129 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, May 22, 1860. 
be treated with stimulants, and nothing is better than stale bread 
and strong beer. Let him be kept dry and very clean. 
There is no objection that we are aware of, to yellow legs for 
Black-red Game fowls, and we think they stand quite as well for 
prizes as any others.] 
DUCKS AT THE BATn AND WEST OF 
ENGLAND SHOW. 
There seems a growing disposition to exhibit rare Ducks, and 
the more beautiful specimens of imported or native Wild Fowl 
at the different Poultry Shows. At the Crystal Palace Mr. 
Houghton very wisely admits these birds for competition in 
pairs ; but we are told the Secretary of this Show declines to 
admit them unless they enter like others—a Drake and two 
Ducks. We think this is wrong, because all, or nearly all, of 
these birds pair. To put an extra Duck to a pair is almost to 
insure her death, certainly to destroy her plumage, and we there¬ 
fore hope Mr. Kingsbury will allow us to state in a future number 
that Wild Fowl may be shown in pairs. 
MAY DUCKS BE EXHIBITED IN THEIR OWN 
CLASS AND AS ANY OTHER VARIETY ? 
Wilt, you be good enough to answer the following question ? 
it being of some importance in the provincial Shows held in this 
neighbourhood, viz :— 
Glass 40.—Aylesbury and Rouen Ducks. 1st Prize. 2nd Prize. 
Class 41.—Any other Variety of Ducks. l9t Prize. 2nd Prize. 
Is an exhibitor entitled to show and take a prize with a pen of 
Rouen Ducks in Class 41? —A Subscriber and Exhibitor. 
[Certainly not. Whenever there is a class for a named kind of 
fowl to compete in, that kind of fowl is never allowed to compete 
in the “Any other Variety” class. If it were not so ruled, the 
“ Any oilier Variety ” class would have it3 intention frustrated.] 
BEWARE OF THE BROWN-HORNED OWL. 
See “Letter Box,” page 78. I was born in Suffolk, and I 
know “billy whit it who-o-o,” the White Owl, congregates there 
harmlessly with the Pigeons; but tell “ Deodar,” the large 
Brown-horned Owl is a young Pigeon, Partridge, Pheasant, aye, 
and even a young Rabbit devourer. When we kept Pigeons in 
Shropshire, the young ones once on a time went on disappearing 
mysteriously. We encouraged the White Owls, even by forming 
holes for them to enter the buildings, for, poor fellows, we knew 
their only object to be mice, and a quiet day’s rest; but some 
thought they might have a weakness for a Pigeon. So a watch 
was set, and a Brown Owl came and sat over the Pigeon-house 
door, soon to meet with a worse fate, for all that he told us, than 
Edgar Poe’s “ Raven,” for the rector’s brother, the late Chas. 
St. John, Esq., then a young man, and, subsequently, the great 
Sutherlandshire sportsman, shot the night-prowler on his blood¬ 
thirsty mission. 
On another occasion a Brown-horned Owl which belonged to a 
neighbouring farmer, wended its way on to a Spruce Fir tree, as 
near as he could get to the Pigeons’ home; but that fellow was a 
pet, and had got his wing clipped.— Upwards and Onwards. 
FOREIGN BIRDS NATURALISED IN OUR 
WOODS. 
A pew years ago I introduced in the pages of The Cottag-e 
Gardener the subject of importing certain foreign hardy birds 
into our British woods and parks. Whether my communication 
led to any practical result I do not know, but I suspect not. 
