THE DOMESTIC FOWL. 47 



guinary tyrant that he is commonly represented to be. 

 He will submit to no insult nor intrusion within his 

 own domain ; but neither does he offer any unprovoked 

 assault. If his antagonist flee, he is satisfied, and 

 ioes not pursue him in order to perpetrate any bloody 

 revenge. Other poultry that are killed by game cocks 

 generally draw down the punishment upon themselves, 

 by their own impudent and continued aggression. The 

 bird, too, is as enduring of pain, as he is bold in combat. 



But though I wish to clear the game breed from 

 the charge of blood-thirsty cruelty, I cannot hold 

 them out as patterns of gentleness and forbearance. 

 " Might with them, makes right." None but the 

 brave, however well they may deserve, or how much- 

 soever they may long for, are likely to enjoy any favor 

 from the present class of rusty-fusty colored beauties. 

 " Quiet people," says a late writer, "unless they have 

 studied phrenology, or kept game fowls, have little 

 idea how close a connexion there is said to be between 

 love and murder. But the ladies have long found it 

 out; there is no sweetheart like a soldier. A con- 

 stantly pacific male is despicable in their eyes. ' Eh ! 

 si je veux qu'il me batte !' * If 1 choose my husband 

 to beat me, what business is that of yours ? A pretty 

 state of things, when a woman may not permit her 

 own husband to beat her !' So wrote the great 

 Moliere, in the high-heeled, periwigged reign of Louis 

 XIY. But civilised and uncivilised nature is alike. 

 The southern she savage, when her brute lifts his 

 waddy, to give her a tap on the head that would fell 

 an English ox, bows thankfully to receive the caress 

 on her indurated noddle, and triumphs that the com- 

 pliment was not bestowed upon either of the other 

 squaws." 



The game hens, as well as the cocks, also vary in 

 color, and some breeders think the darkest to be of the 

 purest blood ; a deep-brown hen, with dark legs and 

 small leaden comb, is thought to be the model bird ; 

 but in most, if not all game hens, the tail will be found 



