Reports of Various Early Shows. 
251 
U7 1 1 rOI Ti m °7 ent [ ie hour when the report was published I never suspected (before) that I had so many friends in this 
. cr ., * . e eai ^at seemed to pervade every mind present was, that I should do precisely what they would have done under 
cucumst ances to wit, take care of myself. I had no fowls in this exhibition, but there were present numerous specimens 
y, 16 - w °J a - Ev^ OC - ’ r ' * d ^ lat ^ 110 disposition, in the preparation of this document, to underrate the stock of any one else, 
ptovi ui it cud not interfere with me ! And, after carefully noting down whatever seemed of importance to my well-being there, I 
sat myself down to oblige the committee by writing the “report” of this show, which an ill-natured competitor subsequently 
declared was only in favour of Burnham and his stock, all over, underneath, in the middle, outside, overhead, on top, on all sides, 
and at both ends.” And 1 believe he was right ! — pp. 122, 123. 
Further, however, in relation to the date at which the name was given. Burnham says this 
1852 show was the fifth held at Boston. It was in reality the seventh ; and there were two previous 
shows held in 1851, of which he takes no notice. Why he “studiously ignores” these will appear 
from some extracts we now give. At the first of those 1851 shows, the committee reported as 
follows — and it deserves notice that the committee is the very same whose report Burnham 
quotes as above, only in this case the writing of the report was in more impartial hands. 
The committee are unanimously of opinion that those marked Chittagongs are not of that breed. It is clearly a misnomer, and 
the only question is, whether they are Grey Shanghaes or Brahmapootras — from China or India ; anu as the arguments of Mr. 
Burnham, on the one side, and Dr. Bennett, on the other, are before the public, we submit the question. 
The Chittagong we shall consider shortly ; at present we go on to the report of the committee 
of the second 1851 show, held in November, upon the “Brahmapootra” fowls shown: — 
Some mammoth specimens of this variety were shown by Dr. Bennett, S. O. Hatch, and J. Parkinson, each possessing great 
merit. Mr. Hatch’s lot were entered under the head of Grey Chittagongs, but were really pure Brahmapootras, and decidedly 
better fowls than any Chittagongs in America. They are better layers, lighter in colour, have shorter legs, more compact forms, 
larger ear-lobes, and Smaller combs and wattles ; and in every respect are vastly superior to the Chittagongs. As the judges desire 
that every variety of fowl should be called by its right name, they cannot sanction the application of the title Chittagong to this 
excellent stock, when in reality they are perfect Brahmapootras. B. F. Beal, R. W. Fuller, and J. H. Penniman showed some 
very handsome fowls of the same variety. Dr. Bennett purchased Mr. Hatch’s lot at a very high price. 
Since Mr. Burnham was a member of all these committees (he acknowledges this in his 
“ Poultry Book,” dated 1871), he knew these facts, and their suppression is not accidental. In the 
same way and for the same purpose he cites a “report” of the New York Show held in 1S54, 
which again took his side, and stated that “ in our opinion, Shanghae and Cochin are convertible 
terms, but Brahmapootra unquestionably is a name for a sub-variety of Shanghae.” This 
is very plausible ; but after what we have seen of his manipulation of the report of Boston, 
our faith is somewhat shaken by the following extracts from Burnham’s own account in 
“The Hen Fever” of this New York Show, and what he was allowed to do there. It 
should be premised that the whole affair was got up by the well-known showman, 
Mr. P. T. Barnum : — 
The person whom I employed to look after my stock (for I had long since got to be a “gentleman,” and couldn’t attend to 
such trifling matters personally) .... was thoroughly posted up in his profession, and knew a hawk from a hand-saw, as well 
as a Shanghae from a Cochin China. And when he started for New York with my contributions, I enjoined it upon him to bear in 
mind, under all circumstances, that the gentleman he represented had the only pure- bred poultry in America, any way. 
* # * # # 
Gn the morning succeeding the opening I received from him the following brief but expressive telegraphic despatch : — 
“G. P. Burnham, Boston. 
“Arrived safe; thought we’d got ’em, sure. We have, over the left. You are nowhar ! — “B.” 
* # # # * 
This despatch reached me at noon, and on the following morning I was in New York. I looked about the several apartments 
Ln the Museum, and satisfied myself who had the best fowls there very quickly. As it happened, they were not inside of my cages, 
by a long mark ! . . . . There were not a few choice birds scattered about the rooms — under the benches, or in far-off 
corners— which my eye fell upon, which my agent subsequently purchased at very moderate prices, and which found their way, 
somehow into my coops [!]. The “people” now stared with more earnestness than ever. By the evening of the second day my 
“ pure-bred” stock did look remarkably well ! And when the “ committee ” came round at last I found myself the recipient of 
several of the leading premiums (pp. 200, 201). . . . And at the close of the exhibition my agent had taken nearly three 
thousand dollars. — p. 210. . 
I found it impossible to get within fifty feet of my show-cages, in consequence of the throng of purchasers that crowded around 
them ' There must have been some charm about those magical coops of mine. They were filled and refilled t-iunty times over [!] • 
but they were as often emptied, and at singularly gratifying prices, both to buyer and seller.— p. 219. 
