




FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 

359 

CorresponDeNce. 


THE STANDARD. 
Epiror FANCIERS’ JOURNAL: 
It appears to me that the old standard is satisfactory to 
the majority of fanciers; but if there are to be any altera- 
tions, I would suggest that they revise with open doors, being 
. previously prepared by candid and thorough discussion 
through the leading poultry journals, and afterwards sub- 
jected to the closest scrutiny and criticism, and then printed 
in book form as nearly perfect as possible. If the price is 
to be one dollar, let it be bound in cloth. 
The breeding of fancy poultry will soon deteriorate if 
there is a necessity of a new standard every year. To illus- 
trate, we will take the Houdans into consideration: fanciers 
that have spent many years and been at great expense to 
have this breed brought as near to perfection as possible, 
will now have to discard their favorite breed for not having 
the fifth toe. Truly yours, T. SMIvrH. 
Srony Brook, N. Y. 

Miro Jai WADE: _ 
I have a splendid pair of Pouters. The hen has been 
sitting on the nest daily since last January; occasionally 
the cock sits with her. They seem to be well mated, and I 
am positive that they are male and female, but the latter 
does not lay. Can you suggest the probable reason and 
remedy? Would they do better if flying?...... 
I will relate another case in my flock, in which two hen 
pigeons, a Pouter and Tumbler, both sit on one nest, in 
which they have laid two eggs each. They take turns sitting 
during the day, while both sit at night, and are just as 
friendly as if they were a hen and cock well mated. 
Yours truly, W. C. Harr. 
CLINTON, May 17, 1874. 
[ We should separate the Pouters at once, and if the hen 
‘is valuable let her fly for awhile. Should there be any 
danger of her flying away, we would mate her to a strong 
common pigeon, or another Pouter cock, before letting her 
out. If she does not breed with him, dispose of her at once. 
It is quite common for two hens to mate and lay four eggs. 
They will sit more or less irregularly during the day, but 
will always sit together during the night.—Ep. | 

DEATH OF JOHN THOMSON, JR. 
At a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Bucks 
County Poultry Association the following resolutions were 
passed : 
Resolved, That the announcement of the death of our 
fellow member and brother fancier, John Thomson, Jr., is 
received with feelings of deep regret. 
Resolved, That he was an earnest, faithful worker in the 
cause, ever honorable in all his transactions, and an agree- 
able, genial companion. 
Resolved, That we tender to the surviving members of his 
family our sympathy and regret in their deep affliction. 
Resolved, That the Corresponding Secretary be requested 
to communicate the action of the Association for publica- 
tion in the Fanciers’ Journal. 
_ Tos. H. WALTON, 
DoyLEsTOWN, May 25, 1874, Cor, Secretary. 

Mr. J. M. Wank. 
Dear Sir: Wishing to make your Journal of use to your 
subseribers in every possible way, I will undertake to answer 
M. B. K.’s question. I hope in so doing I will not rob some 
poor attorney of his lawful fees. 
It is unlawful to shoot, trap, or catch wild pigeons during 
any time of the year, except the months of October, Novem- 
ber, and December. 
If a wild pigeon has been so far tamed, that it will go and 
return to its place of abode, you have no right to shoot it. 
You have no right to shoot your neighbor’s pigeons, of 
either kind, although they be found trespassing on your lands 
or premises. If they do you an injury, you have an action 
against their owner. 
Trover lies for animals naturally wild and tamed, although 
they may have strayed away, unless they have regained their 
natural liberty. In a wild animal an owner has a qualified 
property—contradistinguished from an absolute property— 
which he has in tame animals; thus, deers in a park; hares 
or rabbits in an inclosed warren; doves in a dove-house; 
pigeons, pheasants, or partridges in a mew; hawks that are 
fed and commanded by an owner; fish in a private pond; or 
any animal which has been reclaimed from a wild state; but 
when once they have gained their liberty, the owner has not, 
nor is able to reduce them to his command or possession, he 
then will have lost his right or possession to them. 
To break into a coop and steal—is larceny. 
Yours, Isaac VAN WINKLE. 
GREENVILLE, N. J 
Mr. J. M. Wave. Ps 
Dear Sir: To any one sending you a club of 6 (with $12), 
for the Journal, before July, I will send a sitting of eggs 
from my Buff or Partridge Cochins, every egg warranted 
to be from an imported prize bird. Imported by myself 
this year. Very respectfully yours, 
W. C. Monrog, M.D. 


POULTRYVILLE, N. Y. 

g@e> A Mercirut Frrenp.—An elephant belonging to 
an English garrison in the Indies, was one day amusing 
himself with his chain in an open part of the town, when a 
man who had committed a theft, and was pursued by a 
great number of people, despairing of all other means of 
safety, ran under the elephant. Apparently delighted with 
the poor man’s confidence, the creature instantly faced about 
and met the crowd, erected his trunk, and threw his chain 
in the air, as is the manner of these animals when engaged 
with the enemy, and became so furious in defence of the 
criminal, that, notwithstanding all the gentle arts made use 
of by the surrounding multitude, neither they, or even his 
mahout or driver—to whom he was fondly attached—and 
who was sent for to manage him, could prevail with him to 
give up the malefactor. The animal’s wonderful kindness 
met with reward. After three hour’s contest the governor 
heard of this strange rebellion to the laws of the land, and 
came to the scene of struggle. He was so much pleased 
with the generous perseverence of the honest quadruped, 
that he yielded to the elephant’s interposition, and pardoned 
the criminal. The poor man, in an ecstacy of gratitude, 
testified his acknowledgement by kissing and embracing 
the proboscis of his kind benefactor, who was apparently so 
sensible of what had happened, that, laying aside all his 
former violence, he became perfectly tame and gentle in an 
instant, and suffered his keeper to conduct him away with- 
out the least resistance. 
