September IS. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
455 
prostration, caused entirely by the indigestible nature of the 
food with which their crops were “ literally crammed.” In 
some of these cases, no doubt, the result will prove fatal to 
the very existence of the birds themselves, and we are 
assured by one of the judges, that the success of at least 
two pens, thus shown, would have proved widely different, 
had not the birds been evidently in a dying state at the time 
they were received upon the ground. Amateurs can certainly 
not give too much care to this particular, which undoubtedly 
arises in most instances from ill-judged kind-heartiness. 
COMPARISONS. 
It is said, that at some public schools where show boys 
are wanted, the master studies the bumps or organs of his 
scholars, and developes one to the injury of the rest. The 
favoured lad is a star of the greatest brilliancy on one point, 
and an idiot in everything else. Sometimes an obstinate 
examiner will deviate from‘ the point, aud confound the 
poor boy, by showing his talent is of the singular number. 
Hence, defeat. 
So, I petted, fed, and fattened my Dorkings for a recent 
show, but as their only merit was weight, they were un¬ 
successful. 
Sometimes, in a large school, one of those boys, of whom 
there are so many, who appear to have no friends to take 
care of them, who go up with their classes unnoticed, day 
by day, and pass undistinguised, from half to half, will, at an 
examination, step out from the ranks and carry all before 
him. 
So, my neighbour, who takes no notice of his fowls, took 
the prize over my head. 
The boys in a school whose kind mamas supply them with 
comforters and macintoshes, lots of pocket money, and 
periodical baskets, are never so well as the children of 
poorer or more sensible parents who allow, them to 
“ rough ” it. 
So, the fowls that live naturally will always beat those 
that are pampered. 
The schoolmaster who has a very stupid boy to educate, 
dreads the visit of the parents, knowing they will complain 
of want of progress ; but he is often enabled to say—“ Have 
you noticed how well he writes ?” 
So, when I am rallied on my want of success at a late 
show, I can answer,—I had a prize for Guinea Fowls, and 
for Muscovy Ducks.—X. 
PEA-FOWL.—BEES.—CANARIES. 
I AM a poor country Vicar, Mi’. Editor, and in the absence 
of those luxuries and pleasures which wealth alone can 
procure, I am well content to beguile my leisure hours by 
ministering to many bipeds and quadrupeds which are de¬ 
pendent upon me for their daily bread ; and no satisfaction 
can be greater, or pleasure purer, than that which is derived 
from studying the habits of these good gifts of God to his 
creature man. 
I have an apiary well stocked with Bees. I have an aviary 
filled with many feathered inhabitants, differing in plumage 
and in song. I keep Cochins, Gold and Silver Pheasants, 
Guinea and Pea fowl. About three of these families I wish 
to say a word ; and, first of the Pea fowl. 
What so ornamental in our gardens as the outspread plu¬ 
mage of the Peacock, when with a dark back-ground of 
evergreens lie expands in the sunlight his glorious train ? 1 
Who does not admire a Peacock? He excites our admi¬ 
ration when children, and when men, we by no means lose 
our childish wonder; and yet how the ladies persecute him ! 
If he ventures to breakfast upon the Strawberries, or make 
his luncheon upon a Fuchsia, or devour the blooms of a 
Baronne P rev oat for his dinner, what a rout is made. Oh ! 
that nasty Peacock! resounds from side to side. Well! such 
was my experience, and I was compelled to incarcerate him 
in company with three hens in a well-fenced domicile. They 
had an open yard by day, and a comfortable roost by night. 
Now, Mr. Editor, comes the curious part of my history. 
These three Pea-hens laid forty-nine (49) eggs. I am told 
no one will believe it, that the Editor of The Cottage 
Gardener will never allow it to be published, and that if he 
does, I shall be thought insane; but they did; they laid 
forty-nine eggs, and have deposited ten more in August. I 
have eighteen young Pea-fowl in excellent health. I did 
not set all the eggs ; but most of those set produced chicken ; 
they were put under Cochin hens, five being entrusted to 
each hen, and excellent mothers they have been. The old 
Pea-hens did not exhibit any desire to sit; the eggs were 
removed as they were laid. The young Pea-fowl have been 
fed upon curd made with alum, chopped eggs, and barley- 
flour paste. I have only lost two ; and one of those from an 
accident; and very proud I am of my flock of eighteen young 
Pea-fowl. 
Next, a word about my Bees. This has been a good 
season for honey-gathering, in Notts, but there have been 
few swarms. I have six or seven beautiful glasses of honey, 
obtained principally from swarms put into hives full of old 
combs ; this I am persuaded is the best way to obtain 
honey in glasses. Do what you will, you cannot prevent 
old stocks swarming; ventilate, enlarge, use side-hives or 
bell-glasses, no matter, they will swarm. I saw a swarm 
issue from a hive in this parish, which reminded one of the 
Mamelon Tower, it consisted of four large hives put one 
upon the other, accessible internally from the top to the 
bottom, but spite of all they swarmed. My advice to bee¬ 
keepers is—and I have kept bees eight years, and tried all 
manner of experiments—save all the old comb you can; never 
break any of your boxes; put your swarms into hives full of 
old comb, and you will have plenty of honey. There are 
always some stocks that perish in the winter in an ex¬ 
tensive apiary. There are always casts and late swarms 
which do some work, though they perish after. Save all 
the comb they make, it is invaluable to help the next year’s 
colonies. This is far better than trying to prevent swarm¬ 
ing, which you cannot do, and which will always end in 
disappointment. 
And now about the Aviary. In the month of August, 
1854, I purchased Canaries, Bullfinches, Goldfinches, Lin¬ 
net, Siskins, Ac., and turned them into a yard seven yards 
in length, and four in width, with a comfortable roost at the 
end, which closed with a door, and into which they were 
driven each night. The sides of the yard were formed of 
sparrow proof wire netting, and the top of string netting. 
All went on well until the middle of October; I then found 
the Canaries affected hy the damp, and removed them to a 
large, well-lighted, and dry chamber above my stable; the 
room was cold, the stable being unoccupied ; I am not rich 
enough to keep a horse. During the whole of the extremely 
cold weather, last winter, the birds had no artificial heat, 
and were all perfectly healthy, there was not a single death, 
although there were more than thirty Canaries in the room. 
The water was frozen morning, noon, and night, and had 
to be repeatedly thawed. No matter, the birds continued 
well, and sung away in February as if it had been June; 
in March I brought them down again to the open aviary, 
and in due time gave them nests and materials for building,. 
But alas! what a tale of woe have I to unfold; the nests 
were speedily built, but the Bullfincligs eat most of the eggs; 
and where a Canary sat unusually close, and succeeded in 
hatching her eggs, they speedily devoured the young ones. 
I now removed several pairs of Canaries to their winter 
abode, and in one week the hens were most of them setting, 
but as they hatched, the cock birds destroyed the young 
ones, pinching off their beaks, legs, and wings. I now re¬ 
moved the cocks, and left the hens to do all the work; they 
sat and hatched well enough, but after about three or four 
days they pined all the young ones to death. What am I 
to do next spring ? Will some kind fancier, with your per¬ 
mission, inform me through your pages?—R. B., Badclijfe - 
on-Trent. 
MRS. FORD’S DUCKS. 
On several occasions, I have seen it stated in your pub¬ 
lication that the Aylesbury Ducks with which I gained the 
first prize, at different places, were purchased from Mr. II. 
