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FANCIERS JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

by Mr. Chamberlin, on account of their resemblance to the 
fowls then in the country called by that name,” &. 
This letter forms the basis of Dr. Bennett’s theory also, 
and he certainly named the fowls ‘ Brahma.’’? Mr. Cham- 
berlin and Mr. Cornish named them “ Chittagong,” as Mr. 
Cornish states above. Dr. Kerr sold Mr. Burnham his first 
gray fowls from Philadelphia, which, in September, 1849 
(three years earlier), Dr. K. called ‘‘Chittagong.’’ Dr. 
Bennett, in his ‘ Poultry Book,’’ published in 1851-’52, at 
Boston, describes the ‘‘ Chittagong ”’ fowl fully, but does not 
mention the ‘ Brahma-Pootras’”’ at all; and Dr. B. gives 
two illustrations in that book, ‘‘ from life,’’ of Mr. Burn- 
ham’s Philadelphia gray birds as ‘‘ Chittagongs,’’ which 
very strongly resemble the Light Brahmas, as any one may 
see by consulting that work. We do not see but that all 
these birds are admitted by all the first owners—to wit, Mr. 
Cornish, Chamberlin, Hatch, Dr. Kerr, Burnham, Bennett, 
and all—to be Chittagongs at the start, wherever they came 
from. And it is also certain that all these gentlemen, except 
Mr. Burnham, who called them Gray Shanghais (as the 
official report of the exhibition shows, in 1852, at Boston), 
then entered all these fowls as ‘‘ Chittagongs,”’ or ‘‘ Gray 
Chittagongs’’ Mr. Cornish did not, at that time, as his 
letter above evinces, know ‘“‘ which name they should be 
called by.”’ 
Perhaps Mr. Burnham, upon reading this article, will, in 
a future number, ‘‘rise to explain.” We shall cheerfully 
afford him the opportunity if he desires to do so. 

—_> 

(For Fanciers’ Journal.) — 
HOW ARE YOU ‘‘BLACK RUSSIANS 2” 
Mr. Eprror. 
I had a good laugh over ‘A. N. R.’s’”’ honest description 
of, and his good-humored expression of ill luck with the 
‘ Black Russian ’’? fowl, which, four years ago, I had occa- 
sion to write a brief article about, and which I see the new 
American Standard of Excellence recognizes among its 
‘“¢ varieties.” 
In 1870, I said ‘‘ This is another new breed recently put 
in market, and the possessors of it claim that it is ‘a won- 
derful layer of large eggs.’ Though the fowl is not over- 
sized, its plumage is very showy and brilliant back, and it 
will very shortly become one of our leading varieties for 
the fancy, no doubt, through real intrinsic merit,” etc. 
I remember that my old friend, Dr. Eben Wright, of 
Dedham, Mass., had informed us as much as thirty years 
ago, that he had imported from Moscow a brace of these 
birds—then called Russian or Siberian fowl—with feathered 
legs, which are quilled, and which latter they will probably 
lose in the next generation, our climate being so much 
milder than that at Moscow: The Doctor gave his impor- 
ted Black Russians away, I recollect, a few months after he 
received them. They would neither lay eggs, or come to 
any satisfactory size. He had them one season, and became 
greatly disgusted with them. The party he presented his 
whole stock to (a gentleman in Albany, New York), tried 
his hand with them, on account of their novelty at that 
time, and he announced the same year he got them that 
notwithstanding he sent thém to the country in charge of 
a faithful person, where they had plenty of room and fresh 
air, all was to no purpose; they dropped off, one after 
another died, and thus ended this importation of ‘“ Rus- 
sian fowls.”’ 

I hardly think “A. N. R.” will find a customer for his 
fowls, after his late description of them in your columns; 
yet his experience is but that of one amongst many who 
have been similarly deceived by appearances, not particu- 
larly with this ‘new breed,’’ but by scores of similar 
impositions among the cross-bred mongrels, put forth by 
novices and hucksters, who, on their part, have first been 
deceived, perhaps, by the more knowing ones. Will this 
hummery ever cease ? ANCIENT. 


CorrRESpONDENCE, 

LETTER FROM A BOY. 
Dear Sir: Please send me the Fanciers’ Journal for one 
year, which I like the best of any paper I have seen yet. I 
advise any one who wants to keep pigeons to subscribe for 
it. I think it will do me a great deal of good. I have 
as handsome a lot of pigeons and chickens as I ever saw— 
but I am a boy yet. 
GUINEA PIGS v. RATS. 
About guinea pigs killing rats—I do not think they will, 
for the following reason: I had a splendid pair given to 
me, for which I made a cat-proof cage, and locked’ the 
door securely, and one morning I went into the barn, and 
not hearing them as usugl on my entrance, I looked into 
the cage and found them killed and half eaten, apparently 
by rats, as cats could not get into the cage. I had not- 
thought of rats killing them, as I had often heard that they 
killed the rats. If any of your readers have had a similar 
experience I would like to know of it. 
Truly yours, 
GREEN, CHENANGO Co., N. Y. 
Jas. R. DEDRICK. 
Our experience is similar to the above. Some years ago, 
while in the bird and fowl business, and ‘at a time when the 
store was well stocked with everything pertaining to a store 
of this kind, the rats gained access during the night, and 
although there were all kinds of birds, pigeons, rabbits, 
&¢c., within easy reach, the guinea pigs were the only ani- 
mals killed—an entrance being made into the cage or box 
for that purpose.—ED. ] 

IMPORTATION. 
Mr. EpiTor. 
Dear Sir: I have just received from Mr. John K. Fow- 
ler, of Aylesbury, England, a lot of eggs, as follows: 13 
Black Spanish, 13 Crevecceeur, 13 Golden Penciled Ham- 
burg, 18 White Cochin, 18 Houdan, and 12 Aylesbury 
Duck. They arrived in fine order, and I will report success 
in due time. Yours truly, J. Y. BICKNELL. 
WESTMORELAND, N. Y., May 18, 1874, 


IMPORTATION, 
FRIEND WADE: Geo. Furness, of Auburn, New York, 
received by Steamer ‘ Celtic,’’ on the 6th instant, from 
Henry Beldon, of Bingley, Yorkshire England, one trio of 
Black Hamburgs—splendid birds for exhibition and breed- 
ing. Geo. Gilfuss, of Auburn, New York, received by 
same steamer, and at same time, one trio of Silver Spangled 
Polish—most superior birds. Henry Beldon says of them: 
“They are beautiful birds; the cock is clear-tailed, and in 
this respect not to be excelled in England.” 
Yours truly, E. 8. Onauey. 
AUBURN, N. Y., May 18, 1874. 
