THE AUCKLAND PIGEON, CANARY AND DOG ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume II, Issue 54, 6 August 1891, Page 3

THE AUCKLAND PIGEON, CANARY AND DOG ASSOCIATION.

This Association held their ninth annual show last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, in Aitken’s auction mart. It must be looked upon as a success, as the exhibits were numerous, and, taking them as a whole, very good. As is always the case there were a great many birds shown that were very inferior and only fit for the farm yard. The Committee deserve the highest praise for the way the birds Were exhibited; all being in Suitable pens and well arranged, in fact nothing was left . undone to make everything perfect and comfortable for the visitors. Wc have seen all their shoWs, and must in fairness, without flattery, say that it is the best we have seen, and hope that it may be a financial success. There is one thing that struck not only us, but several cithers that it is the egotism of some of the exhibitors inputting absurd values on their birds —they had much better say not to be sold. We Will only mention two or three instances, but there were plenty more. For instance, for a game cock not worth as many pence, £2O for a pigeon, £SO for a turkey, and 15s. for a duck. The Committee, in their liberality, make a great mistake in permitting the judges, to award prizes in classes where there is iio competition and to birds devoid of merit. We do not profess to be judges of. all kinds of fowls, therefore will confine ourselves to those we do understand. First of all comes the game. This class was largely represented, but the majority of them were of the new fashion breed, and are decidedly not useful either as a breed by themselves or for crossing purposes, as they are too leggy and not broad enough in the chest. This class was decidedly badly judged. We will mention two instances — Class 9, No. 39, should have been given second if not first, though some judges might have taken objections to his markings; ( and in Class 18 the decision should have been reversed, as the one placed first was neither true bred or true shaped. It is a pity that the Malay game is not n\ore patronised, as with judicious crossing with the present Black Breasted Red, the Duckwing, and some othe r

breeds they might be greatly improved. For the benefit of our readers, and the judge in particular, we will give what the best judge in England considers the proper points of the Game Fowl. There are no less than thirteen kinds of game fowls :— White, Piles, Blue Duns, Red Duns, Black Breasted Reds. Red Breasted Ginger Reds, Duckwings, Yellow Birchens, Mealy Greys, Brown Reds, Dark Greys, Dark Birchens, and Blacks. As the only recognised classes out here are Brown Breasted Reds, Black Breasted Reds, Piles and Duckwings, we will confine our remarks to i them. “The Brown Reds have long been most perfect in outline, but the following description ■' will apply to a perfect bird of any breed: — The beak should be curved, long, and sharp ; the comb, single, small, thin, low in front, , erect, and evenly serrated (it is usually red, but sometimes darkest red); head long > and sharp, with the face and throat long and thin; ear, lobes small and red, never whitish ; ' neck, long and strong and well arched; the hackle, short, hard, close, firm, and broad in •' the feather ; back, short, and very hard both in flesh and feather, broad at shoulders, narrow at tail, and rounded at the sides; breast, broad and very hard, but not by any means too lean - or too full (a good hard breast is most essential, as it is the most vulnerable part of the bird); the rump should be narrow, neat, and short; fhe saddle feathers close, hard, and short ; very strong and of a just medium ; Wi'gth, well rounded to the body, and carried neither too high or too low, but so as to protect the thighs; tail, neither long nor short > but medium length, and carried erect to show good spirit (but not “ squirrel fashion” on the back), it should be well “ fanned,” or spread1 ing, and the sickle feathers of a good round full curve and standing clearly above the points of the, quill tail feathers ; thighs, short and Very muscular, hard and firm, placed well wide ‘ apart and well up to the shoulders in order to give a (fine forehand and make the bird stand firm on his legs, which latter should be sufficiently long, but not too much so, and placed wide apart as the thighs ; spurs, low down, long, sharp, and rather thin, a little curved upwajdssa<id not turning in too much ; feet, flat, broadh', spreading and thin; the claws and nails straight, long, and strong, the back claws especially long and flat to the ground to firm footing; the whole rplumage, shouldube very close, short, and hard, with glossy reflections; quills or stems, strong and elastic; body in hand, short and very hard, and the general carriage upright, quick, fierce, and sharp ; * the back is best rather curved, provided it be flat crosswise, and not humpbacked or lopsided ; weight from 4A to lbs. The hen should correspond in form, but of course in proportion, hardness of flesh and .feather, with shortness of body, being the main points. Good hens generally become spurred, and such breed the hardest and best cocks.” The few birds exhibited, possessing some of the above qualities, were ignored by the judge. From our experience we find that the Brown Breasted Red and Black Breasted Reds, the latter especially, are the best kind either for keeping pure or crossing with the Brahma or / Dorking, which makes a splendid all round fowl. The above breeds we know from experience are the best fighters with the exception of Dark Greys, which are hard to get pure, but were the Marquis of Waterford’s , breed. The Cheshire Piles, which many go in for, fight quick, but are bad layers, and will not cross well. If we were asked to single out one special breed we should choose the Black Breasted Reds. 1 he Dorkings, a most useful breed of fowls, were very badly represented, there only being three entries for all classes, and they were nothing particular. The Cochins classes on the other hand were well filled with some fine birds, but they are not a favourite of ours, so we will pass them by. The Brahmas were really good, and some splendid birds were exhibited, and as far as we could see were well judged. There was only one Langshan shown, and he did not look much. The Plymouth Rocks, on a whole, was another good class, though there was a considerable tail. They appear to be coming a favourite breed, as they are good layers, also table fowls, though tlje cockrells take some time to come to maturity. The Wyandottes were largely represented, and were really a

good lot of birds. The Spanish were not much, the majority of them being exhibited by Mr J. Lowe. The Andalusians were also, with two single exceptions, shown by Mr. W. Emery. The same remarks apply to the Minorcas, as, out of the eighteen exhibits, Mr. J. Coleman and Dr. Paterson owned fifteen, so there was no competition for these breeds. The Hamburgs were a good class and well contested. Redcaps: There was hardly any competition, as eight out of eleven belonged to Mr. P. R. Carthew, while in Houdans and Polish you may really say there was no competition. Leghorns were only moderate The next classes for Bantams were really good, some first-class birds being exhibited, which were really admired. The ducks all through were good, but the prices put on them were prohibitive to anyone desiring to improve their breed of ducks. The pigeons were a numerous entry, and a decidedly good lot all through, there being a great many particular handsome birds, but we do not understand their points so will not remark on them. The canaries, etc., were well represented, also the miscellaneous classes. There was a good deal of dissension regarding the decision of the judges in Class 164, Best Table Fowl (dead), breed or crop to Ke specified. Hulme and Co. exhibited two crosses between Indian game and Cochin, both large birds, but the old Auckland butchers’ adage was well carried out, “ Quantity before quality.” The judges justly awarded the first prize to a magnificent young Wyandotte, seven months old, belonging to Messrs Hazard and Hurndall, and we can only say we wish we had the eating of it. The turkeys exhibited were all of the Bronze Wing class, which seem now to be the fashionable breed, but we must say that we prefer the Norfolk or Cambridge kind ; as we do not understand any of their points, except on the table, we will pass them over. In conclusion we can only repeat that we hope it will be a financial success, as the Association deserve support, at the same time expressing our regret that each day we have been present the attendance was not larger.