226 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 22. 
i 
tion, Poland, should be" expunged for Crested birds, there 
being no authority whatever for the name, or proof of the 
breed having ever been in Poland. 
With the view to correct the Birmingham nomenclature, 
by whose schedule the error was propagated, portraits of 
several of the varieties, life-size, painted by Mr Richard 
Palmer Williams, several years ago, were hung on the walls 
at the last exhibition of the Amateur Poultry Society, and 
relating thereto, the following questions' were printed in the 
catalogue:— 
“ Pheasant Fowl (Golden,) Gulins Emaryinalus, known as 
such in the north of England and Ireland for years, now 
called in England Spangled Hamburgh ! 
“Dutch Pencilled Fowl, Gallus Liueatu *, in the north ot 
England known for years as Bolton Greys, now called in 
England Pencilled Hamburgh ! 
“ White-Chested Bed, Hamburgh , in German Die Riesen- 
huluier, Rees' Cyclopaedia, Hamburgh Fowl, as seen in the 
paintings of the Hondekoeters, Weenix, I alkenburgli, Ac., 
two hundred years ago, now called in England Golden 
Polish ! 
“Spangled Fowl (Silver,) Gallus Punclalus, the improved 
Hamburgh, now called in England Silver Polish, and en¬ 
couraged with white crest (as in original,) instead of having 
each feather tipped with black in the Cock, and margined 
with black in the Hen’s Crest. 
“White-crested Black, Gallus Patavinus of Aldrovandus, 
Lombardy Fowl, now called in England Black Polish!! 
The varieties of the Crested Fowl are in England now called 
Polish Fowl. Is there a record of such having ever been 
in Poland to be found in any work? 
“ The Black-crested White Fowl, apparently extinct for 
about twenty years, recorded in Rees' Cyclopaedia, Brisson, 
Latham, Bewick, Ac., is now the greatest desideratum in the 
Poultry of Amateurs. 
“ These few remarks on the nomenclature of Fowl, as now 
in England, are respectfully put forward to invite inquiry.” 
With respect to the “ Irish. Cuckoo," we beg to say, it is not 
the Cuckoo Dorking, as you suppose; but we believe the 
indigenous fowl of Ireland, than which no fowl is superior 
for its general good qualities; and it is now put forward to 
improve its size and other perfections, the breed having 
naturally deteriorated. Their principal localities are the 
southern counties of Ireland. The breed should have a 
single erect comb, full wattles, body of a uniform blue-grey, 
regularly barred with black. The Cock generally yellowish 
on the scapulars, bill and legs white. There is, we are 
well aware, in England, a breed of Cuckoo Dorking. 
With respect to the Black-crested White Fowl, we know 
the breed did exist in Ireland some years ago ; and believ¬ 
ing that what did exist may exist, the variety is brought 
before the public, in the hope that some one will be so 
fortunate as to produce it. 
James R. Dombrain) rT c , 
., c , Hon. esecs. 
Wm. B. Selwood j 
[In the foregoing observations, the desired point of uni¬ 
formity in Poultry nomenclature is recognized, however at 
variance the proposed system with that now generally 
adopted in this country. 
Some stress is laid on the fact, that the broad division of 
domestic Fowls into those “ with crest,” and those “ with 
combs,” originated with Mr. Williams, previously to the 
classification now in use at Birmingham, and elsewhere. We 
have not the advantage of a knowledge of the views of that 
gentleman, as expressed in the paper in question, and would, 
therefore, gladly be informed on this point; but mere priority 
would contribute little weight to such an arrangement, if 
unaccompanied by proof of the nomenclature argued for being 
not merely of long standing, but also accurate in respect of 
the local designations. 
