6 The Capon — Turkey, 



fubstantial viand than the chicken. Whilst 

 joung, the cock and hen are e<jually de- 

 licate. 



The Capon or castrated cock, has ever 

 been esteemed one of the greatest delica- 

 cies, preserving the flavour and tender- 

 ness of the chicken, wnth the juicy matu- 

 rity of age, the flesh yielding a rich and 

 good chyle, and without any tendency to 

 inflammation. Capons are usually cram- 

 med, and made excessively fat, perhap* 

 to the verge of disease, in which state 

 their flesh is neither so delicately flavoured, 

 nor probably so wholesome, as when more 

 naturally fed. Indeed, the flesh of the 

 barn-door fowl, or that fed in a state of 

 nature, and at liberty to take exercise, is 

 universally acknowledged to excel in 

 genuine richness of flavour. There is pro- 

 bably greater variety of size, figure, and 

 appearance, in the chicken, than in any 

 other species of fowl, and also considerable 

 variety of quality, which will be pointed 

 ©at under their different heads. 



The Turkey. The flesh of the turkey i« 



