94 HENS WITH COCK PLUMAGE. 



LETTER XXXVI. 



TO THOMAS PENNANT, ESQ. 



SELBORNE, August 1, 1770. 



DEAR SIR, The French, I think, in general, are strangely 

 prolix in their natural history. What Linnaeus says with 



breed was allowed to live as long as possible, because her chickens became 

 so renowned in the cock-pit. \Vhen, however, she had attained the 

 age of fifteen years, she was observed, after moulting, to have acquired 

 some arched cock's feathers in her tail, whilst others (old feathers) 

 remained straight and brown, as formerly. By degrees, and during 

 one moulting season, the whole of her dusky plumage was thrown ofi% 

 and succeeded by a covering of red, and more beautiful feathers, quite 

 like those of the cock of her own breed. In the course of the single 

 season, the change was so fully accomplished, that, as she walked about, 

 any stranger might have pronounced her rather to have been a cock than 

 a hen. Spurs, likewise, sprouted out on her legs ; she acquired a comb and 

 wattles on her head ; and even crowed hoarsely, not unlike a young cock. 

 Her wattles were, however, cut off afterwards, for the purpose of making her 

 look like a fighting cock. After the completion of this change of plumage, 

 she discontinued to lay eggs ; and lived no very considerable time to enjoy 

 her recently acquired, but splendid costume." This bird is now in Dr 

 Butter's collection. This gentleman adduces other evidence of a similar 

 change, in two old hens, kept for him by a Mrs Adams, of Bowden, near 

 Totness, on purpose to ascertain if the change was general. One of these 

 was fifteen years old, and the other thirteen. Of these she says, " I 

 bought them both when pullets. They were of the common domestic 

 breed, and excellent layers, which was the reason I kept them so long. 

 I first observed the change on them after an absence of five months ; when 

 I inquired of my dairy-maid, < From whence come these two young 

 cocks ? ' for such they appeared to me in their plumage and crowing. I 

 was greatly surprised at being informed, that they were my two old hens." 



In Tucker's Ornithologia Danmoniensis, there is an account of a 

 domestic hen, which changed her feathers to those of the cock; and 

 Aristotle, in his Hist. Anim. lib. ix. c. 36, makes mention of a domestic 

 hen assuming the male plumage. 



When we were in Downpatrick, our friend, William Johnstone, Esq. 

 informed us of a circumstance which, no doubt, was referable to this 

 cause. He had succeeded to a large fortune by the will of an uncle, and 

 among the animals which he acquired was an old cock, a favourite of the old 

 gentleman. It was, out of respect for his memory, permitted to live until 

 it died a natural death. Mr Johnstone shewed me the cock, which was 

 then alive, and which he considered as a very miraculous one, having, at 

 short intervals, laid two small eggs, not larger than those of a blackbird, 

 and nearly circular, with very strong shells. He was quite certain that 

 they were extruded by this supposed cock, as no other fowl could possibly 

 get into the place where he was kept at the time. We told him we had no 

 doubt but it was a hen, with the male plumage from age ; but he was 

 firmly of belief that it was an old cock. From circumstances of this 

 kind have arisen, no doubt, the fable of the cockatrice. ED. 



