416 THE COTTAGE GAKDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, September 29, 1857 
guarded by sheets of tin, nailed on below them, to prevent 
the intrusion of rats, weasels, or skunks. 
“ The building may be constructed of wood or other ma¬ 
terials, and in such style or order of architecture as may suit 
one’s taste, only preserving the internal arrangements and pro¬ 
portions in reference to breadth and height. As a general rule, 
as regards the length of a building, each hen, irrespective of 
the cocks, may be allowed afoot .”—{The Genesee Farmer.) 
PIGEONS. 
Class 11.—MESSENGER PIGEONS. 
Variety 1. THE ANTWERP CARRIER (Columba 
tabellaria Antwerpianee ). 
French. German. 
Pigeon Voyageur d’Anvers. Antwerpen Post Taube. 
The pure Antwerp Carrier is a very rare variety of 
Pigeon, and the most valuable of any known sort as Mes¬ 
sengers. The true Antwerp is, I am credibly informed, 
derived from a small variety of mealy or strawberry- 
coloured Rock Pigeon, which nestles in the old towers and 
venerable steeples of the ancient city of Antwerp, in Bel¬ 
gium. I do not suppose that these wild Antwerp Pigeons 
are an indigenous race, but simply the descendants of tame 
Pigeons that have lost their homes, and betaken themselves 
to these elevated abodes, where they breed in a comparative 
state of nature. The Belgians have been long noted for 
their passion of flying Pigeons, and such having escaped 
the control of man, and having for many generations been 
obliged to seek their subsistence at a considerable distance 
from the city, and often to run the gauntlet with the sports¬ 
men and numerous birds of prey, it is not surprising that 
from their remnant a race should spring up of exceedingly 
wild nature, and pre-eminently adapted for finding their way 
home from almost incredible distances. These Pigeons are 
but few in number, and the young have been sought and 
reared by those who delight in flying Pigeon matches in 
Antwerp; and the homing faculty appears so innate to the 
breed, that persons accustomed to train the tamer and more 
tractable varieties can scarcely credit with what small 
amount of training these very wild birds become proficients, 
and from their nature it is almost impossible to settle them 
to a new abode, or even to induce them to breed away from 
the place of their choice. 
Their plumage is mostly mealy, Avith reddish bars across 
the Avings, and a reddish shade about the neck; they are of 
small, size, resembling the Blue Rock Pigeon in form; the 
beak is slender and dove-shaped ; the eye prominent and of 
a pale gravel or reddish pearl colour; the forehead is rather 
full and rounded ; and the whole appearance and demeanour 
very wild. This variety is scarcely known in England except 
by name, and the mongrels or crosses which we sometimes 
i meet with. Indeed, so choice are the few persons that keep 
them that they rarely can be induced to part Avith them, and 
so wild and restless are the birds in a strange place that it 
would be a rare occurrence for them to breed there; their 
Avild nature and the indomitable desire to return to their 
native home cause them to be ever on the alert to escape; 
and should they be confined securely for a year, or even 
more, they will frequently at the expiration of that time, 
from their shy, restless disposition, be found willing and 
capable of returning to their old abode, though the journey 
may be one or two hundred miles.—B. P. Brent. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
To Correspondents. —Owing to our day of publication falling so 
near the end of the month we are obliged to go to press earlier, and 
several communications are necessarily omitted. 
Grey Linnet, Twite, and Redpole (T. Wrench). —It is usual for 
these birds to lose the red colour they possess in a wild state when in 
confinement. The Grey Linnet is also called Red or Rose Linnet, from 
the rosy red colour of the cock’s breast. In autumn, when the birds 
moult, these red feathers have a brown edging ; but as spring advances, 
and the weather becomes warmer, they not then requiring so much plu¬ 
mage, these brown edgings wear otf, and expose the beautiful rosy breasts 
of the males. The Twite, also called Moor Linnet and French Linnet, has 
also a rosy tint on the breast in spring, and a red spot on the rump of 
the male. The Redpole male has likewise a rosy shade on the breast; 
and both male and female have a deep red spot on the head. In confine¬ 
ment, when these birds moult this red colour is lost. The Linnet’s and 
Twite’s breasts assume a brown shade, while that of the Redpole changes 
to a yellow tint, and the spot on his head to a golden or bronzy colour. 
