Quiet Fowls 43 



living, even though a wide range be provided. 

 They have little desire to roam far from home unless 

 compelled to do so in search of food. Even then 

 their slow and, in many cases, awkward move- 

 ments totally unfit them for foraging for insects 

 and other foods which nature provides, in com- 

 petition with more active breeds. Preeminently, 

 they are fowls which should be fed, rather than 

 allowed to shift for themselves. As the more active, 

 nervous Mediterraneans illustrate an ideal fowl for 

 foraging, so the heavy, clumsy, phlegmatic meat 

 breeds represent the opposite extreme, or that of 

 gentleness and docility. 



Easily confined. If only the heavy-bodied fowls 

 are to be reared on farms where all fowls are to 

 be kept within enclosures, comparatively low fences 

 will suffice. When mature, fowls of the heaviest 

 breeds rarely fly from the ground, and are satisfied 

 with comparatively low perches. On account of 

 their gentle dispositions they make most excellent 

 "lawn fowls," and may be given liberty without 

 fear of trespassing on the holdings of a near-by 

 neighbor. In the minds of many, a few fowls on 

 the back lawn during certain portions of the year 

 add to the attractiveness of the surroundings and 

 bring pleasure to the owner, who delights in the 

 freedom of his birds. This is particularly true if 

 he is assured that these birds, which, in a sense, 

 have become pets, are quite certain not to annoy 



