THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 17,1857. 345 
shone overhead, the building was free from any draught, 
! and nothing interfered with perfect comfort while viewing 
the Exhibition. 
Before going into the details of the classes we will speak 
of one part of the Exhibition which we cannot approve. 
There were two series of classes, called the “ First Division ” 
i and the “ Second Division ; ” one open to all, the other 
confined to residents within twenty-five miles of Crewe. 
We can understand the motive of this, but we doubt the 
wisdom. The intent of competition is to improve either in 
the knowledge or the quality of the object shown. This 
can only be accomplished by contact with better specimens, 
and the fact of having such a division as we have named at 
once prevents its attainment. We would also offer a 
suggestion to the owner of the pens used on the occasion, 
and that is to provide some sort of solid partition between 
them. There is seldom a building large enough to put up 
some hundreds of pens with sufficient space between them 
to prevent cocks from fighting, and a valuable bird may do 
himself a serious injury. 
The first were two special prizes; one offered for White 
Dorkings by Sir P. G. Egerton, which was gained by Mr. 
| Fell, of Warrington, and a Silver Cup given for the best pen 
; of Spanish, gained by the same gentleman. Another special 
i prize for Geese went to Mr. Wolfe. There was then another 
Cup to award for the best pen of Game, To the honour of 
the licensed victuallers of Crewe we record that this was 
their gift. They have been the first to respond to the call 
so often made. Mr. R. Ashley, of Wistaston, won it. 
Thirty-three pens of good Spanish contested the prizes. 
Messrs. Pointon, Fell, and Strange showed birds worthy of 
! any Exhibition. The Dorkings were equally good; but the 
Cochins did not shine, and yet a few years since, in this 
immediate neighbourhood, Dr. Cust Gwynne reared wonder- 
i ful birds. 
The Golden-pencilled Hamburghs were much better than 
the Silver, but neither call for especial mention. The 
Golden-spangled were good. The Polands were excellent. 
This will be understood when we say the prizes went to 
Messrs. Coleridge, Dixon, and Strange. Mr. Whittington 
showed some good birds, - and took one prize. We would 
not speak disparagingly of the Game , but we were dis¬ 
appointed in them. We looked in vain for the old Cheshire 
Piles; and after such an exhibition of these birds as we saw 
at Liverpool, and Birmingham, and the Crystal Palace, we 
were disappointed, as they were not up to the average. The 
, Gold laced Bantams were very good. None of the others 
> deserved mention. 
In the single cocks the Spanish were again most excellent, 
and Mr. Rodbard beat all his competitors. Mr. Wilson 
also showed a very fine Dorking , which deservedly took the 
prize. Another bird of great merit in the single classes 
was Mr. Ashley’s Duckwing Game. The Aylesbury and 
Rouen Ducks were very good, especially the latter. Mr. 
Theed Pearse took first prize in both classes; but if we 
were to mention the best pen of Ducks in the Show we 
would speak of the Black ones shown by Mr. Burn. 
There was a good display of Pigeons, many of them high- 
class birds, especially the Barbs and Owls. 
The second division was then a renewal of the Show, so 
far as judging, catalogue, and classes were concerned. The 
best class was the Spanish, which the Judges pronounced to 
be very meritorious. 
The Geese and Turkeys were also good. 
A capital show of Rabbits concluded this varied bill of 
fare. The caterers, Messrs. Edwards, Colton, Sheppard, 
Margetts, and others, were all at their post, working as hard 
for the amusement of the public as though they were largely 
paid for their labours. As their only remuneration is the 
tender of thanks by those who have reaped pleasure from 
their exertions, we offer our best acknowledgments for a 
pleasant day, and congratulate them on the success of their 
first attempt, which is the natural result of the zeal with 
which they mastered the novelty of their duties, and the 
perseverance with which they attended to them. 
Messrs. Pargum and Baily were the Judges. 
BLACK HAMBURGHS. 
