38° ‘COMMON SENSE 
Erving to Improve the Old Stock. 
WAS up betimes next morning, and my first errand was 
to the stable, where the new cock had been left. I 
found him roosting quietly on the side of Madge’s stall, 
and as he rose up when I entered, I got-a very good view of ‘him. 
I could see that he was just what I wanted. Plump, yet not logy; 
clear eye, and bright comb and wattles; firm, bright, springy 
feathers, that felt wiry, yet not harsh—just the opposite to the soft 
fluff that hangs round the necks of weakly-bred fowls; bold, erect 
carriage, seemingly fearless of anything. He was just the bird I 
had been looking for. I-knew little about “ standard,” and cared 
less; a “Judge” might have cut down his “points,” so that he 
would not score “40”: out of a possible “100,” but according to 
my way of judging he scored over “go” at least, and, joking aside, 
IT believe he was a good bird, even according to the standard; for, 
as I afterwards learned, Thompson’s stock was noted amongst the 
dealers for careful breeding. From my talk with him the day, 
before I found that he was a: judicious, conscientious breeder, and 
that I ran little risk of getting a bird with a bar sinister on his 
escutcheon. And this is an important point, for crosses are very 
apt to crop out in after breeding, while so various are the different 
shades of plumage of dunghill fowls, that amongst even common 
birds some are occasionally found that show many of the points 
of thoroughbreds. But while these individual birds may show 
great excellence, their progeny are sure to be mixed in color, aid 
with every variety of shape and quality as layers and meat-pro- 
ducers. : 
Some of my friends were a little surprised that I did not select a 
larger breed, so that by crossing with some of my large hens I 
could get good-sized fowls for the table. But my experience had 
been that the size of the cock is not of so much importance. Some 
