221 
TI1E COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, January 5, 1858. 
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much must be left to the discretion of the Judges. Condition 
and form will always weigh with Judges as counterbalances 
against more correctness of feather. With regard to charac¬ 
teristics of Hamburghs, we have nothing to alter in the 
following, published in our “ Poultry Book for the Many,” 
which any one can carry in his pocket:— 
“IIamburghs. —• Golden -'pencilled. — Plumage: cock’s 
hackle, back, and saddle, bright orange red; breast and under 
part of the body, shades of light brown ; tail, ample, black, 
and well-bronzed. Hen, regularly pencilled throughout on 
a yellow-bay ground, the hackle and under part of the body 
alone excepted; of which the former should be perfectly clear, 
and of the same light yellow' bay, while the latter is ot a still 
lighter shade. 
“Form: the comb of the cock to be full and firm rose, 
well piked, and w r ith the face and wattles bright crimson; 
ear-lobes clear white, firmly attached to the head, and not 
pendent; legs, clean and blue ; carriage, erect and symme¬ 
trical, the breast being carried prominently forward. 
“ Silver-pencilled. —Plumage: generally as in the above, 
substituting a silvery white for the yellow bay ot the hen, and 
the orange-red and brown tints of the cock, whose tail must 
be well silvered, but by no means splashed with white. His 
lesser wing-coverts are also occasionally marked with yellow 
or chestnut. 
“ Weight, it is true, does not enter into the consideration 
of Hamburgh merits; but still the cock should not be less 
than 4J lbs., nor the hen less than 3| lbs. 
“ Golden-spangled. —Plumage: deep bay, more esteemed if 
inclining to a brilliant copper. Cock’s hackle and saddle to 
be preferred if spangled ; but this is rarely seen, and they are 
then best striped with black longitudinally, the edge being 
clear. Red hackle and saddle very objectionable. Breast 
and back with well-defined, round spangles, the horseshoe 
form being less effective and less perfect; greater wing-coverts 
laced very heavily on the extremities, so as to form two 
parallel bars across the wing ; tail, black and ample. The 
more accurate spangling, often seen in the lien-tailed cock, 
does not compensate for the defect in his plumage. Hen, 
spangled throughout, except the hackle, which, in its markings, 
resembles the cock’s ; and the lower pai’t of the body, which 
is of a dusky black. 
‘'Form: comb, rose, and very largely developed; as also 
the w r attles, and with them and the face of an intense crimson; 
ear-lobe, full and white; general robustness of figure, and 
bold carriage ; legs, blue and clean. 
“ Weight in excess of the Pencilled birds, say not under 
5 lbs. for the cock, or 4 lbs. for the hen. 
“ Silver-spangled. —Plumage: generally as in the above, 
substituting a silvery white for the ground colour; white 
also appears in the tail, though black should decidedly pre¬ 
ponderate. 
“Form: of somewhat slighter proportions than hi the Gold- 
spangled.”] 
SANDBACH POULTRY" SHOW. 
(From a Correspondent.) 
This Show was held in the schoolrooms at Sandbach ; and, 
though not quite suitable for the purpose, still did very w'ell. 
The arrangement, as regards the comfort of the birds, was all 
that could be desired. There is only one thing to which I 
wish to draw the attention of the Secretary, and that is, the 
vessels used for the water. Small basins are not good : the 
fowls put their feet into a basin, and it is over in an instant. 
I noticed this in almost every pen. The Show was visited, I 
was glad to see, by some of the aristocracy of the neighbour¬ 
hood. The Spanish w'ere good; as were also the Dorkings, 
Game Bantams, and Ducks. The prizes were allotted as 
follows: — 
Spanish. —First, Mr. B. Cotton, Crewe. Second, Mr. S. II.'Hyde. 
Dorkings. —First, Mr. Churchill, Gloucester. Second, Mr. Fern, 
Burnbury. 
Cochin-Chinas. —Second, Mr. Ricketts, Sandbach. (First, no award.) 
Brahma Pootras. —First, Mr. J. Lane, Sandbach. Second, Mr. 
Craigie, Greenhithe, Kent. 
Game Fowls.— First, Mr. Daniels, Sandbach. Second, Mr. Ricketts, 
Sandbach. 
Spangled Hamburghs, —First, Mr. S. II. Hyde, Ashton-under-Lyne. 
Second, Mr. Fierce, Hartford. 
Pencilled Hamburghs. —First, Mr. Bourne, Manchester. Second, | 
Mr. Pierce, Hartford. 