On this point we may observe, that the fact of certain 
fowls being represented in the works of painters of one or 
two hundred years ago, merely testifies to their existence, 
without pointing to any distinct appellation. If it be then 
said, that the artists were inhabitants of the country, whence 
a German name, or, to speak more particularly, the term 
Hamburgh, would naturally be obtained, little progress is 
made; for, supposing that Poland was the couutry where 
the Polish fowl was originally found, they would naturally 
have spread to Hamburgh and the German districts on the 
north, as they certainly had done to Italy and the south, in 
the time of Aldrovandus. But we do not rely on any exclu¬ 
sive Polish origin for the birds now bearing that name; little, 
indeed, can be positively asserted on behalf of the correctness 
in respect of locality of either the Polish or the Hamburgh 
families ; although, as regards the relative periods in which 
those appellations have been in use, the former can probably 
lay claim to, at least, equal antiquity with the latter. 
Poultry discussions, at the present day, have elicited 
statements from gentlemen of long experience; in which, 
while the terms, Polish and Hamburgh, are both applied to 
tufted fowls, a distinction is drawn between them by claim¬ 
ing for the former an entire absence of comb, and also 
greater bulk. This has happened with those who have 
most strongly, and also most skilfully, objected to the ar¬ 
rangement of all the regularly-tufted fowls as Polish. Such 
would admit a Tufted Hamburgh, without in any way dis¬ 
carding Polish as a distinctive term. 
The Dublin Amateur Society and the English Poultry 
community are seeking the same end, although the means 
likely to lead to this much-to-be desired result are at vari¬ 
ance. “ Fowls with Crests," and “ Fowls with Combs,” is the 
division held by the one party, as offering the best chance of 
success ; while the application of existing terms, somewhat 
modified and re arranged, are more favourably regarded by 
the latter. Were the former system to be adopted, a diffi¬ 
culty would at once appear in the position of the Tufted or 
Tasselled Game fowls; and similar instances in other 
breeds, where the possession of such a feature would consign 
them to a separate class of birds from their own race, not 
having this appendage, though identical in every other 
point; nor is this the only obstacle in such a path. 
In respect of the Irish “Cuckoo” fowl, the description 
would be applicable to many a specimen of the Cuckoo 
Dorking of this country, a bird that has often appeared in 
! good form at our Exhibitions, but exhibits the same uneer- 
i tainty in colour as the rest of its family. Claims to the 
I character of a distinct breed, the fertile causes of confusion, 
must have stronger evidence in their support than those now 
I specified. We should be glad to hear them set forth at large; 
till then, 1 however, the Cuckoo fowl, as ordinarily shown, 
must rest in its present position, whether as a Cuckoo Dor¬ 
king, Cuckoo Game, or the same distinctive colour in any 
other breed. 
Our allusions to the Black-crested White fowl were simply 
to the effect, that the separate class assigned to them seemed 
to indicate some nearer approach to their acquisition than 
we had previously been acquainted with. The value of such 
a bird will always ensure its appearance in either the mis¬ 
cellaneous class, or that which embraces any other descrip¬ 
tion of Polish commonly so called. 
We must thank our correspondents for their communica¬ 
tions ; and beg to assure them, that while we are prepared 
to admit the obscurity that envelopes the original habitats 
of the races in question, we havo our fears that such 
remedial measures would fail to obviate the inaccuracies 
complained of, and would, also, create other difficulties in 
addition, to those that already beset the path of the student 
in the Natural History of our domesticated Fowls. 
The public voice must eventually decide this and also 
other questions of similar import; and our Exhibitions are 
the channels through which such verdicts must ultimately 
be given. At present, their authority and sanction is given, 
in‘a most decided manner, adverse to the views of the Dublin 
Society, and so far as the arguments of the latter have yet 
| gone, we see no reason to call for any change.—W.] 
I __ 
Q r FRIES AND ANSWERS. 
GARDENING. 
RED SPIDER ON CUCUMBERS. 
“ I have, hitherto, heen successful as a grower of Cu¬ 
cumbers, but this year (in a new place) I cannot get a 
single plant to bear. The leaves and the fruit are attacked 
by a very minute red insect, which eats the leaves like small 
pin-holes on the under side. The leaves then turn brown, 
or rather yellow, and the fruit is attacked. Can you send 
me word of the cause, and a remedy? I ought, from the 
