414 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ December 6, 1877. 



bird. The first hen is very fine, bat has a bad bumble foot ; 

 second has a fifth toe badly swollen, and a prick comb; third 

 very large, of the old-fashioned lighter colour. The class for 

 pullets contains maDy good birds ; Mr. Burnell's cup winner is 

 capital all rcund ; Mrs. Arkwright's second about the largest in 

 the class and highly matured; third a Palace winner, also first 

 at Ipswich we think. Silver-Greys. — Mr. Burnell's Palace cap 

 cock again scores a well-earned victory; second a nice cock with 

 while feet. In cockerels we considered the first-prize one 

 deserving of lis honours; he is good in every point Second 

 was an inexplicable award ; the bird is long-legged and stiity, 

 with a lopping comb and several inches of white in his sickles ; 

 third a nice cockerel, but again too long on the leg. The cap 

 hen is the bird which we remarked on at the Crystal Palace as 

 our choice; second small and pale in colour. The first pullet is 

 decidedly fine, of a very pale shade of grey; second good in 

 colour and promising to be an immense hen. "Whites are good 

 classes; size and combs seem to improve much in this breed. 

 The two winning cocks are both fine and very equal. In cockerels 

 the Palace award has been reversed, and we think rightly ; the 

 cup cockerel is a great beauty, intensely white ; second square 

 and fine. Mr. Cresswell carries all before him in hens ; the cup 

 winner is immense, we hear she weighs 9 lbs.; second a fine 

 square hen. Pallets are a good class and even ; first large, a 

 little heavy in comb ; second white and good ; among the highly 

 commendeds is the Oxford cup bird. 



Cochins. — Buff Cocks. — First a fine bird, even in colour, with 

 the exception of the wing, which appeared to us a shade too 

 light ; second in some points we liked better than the first, but 

 he was spoilt by the white feathers on his legs ; third we con- 

 sidered an ngly-shaped bird, and preferred pen very highly com- 

 mended (564), the Palace winner, which was claimed for £50, 

 the largest bird in the class, but he was net in such gocd con- 

 dition as at Sydenham, and the variations of his colour we 

 fancied were more conspicuous. Cockerels. — First very hocked, 

 and rather leggy ; second a neat bird, bnt we found notting in the 

 class to cause special admiration. Hens. — First a grand-shaped 

 emon colour in beautiful condition; second also a very good 

 bird ; third very even in colour ; fourth we thought a little 

 tinged in hackle, but the light was decidedly anything but good. 

 Pullets. — First all that could be desired, perfect in shape, beau- 

 tiful in colour, well feathered in leg, and in superb condition ; 

 second a good bird; third capital in colour; fourth neat. The 

 competition between third and fourth v.-ith several of the highly 

 commended pens was very close, but we agree with the Judge in 

 his selections. The Partridge cards were not issued until it was 

 too dark to make an inspection. "Whites. — Cocks. — First and 

 second both beautiful birds, very pure in colour ; first a trifle the 

 larger, but each clear away from all others in the class. Cock- 

 erels. — First a fair bird but rather hocked ; second neat ; 820 

 showed a little white in the lobe, or it would doubtless have been 

 in the prize list. Hens. — Good. Pullets — First and second 

 nice birds ; third small; 854 a large bird, pure in colour, heavily 

 feathered but hocked, we presume too heavily for the Judge. 

 Black classes were fairly represented. 



Malay Cocks. — First a fine bird ; Eecond larger, and showed a 

 greater strength of limb. Cockerels. — First a neat bird, but we 

 thought him deficient in limb; second a stouter bird, but not 

 so well made. Hens a fair lot. 



Greve-Cceur Cocks. — First and second good birds, the compe- 

 tition being extremely close. Cockerels. — Entries of only 

 average quality. Hens. — We did not like the winner; she was 

 had in colour, and appeared to have only size to recommend her. 

 The second we thought should have been first, and pen 1037 

 (unnoticed), second. 



Soudan Cocks. — The winner was a large bird, but had an 

 ugly one-sided comb. "We preferred 1065 (unnoticed) to any pen 

 in the class. Cockerels. — First a large bud, fair crest, but toes 

 pointing in all directions. Pallets. — We thought the winners 

 correctly selected. 



Spanish Cocks. — Five birds only put in an appearance, but 

 they were all good, and those not obtaining a prize were other- 

 wise distinguished. The first had a splendid lobe and was well 

 shown ; second was not quite over his moult. We thought the 

 occupant of pen 1136 possessed a better face. Cockerels. — "Very 

 inferior to the exhibition at the Palace. First had an open 

 face and a good quality of white, but scarcely the length of lobe 

 we expect in a first-class show. Second the Palace winner very 

 much out of condition; we considered he should have given 

 place to his near neighbour, the very highly commended pen. 

 Hens. — First hud a very heavy face of beautiful quality. 1155 

 good lobe, but out of condition ; pen 1151 an average bird. With 

 these exceptions they were a vo-ry poor lot. Pallets. — First a 

 large-faced bird, with a good lobe, but a little out of condition ; 

 second coarse, rest very moderate. 



_ Polish. — Black Cock. — First a fine crested bird in lovely condi- 

 tion; second had a large crest, but too open. Cockerel. — First 

 well crested ; second larger, but not evenly parted. Hens. — 

 First a beautiful bird, with a very close crest ; second good ; 

 1354 a large crest, but not even. Pullets.— "We think one of the 



prizes should have been withheld. Only two birds made an 

 appearance, one of them being blind with roup. Golden cocks 

 were fair. Hens.— In this class we thought pen 1377 the best 

 in colour and crest, but our attention was called to a growth of 

 small feathers on the leg, which kept- her out of the prize-list. 

