4G0 



JOURNAL OF EOKTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE G-AHDENEE. 



[ December , 1870. 



which won first in the pen at Birmingham, and with sincere satisfac- 

 tion we chronicle the fact that he was shown without the neve tail some 

 would have put in, and that Mr. Smith gave him first prize as he was. 

 Second a very neat keen-looking bird ; but third carried his wings very 

 low, and struck its as more a Bantam than a Game bird. This class 

 was middling, and far inferior to Birmingham. 



46. — First-prize Black Bed hens a really fine pair, hut the second we 

 did not like at all ; the light was had by this time, but they seemed to 

 us very "stumpy" Bantams. Third-prize carried their wings far 

 better. 



47. — The cup Brown Eed cock a Game bird, and second ditto. The 

 third rather too heavy, perhaps, but otherwise good. 



48. — First-prize hens in their place. The second we could hardly 

 see, being in the darkest corner of the Palace, hut they also seemed a 

 pretty pen. Third fair, but we have known Mr. Crosland show far 

 better. 



49. — The first and second Duckwing cocks very good, but third 

 much too fat. 



5u. — First prize in this class went to a good pair of Duckwings. 

 The second far inferior. Third was a middling pair of Piles, to our 

 liking not so good as another pair, hut again the light was so had we 

 wonld hardly venture to quarrel with the award. 



51. — In the Blacks, first was a first-class pen. The first-prize Bir- 

 mingham winners were left out in the cold, and might certainly have 

 displaced either of the others with advantage, if not the first. 



52. — In this class the Judges acted on the principle, after awarding 

 one prize, of giving the next to " Any other variety," the first going to 

 a nice pen of Sebrights, the second to Peking, third to a very middling 

 pen of Japr-nese, and fourth to "Whites- 



SELLING CLASSES. 

 53 — 55. — The Selling classes were one of the most remarkable 

 features of this Show, the three classes between them numbering only 

 three less than two hundred pens! Many of the pens were of a 

 quality that fetched very good prices. In cocks, first prize went to a 

 Spanish. In hens, the same breed carried off the honours, the second 

 going to Partridge Cochins of very good value, and the third to a really 

 good pair of Buffs. This last pen we thought should have been first, 

 and had it been entered in the Buff class would have run the winners 

 hard. In the " Husband and wife " class, variety was again studied, 

 the first being Dorking, second White Cochin, third Sultans, and 

 fourth Black Eed Game. 



DUCKS, GEESE, TURKEYS, &c. 

 56" — 57. — We cannot give the weight of the Ducks or anything 

 else, for the simple reason that no pens were weighed. The first 

 Ayleslmrys were a good pair, hut decidedly not so good as several 

 others; neither did we much like the second. Third was very fair. 

 In Rouens, the first was better placed, but Ducks are poultry that we 

 think ought to be weighed. 



5S — 59. — In Black Ducks the awards gave nothing to complain of, 

 and all the prize pens were remarkably good. In the " Other variety " 

 elas3, Mandarins and Carolinas were again conspicuous and good, and 

 made ns long for a large garden that we might keep them ourselves. 



60. — In the Goose class, both first and second were taken by Whites. 

 We think had they been weighed, there was a pair of Greys would have 

 taken at least one of these two places, hut we cannot say. 



61. — The first prize for Turkeys went to a pair priced at 505. Mr. 

 Patton's grand pen going third. Second was a good pair ; hut in this 

 class again the scales were missed, probably as much by the Judges as 

 by ourselves. 



62. — The Pheasants were shown in exquisite order, and may he 

 suggested to other shows as a most attractive feature, as far as the 

 visitors are concerned. 



63. — In the dead poultry class, Mr. Dowsett's celebrated cross-breed 

 were beaten by the Coloured Dorkings of Mr. Ellis. In Ducks, the 

 first-named exhibitor carried off both prizes in a style which would 

 make some hints on feeding from him most acceptable to all readers 



of this Journal. ■ 



As a whole the Show was a treat to inspect ; but with the exception 

 of Light Brahmas, Spanish, and Polish, it seems to us that the birds 

 of this season generally are not equal to those of former years. "Wo 

 noticed this at Birmingham, and we must confirm it now. In Cochins 

 the falling-ofr is deplorable ; except in a very few cases both shape, 

 size, and colour seem gone " all to pieces. 1 ' Dorkings also are, as a 

 class, losing both frame and weight. Game are not so bad, a few 

 breeders still keeping up the old standard ; but the " ruck " are losing 

 ground, getting both heavy in body and stilty in leg. 



We have only to add, as will have been gathered from some of onr 

 remarks, that several excellent pens arrived too late to be noticed by 

 the Judges. Some of the birds to our own knowledge arrived in 

 London in time, so that the fault would appear to rest with the local 

 line. 



THE PIGEONS. 

