320 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 17, 1858. 
The ordinary meetings take place on the fourth Tuesday of 
the month, from September to February inclusive. Mr. W. 
W. Towse is the Honorary Secretary. 
The City, Columbarian, and other Societies, will form the 
subject of a second notice.— W. D. Tegetmeier. 
pleasing drab; ancl for outside work, a cheaper colour may 
be obtained by adding a shovel of fresh cowdung to a pail¬ 
ful of wash. Lime-washing cannot be too strongly re¬ 
commended as a means of purification, especially in seasons 
when any infectious disorders are prevalent.” 
TUMBLER PIGEONS. 
I AM glad to find, from Mr. B. P. Brent’s reply to my 
queries on “ Tumbler Pigeons,” that he does not condemn 
my fancy in keeping them on account of their tumbling pro¬ 
pensity. At present, being myself rather a bird of passage, 
I have only a few picked up here and there,—blacks, browns, 
and whites : the black and dark blue ones appear to me the 
best. I have one now, a blue cock : I frequently see him, 
after returning from flight, and when within eighteen inches 
or a couple of feet from the place he intends pitching on, per¬ 
form a complete somersault. And this does not prevent his 
dropping on the place he first chose. I have a black hen, 
his mate, who, through an accident some time back, lost her 
tail, and it was most amusing to watch her tumbling in the 
air, sometimes as many as three somersaults, one after the 
other. I have also a pair of brown ones, which never tumble ; 
but one of their progeny, almost a white bird, has turned out 
a capital tumbler, and is the only one of their stock I have 
saved to breed from. Of course, I can but agree with Mr. 
| Brent, as regards their plumage and shape when kept for Ex¬ 
hibition birds; but as such I should never keep Tumblers,— 
rather Fantails, Powters, Jacobins, &c. 
It was said that Runts were coming out very strong at 
Sydenham: will your correspondent kindly tell us whether 
they are considered as delicate for cooking purposes as smaller 
sorts ? For my part, they remind me of Cochins among the 
poultry. 
It is curious to observe what effect a coming change of 
; weather has on Pigeons and other poultry. 1 have a brood 
of young Game fowl, about three months old, the cockerels 
predominating : so sure as we are going to have rain, are 
these young rascals seen exhibiting tlieir inherent pugilistic 
inclinations, so much so that a month ago I had two having 
each an eye bunged up. The Pigeons also seem to me to 
take longer flights before rain, and tumble oftener. I have 
several times taken the black Tumbler, before mentioned, 
about a mile and a half from home, and then let her fly; and, 
if my servant’s word can be relied on, she has reached home 
in less than five minutes. Now, whilst breeding, I fear dis¬ 
turbing them. 
Will your correspondent inform me whether the cock 
Pigeon ever feeds his hen ? I think I saw an instance of it 
yesterday, between two white Fantails. 
Some time ago I hatched a Wood Pigeon’s egg, under 
some common Pigeons; but they would not feed it. Has 
this been ever tried ? and would it be possible by such means 
to domesticate the wild Pigeon ?—A Welshman. 
Lime-washing. —This should be done over the interior of 
! the poultry-house once a-year, at the least. For the fol¬ 
lowing directions we are indebted to Mr. Tegetmeier’s ex¬ 
cellent “ Manual of Domestic Economy,” the fourth edition 
of which has just appeared:—“Lime-washing is, from the 
cleansing action of the quick-lime, a much more effectual 
! mode of purification, but is less frequently had recourse to, 
from the general ignorance respecting the proper mode of 
preparing the lime-wash. If glue is employed, it is destroy¬ 
ed by the corrosive action of the lime, and the white rubs off 
the walls. Lime-wash is prepared by placing some freshly- 
burned quick-lime in a pail, and pouring on sufficient water 
to cover it; if the lime is fresh, great heat is given out, and 
the liquid boils; boiled oil (a preparation of linseed oil, sold 
by all oilmen) should be immediately added, in the pro¬ 
portion of a pint to a gallon of wash. For coarser work, any 
common refuse fat may be used instead of the boiled oil. 
The whole should then be thinned with water to the required 
consistence, and applied with a brush. Care should be 
taken not to leave the brush in the lime-wash for any length 
of time, as it destroys the bristles. Should coloured wash 
be required, the addition of one pound of green vitriol 
sulphate of iron) to every two gallons of wash gives a very 
PIGEONS. 
