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THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, December 25, 1860. 
Second, J. B. Chime. Third, Mrs. Pettat. Highly commended, J. H. 
Craigie, Woodlands, Chigwell, Essex. Commended, Mrs. E. Everett, 
Gibraltar Cottage, Monmouth; E. Payne, Wharf, Cardiff; J. B. Chune. 
Bantams (any other variety).—First, J. Martin. Second, R. Everett, 
Gibraltar Cottage, Monmouth. Third, Mrs. B.Blay, the Poplars, Gregory’s 
Bank, Worcester. 
Any other Distinct Breed. —First, T. R. Williams, Newport (Black 
Hamburglis). Second, W. Cannan (White Polands). Third, J. Hinton, 
Hinton, near Bath (BrahmaPootra). Fourth, J. B. Chune. Highly com¬ 
mended, R. H. Nicholas, Yewberry Cottage, Malpas, near Newport (Black 
Hamburghs); Mrs. B. Blay (Andalusians); H. Lcaworthy, St. John’s 
Cottage, Newport, Barnstaple (Sultans); Miss L. Crawshay, Cavereham 
Park, Reading (Pheasant Malays). Commended, W. Cannan (Black Ham¬ 
burghs) ; J. Hinton (Brahma Pootra) ; Miss G. Everett, Gibraltar Cottage, 
Monmouth (Silk Fowls). 
Guinea Fowls. —Prize, R. Everett, Gibraltar Cottage, Monmouth. 
Ducks (Aylesbury).—First and Second, J. Logan, Maindee House, near 
Newport. Highly commended, J. B. Harding, High Street, Cardiff. Com¬ 
mended, J. Buckley, Llanelly, Caermarthenshire. 
Ducks (Rouen).—First, A. Higgins, the Grange, near Chepstow. Second, 
Miss L. Crawshay, Caversham Park, Reading. Highly commended, 
A. Higgins; Hon. G. Howard, Charlton, Malmesbury, Wilts. Commended, 
A. Cuthbertson, Cefnleech, Langibby, near Newport. 
Geese. —First, Miss L. Crawshay. Second, Hon. G. Howard. Highly 
commended, A. Cuthbertson; J. Buckley, Pcnyfae House, Llanelly; 
A. Higgins. Commended, L. Williams, Spitty Farm, Christchurch. 
Turkeys. —First, Miss L. Crawshay. Second, Miss J. Milward, Newton 
St. Loe, near Bath. Highly commended, W. B. Hawkins, Pontymoile 
House, Pontypool; W. Crawshay, Pontypridd, Glamorgan. Commended, 
Mrs. E. Everett; F. Crang, Timsbury, near Bath; C. Lyne, Brynhyfryd, 
Newport. 
Judge for the Poultry, Edward Hewitt, Esq., Eden Cottage, 
Sparkbrook, near Birmingham. 
AD VENTURES OE A YOUNG SPANISH COCK. 
NO. I.—MY EIEST VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM. 
I was hatched on the sixth day of March in this year of 
Poultry Shows, 1860. I was taken from a basket of eggs that 
my owner was selling at two guineas a-dozen, and both my 
father and mother have, I am told, won the first prize at Bir¬ 
mingham. I first saw the light in the north, and am what I 
profess to be—simply a chicken of this year ; not a bird hatched 
in the south late last autumn, and to whose spurs a hot potato 
has been applied to make him appear what he is not. 
From the day I first chirped I have been fed upon the best of 
everything—have had a nice pen (of late all to myself), a grass 
field to run in, and a room at night that many a poor man might 
envy. 
Last N ovember my owner and feeder had many a long talk 
about me; they praised my comb, my large white face, my beau¬ 
tiful plumage, and I heard them say one day I was entered as a 
single cock at the great Show. I now got bread and milk and 
some white peas every day. At the end of the month I was taken 
into a room, my face well washed, and, after a feed of bread and 
ale, I was put into a basket with a straw bed at the bottom of 
it, honoured by a first-class place in the guards’ van, and carried 
quickly towards Birmingham. When I got there I found at the 
station hundreds of baskets like the one I was in; and the 
porters handled us sometimes in a way that our owners would 
not have thanked them for had they been present. We were 
then placed in a van, and, about roosting-time, I found myself 
within the doors of the far-famed Bingley Hall. 
There I fell asleep, nor did I awak; until they were moving 
my basket, and a stout, bustling man, everybody spoke to as 
“George,” and who was continually singing the praises of “us 
Birmingham chaps,” told them to bring me along. They asked 
which side I belonged to. A door then opened, and I found 
myself in a small wire pen on the lower tier. 
