324 
THE COTTAGE GARDENEE. 
January 29. 
I would suggest to committees that the prizes be //ra- 
dnnled, as they are with poultry. No Carrier, Tumbler, or 
Pouter, should ever have a less first prize than two, or, at 
the very least, one guinea; or they ought, as must appear 
from their value and scarcity, to have prizes equal to the 
highest for poultry. All the other sorts of I’igeons, 1 admit, 
should have less than poultry ; for these common sorts cost 
comparatively little, are easily reared, and breed true, Avith- 
out difficulty or care. 
Let me, in conclusion, assure committees that the fore¬ 
going remai'lcs are not lightly written. They are, at least, 
the well-considered conclusions of a disinterested man, and, 
I may add, without vanity, not of an inexperienced one.— 
Tristuam Shandy, IIuU. 
P.S.—But one word more, my dear readers, Avith that 
humplioUR amateur of “ Cochins,” who, I see, is pooh, 
poohing Pigeons. I mean the coininittee-man Avith a Avhite 
Avaistcoat and gold studs! He asks, “ What’s Pigeons?” 
“ What’s Pigeon-fanciers ? ” “ Never lieard, and does’nt care 
for ’em.” Let me tell him, that Cairicrs aiid Pouters are 
lAot things of ten years standing only, hut of 150. I'hat 
jngeon-fanciers, too, AA'cre not manufaefinred like Birming- 
hauA Avares, at a Birmingham Poultry Show, only ten years j 
ago! No! that 150 years ago pigeon - fanciei-s Avere as j 
spirited a body as they are at the jiresent time; and /Ac j 
birds of the fancy, their Carriers and their Pouters, wei-c as 
highly-jirized then as they are uoav. ’Tis a time-honoured 
fancy—’tis a fancy Avhose spirit has never flagged, for above 
a centnry-and-a half—can you say so much for any other! 
Take your OAvn “ Cochins,” my dear Sir. Will you vouch for 
lhcm‘! or even for the poultry-fancy itself ? ’Tis only such 
men as you, that pooli, pooh Pigeons. 
FAREIIAf\r POULTRY SHOWh j 
Fivr hinidred visitor’s paid for admittance at the doors> j 
exclusive of subscribers and exhibitors tickets. The ex- | 
hihition gave general satisfaction, and a good list of sub- j 
scriptions is opened, including plates for tire autumn shoAV i 
this year. I 
GAiME EOWr.S. 
The prominent position Game fowls occupy, and their 
increasing numbers at our ShoAvs, evidently will determine 
some fresh amateur of 1850 to begin the fancy Avith a pen, 
very Ukely, Avithout knowing much more about them than | 
the presumed cor rectness of his eye dictates. The Game I 
foAvl (1 speak of them genei'ally), to be seen in perfection, I 
must be vicAved “ax cock of the walk" —unrestrained, un- I 
penned, in his native freedom ; and here he is a prince of a ! 
fellow—smart, tight, round, (prick as lightning. See him 
approach an intruder: no crowing at a distance ; no measur¬ 
ing ground, no fencing; up he goes at railroad speed (pro¬ 
bably, to a great flufly-hacklcd, Avarty-eyed IMalay). Here he 
is— one, two, three —close up under him, scorning to accept 
(piarter, and meaning to give none; his agile legs, assisted 
by his poAverful wing, darting the spur Avith a force few Avho 
knoAV not the bird can imagine. 
Ilis beauty of form and plumage none Avill dispute; indeed, 
take him as a Avhole, he is a good, generous, bold, daring, 
handsome little yentlemaii. The hens, too,, are very sym- 
niotrical and beautiful; their extreme tightness of feather, | 
and Avihl pheasanty habits, rapidly darting and skitting about ; 
in the grass after Hies and insects, is most amusing and ; 
singular. I 
Now comes, like in a laely’s letter, tho best part of this 
epistle in the postscript, or rather the Ji)ialc. 
What are the general essentials of a Game bird? Tinpri- 
vjis. Remember the greyhound’s points, viz., neck like a 
drake, head like a snake, tail like a rat, foot like a cat. Now, 
1 do not mean to imply that a bird should have a rat’s tail, 
or a cat’s foot; but the gist of the lines is, that sm.all ex¬ 
tremities are considei’ed essential in that animal, as also in 
a racehorse. Whoever saAv a short-necked, gowly-headed, 
coarse-tailed, platter-footed, of cither kind, Avorth a rap ? 
Or, Avhoever saAV a great, loose-hackled, round, chuhhy- 
polled, coarse-sterned and legged bird, but Avhat Avas a 
thorough rip, and mixed Avith the curse of all Game fowls, 
the Malay? These Malays have done more injury to the 
Game breed than any other class. The awkAvard truth is, 
that there are feAV birds without a touch of Malay blood (1 
speak comparatively); the size and habits of the bird are 
vulgar imitations of our gcntleinan—exuberant in height, 
feathering, and pretensions, they have contracted alliances 
Avith an aristocratic race ; and as the grosser particles most 
times are the heavier, so this lump of foul blood Aveighs 
Avith tenacious infamy on the prince of birds, sadly damaging 
his real nature. 
