THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, March 17, 1857. 419 
deny Mr. Hewitt’s competency as a judge of Hamburghs, 
wliicb, even supposing it to be true, has nothing to do with 
the libel.— Ed. C. G.] 
CHARACTERISTICS OF GAME FOWLS. 
The discussion now going on in your columns on Game 
fowls cannot fail to be productive of good, and of the elucida¬ 
tion of many a dark point. There will, nevertheless, always 
be two opinions; one held by the mere lover of beautiful 
birds, and the other by the amateur who scans them only 
for the pit. While, in common with many others, I shall be 
glad to glean every information, I think it is a pity to make 
rules too stringent, as they only discourage many when they 
find their pets are not exactly what older fanciers require. 
Again, in many counties it is with Game as it is with other 
breeds—there are diversities of opinion on certain points. I 
was told, and I believe it is correct, that the second prize 
cock at the Crystal Palace was one of the Birmingham prize 
birds. I always feel diffidence in criticising the Game 
decisions, because the Judges have the opportunity of hand¬ 
ling, and I hold it to be impossible to judge a Game fowl ( 
without that ordeal. I think the nutmeg is not a had 
description of the Duckwing hen, coupled with a salmon 
breast, and many old breeders and amateurs are loud in 
their assertions that yellow legs are essential to this breed. 
I join in blaming a spangled breast, and I am a great lover 
of a copper saddle. 
The willow-legged birds are certainly the favourites in the 
south country, and I infinitely prefer them, or slate-coloured 
blue, to white or yellow. The white legs in a Game fowl 
have an appearance of poverty and softness which does not 
accord with the character of the bird. I cannot go with 
“ North Country ” in fancying the produce from blue and 
yellow legs to be olive ; it may have happened sometimes, and 
the idea is artistic. My notion of Game fowls is, that any 
coloured leg is correct, provided all in the pen are precisely 
similar. No one would accuse “ North Country” of being 
a disappointed exhibitor, and the good reasoning and real 
knowledge in his letter entitle him to thanks and respectful 
attention. 
“ Newmarket ” is a worthy pendant, and his description 
of a Game fowl is very good. He gives, however, a heavy 
weight for symmetry when he says 5 lbs., or 5$ lbs. If this 
is to be the weight the Judges must incur the censure of 
“ North Country ” by looking for the heavy birds. I have 
seen the weights of two mains fought at Knaresborough 130 
years ago, and out of sixty cocks only three weighed 4 lbs., 
the average being 3 lbs. 10 oz. I always look with suspicion 
on Grey Duckwings, thinking there is a stain in them, and 
the hens shown in these pens often fortify the doubt. 
It is certain that much crossing has taken place among 
Game fowls. Some owners have bred for colour; some for 
size; others have used a cock on account of his fighting 
properties. The Piles, for instance, were all made; and one 
of them, renowned for hard fighting and activity, the Cheshire 
Pile, has disappeared. I quite agree with “ Newmarket ” 
about the yellow-tinged skin; the flesh is white, and has 
more Game flavour than any other; and I also prefer the 
cream-coloured egg. 
I differ from him only on one point. I do not think it 
would benefit shows, or lead to satisfaction, to appoint a known 
old breeder to judge these classes. They are most of them 
very strongly biassed in favour of some particular strain, 
and very often are crotchety on some points.— W. 
CHARACTERISTICS OF SUPERIOR CANARIES. 
An inquirer, signing himself “ C. C.,’* and perched in a 
quiet corner of your periodical of the 24th of February last, 
asks, as a brother fancier, for the required points of prize 
birds in the Belgium varieties, and also to have pointed out 
the merits of the successful birds at any of the late Canary 
Exhibitions. I select Nottingham and its vicinity, as not 
only the head paradise of Canary birds, and whioh, as an 
able correspondent observed, “ for half a century has been 
the English Belgium, the great centre from which most of 
the best birds in England have emanated,” but also as the 
source from which the inquirer, and all others concerned in 
this interesting portion of the animal creation, may rest 
satisfied that, whatever opinions may have been hitherto 
entertained by the fanciers in this country respecting the 
properties of first-class Canaries, the united voice of the 
great breeders here has now established as a law the follow¬ 
ing points as necessary to constitute a first-class, and, in the 
existing state of ornithology, a perfect Canary bird:— 
YELLOW AND BUFF CLEAR BELGIUMS. 
These are judged according to the following properties:— 
1st. Small, flat head. 
2nd. Good neck, long and slender. 
3rd. High, square shoulders, vulture-like. 
4th. Good circle back, well filled. 
5th. Neatness, closeness, and length of tail, inclining in 
circle with the back. 
6th. Neatness, thinness, and length of bird. 
7th. Legs and thighs for length and erect stand. 
8th. Closeness of feather. 
9th. Richness of colour. 
10th. Best standard properties as a combined -whole. 
JONQUE AND MEALY LONDON FANCY BIRDS. 
These are judged for the following properties:— 
All the minor points have long passed away, and the most 
difficult thing to attain receives the highest order of merit. 
Colour is the only point looked to, and that for quality and 
quantity , both for Jonque and Mealy. Blackness of feather 
is only referred to when the colour is equal in two birds; the 
blackness of feather then decides it. The Mealy birds 
should have a pure white mealy tip at the point of the 
feather, with the rich, pure yellow underneath, which gives 
them an additional beauty, and carries out the mealy prin¬ 
ciple. The cap is the first point; then breast; then saddle 
and back. Cap, saddle, and back will beat breast. Cap and 
breast beat saddle and back; but breast, saddle, and back 
beat cap, although cap is the first property; but, as I 
stated before, if a tie, it is then decided by the wings and 
tail for blackness. 
GOLDEN AND SILVER-SPANGLED JONQUE AND MEALY LIZARDS. 
These are judged according to the following properties:— 
1st. Cap for colour, magnitude, and regularity. 
2nd. Colour for richness of yellow, not only in the cap, 
but throughout the bird. 
3rd. The cap must come to the eyelash, and no lower. 
If the eyelash is not dark it is not so good as if it was dark. 
4th. Wings and tail black home to the quill. 
5th. Spangles for distinction, the golden preferable. 
6th. Size for largeness and elegance of shape. 
7th. Pinions for magnitude and regularity. 
8th. Fair breast and regular. 
9th. Legs for blackness. 
10th. Flue for blackness. 
YELLOW ANTWERP BELGIUM VARIEGATED. 
The dark or yellow specimen of the Antwerp Belgium 
Variegated Canary, with the manner in which they should be 
marked or pied when quite perfect, and as approved by the 
Societe dc la Concorde, held at Antwerp, Brussels, and Ghent, 
are— 
1st. The top of the head and cheeks black green, very 
regular. 
2nd. From the under part of the beak, breast, and down 
to the vent to be perfectly clear and clean, and not to be 
tinged with any other colour. 
3rd. From the back of the neck down to the saddle or 
loins to be perfectly clear and regular; that is, “handker¬ 
chief backed.” 
4th. The three or four flight feathers of the wings upon 
each side to be white ; all the rest, up to the eighteenth, to 
be black green. 
5th. The tail, if totally black green, is much preferred; 
but if regularly marked with one, two, three, or four feathers 
black green, provided they are perfectly regular, and the 
same number upon the outer side of the tail, to be always con¬ 
sidered a good show bird; and the same rule to hold good 
with the number of white feathers in the wings. 
6th. The legs to be black. The richest bird in this as in 
the following class to be always considered the best if 