In the morning I discovered, to my sorrow, that they had put 
me into one of the darkest places in the whole Exhibition, so I 
moped—all the crowing was taken out of me, and I felt my 
beauties could never be seen. A man brought me my breakfast, 
which I did not eat, and it was so dark that hardly anything 
could be seen. 
Footsteps approached, and now four gentlemen—the Judges— 
came. The first, they said, was a clergyman; the next looked 
like a squire ; the third was a tall man with dark eyes—he wore 
a white cravat, and walked past the pens in the twinkling of an 
eye, and he seemed too fast by half for the squire, who once or 
twice sat down ; the fourth was a tall, stout person ; he talked 
very knowingly, and must have been a man that had written all 
about poultry, both for exhibition and the table. All the others, 
particularly the clergyman, seemed to take their cue from him, 
and to pay much attention to what he said. After looking at 
the pens in my class—I am certain they could not see me one 
asked, “ What have you got for the first ?” So they compared 
notes, took another peep, had a bird or two out; but all was 
over in less than no time, and those who were present on Mon¬ 
day know the result. Those who were not there can see it in 
The Cottage Gardener. 
On Sunday morning, and before the press or the public were 
admitted, they again brought me my breakfast, leaving open the 
door of the cage I was in. This was a chance not to be lost, so 
I hopped out, and had a peep of my own, long before the private 
view on Monday. I first saw two very nice Spanish hens that 
had won, and much should I have liked them for wives; the 
pullets I did not care so much for. Then I saw written up 
silver plate. The cock chicken in this pen must have been a 
very early-hatched one, and so must each of the pullets. I saw, 
also, in this class, in a prize pen, a cock that made me wonder if 
nature or art had manufactured his comb. Many of the Spanish 
birds had been shaved, and had not been treated as I had been. 
My owner says that “ Beauty unadorned is adorned the most; 
and “that those great Judges, Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Baily, do 
not like Spanish to be trimmed.” This is all moonshine, as I 
saw the contrary with my own eyes, and my feeder said to one 
that was there I should be sent, like the rest of them, to the next 
Show. I then went to the old Spanish, and put my head under 
my wing a time or two to see if there were any dust in my eyes. 
I found, however, true enough, that the first prize had been 
given to a fat gouty old gentlemen with three fighting wives. He 
had no tail, but, to make up for this, one side of his large face 
was yellow, and the other ornamented with an immense scab. 
“ Qui color albus erat, nunc est contrarius albo.” 
I heard a very knowing man say during the Show that they had 
given him the prize for what he had been ! 
I was now going to have a peep at the Game, for I had heard 
some wonderful things about them, and where many of the prize 
birds had been at walk, and to whom they belonged; but at this 
moment George cried out, “ Don’t you see that Spanish cock has 
got out of his pen so they caught me, and took me back again. 
But my owner says now I am at home I am all right again, 
and that I am to go to many great Shows this year, even though 
I am through the moult; have got a tail; have a pure white 
face, without scabs, and without a yellow hue—even from 
jealousy. 
I expect next time to be in a better place where my beauties 
can be seen; and as I have now found out a way to open the 
door of my pen, and as the days will be very light soon, I shall 
hop out before any one is up in the morning, and, therefore, I 
trust the crow of the Spanish Cock will in the pages of The 
Cottage Gardener inform its readers of the sayings and doings 
of our principal Exhibitions yet to come. 
DAELINGTON AND NOETHEEN COUNTIES 
POULTEY EXHIBITION. 
We need only say that on Wednesday, December 12th, and 
following days, the eighth annual Exhibition of Poultry was 
held at Darlington; and our readers will be convinced that 
town not only holds no mean position in the poultry world, but 
also that there is a most flourishing Society—which is not to be 
wondered at when we take into consideration the advantages it 
possesses over some Shows, in having two such staunch and 
energetic supporters as the worthy Honorary Secretary and Mr. 
F. Mewburn, jun., the for-many-years-well-known and successful 
exhibitor of Pigeons ; and in the course of the report of this 
portion of the Show, we shall have occasion to call particular 
attention to some of his birds. 
The Show was held in a building in the Market Place, specially 
erected for the occasion and admirably suited to it in every 
respect save one—that being a want of light, some of the lower 
pens being almost in the dark, which makes it almost impossible 
for the visitors to see the birds, and must add much to the labour 
of the Judges; but we are assured upon good authority that 
this evil will be remedied another year. With this preface we 
will commence a review of those classes which call for particular 
mention. 
The first appearing on the prize list was the Spanish, Mr. 
Hyde taking first for both old birds and chickens. Messrs. 
Dixon and Branfoot also showed good birds. 