I have just read in the new edition of “ The Poultry Book ” 
the very careful description of the Black Hamburglis by 
Mr. Hugo, of Exeter, and as a keeper and breeder of this 
class, as well as of the other classes of Hamburghs, I can 
bear full testimony to the accuracy of the description, the 
weight of the birds, and also to their being “ the best layers 
under any circumstances.” I have some Spanish pullets, sisters 
of first-prize birds this season, hatched in April, which have 
not yet laid an egg; but my Black Hamburgh pullets, hatched 
at the same time, have been laying more than three months, 
and both classes of birds have been fed and treated in every 
respect alike. Taking into account the valuable properties 
of birds both for eggs and the table, as also the extremely 
beautiful plumage of these birds, I do not consider that 
we possess a more profitable kind, and I am at a loss to 
understand why they have not yet obtained a separate class 
for themselves in the prize-list, more especially in the north 
of England Exhibitions, where they are most known and 
valued. A class of Black Hamburghs would soon obtain 
more exhibitors than the Brahma Pootra class seems to have 
done or is likely to do. There was great praise bestowed on a 
pen of this kind at Preston in January, 1856, and I pur¬ 
chased them in order to introduce fresh blood, and to my 
surprise I instantly detected a cross with the Spanish, 
besides the strain being otherwise very inferior. So much 
for Judges and their praises ! I this year sent a pen of very 
beautiful birds to Preston, in order to test their merits in 
their own country, and, though there were only four ex¬ 
hibitors of this class, my birds were only awarded a second 
prize, the first being given to a pen of Malays, where there 
was no competition. Such is the lottery, as a gentleman 
remarked to me at the Crystal Palace Show, of Poultry Ex¬ 
hibitions.—Trios. Lyon Fellowes, Brighton Rectory, Acle. 
CRESTED OR POLISH FOWLS. 
T beg to corroborate the experience of “ Sam Slick ” as to 
the great value of the Crested fowl, which I cannot be in¬ 
duced to call Polish, believing the appellation erroneous. 
They are not only probably the handsomest of poultry, but 
in localities suited to them as good as handsome. I have 
several hatched in April which laid at less than six months 
old, when fowls of other breeds were not laying. I have, also, 
to corroborate his statement of shyness caused by the size of 
the crest. I am glad to see “ Saji Slick” agrees with the 
printed description I put forward, that the crest should be 
globular, floating, and not falling down over the eyes, render¬ 
ing the bird an object of pity, too frequently seen at Poultry 
Shows. 
In one remark my experience will not permit me to agree 
with him, namely, the question of white feathers in the 
crest of the Golden Hamburghs, by which name they have 
already been known in Ireland, and, I believe, the correct 
one. I have bred these birds for twenty-five years without 
white feathers in the crest. About three years ago I had 
a cock from Mr. Vivian which had white feathers in his 
crest, and his offspring have them. I believe the originals 
of the Crested fowl to be the White-crested Black of Aldro- 
vandus ; and the White-crested Red, more or less splashed on 
the body with black, the Hamburgh cock as represented in 
the Dutch and Hamburgh paintings 200 years ago. The 
improvements on that are the accurate markings produced by 
careful breeding, which at first were spangles, then lacing 
and obliterating the white crest, having in its stead golden 
feathers tipped or laced with black. If I am not mistaken, I 
believe the existence of the White-crested Red was denied 
in an early number of The Cottage Gardener. I beg to j 
say that I have stuffed specimens of such birds with pure 
white tails ended with black. 
While on this subject I beg to moot the question, Should 
Crested fowls have a comb in the form of two spicula or 
not? I maintain they should; that it is a main charac¬ 
teristic of the Crested fowl, which no other has, and that 
the absence of it takes from the sprightliness of the bird 
and the support of the crest.—R. P. Williams. 
[What says “ Sam ” or any other lover of Polands to this 
question ?] 