 Fancy Pigeons were never before exhibited in such numbers, snch 

 excellence, and under such favourable circumstances as I beheld them 

 in the Crystal Palace this day (Tuesday). As to numbers, there were 

 above 800 pens ; as to excellence, the first fanciers in England, Scot- 

 land, and Ireland had sent their birds ; and as to the position and 

 surroundings of the Pigeons, I must ask those of my readers who know 



Khe Crystal Palace — and I suppose those are almost all my readers — 

 tut who, unfortunately for themselves, were not present, to imagine 

 he centre of the nave of the Palace devoted to the Pigeons, and to the 

 Pigeons onl} r (for far removed from the gentle Doves were the fowls, 

 Geese, Ducks, Turkeys, &c), 1 '20 yards of the length of which were 

 occupied by the pens, which were four wide. Thus, had there been 

 bnt a single row, there wonld have been 4S0 yards of Pigeon pens. The 

 majority of the cages were the Glasgow hell-shaped open-wired kind — ' 

 excellent, save that each wants a sliding door for the safe handling of 

 the birds, one of which, owing to this want, I saw escape. The rest of 

 the cages, the square ones, had this accommodation of a door. And 

 then, forming a very marked feature of the Show, were the large and 

 elegant Peristeronic pens, containing the collections of four pairs of 

 birds. I must add that great care was taken of the Pigeons, and I saw 

 members of the Committee themselves attending actively to the birds' 

 wants. Taken altogether, the oldest fancier living had never seen 

 such a show as was gathered beneath the central arch of the palace of 

 glass, almost, indeed, making true the remark of an ardent fancier 

 from the Emerald Isle, " There never was a show before." However,, 

 let us not forget former exhibitions, notably that of Glasgow in 1S6S. 



But now for the classes. Of Pouters there were above 200 pens. 

 This great cluster of these birds struck one forcibly at once, for in 

 England Pouters had always before been few ; bnt Scotland had in- 

 vaded us, and an Irish brigade (not a Fenian one), had come over; 

 also we must remember the many articles which of late years have 

 appeared on this noble bird. First came Blue-pied cocks. Mr. Fulton's 

 bird, the first prize, was 7i inches in limb, and 191 in length. Mr. 

 Gresham took second with a very fine showy bird. There were nine- 

 teen entries in this class. Among the eight Black-pied cocks Mr. 

 Gresham's first was 7£ inches in limb and 20 inches in length, and 

 that and the other two winners were perfectly clean in thigh. The 

 Bed-pied were a mixed lot. Mr. B.osc's (second-prize) I greatly ad- 

 mired. Yellow-pied were beautiful, and Mr. Montgomery secured two 

 of the prizes. The White cocks, twenty-seven in number,- were many 

 of them very dirty, now a White Pouter loses half its beauty 

 unless it is perfectly clean. The second-prize was a splendid bird. 

 The "Any colour and marking" were true to those designations. 

 "Motley was their wear" — washed-out Yellows, Sandies, Mealies, 

 Whites with a snatch of colour, Chequers, &c, but size and shape re- 

 deemed colour. Among the standard colours bred in 1S70 three Blues 

 wen. The Blue-pied hen Pouters were not inferior to the cocks ; the 

 Black-pied scarcely equal. The^Red-pied showed a first-prize very 

 sound in colour ; the second a fine bird, but with a white forehead. 

 Yellow-pied, W 7 hite5, Any colour, and standards of 1S70 followed. 



The Black Carrier cocks were remarked on for their great excellence. 

 The first-prize was a grand bird, showing strength and beauty com- 

 bined. The first-prize hen was pretty, the second very strongly built. 

 The Dun Carriers were fewer and not so good ; the first-prize hen pleased 

 me best. In Carriers, any colour, the prizes went to the Blues, the 

 colour of which, to get the head good, showed much mixture with the 

 Black birds. The Carriers bred in 1870 showed many birds of great 

 promise. 



The Almond Tumblers were, I believe, easily judged. The colour 

 of the prize birds was extremely rich, and the first-prize among those 

 bred in 1S70 were excellent in head and beak. 



The Baldheads, those birds so difficult to breed good, were but few, 

 and, save the prize birds, not good and a little large, yet there were 

 some respectable in cut and feather. 



Beards were more numerous, bine their prevailing colour, hut the 

 third prize went to fair Blacks. 



Barbs — that is, old ones, were not numerous, but there were eighteen 

 pens of those bred in 1S70. 



The Jacobins were very numerous, hut they ran somewhat large : 

 among them a singular and very striking- looking pair entirely black — 

 that is, head, flights, and tail black as the body. Unfortunately one 

 was a very inferior Black, or I suppose the birds would have had a 

 prize. Close to them was a nice pen of pure White, but not for com- 

 petition. 



The "White Fantails were very good, but English judges still cling 

 to tail rather than motion, for two pairs of Glasgow birds, small in 

 size and superb in motion, were unnoticed. Bine Fantails of much 

 excellence took a first prize. 



Nuns were fewer than should have been, bnt the first-prize birds 

 were super-excellent. It was gratifying to see two pens of Yellow Nuns. 

 The Black Trumpeters were admirable, and three pairs of the 

 Irish brigade vanquished all opponents. It is well to remember that 

 Trumpeters, any other colour, were not won by Mottles, as they, . 

 though grand in head and points, were too light for Mottles. 



The English Owls were stronger in numbers than they have been 

 recently, and it is well, for the Foreign Owls should not push tho 

 older favourites to the wall. Each variety has special attractions. 



Tnrbits, Blue and Silver, were few. The Magpies were a little 

 coarse in some specimens. Bed, Yellow, and Black won in the order 

 of the colours. 



The Dragoons were very numerous, and the other colours appear 

 determined to overturn the Bluo supremacy. 



Eunts were large enough, and I had almost said ugly enough, to 

 please their admirers, but the awards to this class and the Dragoons 

 had not been given when I left. 



The Any other variety class, beautiful in feather and fanciful in 



