THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
268 
July 26.] 
this bird is also more painful and dangerous than in the 
other varieties. For all these reasons this valuable and sin¬ 
gular race was entirely lost in France during several years, 
until M. Corbie sent for a great number from Germany. If 
we cross these birds with another species, even with that 
which appears to resemble them very closely, then- young 
ones lose for ever their peculiar voice and tuft. 
15. Dresden Tambour Pigeon : Colamb a tympanisans 
Drcsdte. —M. Corbie, having heard that there were some 
varieties of the “ glou-glou ” in Saxony unknown in France, 
sent for some immediately. Seven of them have appeared 
sufficiently interesting to be described. 
The “ glou-glou " from Dresden differs from the preceding 
in its plumage, which is entirely red, with the exception of 
the back and shoulders, these being pure white. The young 
ones have an entire red plumage—uo paid becoming white 
until the first moulting. The iris of this bird is yellow. 
16. Yellow Tambour Pigeon : Columba tympanisans Inlea .— 
Resembling the last, but with a yellow plumage. 
17. Blue Tambour Pigeon : Columba tympanisans ccerulea. 
This one has the head and the beam feathers of the wing 
and tail white—the rest blue. 
18. White Tambour Pigeon : Columba tympanisans Can¬ 
dida. —In every respect like the preceding, but all white. 
19. Black Tambour Pigeon : Columba tympanisans nigra. 
Plumage entirely black ; wings striped with white. 
20. Grey-headed Tambour Pigeon : Columba tympanisans 
comcta. —Fntirely black, hut with a grey head. 
21. Orange-striped Tambour Pigeon : Columba tympani¬ 
sans lineata-awra .—Wings, tail, and head white—the rest 
Dine; the wings striped with orange colour. 
(To bn continued.) 
GARDEN WALKS. 
Of the many attractions our gardens contain, certainly 
not the least is good walks ; and a few words in the way of 
making such may not be out of place, especially as it is a 
matter everybody takes an interest in ; and, before entering 
on tlie subject of making new ones, let us take a glance at 
the various materials used for the purpose. In the first 
place, we suppose we must put gravel, which, by-the-bye, in¬ 
cludes a wide range of material; next come ashes, he they 
from the kitchen, the iron-foundry, or the chemical works, 
all differing in their character; then we have cuttings—a 
sort of stone crushed as small as acorns in the lead-mining 
operations, and, probably, a similar material may exist where 
copper or tin is worked ; then we have brick-dust, or the 
refuse of a pottery of unglazed ware ; then there is sand of 
various kinds; a kind of cockle-shell found on some parts of 
the coast makes also a pretty and useful walk; hi some 
places a sort of asplialte or concrete is also used. Other 
substances are also occasionally used as make-shifts, as tan, 
i stonemasons’ drippings, small coals, <tc., &c.; but by far the 
most of walks are made of gravel, and to them I now 
address myself. 
Not long ago, a great authority in such matters insisted 
that walks, in order to he dry in wet weather, ought to be 
above the level of the surrounding ground ; that such a plan 
would secure their dryness is unquestionably true, hut that 
it would mar their appearance iu an ornamental point of 
view is equally apparent, as it would he impossible to clearly 
define the edging, which would consequently he jagged, 
while its ridge-like look, seen where it would have been better 
to conceal a walk altogether, form insuperable objections 
to that plan coming into general use. We shall, therefore, 
content ourselves with remarks relating to walks whose edges 
are slightly below the turf or border edging which defines 
them; and, before commencing operations, let us examine 
the nature of the ground we have to traverse, and other 
matters. 
It cannot have escaped the observation of our gardening 
friends liow clean and dry the public roads are, even in very 
wet weather, in those districts termed sandy or gravelly. 
