THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, August 11, 1857. 303 
produce mules with the Turtle Doves, and a bird said to 
bo so bred was exhibited at the late Anerley Show. 
The English name is most likely derived from the Latin 
in reference to its frill or ruffle, and the French name 
Cravate has a like signification. The German name, Moven 
or Movechem , lias reference to its colour or marking, which 
is thought to resemble the sea-mew, or white with bluish 
grey wings. 
The two chief properties are its frill and gullet. The 
frill is formed by the feathers opening and standing up on 
the breast in the form of a ruffle or shirt frill, which ex¬ 
tends down the whole front of the neck, and the more the 
bird has of it the more it is esteemed. The gullet is an 
enlargement of the throat from the beak to the frill—a fine 
narrow development of skin, something analogous to the 
dewlap in animals, which takes off the abrupt junction be¬ 
tween the beak and throat. As our Turbits have been 
much neglected as regards their high culture, this valuable 
property is now rarely seen, and it behoves fanciers to pay 
more attention to this peculiar point. The beak is short 
and thick; hence the Dutch name cort-beke. The shorter 
the beak the better. The eyes are large, of a black or dark 
hazel colour. The head should not be round, as described 
by most writers, but broad and somewhat angular, the 
supra-orbital ridge above the eyes being prominent. The 
size of the bird is another point, and the smaller it is, and 
the more compact and rounded in form of body, the more it 
is valued. 
Colour .—The secondary wing feathers, greater and lesser 
wing coverts, and scapular feathers should be coloured, the 
remainder of the plumage unspotted white ; and thus they 
are designated Blue-shouldered or Black-shouldered Turbits, 
as the colour of that part indicates. Any white feathers 
among the coloured shoulder feathers, or coloured ones 
where they should be white, as the colour extending too far 
up the pinions or down the thighs, are considered blemishes. 
The shoulders are of various colours, as black, blue, red, 
yellow, copper, dun, chequered, or mealy. The old fanciers 
admired the Blacks, Blues, and Duns most when they had 
tails of the same colour, but such are now rarely seen : at 
present all have white tails. Wholly white Turbits have 
been also written of, but I have never seen any that might 
not be with as much propriety called Owls, for the distinction 
between the Owl and Turbit consists in the head, beak, 
gullet, and frill, and though slight and scarcely observable 
to an uninitiated eye, yet there is sufficient difference to 
constitute them separate varieties independently of colour. 
The Turbit is one of the prettiest of our fancy Pigeons, 
and is universally admired. They are light and active on the 
wing, and if trained will fly almost as well as Tumblers; 
but their beaks are too short to admit of their being good 
foragers, nor are the better bred ones very productive. 
Some years back Canterbury used to be famous for 
Turbits ; but I expect we must now look for a re-importation 
from the Continent to have them again with the peculiar- 
formed head and well-developed gullet, as the few fanciers 
who have bred them in England seem to have reduced them 
to the Tumbler standard, which is evidently wrong in a bird 
so distinct. Some Turbits are point-headed, others are 
turned-crowned, but one is considered as good as the other, 
though I regard the smooth head as the original.—B. P. 
Brent, Dallington , Sussex. 
SHEFFIELD POULTRY SHOW. 
The first Exhibition of the Sheffield, South Yorkshire, 
and North Derbyshire Poultry Association was held in 
Norfolk Park on the 28th, 2Uth, and 30th of July, and had 
great success. From the comparatively small extent to 
which the breeding of first-class poultry had been carried 
in this neighbourhood, considerable fears were entertained, 
when first the projected Show was mooted, that it would be 
impossible to collect together such a number of poultry of 
this description to form an Exhibition of sufficient variety 
and excellence as to attract visitors. Through the exertions, 
however, of an active Committee, aided by liberal subscrip¬ 
tions from the gentry of the neighbourhood, such a list of 
prizes was offered as induced many of the most celebrated 
breeders of poultry from all parts of the kingdom to enter 
for competition, and the result was a collection of poultry 
which, for number, variety, and excellence, those most 
competent to form an opinion pronounced to be one of 
the best that has yet taken place. The weather on all 
three days was everything that could have been desired, and 
the number of visitors was such as not only to insure the 
Committee from loss, but to leave them with money in 
hand, with which it is contemplated to establish a fund for 
holding a similar Exhibition in Sheffield annually. 
