300 WITH THE WOODLANDERS. 



A man I knew kept fowls for the table, pure 

 Dorkings. As they grew plumper every day he 

 would take a basket with food in it, scatter it 

 among them, and sigh deeply. After a few days 

 of this, with a mournful countenance he would 

 give the order for a couple to be placed in a 

 fatting-coop ; then, when he had satisfied himself 

 that they were just right, he would send for a 

 man to wring their necks, giving him a shilling 

 for the job ; and while the deed was doing he 

 would go off on a long walk. His wife and 

 daughters were as tender-hearted as he was ; it 

 ran in the family. Yet the servants always noticed 

 that, whatever they might eat or leave on the 

 dinner-table, they invariably finished up the fowls. 

 This was possibly on the same principle as ac- 

 tuated one of the kings of the Cannibal Islands, 

 who ate his grandfather out of respect. 



Before concluding this chapter, I will give a 

 list of the swimmers and waders that a shore- 

 shooter (if he be fortunate enough to get them) 

 would offer for sale as food for the table. Mal- 

 lards, widgeons, red-headed pochards, dun-birds, 

 teal, geese (but these very rarely, for they are 