 The winner was a weil-marked bird; the second appeared a 

 little wry-tailed. Pullets. — Second best in colour, but deficient 

 in crest. In Silver pullets the firEt-prize bird appeared up in 

 the back. 



Andalusia'n-s. — Thi3 variety was shown in pairs. The winnerB 

 were well matched and in excellent trim. 1422 a capital pen, 

 bnt out of condition. 



Game. — Black Red Cocks.— First good and fine in ail point3, 

 especially fine head and hard feather; second good colour and 

 fine quality, hard condition; third hardly so long in limb, but 

 deserving his place; 14oS fourth, fine head, rich colour; 14/2 

 and 1473 empty. Cockerels only a poor class, and far inferior to 

 the usual Birmingham standard. First-and-cup good in quality 

 of feather and colour, but very flat-shinned; second rusty- 

 coloured but neat style ; third rusty fluff but stylish, the Alex- 

 andra winner; fourth flat-shinned bat tall and stylish, cut too 

 close underneath throat; fifth a tall and reachy bird, good in 

 colour and head. The principal failing in Black Red hens and 

 pullets was the prevalence of dark eyes, which are too common. 

 In hens all three winners have dark eyes, but are tall and good- 

 shaped hens. Mr. Dutton's highly commended is good in 

 colour and has rich red eyes, and style enough to merit a higher 

 place. In pullets the cup winner is an extra smart one, but 

 rather foxy; second is the Palace winner ; third and fourth two- 

 very pretty coloured and neat pullets ; and fifth a tall and pretty 

 bird of good colour. This was one of the best classes in the 

 Game section. The old Brown Red cocks were a good lot, first 

 being a winner here last year, bnt not one of the modern lemon 

 shade, still he is a handsome and stylish bird; second is the 

 true lemon Brown Red, and won at the Palace; third too long 

 in hackles and very dark in breast; fourth a very similar bird 

 to second. Mr. "Watson's highly commended is also a very good 

 one. Cockerels. — First-and-cup, also the champion cup, is an 

 extra good one in fine bloom, rich lemon, beautifully laced 

 breast, splendid tail; a trifle more size would improve him. 

 Second and third similar in colour and fine quality ; the third a 

 little too feathery ; fourth gocd in upper colour, but rather light 

 underneath and too heavily laced, good in head and style ; filth 

 a good stylish bird of quite another stamp, being reddish, but 

 tall and reachy, rather flat-shinned. The Brown Red hens and 

 pullets were shown in so dark a place that criticism is almost 

 impossible. The winners all appeared good in style, but some 

 of them too dark ctpper-coloured in hackles, especially the cnp 

 and third hens and some of the highly commended pullets. 

 Old Duckwing Cc cks. — Cup to the bird" which took second at the 

 Palace; second a good and strong- framed bird with rich orange 

 back ; third a nice tight bird with full orange back, hardly so 

 limby as winners. The cockerels were good ; first and. second as 

 at Palace; third good shoulders, bnt not fine enough in head. 

 Harley's highly commended (1689) is a better bird by far than 

 third. In old hens Harley wins easily, a big strapping bird 

 with immense reach; second very good, but smaller; third 

 carries her tail too high. Duckwing Pallets. — First-and-cup the> 

 Palace winner, still unbeaten ; second was also good and_ stylish, 

 but dark-eyed; third a very pretty pullet, too long in body. 

 The Blacks are falling off, only two cocks and two cockerels ; 

 all good, however, except the second old cock, which was very 

 round-backed, quite enough to have thrown him. The winning 

 hens and pullets were all smart and good, but darker in face and 

 eyes than used to be considered correct ; in fact the red-eyed and 

 faced ones seem to be lost. Old Pile Cocks. — First the Palace 

 winner; second too high in tail; 1746 good but small. The first- 

 cockerel is good and stont; second stylish, but bad-coloured. 

 Pile hens and pullets both good in the winning birds and well 

 judged. 



Bantams. — Sebrights. — "Winners a neatly laced pair of Silvers, 

 cock a little faded ; second Silvers also, cock not well marked, 

 the hen we thought the best in the class ; third Gold, very pale 

 in lacing; 1822 were a well matched pair, and both clearly 

 marked, but the hen was out of conoition. "Whites. — Five 

 entries, nearly all good. First very pure in colour ; second also 

 nice in colour, smarter than the first, bnt bine-legged. Blacks 

 with the exception of the winners were poor. The Game awards 

 were not out at the time of our leaving, but we noticed a very 

 handsome p en °f ^ r - Brownlees, that we expect will be fore- 

 most among the Piles. Any other colour.— Only two entries. 

 Black feather-legged.— We liked the second best, the first being 

 very red in saddle. 



Ducks. — The heaviest White Aylesburys weigh 21 lbs. 10 ozs. 

 the drake and Duck; the heaviest Rouens are 23 lbs. 8 ozs. the 

 drake and Duck. 



Geese. — The heaviest White Goose and gander of Messrs. J. 

 K. & R. R. Fowler weigh 48 lbs. 12 ozs., the heaviest Grey Goose 

 and gander 49 lbs 



Turkeys— The heaviest Turkey cock 35 lbs, 7 ozs., the heaviest 



