THE GAME FOWL. 263 



are cold, and he has a fashion of shaking his head, which, 

 certainly, does not betoken good health. Though he has at 

 times been quite lively, he has always remained extremely 

 thin. His frame-work is gigantic, but he weighs less than 6| Ibs. 



I hope you will give Mr. Allen's Appendix a dig, as regards 

 the weight of large Fowls. He says, "it takes an unusually 

 fine Cock of any breed, to weigh 7 Ibs." This fall, I lost a 

 Booby Cock, fifteen months old, that weighed 10 J Ibs., and 

 when he took ill, he was rapidly on the increase. And I 

 doubt not, in another year he would have weighed 12 or 13 Ibs., 

 but he was much the finest of his breed. They usually weigh 

 8 or 9 Ibs., when a year old. I have a Hen of that sort, that 

 weighed last spring 8| Ibs., the most of the Hens from 6 J to 

 7 J. Then, if Boobies so greatly exceed Mr. Allen's ultimatum 

 of 7, what will Cochin Chinas, Shanghaes, and Chittagongs 

 do ? Poke it at him ! " I'll bade you .'" 



In my last letter, I said something in favour of Ducks and 

 Geese, but not enough. Among other things, I said they 

 were hardy. This is so true, that I have never seen an adult 

 Duck or Goose sick or drooping, and scarcely ever a young 

 one. If they are lost, it is by cats and rats, but seldom by 

 disease. While Turkeys and Chickens may be seen moping in 

 corners, gasping and coughing, Ducks and Geese waddle about 

 in comfortable and greasy health, always ready for their 

 rations, and, unless barbarously starved, always fit for the 

 table. All that is said or .written about fattening them is 

 vain and idle. Fed abundantly in any way, at liberty or 

 " cabined, cribbed, confined," a grown Goose or Duck is gene- 

 rally too fat for table use, unless large quantities of the "adi- 

 pose" are taken from it before cooking. I have seen whole 

 platefuls of "goose-grease" abstracted from a single bird, 

 though no extra pains had been taken with it. Then what 

 is the use of cruelly stuffing them, or more cruelly incarce- 

 rating them ; as is often recommended ? 



