one of the first two prizes, while a highly commended pen, 819, 

 was the best-shaped of the lot, but small and dark in surface colour. 

 This last bird will show far better as a cock next year. 



27. The first prize Light hens were fine birds, very fairly feathered, 

 and with good fluff. The second wanted cushion. The third prize 

 were grand birds, and but for their Atlantic voyage must have been 

 second. The best single hen was in pen 847, but her companion was 

 nowhere. 



28. The first prize pullets were very fine and rightly placed, 

 though one would be better with more cushion. The second heavily 

 feathered, but dirty, and with a strong suspicion of being hocked. 

 Third prize uncommonly weak, but small. Fourth prize very fair, 

 with dark but cloudy hackles. There was an American pair of 

 pullets also, very large, but poorly feathered, and out of condition. 

 There were several pens deservedly highly commended, and on the 

 whole all the Light Brahma classes showed marked improvement in 

 contrast to the deterioration of their dark relatives. 



MALAYS. 

 29—32. There were twenty-seven entries of Malays, and the classes 

 contained several birds much better than usual. Being small classes 

 they were, as a whole, well judged, but the first prize cockerel was 

 quite destitute of the characteristic prominent Malay shoulders, and 

 we thought the pullet, No. 903, better than that in the second prize pen. 



CREVE-CCEURS. . 



33. The Creve-Cceur cocks were of pretty fair quality, and the first 

 prize a grand bird ; second also a fine bird, but very much out of 

 condition. Mr. Blinkhorn's pen, 919, was very fine, and also pen 907. 

 The latter we thought might have had second prize. 



34. We did not like the first prize hens, and thought the third prize 

 pair the best in the class in all but the crest, in which the second prize 

 surpassed them. 



HOUDANS. 



35. The Houdan cocks were a good class and well judged. Pen 956 

 must have been in the prize list but for his feet, which were very bad. 

 Several birds, indeed, showed signs of bumble foot. 



36. Both first and second prize hens were beautiful birds ; third 

 prize rather small but nicely shaped, and very dark. In both classes 

 the colour was much improved, coloured feathers being rare. 



