THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 29, 1861. 
233 
Hayne and Tcgetmeier being the only exhibitors. The former 
showed some good Yellows and a very large-cropped Red cock. 
Mr. Tcgetmeier also showed Reds of yery good colour, and an 
extraordinary limbed young Mealy cock that measured over 
seven inches. 
To prove that Almonds were well represented we need only 
state that the exhibitors were Messrs. Esquilant, Archer, Morris, 
Thomas, Ilolmes, and Freeman. r Jlie last gentleman exhibited 
a pen of eight Almonds and Kites bred from a pair during the 
last season, showing that with proper management really good 
birds may be bred in greater number than is generally supposed. 
In Owls the show was fair, considering the great scarcity of 
really good short down-beaked birds. There is no difficulty in 
breeding Owls with the most beautiful plumage, but the charac¬ 
teristic head and beak of this exceedingly pretty variety arc 
seldom seen in perfection. As the celebrated breeder, the late 
Sir John Sebright, said he could breed feather and colour quickly, 
but it would take him years to obtain head and beak. A little 
White Owl hen of Mr. Morris’ was very nearly up to the standard. 
The same gentleman and Mr. Thomas exhibited a very good 
collection of Toys , including numerous Fantails, Turbits, Mag¬ 
pies, and Jacks. 
Mr. Jones’ collection of Red and Dun Baris was very good ; 
they were mostly young birds, and as they grow older, and 
acquire fuller development will doubtless serve to maintain his 
reputation as a very successful exhibitor. 
One of the most interesting pens in the room was that contain¬ 
ing a pair of the celebrated Passenger Pigeons of North America, 
the bird whose migrations in countless thousands is so graphically 
described by Wilson in his American ornithology. They are 
small Dove-like birds, with a ruddy-brown plumage and long- 
pointed tails; their constant and restless pacings around their 
pen proved that their migratory instincts and wild undomesticated 
character remained unchanged by their confinement. 
Taken as a whole the Show was exceedingly creditable to the 
young and evidently rising Society to which it owed its origin. 
TAMING BIRDS. 
I should be very much obliged to you if you could give me 
any information on the subject of taming birds. I have now a 
Goldfinch Mule which seems to possess an unusual amount of 
sagacity (if I may apply such a term to a bird). It has learnt 
to°uufasten the door of its cage, and shows a great deal of per¬ 
severance in doing so ; for I have seen it spend many hours in (he 
attempt, and it rarely gives up till it has succeeded. It is also 
particularly fond of riding on the perch, which feat it accom¬ 
plishes by resting one leg on the wires of the cage, the other on 
the perch, pulling the perch up in the air, and, then jumping on 
it, rides down. This process being followed for some time is 
generally ended by descent of the perch on the floor of the cage, 
about which it is dragged in the vain attempt to put it up again. 
The bird is a young one, and was sold to me as a hen, but it 
makes great attempts at singing, which makes me think it must 
be a cock, though I know hens will sometimes sing. I think if 
I could tame the bird it would be a very amusing little creature. 
Any hints or suggestions on the subject through the medium of 
your paper would be very acceptable.— Goldfinch. 
[I have scarcely any practical knowledge of the art of teaching 
birds to perform tricks. Perhaps if this catches the eye of any 
one that has, they may be kind enough to give “ Goldfinch” 
\ some information. Curious accounts of performing birds have 
| been recorded, but the method of training is not given. To 
| tame tlie birds tlie cage should be hung low where persons are 
constantly passing ; and when they become accustomed to the 
moving about of the public or household, they will soon be tame 
enough to take a hempseed from the fingers or lips, and by 
patience and gentleness may be rendered very docile and tract¬ 
able. Perhaps Goldfinch’s” Goldfinch Mule, which seems 
to have a taste "for riding, might be taught to ride on a little 
swinging-horse, by means of hempseed and patience.—B. P.B.] 
! 
-- 
VARIETIES OF RABBITS. 
; I have been much interested in the various papers on Rabbits 
that have appeared in The Cottagte Gardener of late, and 
, look forward to the translation of (he French work which has 
been mentioned. 
Having been a Rabbit fancier off and on for many years, I 
send you a list of the different breeds or varieties known to me, 
as most likely others may like to compare notes, and describe 
those that they may have kept. 
