122 
FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

earlier birds were of a creamy white; so much so as to be 
almost, if not quite, straw color.’’ : 
Again, in No. 11, same volume of World, J. B. Smith, a 
noted Leghorn breeder, says: ‘‘I believe the standard on 
the ear-lobe should be changed, and instead of reading 
‘pure opaque white,’ it should read ‘pure white or straw- 
color ;’ for some of the best specimens I have ever seen had 
straw-colored ear-lobes. They were common, years ago.’’ 
But I differ with Mr. Smith. I think the standard should 
be either the one thing or the other. Instead of “pure 
opaque white,’ I would substitute ‘ pale straw-color.” 
The editor of the World says, in same number referred 
to: ‘¢ White ear-lobes upon White Leghorns are not as beau- 
tiful or as novel as cream-colored ones, and they are at war 
with the yellow skin and legs. It was a mistake that cream 
or straw-color was not adopted as standard in the first 
place.” 
If the standard, as now revised, allows both white and 
straw-colored lobes, I hope it will be considered a disquali- 
fication where the ear-lobes do not match in the pen. 
In the late Pennsylvania Show, the cock in the first pre- 
mium coop of White Leghorns had straw-colored lobes, and 
the hen in the same had pure white lobes. 
I would like to hear the opinion of other Leghorn 
breeders on this subject. A. R. TATNALL. 
WILMINGTON, DEL. 
ps9 6 ee 
es Amona the very rarest novelties exhibited in the 
Boulevard Fair, is the ‘‘elephant rat,’’ alleged to be alive. 
The science of medicine has of late established the possibility 
of transplanting flesh from one part of the body to replace 
it in another; even bone has taken root. An admirer of 
nature had the bright idea suggested commercially by the 
numerous phenomena at present exhibited in the city and 
reaping a golden harvest, to engraft a portion of a rat’s tail 
on a rat’s nose, the thick end uppermost. Darwin never 
dreamed of such an intermediary race. The exhibitor suc- 
ceeded in twenty grafts, the process being effected in the 
course of amonth. The fact is asserted as true, and though 
I specially visited the part of the Boulevard where the dar- 
lings were to be seen, they were invisible, but persons 
affirmed their existence was true.. In addition, there are 
exhibited, not only gambling birds that will find a required 
card in a pack, but ‘ table turners ”’ of an unexpected kind, 
consisting of birds which will upset tables and chairs in a 
tiny drawing-room. 
g@s> THE Ropin.—A Robin came in the severity of the 
winter to the window of a pious countryman, as if he would 
like to come in. The countryman opened his window and 
kindly took the confiding little creature into his dwelling, 
and it picked up the crumbs and scraps which fell from his 
table. The children of the countryman were very much 
attached to the bird, but when spring reappeared in the 
country, and the leaves put forth, the countryman opened 
bis window, and the little guest flew into the neighboring 
woods and built its nest and sung its cheerful song. 
Behold, when winter returned, the robin came again into 
the countryman’s house, bringing with him his mate. The 
countryman and his children were very glad when they saw 
how trustingly the bright eyes of both the little creatures 
looked about, and the children said: ‘‘The bird slook at us 
as if they would like to say something !”’ 
Their father answered: ‘If they could speak they would 
say, ‘friendly confidence awakens confidence, and love be- 
gets a return of love!’”’ 

YOUNG FISH-HAWKS. 
THE young Fish-Hawks are the funniest things you ever 
saw, awkward and mis-shaped and yet with such a wise, 
dignified expression! I watched for several hours a couple 
learning to fly. They sat balanced uneasily on the edge of 
the nest, solemn and grave as judges, and looked as if they 
had come out of the shell knowing everything. The old 
birds were coaxing, and going through various exercises, 
which, I suppose, were the first principles of flying, and the 
young ones tilted about and rolled over, and finally got 
fastened between the sharp branches of the tree. The 
mother and father fussed and scolded, ‘“ Bill-ee, Bill-ee, 
Stu-pid-i-ty.”” The young are very slow in learning to fly ; 
and I have heard that they often linger in the nest long 
after they are well able to help themselves, to be fed and 
waited upon, till driven away by the parents, who beat 
them out with their wings and pick them with their 
sharp beaks. I don’t like to think this, but it may be 
so, for one day we found a young bird drooping on the 
fence. He allowed us to come very close to him, and 
we discovered that his wing was broken. It was not shot, 
so he must have fallen in his effort to fly. No birds were 
near him; he had evidently been deserted. He looked for- 
lorn and pitiful, so we took him home and put him in the 
wagon-house. The children were very attentive to him; 
they cut up fish for him—pounds of it—and tried to amuse 
him as if he were a lamed child. But it was of no use; he 
drooped still more and then died, and was buried with mar- 
tial noise and pomp. He would not have been a successful 
pet, for these birds have a lonely, isolated nature. They 
seem to have bred in them the wild, untamable spirit of the 
wind and wave, and if deprived of their free, soaring flight, 
and their sportings in air and water, they will languish and 
die.—St. Nicholas. 


ANECDOTE OF LANDSEER. 
‘It is now some twenty years ago that a large party were 
assembled at one of the ducal ancestral homes of England, 
and among the guests expected was Sir Edwin. During the 
day the question turned upon which was the handsomest of 
two dogs—one, a King Charles spaniel, called Dash, belong- 
ing to the lady of the mansion, and a terrier, the property 
of a gallant officer in the navy, now an admiral. After 
describing the merits of the two dogs, an Englishman’s 
argument—a wager—was resorted to: the Duchess, if the 
winner, to receive a certain number of Houbigant’s best 
gloves from Paris; the Captain to receive a beautiful hunt- 
waistcoat of buff silk, ornamented with gold frogs, should 
his terrier (Tyke) carry off the prize. An understanding 
was then come to that Landseer should be the judge, but 
that not a hint or remark was to be given or made to him. 
For an hour before dinner, and during the entire evening, 
Dash was moving about the room or stretching himself 
upon the rug before a blazing fire. Next morning, a visit to 
the stable was made by all the guests, headed by the host 
and hostess. While admiring one of the Duke’s hunters, 
“Tyke” made his appearance. ‘ What a beauty!’ said 
Sir Edwin. The Captain gave a look at the hostess, who 
immediately replied, ‘‘ Fairly won;’’ and within a week he 
appeared at table in the hunt-waistcoat. During the visit a 
sketch was made of Tyke, who afterward appeared as “ Im- 
pudence”’ in that splendid work of art, “ Dignity and Im- 
pudence.’’ Fifteen years elapsed, when one day the Captain 
