170 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
December 2. 
SHANGHAE OR CHINA EOWLS. 
This fine sort of fowl has been often described, but I con¬ 
sider that amateurs have been rather too limited in theii- 
descriptions, and that their rules for the fancy birds of this 
breed are too narrow and restricted; so that many families 
of fine and pure-bed Shangliae fowls cannot be brought to 
submit to them; a short explanation of which I will en¬ 
deavour to give. 
First, then, “ The beak should he short.” Now, I do not 
notice that it is shorter in these than other fowls; but I 
I think the front part of the head is longer. 
Next, “ The comb should be medium-sized, single, and 
I straight,” but I often see it bent from side to side, and occa¬ 
sionally slightly inclined to be double at the upper extremity, 
and often it is over the medium, and as I do not know of 
any other breed of fowls having this peculiar’ bent comb, so 
I see no reason why it should be objected to. 
Then, “ They should not be tufted.” But were not some 
tufted, there would not have been any necessity for this 
rule, and it is very constant in some families. Some persons 
think these fowls descended from the great St. Jago fowl, 
which is described as often tufted, in which case I do not 
consider it right that the tufts should be objected to. Others 
seem to fancy they were obtained by the Chinese from some 
of the South Pacific Islands. Could any one throw light 
on this subject it would be interesting. They are described 
as having “ double gills or wattles,” but this I consider a 
mistake, as all I have seen have rather short, broad, single 
gills; the ear plates are, however, large, folded, and some¬ 
what pendant, which may have given rise to the error. 
These are all points of the head, and I believe a fowl may 
differ in them, and still be a pure-bred bird ; not that I should 
consider all of the imported fowls to be of the true stock. 
Again, I think fanciers have dwelt too much on colour, the 
dark birds being least prized; but I think them generally 
the heaviest fowls ; and the buff’s they endeavour to breed 
■without black, not because it is the natural colour, but 
because it is difficult to be obtained; for the same reason 
the white are esteemed, though I think they will often be 
found to be somewhat the smallest. In the other points I 
heartily concur, and I think the most important consider¬ 
ation is weight; next shape, wide shoulders, full well-covered 
thighs, resembling a Dutchman’s breeches; short, thick 
legs, and feather-footed. Long, lank, and narrow-made 
birds will occasionally bo produced, but I should not keep 
them for stock. Others, which are admired by some, have 
no feathers on their feet, but I think the feather-footed 
birds approach nearest to the original type. 
The tail is the best criterion by which to judge of the 
purity of the breed that I know of—this is always small, and 
though comj>osed of the same number of feathers as those 
of other fowls, they are very short, scarcely reaching above 
the bunch of curled rump feathers, and the chickens attain 
to a large size before any tail makes its appearance, though 
the pullets sometimes get tails earlier, and a half-bred chick 
will sometimes he a long time before it has a tail. 
A five toed fowl I should look on -with suspicion, although 
it might be perfect in all other respects. The produc¬ 
tiveness of the Shanghae fowls is very great, the hens being 
good layers, close sitters, and laying again soon after hatch¬ 
ing ; the chickens seem hardy, and grow fast, though they 
feather slowly. The eggs, the shells of which are often 
dark-coloured, are good eating, and the young fowls are 
excellent for the table, being fine-fiavorrred and juicy. 
To thi.s I can bear testimony, for having reared many 
more than I want for stock, and not having been able to 
part with them, I have killed several, and always found 
them delicious, much better in fl.avour than any fowl I have 
ever eaten, and though never cooped or fatted, th.ey were in 
the highest condition. 
The way to raise large fowls is to hatch them early, feed 
them well, and not to breed from relations. The gait of the 
male bird is peculiar, rather crouching, resembling that of a 
cook turkey. 
They are a quiet fowl, not straying far from home, are 
easily kept within bounds, and seem to bear confinement 
well. I do not know why they should be called Cochin- 
China fowls, as they are brought from the more northern 
part of China, principally from the town of Shanghai and its 
neighbourhood.— B.B. Brent, Bessel’s Green, near Seven Oaks. 
