THE HEN FEVER. 275 



that I am ready to pay your price, whatever it may be ; 

 but that I want only pure-blooded stock. 



"Yours, respectfully, 



I immediately forwarded to this customer (as I usually 

 did to my newly-found patrons) copies of the portraits of 

 my "genuine Suffolk " pigs, and of ray " pure-bred " and 

 " imported " Chinese fowls. These " pictures," samples of 

 which appear in this work upon pages 174 and 212, had 

 the desired effect. I rarely forwarded to these beginners 

 one of these nicely-got-up circulars that didn't "knock 

 'em" at first sight. 



These gentlemen stared at the engravings, exclaimed 

 "Caw it be?" thrust their hands to the very bottom 

 of their long purses, and ordered the stock by return of 

 mail. 



In this last-mentioned case, I informed my correspondent 

 that I agreed with him in the ideas he had advanced pre- 

 cisely (I usually did agree with such gentlemen), and I 

 entertained no doubt that he was entirely correct in his 

 views as to the origin of domestic fowls, of which he evi- 

 dently knew so much. (This helped me, amazingly.) I 

 pointed out to him the distinction that existed (without a 

 difference) between a "Shanghae" and a " Cochin-China," 

 and finally concluded my learned and WTiselfish appeal bj 



