202 BIRDS IN TOWN AND VILLAGE 



are in a very small minority. Some bad voices in 

 artificial breeds, Le., those which, like the Brahma 

 and Cochin, diverge most widely from the original 

 type are perhaps incurable, like the carrion crow's 

 voice ; for that bird will probably always caw 

 harshly in spite of the musical throat which anato- 

 mists find in it. We can only listen to our birds, and 

 begin experimenting with those already possessed 

 of shapely notes and voices of good quality. 



I am not going to be so ill-mannered as to con- 

 clude without an apology to those among us who 

 under no circumstances can tolerate the crowing 

 of the cock. It is true that I have not been altogether 

 unmindful of their prepossessions, and have freely 

 acknowledged in divers places that Chanticleer 

 does not always please, and that there is abundant 

 room for improvement ; but if they go further than 

 that, if for them there exists not on this round globe 

 a cock whose voice would fail to irritate, then I have 

 not shown consideration enough, and something 

 is still owing to their feelings, which are very acute. 

 It is possible that one of these sensitive persons may 

 take up my book, and, attracted by its title, dip into 

 this paper, hoping to find in it a practical suggestion 

 for the effectual muzzling of the obnoxious bird. 

 The only improvement which would fall in with 

 such a one's ideas on the subject of cock-crowing 

 would be to improve this kind of natural music 



