220 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 12, 1S72. 



7s. Gd. respectively, except the Selling classes, which will have 

 four prizes — viz., 40s., 30s., 15s., and 7s. Gd., and this irrespective 

 of five silver cups, each valued at five guineas, for the best pens 

 in certain of the general classes. Twenty-one classes are ap- 

 pointed for Pigeons, 20s. and 10s. being the respective prizes in 

 each class ; and again, in this division of the Show four silver 

 cups for the best pens will be given. Rabbits have seven classes, 

 with 20s. and 10s. prizes to each, and a three-guinea silver cup 

 for the best pen shown. There are local prizes given specially 

 for amateurs resident in the neighbourhood. The entries close 

 on September 28th. As the whole will be exhibited under an 

 excellent tent, and the acting Committee are fully conversant 

 with the management of such an exhibition, no doubt this meet- 

 ing of October the 9th and following day will be very successful. 



POCKLINGTON PIGEON, BABBIT, AND BIRD 

 SHOW. 



Thttesday last, the 5th inst., was a gala day at Pocklington. 

 Besides the thirty-seven classes of Pigeons, Rabbits, and Cage 

 Birds, which completely furnished a capacious tent, there were 

 a large horticultural show and other attractions. The Pigeon, 

 Rabbit, and Cage Bird classes contained many very choice speci- 

 mens, which were much admired by the numerous visitors to 

 the Show ground, including excursionists from York and other 

 places. The arrangements were admirably conducted by the 

 Honorary Secretary, Mr. T. Grant. 



PIGEONS. 

 Dragoons.— 1, H. Yardlev. Birmingham. 2, C. N. Lythe, Cottingham. 

 Antwerps — 1, J. N. Collinson, Halifax. 2, C Anton, York. 

 Pouters or Croppers.— 1, Blanshard & Marshall, Driffield. 2, C. Anton. 

 Tumblers— 1, Blanshard & Marshall. 2, C. Anton. 

 Barbs.— 1. H. Yardley. 2, C- Anton. 



Jacobins. — 1, R. G. Sanders. Leven. 2, A. J. Seller, Norton. 

 Fan-tails— 1, C. N. Lythe. 2, W. Bearpark, Ainderby Steeple. 

 • Trumpeters —1, Blanshard A Marshall. 2, C. Auton. 

 Owls— 1, A . J. Seller. 2. H. Yardley. 

 Turbits.— 1 and 2. Blanshard & Marshall. 

 Carriers.— 1, H. Yardley. 2, C. N. Lythe, 

 Nuns.— 1, Blanshard & Marshall. 2, C. Anton. 

 Any other Variety.— 1, A. J. Seller. 2, C. N. Lythe. 



RABBITS. 

 Longest Ears.— 1, T. Taylor. York. 2, J. R- Lnnn, Hull. 

 Any other Variety.— 1, J. R. Lnnn. 2, R. A. Tavlor, Hnll. 

 Any Variety.— Buck.—l. W. H. Webb, jnn., Bilstbn. 2, C. Miller, Hnll. Doe. 

 —1, R. A. Taylor. 2, C. Miller. 



CAGE BIRDS. 



Canaries.— Belgian— Clear or Ticked Yelloxo or Buff.— I and 2, W. Forth, 

 Pocklington. 



Half-ered Belgian —Clear or Ticked Yellow or Buff. — 1, J. Hird, Market 

 "Weighton. 2, W. Forth. 



Norwich.— Clear or Ticked Yellow.— I, T. Barwell, Northampton. 2, W. H. 

 M'Collin, Hnll. Bu.ff.-l, J. Calvert, York. 2. T. Barwell. 



Crested,— Any Breed— \, J. Calvert. 2. "W. Forth. 



Yorkshire.— Clear or Ticked Yellow or Buff. — 1, A. Brazendale, Pocklington. 

 2, R. Hutchinson. Pocklington. 



Norwich or Yorkshire. — Even-marked. Yellow or Buff.— I, W. Petty, York. 

 2, J. Goode, Leicester. Uneven-marked, Yellow or Buff.— I, TV. Forth. 2, "W. 

 Petty. 



Any other Variety. — 1, J. Calvert. 2, J. Shaw, Pocklington. 



Nest of Young Canaries.— Any Variety. — 1, J. Downs, Beverley. 2, T. 

 Earwell. 



goldfinch Mule. — Variegated.— I, J. Goode. 2, D. M'Collin, Hull. Dark. — 

 1, W. Forth. 



Goldfinch.— 1, W. Petty. 2, H. Shaw, Pocklington. 



Linnet.— 1, H. Shaw. 2, A. Brazendale. 



Bullfinch. — 1, W. Petty. 2. W. J. Appleby, Pocklington. 



Lark. — 1, H. Curtis, PockiiDgton. 



Parrot or Parroquet. — 1, J. Calvert. 2, A. Remner.Naburn. 



Cage Bird. — Any otlier Variety. — 1, J.Bonlton, Pocklington. 2,' — Vvilberforce 

 Pocklington. 



Cage of Canaries in Variety. — 1, J. Calvert. 2, W. Petty. 



Extra Prize.— J. Calvert (Rose-breasted Cockatoo). 



Judge. — Mr. G. J. Barnesby, Derby. 



SCOTCH HOUSE AND AIB TUMBLEBS. 

