THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, July 13, 1858. 
judgment, which, in a general class, trembles before certain 
colours and certain combs. 
ANDALUSIANS. 
We all know what the hens ought to be, but we do not 
know what the cock’s real points are. Most of the cocks in 
this province are pale-blue ground colour, hackle and saddle 
inclining to a goldenish grey, in fact, 'pencilled ; i.e., the 
midrib of this mixed colour, and the edges lighter; or vice 
versa they are Spanish , I mean mixed, the face whitish, and 
ear-lobe pendant, and comb long behind. Now, the old blue 
Minorca has a red face, and a good round, close, Hamburgh 
ear-lobe—in fact, is defined as a Hamburgh in these points— 
and the comb round and evenly serrated. I want to know if 
the face is to be splashed, or all white , or red ? as it makes all 
the difference in the comb and ear-lobe. If at all mixed, the 
comb and ear-lobe change directly, and hackle too; but if 
the face is to be red, you then get the true and real blue 
Minorca defined in his points. To my queries I get but one 
reply— Spanish all but colour. This is wrong; for he must 
be defined. I believe the red face, round, fiat ear-lobe, and 
dark blue, or black, hackle, to be the real Andalusian. An 
answer will oblige.—W. H. 
[The Andalusian cock should be blue; the hackle, saddle, 
and tail, shaded with very dark brown; the comb and wattles 
very large, larger than in the Spanish ; the face should be red, 
and if the ear-lobe is the same, so much the better, but it is 
very seldom met with. In almost every specimen the ear¬ 
lobe is white, and the same colour trespasses on the face. 
The Andalusian is a larger bird than the Minorca. It is 
the fashion to call bad red-faced Spanish Minorcas, but it is 
an error. The Spanish fowl, as known in England, is totally 
distinct from the fowl of Spain. The latter is a Minorca, and 
was known, many years ago in this country, as the “ Moorish 
fowl.” It is smaller, rounder, shorter on the legs; has less 
comb ; and the face is a bright red, without the least mixture 
of white. We have imported them from Spain within the 
last few years.] 
WORCESTER POULTRY' SHOW. 
Permit me to say a few words in reply to the letter of your 
correspondent, “A Gloucestershire Amateur,” inserted 
in The Cottage Gardener of the 29th ult.; and firstly, 
with regard to his assertion, that the want of success of the 
Worcester Poultry Show, of last year (by no means an ad¬ 
mitted fact), is to be attributed to the “extreme liberality of 
its prizes,” I must beg most decidedly to differ from your 
correspondent; it may be merely a matter of opinion, but, I 
conceive, of all other causes, that was most likely to have 
enhanced its pretensions. The high rate of entrance is, how¬ 
ever, a totally different thing, and may possibly have operated 
to reduce the number of exhibiters. 
I am rather surprised that your correspondent has not 
received a prize-list of the ensuing Show, it having, to my 
knowledge, some time since, been published; but if he will 
apply to the active and obliging young Secretary, whose name 
and address he will find at the head of this department of 
your pleasing and instructive Journal, I am sure he will be im¬ 
mediately supplied with one. He will then perceive that the 
errors and inadvertence of past Committees have been cor¬ 
rected, and fully supplied by the present one ; the list not only 
being still exceedingly liberal, but incontestably much better 
in detail than that proposed by him. The prizes being as 
follows:— Spanish, £3, £2, and £1; Coloured Dorkings 
(except Silver Greys), £2, £1, 10.?.; Silver Grey Dorkings, 
£1 10?. and 10?.; White Dorkings (your own good suggestion 
being thus anticipated), £1 10?. and 10?.; three classes of 
Game, £2 and £1 each class; three classes of Cochin-Chinas, 
£2 and £1 each class; four classes of Hamburghs, £2 and £1 
each class ; and so for the other classes. 
