716 
Poultry at the Norwich Shoiu. 
the only objection I can see to them is because of their black 
legs ; but the old prejudice against these is fast dying out. 
The breeders of Houdans certainly did not do justice to this 
breed or themselves, as there were only six entries, of which two 
were chickens. The quality, on the whole, was very good, and 
Miss Clayton's winning adults were a capital type of Houdan, 
though much darker than are preferred in France. The 
chickens were too young to be more than promising. Houdans 
form one of the best breeds we possess for ordinary purposes, 
though it is a non-sitter. Its laying powers have, I am afraid, 
been somewhat overrated, for M. Lemoine, in the tables which 
he published at the last Paris Show, only credits it with laying 
125 eggs per annum. I thought it would have given a much 
higher total return than this. It is a capital table fowl, a rapid 
grower, very tame, and suitable to all climates, doing best on 
calcareous ground. With the solitary exception of being a non- 
sitter, the Houdan is certainly the best of the generally useful 
varieties. 
We owe several of the more popular of our breeds of poultry 
to American enterprise and skill, notably the Brahma and the 
Leghorn, which, though not natives of the American continent, 
were first introduced into England through the States. But the 
Plymouth Rock is actually American, because it was manufac- 
tured on that continent. It is only some eight years since it 
was first brought over, but its intrinsic merits have won for it 
a popularity which is remarkable, and now the Plymouth Rock 
Classes are generally the best filled. This was the case at 
Norwich, where there were twenty-four entries, of which four 
were absent. The most typical among the old birds were the 
first and third prize lots, owned by Mr. Jas. Holden and 
Mr. Edward Anderson respectively. The chickens were well 
I'orward, showing the precociousness of the breed. Plymouth 
Rocks are truly all-round fowls, i.e., they do not excel in any 
one point, but are good in all. They are capital layers, but the 
eggs are, like those of all the Asiatics, small in comparison with 
the size of the fowl. They are tinted, and that is what many 
people like to see. The birds are good on the table, and have 
a lot of eating upon them. They make reliable mothers, and 
can be easily restrained, maturing very rapidly. The flesh is, 
however, yellow, which is not a recommendation on this side 
of the Atlantic, although it is in America. 
To introduce classes for Scotch Greys at Norwich appeared a 
lisky experiment, for there are very few of these fowls south of 
the Cheviots, and it seemed too far to send specimens from 
Scotland. Therefore I was surprised to see eight entries, of 
which exactly half came from the far north ; but one of these was 