 To the uninitiated it will no doubt seem somewhat strange 

 that birds bred from the same parents should in some cases 

 prove Air Tumblers, and in others House Tumblers ; this, how- 

 ever, is easily understood when it is explained that the most 

 successful method of breeding performing birds is to cross birds 

 of high merit in the one class with birds of equally high merit 

 in the other class, the object aimed at being, by the use of the 

 Air Tumbler, to prevent the tumbling of the House Tumbler 

 from degenerating into rolling, an evil which cannot be too 

 carefully guarded against in birds which tumble so near the 

 ground. On the other hand, if it is wished to add to the amount 

 of tumbling done by the Air Tumbler, with regularity in the 

 performance of it, there is nothing to equal the cross with the 

 House Tumbler for producing it. Of this fact I had lately a 

 striking testimony from an old fancier of probably between 

 sixty and seventy years of age, who told me that he had bred 

 Flying Tumblers during the greater part of his life, but that 

 until he obtained a cross of some House Tumblers some four or 

 five years ago he had done comparatively little good with them. 

 On account of the method in which numbers of these birds are 

 bred the produce must vary considerably in the character of 

 their performances, and, besides high-class House and Air 



Tumblers, many birds of fair quality are produced whose 

 characteristics are of an intermediate type, and many possess- 

 ing little merit at all, even when the parents are highly bred 

 and the matching all that could be desired. Indeed, if one-half 

 the young produced prove of first-rate or medium quality, the 

 owner may be considered to have extraordinary good luck, as 

 this would be much above the average result. 



I shall now endeavour to describe some of the characteristics 

 displayed by these birds from the time of their leaving the nest 

 until they finally develope into the full maturity of high-class, 

 performers, leaving out of account altogether birds of an inter- 

 mediate or inferior type, as it would be impossible to describe 

 in a brief space all the vagaries which one observes. 



House Tumblers vary greatly in the age at which they begin 

 to tumble; some commence almost as soon as they can fly ; in 

 some rare instances they have been known to do so the first 

 time they were seen to come out of the nest ; others, again, do 

 not begin until they have reached some considerable age, one of 

 the best I ever had never having been known to tumble until it 

 was three years old. In fact they may begin at any age between 

 six weeks and three years, or possibly even later, although I 

 never knew of any older, but I suspect very few birds which 

 have not previously shown any tumbling properties, are al- 

 lowed to reach this age, the one to which I have alluded having 

 been discarded by two different owners who knew how it was 

 bred, and ultimately developed into a " first-class incapable " in 

 the hands of a party who bought it for (id., and knew nothing 

 about its parentage. 



I incline to think, although ultimately there comes to be little 

 difference between the performances of the two sexes, that as a 

 general rule hens begin at an earlier age than cocks, but in the 

 majority of cases both sexes are tumbling by the time they are 

 fit for pairing ; in either sex, if a well-bred bird possesses any 

 special merit in shape or colouring to make it desirable to breed 

 from it, it should not be parted with for want of tumbling until 

 thoroughly well tried, as it is a popular belief, perhaps not with- 

 out some foundation, that it is the best birds which develope 

 latest. The great bulk of young birds, before beginning to 

 tumble, " back " for some time, but in a few cases they go clean 

 over at the very first attempt. I have amongst this season's 

 birds two hens which I never saw "back" at all; the one is 

 now tumbling excellently in the house, and the other doing as 

 well for its age outside ; the latter I counted doing twenty times 

 a-minute when it was little more than two months old. 



After the young House Tumblers begin to tumble, as a general 

 rule they do not do any great amount of work at the very first, 

 but perhaps tumble only at intervals few and far between ; if 

 kept, however, in regular training they generally all improve 

 more or less, and many of them soon do a pretty fair amount of 

 work, tumbling moderately if not excessively when flying in 

 the air. At this stage it is very difficult to say to what class 

 they will ultimately belong, but if they reach thirty times 

 a-minute I set them down as Air Tumblers, as but few House 

 Tumblers ever come to do this amount of work when flying, the 

 change from an Air Tumbler into a House Tumbler generally 

 taking place before this point is reached. 



The transition generally takes place very suddenly ; in one 

 instance, which I have on the authority of a gentleman on 

 whose word I rely as much as if I had seen the performance my- 

 self, it took place in a bird which had never previously tumbled 

 at all, while it was sitting on the top of his house, the bird all 

 at once becoming unable to fly for tumbling, and ever after- 

 wards remaining a first-rate House Tumbler. In birds which are- 

 kept in training the change is generally preceded for a few- 

 days by a rapid improvement in the amount of work done, but 

 as the performance becomes more regular and steady the style 

 of doing it generally becomes worse, the tumble being accom- 

 panied with a greater sweep in going over ; and although they 

 may now do less steady flying between the performances than 

 an Air Tumbler, doing forty times a-minute, they will rarely 

 count more than twenty times. When the flight rises a bird at 

 this stage will now be speedily seen in the rear unable to rise 

 with it or make the same progress, and if, finding its inability to 

 continue with the others, it turns in time and settles on the top 

 of the house, it will be better to confine it afterwards, as it will 

 probably be tumbling inside in the course of a few days, if it is 

 not already doing so. Should it persevere and go too far from 

 home it may become exhausted, and be obliged to settle down on 

 the top of some house from which it may not be able to rise for 

 hours, and perhaps not at all, as some prowling cat may put an 

 end to all farther efforts on its part, or perhaps it may come 

 down to the ground by gradually descending tumbles resem- 

 bling a flight of stairs. But it should not roll down ; if it do so, the 

 probability is that if it come from any great height it will be 

 killed, or at least severely injured ; if it descends in the way I 

 have described it will reach the ground from any height totally 

 unhurt. Should it happen to alight in the public street it will 

 probably be seized by the first boy who passes, instantly thrust 

 out of sight under his jacket, and without loss of time exchanged 

 for Gd. in the first poulterer's shop he comes to, in happy un- 