At that time I had principally in view that beautiful and hardy 
bird, the Loxia Cardinalis , or Cardinal Crosbealc, usually, 
however, called the Virginian Nightingale. A friend, who was 
long a resident in America, informed me that these inhabitants 
of the woods there may be observed in the warmest parts, as well 
as those where snow covers the ground for long periods. Its 
bright scarlet plumage would add greatly to variety in the 
scenery of our pleasure-grounds, as it would thrive anywhere 
with Blackbirds and Thrushes, as regards food, aud is remark¬ 
ably active and rapid in its movements. The frequenters of the 
Sydenham Crystal Palace will recollect seeing there a number 
of specimens of these charming birds, with their enlivening notes 
and familiar habits. Whether there are distinct varieties I will 
not pretend to say, but certainly some, though differing in size 
from others (some smaller, and some larger than a Blackbird), 
exhibit a similarity in other respects. It is a long-lived bird, 
and I have heard of one kept in confinement for twenty-five 
! years. I possess a remarkably large specimen which I purchased 
some fourteen years since, then, as I thought, not a young bird, 
but so far from remarking any kind of failure, it rather improves 
in plumage and song as years pass over. For many’ seasons it 
inhabited, with other song birds, a small conservatory in my 
garden, opening into a parlour, into which it delighted to enter, 
and form one of the party at meal?, being not at all particular 
in its diet. After two or three years I met with a female, and 
breeding soon followed in some Box bushes placed purposely. 
Some broods were hatched, but the disturbance from the other 
birds prevented any young ones from being matured, and soon 
afterwards the female died. I am informed that they have fre¬ 
quently been reared in this country. To the possessors of a pre¬ 
served domain, it would be merely a question of a little trouble 
and expense to turn loose about a dozen pair of the Virginian 
Nightingales at this season of the year, and the dealers in foreign 
birds would manage the affair, on receiving instructions, at no 
overwhelming cost. It delights in frequenting low bushes or 
shrubberies in the neighbourhood of water, and young natives 
would at once be at home, and join in the chorus of the woods.— 
II. T. 
EARLY SWARM OF BEES. 
Saturday, May 12. —Hived a very fine swarm from a Stewart on 
of 1858. The swarm was double, and was hived into two 
boxes, a queen in each, and then united, and is now going on 
vigorously, I have a Stewarton and a Payne’s capped, and the 
bees at work in the supers. Pretty good this, considering the 
sort of winter we have had. The stocks hare not been fed.—- 
Shirley Hibberd, Stol-e Newington. 
MOVING BROOD-COMB—COATING HIVES 
WITH CEMENT. 
THICKNESS OF WOODEN HIVES. 
In your number of November 1, 1859, “ B. & W.” suggests 
the forming of an artificial swarm by placing a bar of brood-comb 
in an empty hive, and placing it on the stand of a strong stock, 
&c. Would you or he have the goodness to state how long the 
bar of brood-comb would bear to be in the empty hive (without 
injury to the eggs), before the bees could be let into it? Could 
it be conveyed a distance of eight miles ? 
[M. Hermann says, “A brood-comb maybe taken from the 
mother-hive, but always with the bees adhering thereto and we 
should think it might readily be conveyed a distance of eight 
miles without injury if the weather be warm at the time.] 
Mr. Wood, in his book on bees, suggests the coating of straw 
hives with Roman cement. Would you say, or ask some of your 
\ correspondents to say, is it better than paint, and how is it. 
put on ? 
[Perhaps some of our correspondents who have used Roman 
! cement will kindly answ’er this inquiry.] 
Would “ B. & W.” or “Tiie Devonshire Bee-keeper,” 
say is half-inch or three-quarter-inch board the best for boxes ? 
| Do they consider that bees in lialf-inch-thiek boxes are safe ? 
[Neither half-inch, nor three-quarter-inch, board, is thick 
enough for bee-boxes if exposed ; but either might do in a well- 
protected bee-liouse. Bee-boxes, to bear exposure, should not 
be less than one inch and a quarter thick.] 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Pheasant Malays (A Constant Header, Carshalton ).—If you write to 
Mrs. Carter, whose advertisement you will see in another of our pages, 
your letter will reach “ Ranger.” 
Young Pioeons (A Subscriber ).—You need not remove the foul 6traw 
from the nest. Both in the wild and domestic state, filth about their nest 
seems to be never detrimental. 
Blackbird with Tumour ( G.S. ).—It is impossible to advise with cer¬ 
tainty. It is probably a tumour which requires opening. If it is a gland¬ 
ular swelling, cutting away the feather and rubbing in iodine ointment 
might be curative. 
Glasses or Supers (R.).—5Ve always use supers when the form of the 
hive permits it. 
