CRAMMING. 67 



we Englishmen may venture to say, there is some 

 little flourish, a la Francaise, are taken from Cuvievs 

 work, before quoted. " Instead of being melan- 

 choly, abashed and humiliated, the capon assumes 

 a bold, lofty and triumphant air ; and such is the 

 influence of audacity over all animals, that this bor- 

 rowed courage completely imposes on the cocks and 

 hens, and prevents them from disturbing him in the 

 fulfilment of his charge. At first, he is a little 

 awkward in the exercise of his office. His ambition, 

 in imitating in his gait, the majesty and dignity of 

 the cocks, makes him carry his head too stiff, and 

 prevents him from seeing the chickens, which he 

 sometimes thus inadvertently tramples under foot. 

 But experience soon teaches him to avoid such mis- 

 haps, and accidents of the same kind do not occur 

 again. As his voice is not so expressive as that of 

 the hen to engage the chickens to follow and assem- 

 ble near him, this deficiency has been supplied by 

 attaching a little bell to his neck. When he is once 

 instructed to conduct chickens in this way, he al- 

 ways remains capable of doing it ; or, at all events, 

 it is very easy to bring him back to the habit of it 

 when required. The capon has also been taught 

 to hatch eggs every thing indeed, except to lay 

 them." (Part XXI. Order of the Gallintz. Plates 

 on a large scale and excellent.) The cock is indeed, 

 a favoured male, and so beyond all others, to retain 

 his native courage after emasculation ! 



CRAMMING. Barley and wheat meal are generally 

 the basis or chief ingredient, in all fattening mix- 

 tures for chickens and fowls ; but in Sussex, ground 