\ I may mention that the Show is for chickens of 1858 only, 
and that the entrance-fees have been reduced to 6?. per pen— the 
precise sum named by your correspondent. I will add that, 
in the event of that gentleman having any influence with the 
Gloucester Poultry Show Committee, he cannot exercise it to 
a better or more useful purpose than to recommend their 
adoption of the Worcester prize-list for 1858, with some 
trifling additions,—such as another prize or two in the variety 
class, a class for Single Game Bantam Cocks, &c. Their Show 
will certainly not then prove a failure of so decided a character 
as I regret it was in 1857.—A Worcestershire Amateur. 
PIGEONS. 
(Continued from page 216.) 
THE RATIONALE OF FLYING PIGEONS. 
Pigeon flying is of very ancient date. The Eastern nations 
have, from time immemorial, used the Pigeon as a means of 
communication. The Romans were great Pigeon-fanciers, 
and flew Carrier Pigeons. The Egyptians and Turks also 
availed themselves of their power of returning to their home 
from a distance. In modern times, Belgium has been most 
noted for its breeds of flying Pigeons ; and among the Bel¬ 
gians this practice has amounted almost to a mania. A few 
years back, they were much used in this country to carry in¬ 
formation, respecting the funds and other intelligence, be¬ 
tween London and Paris. But, since the introduction of the 
electric telegraph, Pigeon flying has gone much out of practice. 
Ere it is quite forgotten, however, or numbered among the 
fashions that have been, I will offer a few remarks on es¬ 
tablishing a flight, training, and other matters connected witli 
this subject. 
All tame Pigeons have an affinity or attachment to their 
home, which draws them from a distance. This property, 
whatever it may be, seems implanted in the birds by the 
Almighty, to enable them to return home direct after being- 
out in search of food. 
Although all tame Pigeons possess this faculty, yet some 
varieties, or breeds, possess it in a greater or higher developed 
state than others ; while some are but bad flyers, and, conse¬ 
quently, ill adapted for long journeys. The varieties that 
have been mostly used are:—The Carrier, Horseman, 
Dragoon, Powting Horseman, Skinnum, Tumbler, Dove- 
house Pigeon, Antwerp, Turbit, and Owl Pigeons, as also 
crosses and mixtures between many of the above. 
Having procured the sorts, or breeds, desired, the first 
thing is to get them settled, or accustomed, to their new re¬ 
sidence. As Pigeons are social beings, this may be the more ! 
easily accomplished, by procuring a few common, or tame, 
Pigeons, which are easily settled by keeping them in the loft 
for a week or fortnight, and allowing them to go into the 
trap, or area, to look about and see the neighbourhood. 
These tamer Pigeons will frequently be found useful, when 
first raising, or establishing, a flight of Pigeons, both as 
decoys to the wilder and shyer breeds, and also as nurses; 
and when no longer required may be got rid of. The wilder i 
and better sorts of flying Pigeons are very difficult to settle i 
in a new home, and the best are almost impossible to retain 
at liberty, though pairing them with mates already settled 
will sometimes induce them to remain. Therefore, it will ; 
be found safer and less troublesome to commence with 
young birds—“ squeakers.” But be careful to have them 
quite young ; for, if once flown, and of good stock, they may 
prove treacherous, or might require shutting in so long as to 
injure their early training: the earlier the Pigeons are taught 
to rely on their own powers of returning home, the greater 
proficients are they likely to become. 
Perhaps it would be more successful, where convenient, to 
procure good old birds, and breed from them in a separate 
loft, never letting them out, and thus to draught off the 
young, or place their eggs under others in the flying loft. But j 
the generality of flying Pigeons will not require so much j 
trouble. Young birds, and even old ones, may frequently be j 
settled to a new abode with a little management, provided j 
they have not been trained; whereas the wilder and more 
dashing breeds will often return home on obtaining their 
liberty, though they may have been kept up for twelve months 
or longer. Some few of the wildest birds will even refuse to 
breed during their confinement in a strange place, and, 
although the most difficult to manage, are generally the safest 
and best for homing purposes. 
'When settled, the Pigeons should be turned out, and put 
on the wing for exercise twice a-day,—early in the morning, 
and in the afternoon. When accustomed to this exercise, 
