FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
but the specimens exhibited were good. Parties desiring 
stock of the Houdan sort should scan the preminm list when 
published. 
In Games the show was good, but not first-class. Breeders 
competing at Doylestown have room for improvement in 
this class. In Game and other Bantams, however, the show 
was decidedly well up. The Bantam fanciers were in ecsta- 
cies over this part of theshow. Not being a fancier of these 
diminutive fellows, I cannot get my enthusiasm up to boiling 
point over them. If I were, though, and wanted stock, I 
should “go for’? that Mann who lives at Haddonfield. 
Perhaps the closest contest for first honors was in Silver- 
Spangled Hamburgs. Doylestown has been noted for these, 
and the contest was between two resident fanciers. There 
were differences of opinion among the best judges respecting 
the placing of the winning card on these two coops. Men 
of equal ability would have reversed the cards after the 
committee had accepted the decision of the judges. Both 
coops were as fine as could well be, figuring well up into the 
90’s. All the varieties of the Hamburg class were well and 
fully represented, most of the honors remaining near home. 
In the miscellaneous class the showing was fair. In this 
class the most attractive feature was the Silkies. From 
their woolly and oddity of appearance they attracted a great 
deal of attentjon. In this class all the miscellaneous speci- 
mens found a place; and, among others, those attracting 
most attention, were a pair of Bucks County fowls, anda 
pair of cross-bred birds from a Plymouth Rock cock and a 
~Light Brahma hen. The cock gave the markings in the 
plumage and legs, while the hen gave the pea comb and 
general shape. They were splendid birds for economical 
_ purposes. : 
There were several coops of Guinea fowls, of the different 
colors, all of which were well up in condition and markings. 
The “most lame and impotent” part of the show was in 
turkeys. Of these there were but three or four shown. 
Why this should have been the case right here in a country 
abounding in fine turkeys, I cannot tell. j 
In the aquatic division the show was good—the ducks 
taking the lead. The Pekins were shown here for the first 
time, several coops of these competing for the prizes. It 
looks to me as if these were going to do for the ducks what 
the old and now despised Shanghai did for the fowls of our 
country, viz.: to revolutionize the fancy and awaken a new 
interest in it. The Pekin was decidedly the best variety in 
the duck line that has been seen in this vicinity. There 
was a strong show of Rouen ducks, some of them being very 
fine. Aylesburys made a good show, but the best bred birds 
were out of condition and under size. Several coops of 
Muscovys were exhibited—some white and some colored. 
Besides these there were Grades, Polled, Mottles, and Com- 
mons. The Mottle was to my eye the prettiest duck of them 
all. 
In geese there was a moderate show, but most of the diff- 
erent kinds were represented. The ‘‘aged goose,’ seventy- 
one years old, sent to Mr. Atwood, of Big Flats, New 
York, attracted much attention. One would not suspect 
. her antiquity from her appearance, although her age seems 
to be well authenticated. She looks as if she might easily 
live to be one hundred years old. 
The display of rabbits was large, and said to have been 
very good; but you must get some one who knows more 
about them than I do to report on them. [ only know 
there was a fine display in this department; but in the no- 

737 

menclature and ‘ points’? of the animals I am entirely at 
sea.. Among the other minor pets, we must not forget to 
enumerate the Guinea pigs, ferrets, white mice, owls, hawks, 
ring doves, ete. The young, and many of the older visitors, 
will not soon forget the squirrels, some of which, by their 
antics and playfulness, constantly attracted large crowds. 
What must be characterized as the strong feature in the 
Doylestown show, is the pigeon department. Here there 
was endless variety, and the highest excellence. Competi- 
tion ran high on several varieties of high-class birds. Many 
were shown that cannot be duplicated in the United States. 
Mr. Parker, of Baltimore, put a pair of Barbs in compe- 
tition with a pair sent by Mr. Van Winkle, of New Jersey. 
The latter had been winners in several shows in England. 
After a most careful comparison of the two pairs, Mr. 
Parker’s birds won, by a hairbreadth’s difference in the 
width of head in the hen. Competition was exceedingly 
close in many cases. Mr. Beigle, of New York, sent three 
pairs of Carriers that were very fine. Mr. Long, and Mr. 
Burpee, both of Philadelphia, showed fine collections of 
birds. The*same may be said of Mr. Rogers and Mr. 
Frankenfield, and other local fanciers in the vicinity of 
Doylestown, who did not let the city folks carry away all 
the premiums. 
Here, as in the poultry, there was some dissatisfaction 
about the judging. For some of this the judge was not re- 
sponsible, as he could not get the birds out of the cages for 
the purpose of close comparison. The judge seemed to be 
very careful and painstaking in his work, and I believe 
acted conscientiously throughout, and deserves the thanks 
of every fancier whose birds passed through his hands. It 
would require too much space to go into any further detail 
at present, and with one more paragraph I will close. 
The weak point of the show was the lack of visitors, whe- 
ther from hard times or a lack of interest on the part of the 
community your correspondent does not know, but the at- 
tendance was not what the management had a right to 
expect. The show asa whole was pronounced by competent 
persons to be the fourth in point of excellence in the United 
States, coming after Buffalo, Boston, Hartford, in this order. 
One noticeable feature was the absence of scrub stock, the 
general average was high. In pigeons, the show has not 
been equaled in this country for quantity and high-class 
quality. Premium list next time. 
[Our reporter was not a pigeon fancier, or he would have 
called attention to two pairs of exceedingly fine pigmy 
Pouters, Blues and Silvers, exhibited by Isaac Van Win- 
kle, Greenville, New Jersey. Such birds are very rare in 
this country, and we doubt if there are many better on the 
other side.—ED. ] 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) 
MIDDLESEX POULTRY ASSOCIATION. 
Mr. Eprror: 
On page 715, Nos. 49 and 50, ‘‘ Middlesex ”’ says, ‘‘the 
reason for a certain:person’s criticisms on the decisions of the 
judges on Leghorns was, because he did not receive first 
premium, etc.’? Nota bit of it, Mr. ‘‘ Middlesex.” 
The reason was because the Middlesex Poultry Associa- 
tion advertised to have the exhibition judged by the Amer- 
ican Standard, and had given first premiums on White and 
Brown Leghorns to disqualified birds. 
I was talking with friends and breeders, and did not know 
who the judges were when I made the remarks, I was 