I attribute this change of colour in captivity to their not obtaining the 
same kind of food at moulting time as they would do if at liberty in their 
| native haunts.—B. P. Brent. 
Game Fowls at the Burlington and Driffield Poultry Ex¬ 
hibitions. —“ At the above-mentioned Shows I was greatly struck at 
I seeing that the first prize was both times awarded to a bird with a white 
i sickle feather in his tail; more especially was I astonished when I saw 
other birds better in every point except the white feather. I now wish 
| to have the opinion of other Game fanciers whether this be a qualification 
• or not. If it be a qualification, it is a curious thing that in all my poultry 
career I never before have heard of its being considered so, but always 
i the opposite. I could not let such a mistake either on my part or that 
| of the Judges pass unmentioned. One of us must be labouring under a 
; mistake ; and I shall be glad if some experienced breeders will be kind 
i enough to give an opinion on the subject.”—A Yorkshire Amateur. 
! Polands. —“ I shall be very much obliged to you to inform me in 
; your next paper what I can do for a Poland hen who has lost her feathers 
i on her neck. Directly after I bought her last winter the feathers down 
her neck broke off, so that it was left quite bare. In this state she re¬ 
mained all the summer; and, although the moulting time is come, there 
is no vestige of a feather on her neck, and her back is nearly as bare. 
Will you be so good as to tell me if I can put anything on to make the 
feathers grow again ? She is fed on whole and ground corn, one meal of 
each every day, and has a healthy run, with abundance of green food. 
I believe some people fancy Polands are delicate chickens to rear. I 
can, as far as my experience goes, fully contradict it as regards the Gold 
and Silver, as I never find the least difficulty in rearing them ; indeed, 
there is much less trouble with them than with any others. Not having 
much room, I had only fifty-two of them hatched this year; three of 
them were killed by accident, and one only died, which was very weakly 
from the shell. At fifteen or sixteen weeks old they were perfectly fit 
for the table, and quite equal to the Dorkings in the delicacy of their 
flesh.”— Golden Locks. 
[Rub the neck and back of the Poland hen with sulphur ointment, and 
give her a Plummer’s pill twice a week. This will aid her recovery of 
the feathers if there is any affection of the skin causing the baldness. 
If the hen is very old, or out of condition, it may be only slow moulting. 
In that case feed her generously, and give her a little bread soaked in ale 
occasionally.] 
Merthyr Tydfil Shoav.—“I have only just seen The Cottage 
Gardener for August 25th, and am surprised, from reading the report 
of our Poultry Show held at Merthyr, to learn that old and young birds 
were classed together. I beg to correct this error; they were not 
classed together, but we had two distinct prizes for old birds, and two 
of half the amount for young birds. I must also inform you I there 
exhibited two pens of old Spanish birds, one of which was highly com¬ 
mended, the other took the first prize. I would also, as an exhibitor 
and as one of the Committee, ask why the pigeons were left out 
altogether, because in all shows they are more attractive than almost any 
other birds. I must inform you we had some beautiful pigeons shown, 
and that I took all the first and second prizes for pigeons, namely, six. 
I only entered seven pairs, and took prizes as follows, namely, first 
and second for Black and Blue Carriers, first and second for Tumblers, 
Balds, and Beards, and first and second for Trumpeters. I do not know 
who reported this successful Show. Surely these things ought to be 
reported, and not the pigeons left out altogether.”— George Warren, 
High Street, Merthyr Tydfil. 
[It appears I did not make myself clearly understood in my report of 
the Merthyr Tydfil Poultry Show. Although separate prizes were 
offered for adults and chickens, and were awarded, as the prize-list will 
show, four premiums in almost every class, yet they were not separately 
classed in the pens, but chickens and adults were mixed up. The 
omission of the pigeons was accidental, and I apologise for it. I am 
enabled on the best authority to say that the Exhibition was eminently 
successful.— Your Reporter.] 
London: Printed by Hugh Barclay, Winchester High-street, in 
the Parish of Saint Mary Kalendar; and Publishedfor the Proprietors 
at The Cottage Gardener Office, No. 20, Paternoster Row, in 
the Parish of Christ Church, City of London.—September 29 , 1857. 
B5 66 0 
