240 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



fine voices are in a very small minority. Some 

 bad voices in artificial breeds, i.e., those which, 

 like the Brahma and Cochin, diverge most widely 

 from the original type — are perhaps incurable, 

 like the carrion crow's voice; for that bird will 

 probably always caw harshly in spite of the 

 musical throat which anatomists find in it. We 

 can only listen to our birds, and begin experiment- 

 ing with those already possessed of shapely notes 

 and voices of good quality. 



I am not going to be so ill-mannered as to con- 

 clude without an apology to those among us who 

 under no circumstances can tolerate the crowing 

 of the cock. It is true that I have not been alto- 

 gether unmindful of their prepossessions, and 

 have freely acknowledged in divers places that 

 Chanticleer does not always please, and that 

 there is abundant room for improvement; but if 

 they go further than that, if for them there exists 

 not on this round globe a cock whose voice would 

 fail to irritate, then I have not shown considera- 

 tion enough, and something Is still owing to their 

 feelings, which are very acute. It is possible that 

 one of these sensitive persons may take up my 

 book, and, attracted by Its title, dip Into this 