Polands. —Second, Mr. T. Burgess, jun., Burley Dam. (First, no 
award.) 
Bantams.— First, Mr. Churchill, Gloucester. Second, Mr. Craigie, 
Greenhithe, Kent. 
Geese.— First, Mr. J. Woolf, Haslington Ilall. (Second, no award.) 
Turkeys.— First, Mrs. Lea, Brindley Green. Second, Mr. Bradford, 
Sandbach. 
Ducks. —First, Mr. B. Cotton, Crewe. Second, Rev. J. Armistead, 
Sandbach. 
Guinea Fowls. —First, Mr. Henshall, Cross Lane, near Midcflewich. 
PIGEONS. 
TOYS. 
Variety 12.—THE STORK ( Columba ciconia alba.) 
German, Die Storch. Order , Scliwingen Taube. 
The variety designated “ The Stork,” or coloured-pinioned 
Pigeon, is a German Toy: they derive their name from the 
flights being coloured, their marking bearing some resemblance 
to that of the common Stork ( Ciconia alba). In form they 
resemble the dove-house Pigeon, being of the same size, 
equally light, and active, and field well ; they are turned- 
crowned, and the legs are feathered to the toes ; the whole of 
the pinions, and a spot on the forehead just above the beak, 
are coloured either black, blue, red, or yellow; the rest of the 
plumage being quite white. 
Variety 13.—THE BLACK-BACKED GULL 
(Columba l amis mar intis). 
Of this variety, I have seen a few specimens in London, 
called also the Great China Gull; but as to their origin I 
know nothing. 
In appearance they were much larger than the common 
kinds, approaching in form that of the Spanish Runts: 
smooth-headed, and clean-footed. The scapular feathers, and 
the wings, with the exception of the extreme or the marginal 
pinion-feathers, w r ere black ; the marginal flight-feathers, and 
the rest of the plumage being white ; thus bearing a marked 
resemblance to the large Black-back Gulls ( Larus marinus) 
so common on our coasts. I believe there are also some 
stuffed specimens of this variety in the British Museum.— 
B. P. Brent. 
Philoperisteron and Columbarian Societies’ Annual 
Shows. —The annual Shows of the above Societies take 
place this month—that of the Philoperisteron, at Freemason’s 
Hall, on the 12th ; and that of the National Columbarian, at 
Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, on the 26tli. Admission, in 
both cases, is by tickets, issued by the Secretaries and 
Members. , 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Spanish Pullets at Birmingham Show. —“In the article on Bir¬ 
mingham Poultry Show Statistics, it is stated that the second prize 
Spanish pullets were claimed at £8. I beg leave to contradict this, as 
the birds -were returned to me: and as I have since sold them, 1 fear 
the purchaser may think I have delivered to him something different to 
what he believes lie has purchased, unless the statement be contradicted. 
I, therefore, request that you will allow this to appear in the next 
number.”— Matthew RidgWay. 
LONDON MARKETS.— January 4th. 
POULTRY. 
The retrospect of a market is not very amusing; but, in order to 
make our report complete to the end of the year, we must mention the 
Christmas Market of 1857, which did not conclude till after our last 
number was printed. There were an average supply, and a good de¬ 
mand, at prices that should be satisfactory to all parties. We must 
except Pheasants, of which there was a perfect glut. 
Each. 
Cock Turkeys 
13s. 
© 
30 
o 
4-* 
© 
Hen do. .., 
7 
0 
„ 11 
0 
Capons . 
(5 
0 
„ 8 
0 
Large Fow r ls .. 
. 5 
G 
» (i 
0 
Small ditto. 
. 4 
0 
„ 4 
c 
Chickens. 
. 2 
9 
„ 3 
0 
Geese . 
. 6 
0 
„ 8 
0 
Each. 
Ducks. 
.. 2s 
. 6 d. to 3s, 
. 0<7, 
Pheasants .... 
.. 1 
9 
yy 
0 
3 
Partridges .... 
.. 1 
6 
n 
1 
8 
Hares. 
2 
3 
2 
9 
Rabbits . 
.. 1 
4 
yy 
1 
5 
Wild ditto .... 
.. 0 
9 
yy 
0 
10 
Pigeons . 
.. o 
10 
yy 
1 
0 
London : Printed by Hugh Barclay, Winchester, High-street, in the 
Parish of Saint Mary Ivalendar; and Published for the Proprietors, at 
The Cottage Gardener Office, No. 20, Paternoster Row r , in the 
Parish of Christ Church, City of London.—January 5, 1858. 
