338 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, August 24, 1858. 
with a few Cochin Chinas for winter laying, will give the 
most abundant supplies of the former, while, for the latter, 
few persons will now be content to be without the Dorking. 
It is seldom convenient, and still more rarely profitable, to 
keep distinct breeds in one place. Let the cocks, then, and a 
majority of the hens, be Dorkings, and let their eggs alone be 
taken for hatching, the others for consumption. No mistake 
can arise, for the smallest amount of experience will at once 
detect the eggs of the different kinds. By such a system the 
wants of a house will probably be best supplied. Where, 
however, the breeds can be kept separate at different farms 
or lodges, this plan may not be requisite; still, as in large 
establishments it is usually desirable to have the poultry 
under one management, the arrangement spoken of appears 
most likely to answer the various requirements of the house¬ 
keeper. 
At another time, a few words may be added as to what has 
been learnt by experience with respect to poultry houses and 
yards.—W. 
CURIOUS FACT IN NATURAL HISTORY. 
A somewhat singular circumstance connected with poultry 
breeding has just been witnessed by myself, that otherwise I 
could scarcely have credited. It appears that, early in April 
last, a hen Pheasant w r as found upon the farm of one of my 
tenants, sitting upon her eggs, closely adjoining a bye-lane, and, 
therefore, in a situation so exposed, that, in all probability both 
parent and eggs would inevitably have fallen a prey to some 
passer-by. The eggs of the Pheasant were, therefore, carefully 
removed for incubation by a common hen. For no really 
assignable motive that I could ascertain, the boy who took the 
eggs, unknown to any other individual, placed in lieu of them 
seven Grouse Partridge Cochin’s eggs, from fowls commonly 
kept in the yard for domestic purposes. The Pheasant sat 
on, as though no change whatever had been effected, and 
actually hatched six Cochins! The boy kept his secret rigidly 
to himself, and it was not till the chickens were some three or 
four weeks old, that the occupant of the farm was aware of 
their existence; and, to use his own words, “ could not 
believe his eyesight the first time he saw them following their 
wild foster mother.” They h&ve progressed, since that time, 
equally w*ell with the other chickens from the same Cochins 
reared in the poultry-yard. Indeed, as to feather , quite sur¬ 
passed. them, the plumage apparently being very close and fine ; 
one chicken, however, from some supposed mishap, has been 
missing altogether within the last few weeks, leaving five re¬ 
maining. 
The hen Pheasant has quite deserted them, and they (now 
the corn is carried) have taken to the wood, and are evidently 
as wild as Pheasants themselves. They have not as yet shown 
any disposition to roost, but at nightfall, “jug” together in a 
group, as Partridges are accustomed to do. 
I will now very briefly detail two peculiarities, evidently the 
result of the singular manner in which they have been reared. 
The moment they are discovered by anyone, when on feed, 
they at first squat closely ; but, if the danger gets more im¬ 
minent by nearer approach, they instantly run at a speed few 
would imagine, to the cover. They assist themselves by 
partially opening their wings, but never fly, except the last few 
yards towards the hedge surrounding the wood ; this, being 
low, is always flown over, for, strangely enough, no exigency 
of circumstances will induce them to run through it, although 
hare-tracks are abundant. To try what they 'would do, 
some chickens reared from the same Cochins, and about the 
like size, were taken from the farm-yard and placed on a barley- 
stubble that the wild birds frequented; but they would not 
approach within a hundred yards of their domesticated 
brethren. Indeed, when the chickens from the house at¬ 
tempted to move in their direction, they all bolted away 
simultaneously. But I have yet to mention a still more ex¬ 
traordinary constitutional change, evidently the result of the 
manner in which they have been produced. I was told by the 
farmer “ that ‘ Belle ’ (an exceedingly well-trained pointer 
bitch ) always stood to them, but never took any notice wliat- 
evei of those about the house.” Imagining this might be ac¬ 
cidental, or a statement somewhat exaggerated, or, again, 
perchance the result of the pointer suddenly coming upon 
them in a strange locality, and far removed from the home¬ 
stead, I determined to see and judge for myself. She was 
allowed to range, found them collectively (and afterwards 
as single birds), in first-rate style, and pointed steadily. Two 
similar chickens taken fully an hour ‘previously from the yard, 
to the same piece of land, she passed closely without any 
apparent observation whatever. Mentioning this to a friend 
who is fond of the gun, he at once attributed the dog’s 
“ staunchness simply to her having been practised in finding 
them, or, as it were, being broke to them; ” adding he was 
certain, “ that neither his pointer nor setter would acknow¬ 
ledge them, and he dared wager his life it would prove so.” 