NORMANDY. 
(^Continuedfrom page 112.) 
TnEOUGHOUT France generally, and especially in the 
Departments of Calvados and La Manohe, female accom¬ 
plishments assume quite new and unexpected forms. Near 
Bayeux, I saw a woman on her knees by the roadside 
breaking stones; another, near Periers, was mowing some 
clover in a field, to take home to her quadruped, probably 
a horse, who was too tired to carry it himself; and in the 
town of Periers, I noticed a female postman—a fucteuse, 
instead of a facte nr —going her rounds to deliver the letters 
and newspapers. She had the usual tin box slung before 
her, but had dispensed with the glazed hat and the livery 
coat. At Sartilly, a lady was painting the wheels of a cart, 
while her husband was employed about finishing the body; 
and between Sartilly and Avranches, many women were to 
be seen lustily at work with the flail, threshing away with 
right good will and thorough good humour. One party, 
consisting of half-a-dozen threshers, was composed of five 
w'omen and one man; and, as the diligence passed, they 
laughed, as if our appearance amused them quite as much 
as their’s did us. It maybe expected, that if women thresh, 
they also winnow ; and female hands were flirting fans of a 
different description to those usually seen in ball-rooms, 
for they tossed and shook no ti-ifling measure of wheat. 
The harvest here is variously reported. The Jonrnul 
d'Avranches for September 5, quoting the Moniteur, states, 
that “ certain journals have published estimates as to the 
harvest of 1852, which would tend to make it supposed to 
be insufficient. These journals have been wrongly informed. 
The result of the information received by government is, 
that the harvest of 18.52 will be, on the average, equivalent 
to that of ordinary years, and even superior, by nearly one- 
fom'th, in certain departments, which furnish a great pro¬ 
portion of the cereals consumed in France.” But the 
Oonseil d’Arrondissement of Avranches, in reply to the ques¬ 
tions put in the letter of 31. le Prifet, dated August 12, 
1852, is of opinion 
1st. That the harvest of 1852 is inferior to the harvest of 
an ordinary year, for wheat and rye. 
2ndly. That the amount of deficiency is about one-fifth 
for those two species of cereals. ] 
.'Irdly. That the produce would be sufficient for the wants 
of the arrondissement if the harvest of barley and of buck¬ 
wheat is not compromised; with this observation, that the 
barley is already injured. 
Ithly. That the influence of the temperature must be 
considered as the cause of the diminution and the inferiority 
of the produce. 
Stilly. That the atmospheric accidents have been the 
unusual cold in spring, the heavy and continual rains in 
May and June, and the excessive heats which succeeded 
during the month of July; that all these accidents were 
necessarily injurious, in the first place, to the blossoming, and 
afterwards to the formation and the development of the 
grain, whose yield will, consequently, be lighter. 
Meanwhile, the French press is calling general attention 
to the subject. It fears, if not a scarcity of bread by the 
middle or end of the winter, at least a dearness of that 
article; and it is especially apprehensive of the conseipiences 
of such a fear acting upon the popular mind. "When we 
remember the past history of France, the amount of a 
harvest becomes a matter of vital importance to the 
country. 
Before taking leave of the Conseil d’Avranches, I will 
mention, that “ In consideration of the lateness of the cereal 
harvest this year, of buckwheat particularly, it expresses the 
wish that the opening of the sporting season may not he 
fixed before the 20th of September. It petitions 31. le Prefet 
to take this expressed wish into consideration.” 
Englishmen would not like a similar interference, and 
would be jealous of trusting any single individual, whether 
Prefet, or Lord-Lieutenant of the county, with the power of 
shifting the 1st of September, and of sparing the partridges 
till the end of the month. But there can be no doubt that 
it w'ould be a good thing if some constitutional authority— 
for instance, the county magistrates assembled in quarter 
sessions—could exercise a like discretion. In France, the 
overture de la chnsse, or opening of the shooting-season, takes 
