THE HISTOKT OF THE HEN FEVER. 221 



finally some twenty cages were filled, and consigned to 

 Londoi!, to be disposed of (as it was supposed) at enormous 

 figures. 



This speculation was a total failure. The fowls were 

 inferior, and sick, and worthless. An auction sale followed 

 quickly upon their arrival in England, the proceeds of 

 which failed to pay even their freight and exposes out 

 from this country ; and the " confidential " proprietor of the 

 stock, who had not the slightest conception of the details of 

 the trade, was the loser of hundreds of dollars by this fool- 

 ish and reckless undertaking. 



But his contracts with home breeders, who had raised 

 for him one hundred, three hundred, or five hundred pairs 

 of chickens, each, were yet in statu quo ! Two or three' 

 thousjind Grey chickens were awaiting this confident gen- 

 tleman's orders, and in the mean time were devouring huge 

 quantities of corn and meal, then ranging at from a dollar 

 to a dollar and ten cents a bushel ! 



Sales were merely nominal ; buyers of fancy fowls were 

 Mpwhar ; grain continued on the rise ; the chickens grew 

 longer in the legs and neeks, and devoured more corn 

 than ever ; cold weather approached, and the breeders had 

 no conveniences for housing these thousands of monsters ; 

 and finally the victims became importunate. 



The contractor didn't want the fowls. Of course he 

 did n't. He had " put his foot into it " with a vengeance ! 

 19* 



