FANCIERS’ JOURNAL AND POULTRY EXCHANGE. 
73 

ment of English sovereigns and nobles. The practice was 
prohibited under Edward III, but became general again 
under subsequent rulers until again put down under the Pro- 
tectorship. But as this barbarous pastime has a history of 
its own—more interesting to roughs—we will not pursue it 
here. 
Columeli was the first whom we know to have devoted a 
work to the subject of poultry. And though he was nearly 
cotemporary with Christ, the markings and qualities of 
many varieties were about as definitely classified then as at 
present. He speaks of the Dorking with his ‘ fifth toe,” 
the Polish with his ‘‘top-knot,’”’ the game with his ‘ black 
breast, red hackle, and fiery courage,’’ and the black Spanish 
with his ‘‘ white face.” 
Gallinaceous fowls are now to be found in nearly all portions 
of the habitable globe. The aborigines of America and the 
Greenlander have not possessed them, but the islands of the 
Southern Oceans are said to be ‘‘ alive with them; ” while 
Asia, North Africa, Europe, and civilized America, use 
them and their eggs in such profusion as to occupy many 
millions of money annually with incident commercial trans- 
actions. 
The objects for which persons have given attention to 
poultry have been food, profit, fancy, and science. The 
first of these, namely, was, together with the time-keeping 
qualities of the crower, the great reason, no doubt, for their 
domestication and care in ancient times. And as this care 
was bestowed principally by woman, it is natural that it 
should, with herself, have been despised by men and neg- 
lected by ancient writers. But not caring that her devotion 
was unappreciated by her lord, she sedulously sought every 
means to ‘‘ give food to her household.’’? I suspect that to 
this feminine devotement, we owe the preservation of the race 
of poultry. But, as the world grows older and wiser, not 
only woman, but this charge of the housewife, grows in im- 
portance, till the products of the poultry-yard command 
hundreds of millions. 
New York City alone consumes $8,750,000 worth of eggs 
annually, while the annual consumption of eggs and chick- 
ens in the United States, is estimated at $100,000,000. Over 
$1,000,000 worth of eggs are annually exported from Ire- 
land to the two ports of Bristol and Liverpool; and of 
poultry feathers Ireland sells to England $2,500,000 worth 
yearly. Yet the importation of eggs and poultry by Eng- 
land from France are even greater, while France keeps 
$80,000,000 worth for homeconsumption. Full statistics of 
the trade in eggs and poultry are not now in my possession, 
but they cannot fall short of $2,000,000,000. 
In view of these immense figures the question of profit 
presents itself. Careful accounts and experiments have 
settled the profits of poultry-keeping to be, on an average, 
one hundred and fifty per cent. upon the capital invested. 
These figures have led many into a hasty investment in 
poultry rearing as a business, without sufficient regard to 
the three great conditions of success, namely: 1. Experi- 
enced skill in the management; 2. Market facilities; 3. 
The practicability of keeping fowls on a large scale, so as to 
invest a considerable capital. 
This last consideration was experimented upon by Mr. 
Geyelin, at Bromley, England. The failure was decided, 
and the consequence was to discourage all similiar attempts 
for many years. 
A reconsideration of the subject has, of late, led to the 
belief that his failure was chiefly owing to fault in the first 

above-mentioned condition. He proceeded upon mere 
theory, and that theory strangely defective. Parties in the 
United States are conducting the experiment with encour- 
aging success. ’ 
In Egypt immense numbers of fowls are hatched by arti- 
ficial means, but are not reared together in large numbers, 
but sold or parcelled out among other parties to be raised on 
shares. These incubating establishments have been carried 
on, it is believed, for. centuries, but by a clan who possess a 
secret that accounts for their success. They receive eggs 
from the surrounding communities to supply their ovens, 
and pay in advance twenty-five per cent in chickens. 
Fancy, however, has been the chief motive in the careful 
culture of fowls in Great Britain and the United States, 
where the finest and purest varieties are to be found. In 
England, this fancy directed chief attention to the game 
fowl, at a very early date, and developed clearly the best 
fighting strains. These had about monopolized the fancy 
until between the years 1840-50, when importations of the 
gigantic hens of China, Malacca, and the Hast India islands, 
began to be made in large numbers. Most of us may re- 
member those days of the ‘‘ hen fever,” that as mysteriously 
and universally as the ‘‘ epizootic ’’ swept over our country. 
Games, Bantams, Dominiques, paled into insignificance in 
the estimation of those effected by this epidemic. Nothing 
but the rooster that could peck corn from the top of a flour 
barrel and bawl with the ambition of an ox could be the 
object of their fancy ; and for such specimens fabulous sums 
were paid. 
(To be continued.) 

PHILADELPHIA ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 
(Continued from page 52, No. 4.) 
It will hardly be asserted that there is any prospect of 
this number diminishing, nor will it be denied that it is 
most probable it will steadily increase, and during the year 
of the Centennial be more than quadrupled. It is reason- 
able to believe that few would resist the pleasure of driving, 
riding or walking through the zoological gardens so inyit- 
ingly at hand. Saturdays should be cheap days, and the 
money that would be taken in on those days alone would dis- 
solve any fears of their six per cent. in the minds of the 
stockholders. Apparent, however, as the result seems to 
those who have studied the question, or who have the sub- 
ject at heart, the managers have had great difficulty in rais- 
ing sufficient money, but they have struggled gallantly along, 
and have established the nucleus of a collection in the park 
which, with encouragement from the public, will assume 
magnificient proportions in a very few years. With some 
$60,000 they have inclosed ten acres in the centre of the 
thirty-three shown in the plan, and have laid it out as there 
shown. The walks are vulcanized, the ground graded and 
ready for a lovely turf in the spring, the stream opened and 
widened into pools in places for fish and aquatic birds, rus- 
tic bridges have been thrown across, a handsome place for 
beavers has been built, an enclosure for prairie dogs, a mon- 
key house, the finest to be seen anywhere, costing six thou- 
sand dollars, a buffalo enclosure, six deer parks and houses, 
three connecting pits for bears have been begun, a barn, or 
temporary winter house, and before spring an aviary, aqua- 
rium house, restaurant, eagles’ cage, and other buildings 
will be completed. The list of members nearly reach four 
hundred, and means are being taken for increasing the num- 
