July 5, 18G4. ] 



UOUENAL OF HOETICTJLTUEE AND COTTAGE OAEDENEE. 



19 



but low folks ought to care about. Well, never mind, I 

 will not be angry. On to the birds. 



Spanish — -"Ah! Mr. Eodbard, in your old place — namely, 

 the first ! " While I was looking at that wonderful cock 

 bird, a kindly little man with a tailor visage said — " Poor 

 fellow ! it's a pity you're blind." The white corrugated skin 

 was regarded by my little friend as a deformity, doubtless. 

 Dorkings. — Lady Holmesdale's were giants : indeed, their 

 ancestors which Julius Caesar ate were, I fancy, a trifle 

 smaller; and those of which Sir John Falstaff partook at 

 Justice Shallow's, were, perhaps, not so large either. Eight 

 pens of White Dorking — very glad to see you, for you are the 

 real original proper colour, and Mr. Clift, of Surrey, has 

 kept up the fame of his county by taking first prize. 

 Cochins, beautifuDy ugly as usual, and having no tails, must, 

 on Lord Monboddo's theory, have more head, and, indeed, 

 I think they had. The Cuclcoos struck me as being very 

 good. Next, Game, sixty pens in all, and, as a rule, what 

 good pens ! Mr. Fletcher, of Stoneelough, Manchester, I 

 congratulate you upon your great success. Your first-prize 

 Duckwing cock was, in my humble opinion, the most perfect 

 bird I ever beheld, and wonderful was the condition in 

 which he was shown. "Arn't he a pictur, Sir?" said a 

 neighbour in fustian. " Never saw a picture equal to him, 

 iny friend," said I. Next, Malays, only three pens happily, 

 their horrible ugliness increased by the bad feather in which 

 they were in. They looked as if the cook had caught each, 

 begun to pluck each, and had thrown down each in disgust, 

 with " Drat the birds, they ain't worth plucking." Surely 

 these horrible creatures ought to have been put in a dark 

 corner ; or they might at any rate have had a curtain hung 

 in front of them, inscribed, " Malays, but not fit to be seen, 

 the half dozen people in all England who admire these can 

 inspect them after six o'clock." Kamburghs of all kinds good, 

 but I thought the Spangled the best, and I was glad to see 

 the too-much-neglected (in Wiltshire, certainly), Silver- 

 spangled mustered strongly. Pola.nds. — Mr. Edwards, of 

 Lyndhurst, deservedly first, with a pair of the grand old 

 Black and White Crests. May he breed many such. The 

 "Any other variety class," always an interesting class, 

 deserves a few words. Brahmas in abundance. What a 

 pity they are not shown among the Cochins, as " Black- 

 speckled Cochins." The Black Hamburghs have a very 

 Spanish look, especially the hens. I fear Eose-eombed 

 Spanish would be the correct name. Just a word about the 

 White Spanish pen marked " disqualified, cock's tail made 

 up." They seem by the catalogue to belong to a lady, one 

 I neither know nor know of; «but in the spirit of that charity 

 which hopeth all things, I will say that to my mind no 

 deception was intended. The cock's tail was broken, very 

 likely in the basket, and mended with cotton (this very 

 injudicious), the mend was inches above the quill, and a 

 child could see it. It needed not Mr. Hewitt's sharp and 

 practised eyes. I pass over the sweepstakes, merely noticing 

 Lady Holmesdale's monstrous Dorking cock. Eeally my 

 lady you, slightly to alter Shakspeare, " Have supped full 

 of prizes." Now for the pretty Bantams. The black cock 

 shown by Mr. Davies, of Newport, was the best I had ever 

 seen ; and Mr. Forrest's pen of Duekwings, the best pen I 

 had ever beheld, with only one fault, they were a little too 

 large for my fancy. The Turkeys were good; but why those 

 " highly commended " did not take the second prize is to me 

 a marvel, as they were certainly, unless my eyes deceived 

 me, much larger. 



