NEWS AND ITEMS. 
367 
could prosecute Mr. Jones for perjury, if it so desired, but it 
understood that the defendant was willing to plead guilty to a 
inisdemeancr and it was willing to accept that plea, as the 
moral effect of the decision would be a sufficient warning to 
others. The new law, Mr. Callahan contended, provided that 
no horse-shoer should be permitted to register unless he had 
satisfactorily passed the examination before a board of exam¬ 
iners provided by the government for that purpose and consist¬ 
ing of one veterinary surgeon, two master and two journeymen 
horse-shoers. After consulting the amended statutes Justice 
Lemon imposed the fine of $io for the misdemeanor. The de¬ 
fendant was not represented by counsel. 
Lawsuit For a Hen’s Board Biuu. —Daniel Rice, of Ar- 
verne, L. L, is being sued for a hen’s board bill—$38.50. He 
thinks the bill exorbitant, and refuses to pay. His refusal will 
bring into the District courts of New York one of the oddest 
specimens of fowl ever seen. This board bill, by the way, ,is 
the only bill the hen possesses, for she has a distinct human 
face. She has a nose with a slight Roman bend, and clearly 
defined nostrils. Two lips soft and pink, and regular upper 
and lower lips take the place of a beak, while the interior of the 
mouth resembles to a surprising extent that of an infant. This 
hen’s mother was a hen of the Poland species, a hard-scratching 
fowl, on an Indiana poultry farm, and attended strictly to busi¬ 
ness. On one occasion she laid an egg, and then instead of 
waiting for others, promptly “ set ” on that solitary egg. A sur¬ 
prise was in store for that fond mother. When her infant chiek 
first began to “ peep ” she realized that something was wrong. 
It resembled no other chick of hers, nor did it look at all like 
those of her neighbors. As a result the mother promptly aban¬ 
doned her offspring. The human-faced chick was, moreover, 
ostraeized. None of the other members of the barnyard would 
tolerate the new arrival. A year ago the hen was presented to 
Mr. Rice, a retired poultry dealer. As the hen required special 
feeding Mr. Rice gave her into the care of Dr. George Cohen, 
a veterinary surgeon, at Nos. 135 and 137 Division Street. Dr. 
Cohen was instructed to find a diet upon which the hen would 
thrive. The doctor began to experiment, and ascertained that 
the hen preferred beefsteak and mushrooms, Welsh rarebits, 
lobsters, pate de foi gras, pie, gruels, and in fact, most any food 
prized by ordinary mortals. They called the hen “ Mabel Cor¬ 
bett,” owing to the pompadour of feathers which rises for an: 
ineh or more over her eyes. She is a great favorite with the 