An revoir. 'J’he weight of the Game hii'd is very decep¬ 
tive, from his tight .ami compact build. What to a novice 
would appear a little bird, on being handled turns out to he 
“ a big little bii'd.” About four pounds-and-a half is nearly 
the weight; five poAuids is certainly very far up the raarlc 
(for practica/pnrposcs decidedly ). Well ; so far', so good. He 
should he long in his neck, and tho hackle short, and very 
close, not tloAving too much over the shoulder; the junction 
of the neck to the head should be strong, but the latter 
small and fiat; the jarvs, or under hill and throat, lean and 
I’ed, and the upper bill somewhat Roman, ending shai’ply; 
the stern lean and light, Avith the perfection of a tail (no 
bird carries a better one) ; the legs, of Avhatever colour you 
may choose them, must bo vei’y particularly looked to. A 
short shank is good; a vei’y short one suspicious; a foul, 
broad se/ded shank infamous (hoAV many prizes li.ave 1 seen 
go to such brutes !); the thigh almost incased in a black 
silk stocking, i. e., not a loose or long feather to be seen for 
Avorlds, mid very large, hard, and muscular—a “ blacksmith’s 
deltoid;” the feet (not much like a cat’s, hy-the-by) ought 
to be somewh.at large, and the toes long. 1 doubt Avhether 
they really are so; they carry that appear.ance, from the 
trim and light build of the limb througliout ; but such they 
appear. The Aving is an essenti.al in a Game bird; it should 
be long in tho pinion, not set too high. The object of a 
strong wing is to give force to the hloAv, as tho pectoral 
muscles and tlie long pinions give a SAvoop and force per¬ 
fectly marvellous. The covering of the bird is to be a 
homogenous thin lAiass of feather, hard, compact, firm, so 
mail-like, that grain suddenly throAvn on tho bird’s back 
should rattle and recoil as if it Avere from parcdiment; even 
the vent feathei's should be; free from doAvn or tlntf. 
'These r.apidly-rnn-over paiticuhars constitute a Game bird. 
I Avill tell y<ui, most patient reader, some more one of these 
juicy Devonshire days .—As usual—W. H. 
GREAT NORTHERN ROULTRY S^IO^Y. 
This took place at Done,aster on the 23rd and 24lh inst. 
Our reporter’s parcel being miscarried, Ave can only say that 
the following first prizes Avere taken :—For Spanish, by Di’. 
Beirson and tho Rev. Morton Sh.aAV; for Coloured Dorkinys, 
by hi. Akroyd, hls(]., and 'J'. JM. Keyworth; for h'hite 
Itorkinys, by Rev. G. Hutton; Shanyhnes {Bn§'), by W. 
Dawson and Rev. Morton Sh.aw; for Shanyhaes (Brown), 
R. Swift and 'T. B. Stead; for Shanyhaes (If’hite and Black), 
'SV. Dawson and J. IL Wilson; for Brahma Poolras, K. 
Simons and Miss M. hi. 'Tong; for Malays, J. Buncombe 
and Rev.'T. L. Fcllowes; for Game, 3. Cumm, W. Hopkin- 
son, C. Ch.alonei’, 'W. DaAA’son, J. J. Pilling, W. S. '1'. 
Gooseman, and J. Morgan ; for Golden-pencilled Hamburyhs, 
Yiscoimt GaRvay and Mrs. Pai’kinson; for Golden sjHinylcd 
IJambnryhs,K. AiU'.khmd and G. f,. Fox; (or Silvei'-pencilled 
Handniryhs, jMrs. IT. Sharpe; for Silver-spanyled Hamburyhs, 
hi. Auckland; for Polands, 'T. Battye, J. Dixon, and iV. 
Dawson; fov Bantams, JJ. D. B.ayly and M. Ridgway ; for 
Geese, H. Ambler; for Hac/.’s, .1. Conyers, E. Akroyd, G, 
Liddle, and -J. Aldham; for Turkeys, G. J)aft and C. 
Rocklin gton. 
It Avas .an excellent exhibition. We Avill give full par¬ 
ticulars next Aveek. 
LONDON IMARKETS.— January 28 Tti. 
COVENT GARDEN. 
Consi(leral)Ie improvement is to be noticed this week, both in tbe 
([Uantity and (juality of forced and other Vegetables. Rhubarb, Sea-kate, 
and Asparagus, bcin;t now cpiite ecfnal to the demand, and prices have 
somewhat rcce(ied. We have, aUo, received from France some excellent 
Satuding, consistinarof Kndine, Cabbage Lettuce, and Rarbedu Capucin, 
and a sample of Green Peas in very fair condition; but the locality of 
their growth we hav’e not been able to ascertain. The Cornish Brucoli 
I 