Last, but not in esteem, came the Pigeons, and these were 

 generally excellent. Carriers a goodly row. T think Carrier 

 breeders should beware of getting their birds too small. I 

 like the robust look blended with the elegant, such as I 

 used to see in birds twenty years ago. Tumblers with 

 heads perfect in roundness. Powters large, but not in good 

 trim, feeling, perhaps, their confinement. Eunts, would 

 there were more. These are the Dorkings of Pigeons, and 

 ought to be made profitable. Jacobins, the first-prize a 

 little too large according to my judgment ; delicacy of ap- 

 pearance should never be separated from a Jacobin, which 

 is the type of a refined lady, hence an approach to coarse- 

 ness is clearly wrong. Fantails very good, though I scarcely 

 liked the Turncrowns in the second-prize. The character of 

 the Fantail head is, I hold, injured by the turn crown. The 

 first-prize was excellent, and the birds robust, which they 



should be. Owls extremely good, neat, and clean. So also 

 the Turbits, which were numerous. May they always be as 

 they are — distinct sorts. Nuns, not go excellent ; but Barbs 

 a treat to see, so wide were they in the forehead, and good 

 in all points. Dragons were numerous, and Mr. F. G. 

 Stevens showed a Bufl* pair with very excellent points. The 

 Trumpeters were good. The first-prize birds, black and 

 demon-like, with huge wings to their legs resembling Lord 

 Dundreary's whiskers enlarged. Archangels, a great many. 

 Among the "Any new and distinct variety" class, were 

 some nice birds which would have surprised the old fanciers. 

 The Satins were certainly very pretty. Last of all came the 

 poor "wild Hawk," very wild, and very out of place, beat- 

 ing with bloody beak the iron bars. Oh! cruel fate, not 

 unlike that of Tantalus, so many Pigeons to see, and never 

 a one to eat, not even a little Almond Tumbler to convert 

 into a roller. Poor Hawk ! The fowls soon got used to the 

 Show, and grew happily excited; the Pigeons endured it, 

 but each day the poor Hawk was wilder and more unhappy. 

 May I never see in a poultry-yard or a poultry show another 

 " wild Hawk." 



Now, to finish these jottings, let me say that the birds 

 seemed well fed and well cared for. Such care was shown, 

 that if a cock disliked his wives he was removed to another 

 pen. They were likewise well supplied with water. Where 

 the birds have large rose-combs the triangular troughs need 

 to be pushed in a long way. I could ask for no improvement 

 except more space for the Turkeys. I fear their quills were 

 bent, and they not wholly comfortable. Much did I enjoy 

 the Show. "Be that a Duckwing, Sir ?" said a countryman 

 of a Pile cock, and I acted as his showman, and soon found 

 I gathered an audience. Even the crow of the Cochins, 

 that long, lengthened Alexandrine crow, seemed to be a 

 novelty to some, and called forth now and then a wondering 

 " Lor my ! " May the Bath and West of England Committee 

 have ever the success they had on Durdham Down is the 

 wish of — Wiltshiee Sector. 



TURKEYS AT THE BATH AND WEST OF 

 ENGLAND SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



We feel greatly indebted for your notice of us as " one of 

 the most popular portions" of the late show at Bristol. 

 Doubtless such would have been the case could we have 

 been seen there ; but we were placed on the ground, and 

 no more space afforded us than that occupied by a Bantam 

 cock over our heads. We heard repeated inquiries amongst 

 the crowd for the Turkeys, and we have generally much to 

 say for ourselves ; but where was the opportunity for dis- 

 play when each masculine was squeezed with his partner 

 into a pen of 2.V feet square ? 



May we entreat you to impress upon Committees of 

 poultry shows, that when they invite giants to exhibit at 

 their meetings the least they can do is to provide for their 

 accommodation ? We have the honour to subscribe our- 

 selves your obedient servants. — Class 29. 



DECLINE IN CHICKENS. 



I am happy to be able to give your correspondent "A. K. C" 

 what I have found to be a sure cure for the croup in chick- 

 ens, if this is the name of the complaint from which his 

 suffered, as what they died from he does not distinctly 

 state. 



I have reared fifty-six Dorking chicks this spring. The 

 three first broods were all attacked when about ten days 

 old, and I was in despair. Having great experience in 

 poultry-rearing like "A. K. C," and finding all ordinary 

 means fail, I doctor them as I should a human being with 

 sore throat — viz., with sub-carbonate of ammonia, one tea- 

 spoonful to a table-spoonful of water, and each chick had 

 three or four drops at a time three or four times a-day. 

 Every one recovered; but their fondness for me was turned 

 into hatred, the remedy was so obnoxious to them. ■ 



As it is a certain cure, perhaps " A. K. C." will forgive 

 this one bad effect. Soot is also a very good thing to pu , 

 into their water. — A Sxtbsceieee. 



[We think the disease for which our correspondent states 



