THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, March 31, 1857. 449 
Convolvulus minor, ha, various coloured, 1 foot. 
„ major or purpureus, ha, various coloured, climber. 
Crepis purpurea, ha, purplish red, 1 foot. 
Dianthus Chinensis in varieties, hha, various coloured, 1 foot. 
Erysimum Perofskianum, ha, yellow, 2 feet. 
Eutoca viscida, ha, purple, 1 foot. 
Gillia tricolor, ha, various coloured, 1 foot. 
Godetia Lindleyana, ha, white and rose, 1$ feet. 
,, rubicunda, ha, reddish, 1$ feet. 
Gypsophila elegans, ha, white and purple, 1 foot. 
Helichrysum bracteatum, hha, yellow, 2£ feet. 
Hibiscus Africanus, ha, yellow and black, l£ feet. 
Jacobaea, double, hha, red and white, Q to 2 feet. 
Larkspurs, both tall and dwarf, ha, various coloured. 
Leptosiphon densiflorus, ha, purple, 1 foot. 
Linaria spartea, ha, various, 9 feet. 
Lupinus roseus, ha, rose, 1£ feet. 
,, luteus, ha, yellow, 9 inches. 
Malope grandiflorus, ha, red, l£ feet. 
Schizanthus pinnatus, ha, various, l£ feet. 
Sweet Peas in varieties. 
French and African Marigold, double varieties. 
German and China Asters in varieties. 
German and Ten-week Stocks in varieties. 
Zinnia elegans in varieties. 
Scabiosa atro-purpurea in varieties. 
Silene pendula and amcena. 
Saponaria Calabrica. 
Malcomia maritima. The last two are suitable for edging plants* 
(HA means hardy annual; HHA, half-hardy annual.) 
Pain’s Improved Cottage Hives (J. S., and F. Kirkpatrick).—We 
do not know where these can be obtained. Write to Messrs. Neighbour 
and Co., Holborn, London. 
Stocking a River with Fish. — Dr. Brown will be much obliged 
by information how to breed and bring up fish for this purpose. 
Sundial.—/. S. L. wishes for information where he can get one 
cheap but truthful. 
Blooming Magnolias {Lee Jortin ).—We cannot find any queries 
upon the subject. Please to write again. 
THE POULTRY CHRONICLE. 
POULTRY SHOWS. 
Nottingham Central. (Poultry, Pigeons, and Canaries.) January 
J9th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd, 1858. See., Mr. Etherington, jun., 
Swinton, near Nottingham. 
Dewsbury. Sept. 2. Sec., Harrison Brooke, Esq.| 
N.B .—Secretaries will oblige us by sending early copies of their lists. 
BLACK EAST INDIAN DUCKS. 
In No. 441 of your useful and interesting Chronicle 
there is a letter from your correspondent, “ Quack,” on the 
subject of, as he calls them, Buenos Ayrean Ducks. 
I keep this breed of duck, hut have always called them 
by the name of Black East Indian, which I consider to be 
their right and proper name. Will any of your many 
talented and well-informed contributors state their opinions 
as to which of the two names is the most correct? “ The 
Poultry Book” tells us that both Buenos Ayres and the East 
Indies claim the honour of this variety of duck, and I 
maintain that the latter is entitled to the prize, and that 
Black East Indian is the correct name for this species of 
duck. I have been borne out in this opinion by these two 
facts :—A friend of mine returned lately from India, bring¬ 
ing with him a native servant from Madras, who, with bis 
turban and handsome Oriental costume glittering with orna¬ 
ments, came to my house, and, upon seeing my Black Ducks, 
exclaimed, “Ah, sir! I see that you have some of my 
country duck here.” On another occasion a steward of one 
of the Peninsular and Oriental Company’s boats (the brother 
of my coachman) saw the same ducks, and immediately 
remarked, “ Calcutta ducks, sir. I know them well, and 
have seen them repeatedly in India. They are an excellent 
duck, and these are the best specimens of their kind that I 
have seen in England.” 
Now, these two testimonies as to the country of the Black 
Duck, called sometimes Buenos Ayrean and sometimes Black 
East Indian, in my opinion go a great way to prove that 
the latter is the correct name. I shall be glad, however, if 
some of your contributors can throw any additional light on 
the subject. 
