THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 10,1857. 
330 
make it a part of their regulations, “ that all fowls dying 
during the Exhibition will be returned to their owners.” 
The better way, perhaps, of so doing is to sew the dead 
fowl in a piece of common calico, and then firmly attach it 
to the inside of the lid of the basket containing the other 
still living specimens. It thus will he placed under the 
proprietor’s inspection, who, although mortified at his loss, 
cannot, these plans adopted, impute treachery to any one.— 
Edward Hewitt, Eden Cottage, Sparkbrook, Birmingham. 
THE SPANGLED POLISH CLASSES AT THE 
LATE CRYSTAL PALACE SHOW. 
I have no liking for the office of fault-finder; indeed, 
I cannot think it a pleasant duty for any one to undertake, 
and I am not one who often take it upon myself, this 
being the first time, I believe, that I have ever appeared in 
that capacity in your pages ; hut some of the judgments in 
the Spangled Polish classes at the late Crystal Palace Show 
so astonished me, that I determined, for once, to indulge 
in a little hit of that unpleasant duty. 
The classes to which I most particularly refer, as being 
badly judged, were those of the adult Gold and Silver 
Polands, those breeds being my more especial favourites. 
I was certainly vexed, when I walked up to the first prize 
pen in the adult Gold Polands, to find that their crests were 
of the old-fashioned dark sort; in fact, one hen had an 
almost black crest, and the other had one which was nearly 
black in front, and almost as nearly white behind. I am not 
one who much objects to a little white in the crest of an 
aged Spangled Poland fowl, because I believe that it is 
impossible to get them without white, in some degree, after 
the first moult; hut these birds did not match, as one had 
a black crest, and the other one had a great deal of white 
in it. Besides all this, they were, in my opinion, too dark 
in the body, and the cock had an exceedingly bad crest, 
hanging forward in a very great degree. Now, Mr. Bush’s 
second prize pen, to my mind, should have been first, as it 
really contained all good birds, and well matched, of the 
laced-crested breed, with well-defined spangles on a clear 
golden ground colour. I likewise thought that Mr. Bush’s 
unnoticed pen should have been second, and then the pen 
which actually took the first prize might have come third. 
In the third prize pen there was one hen which, if I am 
not much mistaken, had a twisted tail. I watched her a 
good while, and although she changed her position several 
times, she always held her tail on one side. Mr. Coleridge 
and Master Horner both showed excellent birds, but they 
both committed the same mistake in putting a humped 
hen in their pen. 
In the Golden Poland chicken class the judgments were 
quite to my mind. Not so, altogether, in the next class, 
the adult Silvers, as, in the first prize pen, although the 
hens really were quite first class, the cock was a poor bird, 
his crest being too forward, and also very scanty behind. 
The second and third prize pens were very beautiful birds. 
In the Silver chicken class the first prize pen was excellent, 
but I thought there were better birds in the class than 
either the second or third prize pens, as the cocks, I consider, 
had both twisted tails. 
In the single cock class the second prize bird was 
wretched. He had an abundance of comb, and there were 
plenty of other birds in the class almost, if not quite, 
faultless. The White-crested Black classes contained good 
birds, and, I considered, were judged well. 
And now, perhaps, nay, most likely, some will be ready to 
say, “ Oh ! he is only a disappointed exhibitor.” If this 
should be the case, those who might say so would, indeed, 
be quite beside the mark, for the writer of this article was 
not an exhibitor at all, and so, I hope, will be admitted 
as an impartial witness. However, whether this be so or 
not, these are in truth my opinions, and I know I do not 
stand alone. Having now performed this unpleasant bit 
of duty, I will conclude by hoping that I shall never have 
it to do again.—G. B. 
HAMBURGH FOWLS. 
“ W. H.,” in his answer to my letter of December 23rd, 
has confirmed the opinion I before held respecting these 
fowls, and the general opinion concerning them. He did 
not know how they laid or how tame they were. He had no 
doubt heard, like many others, that they were very middling 
layers, and as wild as Pheasants, and could not possibly be 
kept in confinement under any circumstances whatever, 
being subject to all the diseases that poultry flesh is heir to, 
and therefore took it for granted they r were so. But now he 
has found out it is quite the contrary; they are not so very 
wild after all, and they lay capitally, so he is going to keep 
some close at home, and send for some more to keep them 
company. Believe me they are about as good fowls to lay 
as you can possibly get, “Spanish excepted;” and I have 
often wondered how such a number of eggs could possibly 
form, and so fast, after taking into consideration the small 
amount of food they consume, for they are little eaters, 
requiring but little more than the same number of Bantams 
generally receive, and then they will lay six days out of 
seven. 
If others were to have them under their own eye, after 
the manner “ W. H.” has adopted, they, also, would soon 
form a different opinion of their merits. As far as regards 
fowls for the table they are scarcely of any service whatever, 
being so very small; still they are equal in this respect even, 
if not superior, to Cochins, for they never will get fat unless 
it is internally, which is not of any service whatever. Let 
me advise all who think of keeping fowls for the table 
to make sure of some Dorkings, and then when the bell has 
rung and they come to sit down to dinner they will not be 
disappointed. 
But, after all, my experience has not confirmed the 
opinion of Mr. Tegetmeier, which, I believe, is the opinion 
also of many others, that Spangled Hamburghs are better 
layers than Pencilled; for several Golden-spangled pullets 
which I reared last year, and which are now eight months 
old, have only just begun to lay, although they have always 
gone on well, and have been, if any difference, better treated 
than the rest; yet, as I said before, the Silver-pencilled laid 
at about five months and a half; neither do the hens lay 
so soon after moulting, as the Silver-pencilled I have had lay 
during the time they were moulting, and feather quite as 
well too. With me the two Silver kinds lay better than the 
Golden, and Pencilled better than Spangled; yet I have 
not a Pencilled bird in my yard now, because mine are kept 
not so mucli for laying as for their beauty. 
Poland fowls, too, are not so well looked after as I should 
wish to see them, considering what beautiful fowls they are. 
They are not such good winter layers as Hamburghs, but 
are first-rate layers in spring and summer, never wanting to 
sit; and, besides, they are a very tolerable table fowl, far 
superior to Hamburghs. They can also, I am certain, 
be kept in confinement, because they have laid famously 
with me (the Golden-spangled), kept in a wire aviary 
about eighteen feet by six. It is really quite a shame they 
had not more encouragement given to them at Liverpool, as 
your Hull correspondent very justly complains.—E. B., 
Oxford. 
MANAGEMENT OF RABBITS. 
(Continued from page 222.) 
FEEDING AND GENERAL TREATMENT. 
No animal requires more attention as to the regularity of 
feeding than the Fancy Rabbit, and no animal repays its 
owner more by a healthy and glossy appearance if this be 
punctually observed. It is a mistake to feed Rabbits more 
frequently than twice in the day, morning and evening ; for 
if this be done the appetite is not rendered keen, and, con¬ 
sequently, part of the food is left and wasted, and the 
animal itself does not exhibit those unmistakable evidences 
of good health which it does when its really necessary habits 
and requirements are alone attended to. 
Animals of this kind should never be supplied with more 
food at once than they can consume, else they will leave a 
portion, which, being breathed upon, they will not relish 
afterwards, unless pressed by the absolute pangs of hunger. 
