PENSYLVANIA 95 



first quality has been produced, because of thin soil, 

 bad seed, and unskilful cultivation. 



The taste for garden-flowers is likewise very re- 

 stricted ; however, a few florists are to be found. Dr. 

 Glentworth, + formerly a surgeon in the army, has a 

 numerous collection of beautiful bulbs and other 

 flowers which he maintains by yearly importations 

 from Holland. But as a rule one finds in the gardens 

 nothing but wild jasmine, flower-gentles, globe- ama- 

 ranths, hibiscus syriacus, and other common things. 

 The beautiful gilliflower, the ranunculus, auricula &c., 

 of these they are little aware. At Dr. Glentworth's I 

 saw another strange phenomenon, which I mention here 

 in passing, i. e. a cross between a cock and a duck. The 

 beast was a perfect hen in the forepart, but in the rear 

 constructed like a duck ; its feet were half-webbed and 

 set far back, so that its walk was a waddle, penguin- 

 fashion, almost upright. A person present told me he 

 had seen two similar bastards in the West Indies. 

 They are, however, rare, notwithstanding many cocks 

 seem to show a preference for ducks. 



Deformities and misgrowths, especially of the hu- 

 man species, are rarer in America (where everything 

 is truer to nature) than elsewhere. An American 

 dwarf exhibited himself recently at Philadelphia ; I had 

 already seen him at York. He was born in Jersey, 

 was 23 years old, and his height 3 ft. 4 in., London 

 measure, with the exception of the head pretty well 

 formed to scale. It is worth the trouble to be a dwarf 

 in America : he showed himself for not less than a half- 

 dollar Spanish for grown people, and the half of that 

 for children. Another rare phenomenon is an adult 

 with an immoderately large head, so heavy that he 