I perfectly agree with your correspondent, “ Quack,” that 
these ducks are deserving of a class to themselves at 
Poultry Shows ; und that they are as numerously represented 
as any others was proved at the late Crystal Palace Show, 
where, in the class for any other variety besides Aylesbury 
and Rouen, out of fourteen pens two-thirds were Black 
Ducks. I was myself an exhibitor in that class, which Mr. 
Baily was pleased to say contained “ the best show of Black 
Ducks that the world ever saw; ’’ and when I add that I 
was also the fortunate owner of the first prize pen of that 
class, which contained Black East Indian Ducks, as I 
entered them, I think I may be excused if I thus take up 
your valuable space in making these remarks as to the name 
by which these Black Ducks should be called. 
Whilst on this subject let me add a few words with 
respect to the Crystal Palace Shows, which I see are to be 
continued, and -which I sincerely hope will prosper. 
For almost all the large Poultry Shows medals are struck, 
which may be taken instead of money prizes by those who 
prefer them. Why should not the Crystal Palace Show 
have its medals also ? I for one (and there are many 
besides myself of the same way of thinking) prefer the 
medal to be placed on my table to the mere money prize. 
If that well-known medalist and die-sinker, Mr. Ottley, of 
Birmingham, were intrusted with the execution of a suitable 
medal for the Crystal Palace Shows I am sure he would do 
justice to the order, and, if we may judge by the beauty of 
his large Birmingham medal, please those who may be 
successful enough to have the option of taking medals 
instead of money prizes.— Black East Indian. 
FANCY RABBITS. 
I was not a little amused by reading the criticism of ray 
paper on the management of the Fancy Rabbit by some one 
signing himself “ Vigilans,” but who, either from inexpe¬ 
rience or lack of information on the breeding and rearing of 
the Fancy or Lop-eared Rabbit, has made several inquiries 
and suggestions that could not proceed from the mind or 
pen of a true Rabbit fancier. 
While I beg to thank “ Mr. Yigilans ” for suggestions 
that could only have been made from the single desire of 
promulgating a right understanding of the subject amongst 
fanciers in general, I will do my best to answer his questions 
in a satisfactory manner. Permit me, then, in the first 
place, to assure him that I do keep Fancy Rabbits, and that 
my brother has done so for years before me, which has 
afforded me every opportunity of becoming acquainted with 
their habits in that purely artificial state in which the animal 
is produced by the art and experience of man. 
The rules that I have endeavoured to lay down, as afford¬ 
ing the surest prospect of success in the bringing of this 
artificial creature to the highest state of perfection so ac¬ 
knowledged by the fancy, I have observed myself, and shall 
continue to observe until the greater success or intelligence 
of other breeders proves to me that they are incorrect. 
My rabbit-hoUse has been erected on the principles that 
I laid down in a previous paper, and has been fitted with 
hutches very closely resembling those in the diagram at no 
very great expense; but where I have found them to be 
defective in any point I have endeavoured to rectify the 
failings in the hutch I described when writing on that sub¬ 
ject. My brother used to keep his for years in an empty hay 
chamber, which answered the purpose equally well, and his 
stock invariably appeared to be sleek and healthy. He was 
not an exhibitor as I have been ; and the best proofs of my 
Rabbits being good ones, and in suitable condition, is the 
almost invariable success which has attended me in the 
capacity of an exhibitor, having taken many prizes, including 
both first and second, at the late Nottingham Show with a pair 
of Rabbits only four months old. I must say that I was 
greatly surprised by the suggestion of “ Mr. Vigilans,” who 
seems to consider “ old barrels or tea-chests ” suitable 
abodes for creatures that have been, or ought to have been, 
reared with the most scrupulous care in airy, capacious 
hutches, permitting of that exercise so essential to the well¬ 
being of any young animal. Is “ Mr. Vigilans ” aware of 
the value of a first-rate Lop-eared Rabbit possessing most 
of the required properties? If he is—unless, indeed, he 
should be reckless of expense—I can hardly think that he 
would consider an old barrel or tea-chest ample accommo¬ 
dation for the pampered favourite that has cost him two, 
