CHANTICLEER, 
161 
unmindful of their prepossessions, and have freely- 
acknowledged in divers places that Chanticleer 
does not always please, and that there is abundant 
room for improvement ; but if they go further than 
that, if for them there exists not on this round 
globe a cock whose voice would fail to irritate, then 
I have not shown consideration enough, and some- 
thing is still owing to their feelings, which are very- 
acute. It is possible that one of these sensitive 
persons may take up my book, and, attracted by 
its title, dip into this paper, hoping to find in it 
a practical suggestion for the effectual muzzling of 
its obnoxious bird. The only improvement which 
would fall in with such a one's ideas on the subject 
of cock-crowing would be to improve this kind 
of natural music out of existence. Naturally the 
paper would disappoint him ; he would be grieved 
at the writer s erroneous views. I hope that his 
feelings would take no acuter form. I have listened 
to a person, usually mild-mannered, denouncing 
a neighbour in the most unmeasured terms for the 
crime of keeping a crowing cock. If the cock had 
been a non-crower, a silent member, it would have 
been different : he would hardly have known that > 
he had a neighbour. There is a very serious, even 
a sad, side to this question. Mr. Sully maintains 
that as civilization progresses, and as we grow more 
intellectual, all noise, which is pleasing to children 
M 