Eight different varieties, or distinct breeds of Rabbits, have 
come under my notice—namely :— 
1st. The common English Wild Rabbit of a grey colour, and 
which are known as Warreners, Hedgehogs, and Sweetheart?,, 
according to their manner of living, and among them a white or 
black individual is occasionally met with. 
2nd. The common domestic Rabbit, a middle-sized prick- 
eared animal, generally grey like the wild, but also occasionally 
partaking of the co’ours common to Rabbits. The prettiest sub- 
variety of this breed is, 1 think, the pure white with red eyes. 
3rd. The silver-haired Rabbit, a long-established variety, of 
which there are two shades of colour or sub-varieties. The 
silver-haired blades, or black Rabbits, profusely covered with 
white hairs, and the silver-haired greys, being grey Rabbits 
similarly adorned with white or silver hairs. This breed, I 
believe, originated in a cross between the wild and the tame, is 
of good size, with short, erect ears, and is hardy and prolific.. 
They are valued on account of their skins, the fur of which 
somewhat resembles that of the Chinchilla, from which they are 
sometimes called Chinchilla Rabbits, and as I hear that fur is 
again coming into fashion no doubt a demand will again arise- 
for their skins. 
4th. The Ermine Rabbit, or white Rabbit with black points. 
This, like the preceding, is said originally to have been the 
produce of a cross between the wild and domesticated Rabbits. 
Like that it is of medium size, with short prick ears, and pro¬ 
ductive, a spot on the nose, the ears, the scut or tail, and all the 
four feet are black or nearly so, the remainder of the fur being 
pure unspotted white. The eyes are pinkish-white with red 
pupils. Their skins are valuable for making imitation ermine ; 
but how they have come by the names of Himalayan or Chinese 
Rabbits I am at a loss to discover. 
5th. The Fancy Lop-eared Rabbits. These are the pets of the 
fancy, and being more artificially reared are less robust. They 
are, however, large Rabbits, often weighing 10 lbs., and if 
properly kept are healthy animals. Their points are the length 
and breadth of the ears. They measure from 14 inches to 
! 22 inches across from tip to tip. The next point is the lop or 
direction of the ears. These should fall down evenly one on 
each side of the head just behind the eyes, with the open or 
hollow side turned inwards or out of view ; the head flat at top ; 
the eye clear and prominent; the dewlap beneath the chin should 
be large, forming, as it were, a cushion for the head to rest on; 
the shoulders low, and the back high and arched. 
As to colour they may be whole or self-coloured, as grey, 
sandy, sooty fawn, black or blue, or either of these colours pied 
with white in the following order :—’The nose has a streak 
down it and a round patch on each side, which form the figure 
of a butterfly with expanded wings, and is called the Butterfly 
Smut. The eyes are also surrounded by a ring of colour like a 
pair of spectacles. The ears must be whole-coloured. The greater 
part of the back is also covered with a uniform patch called the- 
saddle. From the ears to the saddle on each side of the neck is 
a line of small spots called the chain. The tail or scut is also 
coloured, and the remainder should be white, the dark patches 
must be regular and free from white, and the white parts as free 
from spots as possible. 
They are designated Black Butterfly Smuts, or Blue Butterfly 
Smuts, according to colour. Those that have the nose and ears 
black and the back sandy are called Tortoiseshell Butterfly 
Smuts, and are much valued, provided they are good in all 
other properties. 
6th. The Angora Rabbit. I believe this is the variety some¬ 
times called Persian. They are the most beautiful of all the breeds 
of Rabbits, being pure white, and covered with a long, fleasy, 
silken coat. Their skins are also of much value, but they are- 
not much known, the pure breed being scarce, and fetching a* 
high price. 
Particoloured cross-bred Rabbits with long coats commonly 
called French Rabbits, are not uncommon. 
7th. The great Belgian Rabbits are the largest I am acquainted 
with. I believe they are scarce in this country. Those I had 
often weighed 15 lbs., in breeding condition. They were of two 
colours or sub-varieties. The more common were of a reddish- 
grey with black tips to the ears, which we called the Great 
Belgian Haro-coloured Rabbits ; the others were of a bright 