Even when an inferior stone is used for those roads they 
- till are tolerably clean, compared with those in strong loamy 
or clayey parts, where very likely more stone is used. In the 
; first case, most of the rain that falls is quickly earned away 
l by the porous nature of the ground, while the adhesive cha¬ 
racter of the latter has a contrary tendency to retain it. It 
is evident, therefore, when a garden walk has to be made 
through such a bed of retentive matter, means must be used 
to abstract as much of the moisture that falls ou the walk 
as possible; and, having had a good deal of experience in 
forming walks under such circumstances, I beg to lay before 
your readers the plan I have adopted, witli tolerably good 
success. 
When a new walk is to be made in such a retentive place, 
let the earth be taken out to the depth of—say seven or 
eight inches at the side, and perhaps a foot iu the middle, 
which will have a sort of furrow appearance—both sides 
drooping to it; and along the middle, deepening such furrow, 
lay a course of drain-tiles, carefully covering them up (and 
the whole walk over) with rough stones or brick-bats ; both 
of which are better if they have been used in a building and 
old mortar adhering to them; worms are not then so likely 
to work up through, while the rain in falling is quickly carried 
away by the drain, which, of course, must be made to empty I 
itself into some handy place not far off. When walks are very t 
wide, as 14 feet and upwards,two such drains maybe put, by 
cutting the ground into a sort of ridge-and-gutter system. I 
have made an area, 150 feet each way, perfectly dry by put¬ 
ting a series of such drains in, cutting the ground into the 
required ridge-and-gutter shape, in order that the rain in 
falling may, after passing through the gravel and rough 
stones, at last come to an inclined plane, at the bottom of 
which is the drain waiting to receive it. That something of 
that sort is necessary I have the most practical proof of; 
and if any of your readers have a large area of gravel at 
their front door they want to lay dry, I can assure them they 
may accomplish their object by doing as I have advised. And 
there are many places in which such an area is at the bottom 
of a bill, or where the alterations may have removed all 
porous earth or other matter,—I have no hesitation of 
saying, that unless supplied with drains to carry away the 
water that falls, no amount of stones put in will compensate 
for the absence of these ; as, if the clay be of that retentive 
character I have had to deal with, water might remain in it a 
month before it found its way through, unless carried away 
by evaporation. 
We irill presume the ground-work intersected by drains, 
as above, and the proper thickness—say three or four inches 
of stone or brick-bats laid on ; it will be now necessary to lay 
on something else before putting on the gravel; refuse 
cinders, or what are called “ clinkers,” are good, being ob¬ 
noxious to worms, and very porous ; coarse gravel that may 
be unfit for the top will also do, or anything that will keep 
the top material from finding its way down through, will do 
likewise, provided it he open enough to allow the water to 
percolate freely through it. Next, of course, is the top coat¬ 
ing of gravel, or whatever you finish off with ; it is needless, 
however, dwelling on details which every one knows, hut my 
purpose is, to explain the system liy which the foundation of 
walks will be found to answer the purpose of quickly dis¬ 
persing the water which falls on the strata above. 
I am aware, that many good useful walks have been 
formed by merely covering the ground some two or three 
iuehes with good gravel, and in light, open, sandy, or gra¬ 
velly soils that is really all that is wanted; in such places 
the ground itself forms a natural drain, by which the super- ; 
fluous water is conveyed away, and the only evil in that case j 
is the liability that worms may find their way through it, but 
they are less plentiful in a sandy than on a moist soil; but | 
such a course will hardly do on a bed of blue clay or tena- j 
cious loam ; here something more must be done. 
Of the qualities of gravel it is almost needless to speak, \ 
because few have the means of choosing, but I may observe I 
that the gravel which hinds the firmest in dry weather clings 
most to the feet in wet, while that which is liable to get loose j 
in dry weather is firmest and pleasantest in wet; the one j 
consists of a variety of small stones, imbedded in a loamy 
substance, which cakes as hard as a sun-burnt brick; the 
other is more sandy in texture, and, consequently, gets loose 
in dry weather. It may he proper to add, that where the 
former "revel prevails it is advisable to sift a portion of the 
very tine matter out, so that a greater abundance of stones 
may exist; by so doing you get rid of that miry substance 
wliicb bangs so tenaciously to the feet in wet weather, the 
ample provision of small stones forming a sort of pavement 
