388 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 18. 
cock and two hens, bred by a Mr. Pope (now in Australia), 
between a Shangkae cock and pure Spanish hen. The cock 
is a black red, about 81b. Jersey weight; one hen is black 
entirely, about the same weight, and the other hen about 
71b. Jersey weight, with a partridge breast. No. 1 has laid 
320 eggs, and attempted to sit for the first time to-day 
(July 20th). No. 2 commenced laying three days after I 
purchased them, and has laid 300 eggs without attempting 
to sit, botli having laid during their moult and the winter. 
In fact, they are never idle ; they both lay fine eggs ; No. 1, 
perfectly white eggs ; No. 2, pale chocolate coloured. 
I have tried to breed them back, that is, the hens with a 
Shangliae cock, but at present with out success. The cock 
with a Spanish hen has bred freely, but not with a Shangliae 
hen as yet. However, they (the three) will breed together, 
and have produced fine chickens, which have attained a 
large size early, and of good flavour and colour, equal to a 
pure Spanish. 
As regards the Shanghaes, of which I have several 
varieties (and amongst them a magnificent grey or varie- 
| gated breed direct from Shangliae), I may say, I am at pre¬ 
sent unable to find their match as sitters and good layers, 
with the exception of the white birds, most of their eggs 
being bad, and hard to rear the chickens. 
I feed all my poultry, which are about 200 and over, on 
I barley-meal twice a day, and on oats once, with a good run 
! of grass, &c., and for the last year have had but one sick, a 
Pun chard cock with white comb, and from the receipt in 
the book, he is perfectly cured already. 
My birds direct from China have not suffered at all, 
though such a severe winter. Should this be of any ser¬ 
vice to the poultry faucy now, or should I at any future 
time be able to assist, I shall be but too happy.—W. Wood¬ 
ford, Upton House, Jersey. 
BRAIIMA POUTRAS. 
The parents of the chickens which I exhibited in Baker- I 
street, are not the same as those which I exhibited at Bir- 
mingham. I vflfy soon discarded the latter pair, from a j 
conviction that they were not of the pure, uncrossed stock ’ 
of the original American birds, and from a further belief 
that the original birds were neither more nor less than a 
new variety of Shangliae, and not a new and distinct breed, 
as had been represented, and which, from the anomalous 
appearance of the combs, Ac., of the birds I exhibited at 
Birmingham, I w’as then, and for some short time after I 
had received the lot of ten birds from America, rather 
disposed to think might be the case. I do not at all wonder 
at the opinion you express of their being Shangliae, “with 
a slight cross of Malay.” Such would be my own opinion, 
had I nothing to judge from but the medley of shape, [ 
points, and colour in the birds represented as genuine. It | 
is, however, my honest conviction, that there is, in the original 1 
birds in America, how, or whencesoever introduced there, a 
bona fide variety of Gray Shangliae , as distinct from others 
as is the White Shangliae, and without the smallest cross 
of Malay or any other fowl. Moreover, I think that they 
are very superior to many of our strains of this breed. 
It is but an opinion, however, and the arguments 
which have led me to it might not suffice to produce the 
same belief in others. There is, no doubt, a similarity 
between the Chittagong and these birds, but there are dis¬ 
tinctive differences in each ; and so well is it recognised in 
America, that more than double the price is paid for what 
are called the true Brahmas. In fact, the rage there for 
these birds is unprecedented, now, partly, no doubt, owing 
to the noise made about those sent to the Queen, but long j 
before that the rage had begun, and they were then generally 
acknowledged to be the best fowl going. The subjoined is 
an extract from a paper received only yesterday, from the 
United States.—W. Cust G wynne. 
Extract from the “ Northern Farmer.” —“ How the 
public are to avoid being cheated in the sale of crosses we 
are at a loss to divine. We fear that thousands of dollars 
will be paid for spurious fowls, next fall, under the name of 
Brahma Poutra. The excitement in regard to these fowls 
is immense, and the demand for eggs at six dollars (twice 
the price of eggs of any other breed there) is enormous. 
We could have sold two thousand dollars worth if we had 
had the fowls to lay them.” 
[We emphatically warn our readers against following this 
American folly. We have just received a narrative of the 
history of some of the so-called Brahma Poutras now in 
England. We will publish it next week.—E d. C. G.] 
SEA WEEDS.—No. 7. 
( Continued from page 370.) 
I stood upon a smooth and sandy shore, 
On one of autumn’s bright and sunny days; 
The sea was clear as crystal—hush’d its roar, 
And distant mountains softened by the haze. 
Green were the waters, and the sky so blue, 
Reflected in them, caused a lovely hue. 
Huge porpoises were rolling o’er and o’er. 
And fishermen were busy on the shore 
Mending their nets, to “ Cast into the deep,” 
That they of Ocean’s stores their share might reap ; 
While dove-like Mews were hovering o’er the sea, 
Dipping their wings and feet luxuriously. 
ORDER 5.—CHORD ARIACE2E. 
“ Olive-coloured, with a gelatinous frond; spores at¬ 
tached to the filaments, concealed within the substance of 
the frond.”— Harvey. 
1. CHORD ARIA.— Ay. 
1. Ciiordaria flagelliformis (Whip-shaped).—Frond 
thread-like ; branches alternate ; colour dark olive. In the 
water this plant appears to be fringed with very fine fibres, 
which make it feel slimy. 
2. C. divaricata (Outspread).—Fronds vary in length, 
from one to three feet; the branches spreading from a 
centre; like C. flagelliformis it is slimy, but of a lighter 
olive. In deep water. At Carrickfergus. 
2. MESOGLOIA.— Ay. 
“Frond thread-shaped, much branched, gelatinous; fruc¬ 
tification elliptical spores; name signifying middle and 
viscid, from the gelatinous axis.” 
1. Mesogloia vermicularis (Worm-like).—A clumsy. 
looking plant, the frond thick, very like greenish worms. 
Common. One to two feet high. On rocks. 
2. M. Griffitiisiana (Griffiths). — “Rare. South of 
England and West of Ireland. Of a pale olive-green; 
fronds from 8—10 inches high.” 
