CAPONISING."] 



POITLTEY. 



[toflouse goose. 



preferred by fowlers, who use it in the decoys, 

 on account of its being so easily distinguished 

 from the others. These birds are a AViltshire 

 breed, with compact and elegantly rounded 

 crests, and are very handsome. 



CAPONISING. 



The practice of converting fowls into capons 

 has been long followed by the Chinese ; but 

 it does not appear to have been early practised 

 in Europe. Some years ago the Erench began 

 to use it extensively ; and now, both on the 

 male and female fowl, the practice is quite 

 common. The object proposed in making a 

 cock a capon is the taming of his natural 

 fierceness, so as to render him of a more placa- 

 ble disposition ; and assuredly it has this effect. 

 His pugnacity entirely deserts him. He no 

 longer seeks the company of the hens ; he 

 grows to a far larger size than he otherwise 

 would have done ; acquires flesh with far greater 

 rapidity ; and that flesh is peculiarly white, firm, 

 and succulent. Even the fat is perfectly 

 destitute of rankness. The process which 

 efiects this singular metamorphosis in the dis- 

 position of the bird is extremely simple, and 

 one which the rural hen-wives of France per- 

 form with facility and certainty. The practice 

 of these is to select the close of the spring, or 

 the beginning of autumn, as well as fine 

 weather, for operating upon their fowls. The 

 parts necessary to be removed being fixed in 

 the abdomen, and attached to the spine at the 

 region of the loins, it is necessary that the 

 abdominal cavity should be opened for the 

 purpose of their extraction. The bird should 

 be healthy, fasting, and about three months 

 old. He must then be secured by an assis- 

 tant, laid upon hie back, with his belly up- 

 wards, and his head down, that the intestines, 

 &c., may fall up towards the breast ; the tail is 

 turned towards the operator. The right leg 

 is then carried along the body, and the left 

 brought backwards, and held in this position, 

 so as to leave the left flank perfectly bare. 

 Here the incision is to be made ; and this is 

 to be directed, from before, backwards, trans- 

 versely to the length of the body, at the 

 middle of the flank, and slightly to the side, 

 between the ends of the breast-boue and the 

 vent. Having plucked away the feathers from 

 the space where the cut is to be made, a fine- 

 874 



tempered pen-knife is taken, and the skin, 

 abdominal muscles, and peritoneum incised. 

 This is best done by two or more cuts, in 

 order to avoid the possibility of wounding the 

 intestines — a casualty which would, in most 

 cases, be attended with fatal results. The in- 

 testines will then present themselves at the 

 orifice ; but they must not be allowed to pro- 

 trude. On the contrary, they must be pressed 

 gently aside, so as to leave room for action. 

 The incision should be sufficiently large to 

 admit the fore-finger, previously well-oiled, to 

 pass into the abdomen, and to be carried 

 carefully towards the lumbar region of the 

 spine. There will be found what is wanted. 

 You first reach the left substance, which is to 

 be detached with the nail, or with the finger 

 bent book- fashion. The right is treated 

 similarly. Bring both substances forth, and 

 return the intestines ; sew up the wound with 

 a silk thread — a very few stitches will suflace — 

 and smear the place with a little fresh butten 

 Some , persons recommend the amputation of 

 the comb, close to the skull of the newly-made 

 capon ; but this is an unnecessary piece of 

 torture ; though, of late years, it has been ex- 

 clusively adopted on the continent : the pro- 

 posed object of this amputation being to in- 

 sure the recognition of the capon among his 

 co-mates of the poultry-yard. 



DOMESTIC GEESE. 



Amongst the varieties of our common do- 

 mestic goose, there is one which has, not a 

 great number of years, been introduced to our 

 island ; and which, from its great size and 

 capacity of carrying flesh, has taken a very high 

 place in the estimation of the breeder. This 

 bird is designated — 



THE TOULOUSE GOOSE. 



Originally, this fowl was imported from the 

 Mediterranean by the Earl of Derby, and is 

 known indiscriminately by the names of Medi- 

 terranean, Pyrenean, and Toulouse. It is 

 principally remarkable for its vast size, being 

 perfectly gigantic, and therefore to be regarded 

 as a most valuable addition to the poultry- 

 yards of Great Britain. Its prevailing colour 

 is a slaty blue, marked with brown bars, and 

 occasionally relieved with black. The head 

 and neck, down to the beginning of the breast, 



