KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



239 



simplicity of patriarchal worship in the open 

 air, surrounded by the works of God. 



Maluit umbrosam quercum ; 



and it would be difficult to select a more fit 

 object than the broad oak to mark their 

 resting place, and to serve as an altar be- 

 side which to offer up their prayers, as in 

 times of yore the worshippers of God were 

 wont to do, in their solemn groves, before 

 temples made by hands were built to Him, 

 and the place of his tabernacle fixed by his 

 own divine revelation. 



Many of these Gospel-trees are to be found 

 in different parts of the country. About 

 Wolverhampton in particular, the boundaries 

 and township of the parish are marked by 

 them, and they are preserved with the great- 

 est care and attention. That they often 

 possessed a double claim on the regard of 

 the young by being made the witnesses of 

 vows not likely to be forgotten, we may 

 gather from the plaintive reflection Herrick 

 puts into the mouth of one of his lovers, in 

 his " Hesperides :" — 



Dearest, bury me 

 Under that holy oke, or Gospel Tree ; 

 Where, though thou see'stnot, thou may'st think 



upon 

 Me, when thou yearly go'st Procession. 



The Gospel Oak, near Stoneleigh, stands 

 in a little retired coppice, the solitude of 

 which is equally favorable to thought and 

 to devotion, to the reveries of the philoso- 

 pher on ages past, and the contemplation of 

 the Christian on ages to come. 



Locos et ipsa silenta adoramus. 



" In the fresh fields, His own Cathedral meet, 

 Built by Himself, star-roof d and hung with green, 

 Wherein all breathing things, in concord sweet, 

 Organ'd by winds, perpetual hymns repeat." 



Puss. 

 POULTRY. 



THE BEARDS OF POLAND FOWL. 



In August last, we introduced a debate on 

 the subject of Poland fowls ; canvassing the 

 question — whether they should or should not 

 have beards ? 



With reference to this former article, Dr. 

 Horner, of Hull, writes as follows : — 



Though the minds of some appear yet unin- 

 formed, I am gratified to learn that my remarks 

 (See Vol. II., p. 124) on the question— Whether 

 Polands should, or should not, have beards ? have 

 been effectual in removing the prejudice, 

 excited by the author whose dislike so unmerci- 

 fully condemned the bearded variety. I showed 

 that no argument whatever had been adduced 

 to warrant such condemnation, and that it was 

 simply an idiosyncracy of taste, a mere matter 

 of personal dislike. Nothing, surely, can be 

 more subversive of truthful inquiry than the 



conversion of a subject into an affair of like or 

 dislike. If such were allowed, there would be no 

 property or attribute of poultry remain fixed or 

 established ; one, might dislike the feathered legs 

 of the Shanghae ; another, the rose comb of the 

 spangled Hamburgh ; a third, the whole cheek 

 of the Spanish fowl being white ; and so on. 



Especially, then, does it behove men to be 

 careful how they express themselves in print, for 

 it is wonderful how people will at once adopt as 

 an axiom and a truth anything that "they have 

 seen in a book." If we do not like any particular 

 properties of a fowl — yet have not proof that such 

 are spurious ; it is our duty to let Nature alone, 

 aud the fowl also, and not keep it. 1 feel con- 

 vinced that no one would have questioned the 

 propriety of beards, had not a learned author, in 

 his dislike, most irreverently attempted to uproot 

 them. To remove, however, the impression of 

 dislike against the beard, I contended that, in 

 the spangled Poland, it really harmonised with 

 the whole appearance of the bird, with his 

 magnificent top-knot, with his remarkably 

 voluminous and profusely hackled neck, and with 

 his whole dashing and debonnaire deportment. 



The Poland is an exceptional fowl — differing 

 in many of his most striking, and characteristic, 

 and allowed attributes, from other poultry ; and I 

 do affirm that there is a harmony, and a keeping, 

 and a consistency between the beard and the 

 top-knot — between the spreading and elongated 

 feathers or beard below the bill, and the elongated 

 feathers or top-knot above it. They, together, 

 exhibit a conformity and a relation which com- 

 prises a oneness or complete whole. Diminish 

 or take away either the one or the other, and 

 the whole effect is gone ; there remains a naked- 

 ness and a want. Thus it ever is, — 



" In Nature's chain, whatever link you strike, 

 Tenth, or ten thousandth, breaks the chain alike." 



For my own part, I would not admit the beard- 

 less gold and silver-spangled Polands at our 

 exhibitions. Not because I think them a 

 spectacle of nakedness, and want about the neck, 

 throat, and head , but for the graver reason, that 

 1 deem them spurious or mongrel fowl ; hybrid, 

 I judge, between the Poland and the spangled 

 Hamburgh. 



In elucidating this, unfortunately, the plumage 

 can assist us little in our argument, or proof, for 

 the golden and silver-spangled Hamburghs 

 closely approximate to the Polands. There are, 

 however, more important points than the mere 

 marking or color of the plumage — there are 

 distinctions of shape, or configuration of the body ; 

 circumstances relative to that great peculiarity 

 of Polands, the top-knot ; to the comb, as well 

 as to the beard, and to the tail — that facilitate 

 and satisfy inquiry. First as to shape : the body 

 of the true Poland is very round, tapering some- 

 what suddenly near the tail ; the breast is re- 

 markably round and protuberant, " more so," 

 observes Mr. Bailv, "than in any other fowl, 

 except the bantam ! " The neck is a charac- 

 teristic and striking feature : it is not only long, 

 but it is of extraordinary thickness and fulness, and 

 most profusely covered with voluminous hackle 

 feathers ; whilst in carriage it is upright, bold, 

 and dashing. In the beardless variety there is 