THE xlUSTRALIAN BRONZE-WINGED PIGEON 
(Columba chaloojptera). 
As this species of Pigeon has frequently appeared of late at 
our Poultry Exhibitions, I copy the following description 
from the “Naturalist’s Library,” of 1835 :—“The Bronze¬ 
winged Dove is a native of Australia, and many of the Islands 
of the Pacific, It affects sandy and arid situations, and is 
usually seen upon the ground, or sometimes perched upon the ! 
low branches of the shrubs that grow in such situations. It { 
breeds in the holes, or decayed stumps of trees, near the 
ground, and not unfrequently upon the surface of the earth ; 
itself, making a very inartificial nest, and laying two white j 
eggs. It is usually seen in pairs, ancl the place of its retreat 
is readily discovered by its loud and sonorous cooings, which, 
at a distance, are said to resemble the lowing of a cow. Its 
chief food consists of a berry resembling a cherry, the stones 
of which are generally found in its stomach, during its abode 
around Sydney, which appears to be there restricted to the ! 
breeding season, as it is only met with in that district from j 
the month of September till February. 
“ In size, it equals our Wood Pigeon, measuring about fifteen 
inches in extreme length. The bill, from the corners of the j 
mouth, is nearly one inch, of a black colour, reddish towards 
the base. The forehead, the streak between the eyes, j 
and the throat, are white. The crown, hair-brown, with 
a reddish tinge, surrounded with a broad fillet of dusky 
cochineal red. Cheeks and sides of neck, bluish-grey. Lower 
part of fore-neck and breast, purplish grey. Abdomen and 
vent, grey, slightly tinged with pale lavender-purple. Back, 
scapulars, rump, and upper tail coverts, hair-brown, with a 
greenish tint in some lights, each feather margined paler. 
Lesser and greater wing-coverts, bluish-grey ; the exterior 
webs each with a large ovate metallic spot, exhibiting various 
tints, according to the light in which it is viewed. Quills, 
hair-brown on the upper surface ; the inner surface of the 
inner webs deeply margined with pale reddish-orange, which j 
is also the colour of the axillary feathers and under-wing 
coverts. Tail, bluish-grey, with a broad black fascia, about 
an inch from the top, slightly rounded. Legs, red, with two 
rows of scales in front; the sides reticulated.” 
I have been informed by a gentleman, a collector of specimens 
of natural history, that he met with a settler in Australia wlio 
had domesticated this species, and kept them tame.—B. P. 
Bbent. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
The House Tumbler Pigeon.—I have to thank Mr. James Paton 
for his information respecting this very curious variety of Tumbler 
Pigeon. His description has greatly interested me. My remark that, 
those that tumbled oif the hand, and could not rise on that account, 
perhaps had a broken wing, was the only probable conclusion I could 
come to in the matter; as I am totally unacquainted with the novel 
variety alluded to by Mr. Paton. I should beg him to give us some 
more minute account of this peculiar variety,—such as any facts re¬ 
lative to their origin or derivation, their colour and marking, their 
size, shape of head, length of beak, colour of the eye, if feather¬ 
footed, their breeding capabilities, &c., and he will greatly oblige — 
B. P. Brent. 
LONDON MARKETS.— August 16 th. 
POULTRY. 
There is very little trade, and, as usual, prices are gradually falling. 
Inere is not, however, such a glut as we have sometimes seen; the 
continued scarcity for many months has kept the stock low. This 
week has begun the Grouse season. We make no quotation, because 
the prices realised for choice birds during the first two days would 
appear ridiculous. 
Large Fowls ... 
Small ditto. 
Chickens. 
Geese . 
Ducks. 
Each. 
4s, 
. 6rf. to 5s. 
()d 
3 
0 „ 3 
6 
2 
0 „ 2 
6 
6 
6 „ 7 
0 
3 
0 „ 3 
6 
Leverets. 
Pigeons . 
Guinea Fowls. 
Rabbits . 
Wild ditto. 
Each. 
3s. 
0 d. to 3s. 
Grf. 
0 
7 »> 
0 
8 
0 
o „ 
0 
0 
1 
3 „ 
1 
4 
0 
3 „ 
0 
9 
