THE GAME FOWL. 247 



ociurring among our own smooth-legged Bantams. Such are 

 reputed to be the best fighters. In a letter I received yester- 

 day, from my friend, David Taggart, Esq., of Northumber- 

 land, Pa., he says : " I was at Milton a few weeks, and stopped 

 at the public-house of Mr. Frederick Sticker, who has been 

 for many years, a breeder of Game Fowls. In his Poultry- 

 yard, I discovered two Fowls, that, with all my Chicken ex- 

 perience, puzzled me, at first glance, to know their sex. They 

 were both Cocks, one eighteen, the other seven months old. 

 Both had their heads shaved in regular Game-chicken style, 

 and neither had a feather on him that indicated a male bird, 

 with the exception of one or two of the longest tail-feathers, 

 slightly curved and bent over. I brought the younger one 

 with me, for the sake of his portrait, which I hope to send 

 you in my next letter. He has, you will observe, (vide Por- 

 trait,) no bright-coloured plumage, no long pendent feathers 

 on neck or back, nothing, in fact, to mark his sex, but a proud 

 stately gait, and erect mien. He is full-blooded Game,*and 

 old Sticker calls him a Pheasant Fowl. It is only occasienally 

 they appear among his stock, deriving their strange appear- 

 ance from remote ancestors;" and, my friend, you might have 

 added, from breeding in-and-in for many years past ; at least, 

 I will venture to say so, without knowing further particulars 

 in this instance. Of two things I am quite certain, viz. : that 

 Hen-tailed Cocks have a popular reputation of being great 

 fighters, and that they generally, if not always, result from 

 breeding in-and-in. I will here take the liberty of quoting 

 Dr. Bennett's communication to the " American Union" news- 

 paper, concerning the Mexican Game Fowl, whose portraits 

 are given above. He says : " These Fowls are in many 

 resDects remarkable. The Spanish name, " Gallus Gallenos," 

 or "Hen-cock," (Latin Gallus Gallinaceus^ at once intro- 

 duces us to their principal peculiarity. The Cocks, to all 

 intents and purposes, resemble ordinary Hens the only 