Both these dogs were tested, and it is well to remark, the 
setter had been almost exclusively trained for the Moors, 
indeed was about leaving for Scotland in a few days. 
He “ winded ” them, then cautiously “ drew,” and at once 
stood firmly on the foot-track, the pointer “backing” as a 
matter of course. His owner, in reply to my query, “ Do 
you now remain sceptical ? said, “ Stay a minute, Don will 
soon find out his error, nor will they again deceive him.” 
Tired of waiting, the dogs were withdrawn, and again towards 
evening tried a second time ; this time the birds were scattered, 
and each dog found in sporting style, and stood to perfection. 
It is only right to name also, that, prior to this second range, 
these dogs were purposely permitted to stand to both hares 
and Pheasants, and in doing so acted as well as dogs could do, 
whilst immediately afterwards they were imposed upon by 
these wildly bred Cochins. Although the detail may appear 
somewhat too prolix, I fancy that at least some of your readers 
will be quite as unprepared for such results as we ourselves 
were; my friend’s dogs betraying not the slightest emotion to 
any of the fowls about the house, nor even noticing such 
poultry, when alarmed by their unaccustomed presence.— 
Fairplay. 
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON PIGEONS. 
Since I wrote my notice of the Swallow-tailed Pigeon, 
I have received a later edition of Dr. Bechstein’s “Natural 
History of the Birds of Germany,” in which I find the follow¬ 
ing account of that Pigeon :— 
“ The tame Pigeon with the swallow tail ( Colwmba domestica 
forficata ). This variety must be rarely found, as I have, 
during a period of between four-and-twenty and eight-and- 
twenty years, only seen these Pigeons twice in a collection of 
Pigeons in Naumburg and Jenna. In southern Germany, I 
understand, they are oftener met with than in the northern 
parts. They are the size of the common Dovehouse Pigeon, 
but longer, and slighter built. What is most remarkable 
about them is their forked tails, which exactly resembles that 
of the swallow ; they are black and white spotted, rarely black, 
with and without turned crowns, with and without ceres, and 
in their manner very merry; but do not multiply very fast. 
The amateurs regard them as one of the handsomest varieties.” 
—(Natural History of the Birds of Germany , 1807. By 
Johann Matthaus Bechstein, vol. ii., page 983.) 
Note to my Skinnums, or common flying Pigeons.—By a 
recent visit to London, I find that gentlemen are working the 
common Skinnums into a breed, called Long-faced or Skin- 
num Beards ; these they are breeding to a standard, from the 
eye to the end of the beak; i.e., the face must measure one 
inch and five-eighths, and the plumage that of the Beards,— 
blue, black, or silver; with tail, flights, and beard white. 
In my description of the Almond Tumbles, I find I have 
made an error respecting the number of flight or pinion 
feathers, which, according to the established rules of the 
Pigeon Societies, it is considered necessary should contain the 
three colours,—yellow, black, and white. Though all Pigeons, 
as a rule, have ten flight or pinion feathers in each wing (I had 
almost said all birds, so general is it), yet among the high¬ 
bred short-faced Tumblers exceptions do occur, and so fre¬ 
quently as to induce the gentlemen of the fancy to reduce the 
standard to nine flight feathers ; the reason of which I could 
not understand till Mr. J. M. Eaton enlightened me, that it 
would be unjust to compel one fancier to show ten standard 
feathers against another that had but nine; so that, to admit 
the birds that have only nine flight feathers, the standard is 
reduced to nine in all.— B, P. Brent. 