Norfolk Park had been kindly placed at the service 
of the Committee, and about two acres of the tableland at 
the upper end was boarded off for the holding of the 
Exhibition. The poultry was arranged in a wooden, 
canvass-roofed booth at the lower end of this inclosure, 
while the remaining part was occupied as a promenade 
ground, and for the exhibition of the agricultural imple¬ 
ments, &c. Mr. F. Ward lent the collection of Chinese 
edge tools, cutlery, &c., which had recently been on view at 
the School of Art; and these, which were shown in a tent 
adjoining the poultry booth, attracted the attention of great 
numbers of the visitors. Near the entrance were also 
placed the two Russian guns; trophies from Sebastopol, 
presented to the town by the government. 
The pens of poultry numbered G70, and were arranged in 
double tiers, the numbers following the order in the 
catalogue, commencing with the Spanish. In this class 
there were forty-two pens of birds, the whole pronounced 
by the Judges as “ exceedingly good.” The list of con¬ 
tributors included the names of several of the most 
celebrated breeders in the kingdom. Amongst the local 
competitors were Mrs. J. C. Hall and Mr. W. Sylvester, of 
Sheffield; Mr. P. Cadman, of Ballifield Hall; and Mr. 
R. J. Bentley, of Rotherham. Mrs. Hall contributed three 
pens. 
The Dorkings were both extensive and fine, the various 
colours numbering fifty-two pens. Mr. Wilson Overend, 
Mr. S. Cockayne, Mr. T. Peace, Hampden View, Mr. T. 
Eyre, St. Philip’s Road, and Mr. W. Harvey, Sheffield, Mr. 
R. Bentley and Mr. W. Harrison, Rotherham, were the 
local contributors. Mr. Titterton, of Birmingham, carried 
off the prize for the best pen of cock and two hens, and 
Captain Hornby for chickens. In Dorking cocks Mr. 
Harvey, of Sheffield, succeeded in carrying off the first 
prize with a remarkably fine bird. 
The Game attracted very great admiration, and were the 
most numerous of any class exhibited, numbering upwards 
of 190 pens, of which GO were single cocks entered in com¬ 
petition for the Silver Cup. Amongst the White Game 
fowls was a pen of three belonging to Mr. George Helliwell, 
of Walldey, Sheffield, which had carried off a prize at the 
Great Birmingham Show, and since at Thorne. On this 
occasion, however, they were distanced, the prizes for that 
class being awarded to Mr. Camm, of Southwell; Mr. 
Hague, of Holmfirth ; and Captain Hornby. The Silver Cup 
for the best single cock was awarded to Mr. Dawson, of 
Birmingham, for a splendid Black-breasted Red cock. The 
Judge (Mr. Challoner, of Whitwell), from the great number 
and excellence of the birds, had considerable difficulty in 
awarding the prize for the Cup, and marked several whose 
claim had weighed strongly against the winner as “ highly 
commended.” 
The Cochin-Chinas, of which there was a good show, 
particularly the single cocks, attracted a good deal of the 
attention of the visitors. Mr. Stretch, of Bootle, Liverpool, 
carried away two of the first prizes; and Mr. Harvey, of 
Sheffield, the second prize for chickens. Mr. Peters, of 
Birmingham, was the winner of one of the prizes in this 
class. With six pens of birds he carried off no less than 
three of the principal prizes, including the five guinea case 
of cutlery given for the third best three pens. In single 
cocks of this breed Mr. J. W. Lamb, of Sheffield, was the 
winner with a very large and fine bird. 
Of Brahma Pootras the specimens exhibited were very 
good, though not numerous. In this class Mr. Harvey, of 
Sheffield, won the second prize with a pen priced at T20, 
while the first prize was awarded to Mr. R. Teebay, of 
Preston. 
The Golden and Silver-pencilled and Spangled Hamburglis 
excited general admiration. The only local exhibitors were 
