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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



out losing your temper at every turn ? Come now, 

 your pen can talk it' the theme suits you. Mend 

 it, and fancy yourself doomed to listen to a 

 huge Italian, grinding' under your window 

 at a box of "condemned spirits;" each one of 

 whom is uttering a groan of horror, as the revolv- 

 ing handle adds new tortures to his righteous 

 punishment. — A Victim. 



[We have withheld your name and address; 

 else would you be way-laid and murdered by 

 the " musicians " of whom you speak. You ask 

 us, why we do not raise our voice against these 

 abominations? We ask, Cui bono ? If we raved, 

 if we swore — we never do that, under any cir- 

 cumstances—if we wrote volumes, if we begged, 

 entreated, cried, went on our knees — what would 

 all this avail? The law sanctions, protects, and 

 nurtures these wandering vagabonds to the fullest 

 extent. They have free liberty, unrestrained 

 license, every encouragement that can by possi- 

 bility he given them, to " play up " under your 

 window at all hours. When one quits the street, 

 another enters it. If jou be sick, the " infernal 

 music " must cure you (or kill you) ; if your head 

 aches, if your heart aches, if fever lays you low, 

 and life is about to ebb — nothing can cure you, 

 nothing must cure you, but the " infernal music " 

 of the streets. If indeed it were "music," some 

 defence might be put on the record. But it is 

 a Babel of noises, so hideous, so unearthly, so 

 " unendurable and yet to be borne," that we 

 cannot describe it. We are often on the eve of 

 sacrificing ourselves for our country's good. 

 Many a time and oft we have clutched a sensible 

 stick, fully purposing to rush out and annihilate 

 the performer with it. A strong arm, however, 

 has pulled us back hitherto; and as yet, we have 

 not been sus. per coll. We much fear, however, it 

 will end in that. This very Journal receives 

 its vitality in a room built at the top of a very 

 high house, near Regent Street. We thought 

 here we should be at rest. Rest, quotha ! For 

 eight hours out of ten we writhe on our seat, 

 doubled up in mental agony. We waste reams 

 of paper before our thoughts can be reduced to 

 writing. And when they are thus reduced, 

 they repeatedly have to be re-written. Our brain 

 is often on fire, our MSS. are a bundle of 

 blotches, our bills for printing full of " extras,"— 

 all caused by these mis-shapen, over-grown, 

 peripatetic monkeys, and their boxes of discor- 

 dant whistles. We cannot visit a friend at the 

 West End to have a chat, but straightway comes 

 a huge monkey " playing up " under the win- 

 dow. Thus is your voice drowned, and your lungs 

 are worn out in a vain endeavor to be heard. 

 If you raise the window for air, these noises rush 

 in instead; if you pettishly and violently close 

 the window, your torment " plays up " the more, 

 in order to be " paid to go away." The truth is, 

 these fellows, most of them "alive" with ver- 

 min, find they do a roaring trade in our leading 

 streets. They are paid by some people (without 

 ears and without hearts) to play, and by many 

 thousand sufferers not to play. Thus do they 

 work the oracle to a prettier tune than any set 

 upon their own crazy machines. We repeat it; 

 the law protects them, policemen protect them, 

 servant girls encourage them—whilst many are 

 driven half mad by them, some go rabidly mad, 



and others die a lingering life of torture.* If 

 ever we are found promenading in the grounds 

 of Hanwell (on our own account), the cause 

 stands recorded. We still cling to the opinion, 

 that we shall eventually be sus. per coll. We 

 must kill at least one of these fellows, for the 

 public good. Would that we could, by our 

 energy, accomplish " the lay of the last min- 

 strel! " How complacently should we afterwards 

 read about his " organic remains ! "] 



Habits of the Hedgehog. — Can you, Mr. Edi- 

 tor, give me any particulars of the habits of the 

 hedgehog? I have had one offered to me, and 

 I am told I can make him tame and affectionate. 

 Hejlooks a curious and unlikely creature for 

 a friend;" but appearances are sometimes de- 

 ceitful. — Anna. 



[Just wait a little week, Miss Anna. We have 

 received a most graphic account of one of these 

 young gentlemen from a valued correspondent, 

 which you will peruse with much delight. The 

 instincts of animals are becoming better known to 

 us every day ; and we hope to be the means 

 of assisting greatly in the matter. You can 

 meantime refer to Vol. I., page 345 ; and there 

 you will find something amusing about the 

 hedgehog.] 



Cochin China Fowls, — I wish to call public 

 attention, Mr. Editor, through you, to this valuable 

 breed of Poultry. It is, as you are aware, only 

 a very few years since they were introduced here, 

 Her Majesty being the possessor of the first pair. 

 The breed is now comparatively well known ; 

 and private gentlemen as well as " Fanciers " 

 have some fine specimens of them. The Cochin 

 China fowl is very prolific, and of large propor- 

 tions, the weight of each averaging from eight 

 to twelve lbs. When first introduced, their colors 

 were rich glossy brown, deep bay, or grouse- 

 colored. The fancy color is now buff, or cin- 

 namon. The comb is of a medium size; serrated, 

 but not deeply so. The wattles are double, and 

 of a bright red. A striking peculiarity in this 

 fowl consists in the singular formation of the 

 wing ; the posterior part can at pleasure be doubled 

 up and brought forward between the anterior 

 half and the body. These birds are quite unlike 

 the Malay, although of large size. Their flesh is 

 white, juicy, and delicate. The eggs are of a 

 medium size, and of a beautiful brown color. 

 Their flavor is excellent. As for fruitfulness, 

 none can beat these. I am in the possession of 

 hens which have laid thirty-four, fifty-two, and 

 sixty-nine eggs, respectively, without missing one 

 day. The hens are excellent nursing mothers. 

 They leave their chickens when about three 

 weeks old, and immediately lay again. The 

 pullets commence laying when from four to five 



* Some time since, one of those mammoth organs on 

 wheels, the sounds emitted from which give one an idea 

 of the inside of Mount Vesuvius, when preparing for a 

 grand eruption, "played up" in one of our West End 

 streets ; the consequence was, a spirited horse, harnessed 

 to a chaise, in which were a lady and gentleman, bolted. 

 The chaise was dashed to pieces, and the lady was killed. 

 Mr. "Wakley, the coroner, laid down "the law" thus: 

 The man and his nuisance were not "warned off" before 

 the accident. Had this been done, it would have been a case 

 of manslaughter. A verdict was therefore given of " ac- 

 cidental death ! " Is not this monstrous ?— Ed. K. J. 



