in the breeding or rearing of live stock.  One of the principal of these prizes is the Elkington Challenge Cup, valued at 100 guineas, which, after being won by various exhibitors during the past ten years, was secured at the last show by Mr. John Price, who had fulfilled the requirements of the donors by winning it three times.  Messrs. Elkington & Co. have most liberally given another cup of the same value.  In 1876, for the first time since its establishment in 1839, the Royal Agricultural Society held its exhibition here, the ground allotted for its use being seventy acres at the rear of Aston Hall, twenty-five acres being part of the Park itself.  That it was most successful may be gathered from the fact that over 265,000 persons visited the show, which lasted from July 19th to 24th.

Poultry forms part of the Bingley Hall Exhibition, and numerically the largest portion thereof, as per the table of entries, which is well worth preserving also for showing when new classes of birds have been first penned: 

1876 1’77 1’78 1’79 1’80 1’81 1’82
Brahma Pootras 407 258 366 376 362 439 429
Dorkings ...... 167 178 220 209 194 238 277
Cochin ........ 331 415 412 433 421 431 412
Langshans ..... -- -- -- 49 66 49 47
Malay ......... 63 38 49 47 48 36 43
Creve Coeur ... 93 117 94 38 28 33 24
Houdans ....... -- -- -- 56 65 54 71
La Fleche ..... -- -- -- -- -- -- 12
Spanish ....... 48 33 45 27 32 31 37
Andalusians ... —­ —­ —­ 16 23 29 43
Leghorns ...... -- -- -- 25 12 20 17
Plymouth Rocks —­ —­ —­ —­ —­ 17 20
Minorcas ...... -- -- 7 8 6 9 3
Polish ........ 78 76 98 91 83 98 63
Sultans ....... -- -- -- 6 7 8 6
Silkies ....... -- -- -- -- -- 11 7
Game .......... 351 341 314 241 267 287 353
Aseels ........ -- -- -- 27 28 20 11
Hamburghs ..... 148 175 145 159 129 141 153
Other Breeds .. 35 47 126 20 20 21 7
Selling Classes —­ —­ —­ 66 90 93 102
Bantams ....... 95 63 82 70 105 96 105
Ducks ......... 100 102 115 137 163 144 141
Geese ......... 21 21 31 22 31 21 23
Turkeys ....... 95 96 52 82 67 81 60
Pigeons........ 670 629 715 702 815 903 838
   Total ......---------------------------------
               2072 2569 2873 2899 3062 3316 3325

Fanciers give wonderfully strange prices sometimes.  Cochin China fowls had but lately been introduced, and were therefore “the rage” in 1851-2.  At the Poultry Show in the latter year a pair of these birds were sold for L30, and at a sale by auction afterwards two prize birds were knocked down at L40 each:  it was said that the sellers crowed louder than the roosters.