The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1879-08-09
had fine time treating his favorito


Of the cock, and Pliny maintained that
if one anointed himself with broth made
of cock, especially il garlic were cooked
with II, no lion or panther would hurt him.
Possibly the virtue was 10 the garlic-at
least, it would be well to try it before re-
sorting to other ingredients. But If the
lion is afraid Of the cock, the tables are
turned when it comes to the fox.
Beasts and birds can ay their foe
So ehanticleer who never saw a fox
Yet shuns him as u sailor shuns the rocks"
When painter drew on signboard
misshapen cock and wrote under il "This
is bull, he gave rise to the expression,
"coek aud bull"
TRADITIONS ABOUT COCKS.
Before the time of George H. an officer
Of the household, known as the Kings
Cock Grower, crowned the hours Of the
night during Lent, within the precints of
the palace, instead Of proclaiming them in
the usual way. The Buddhists Of Ceylon
sacrificed red cocks to evil spirits. Cock
throwing, that is eock-pelting, on Shroye
Tuesday, was common in England cen
tury ago, aud 10 parts Of France rural
custom known as La sentence da cog is
annually resorted to to discover all the
small offences in the village for q twelve
month. On the first Sunday in Advent
the festival known as Pardon des Gags
takes place in Brittany, and at that time
innumerablc cocks are brought in and sub
| ,nifiaJ 10 avnarla .yho saiao4 1ha Ennal
and place it upon the church weathercock,
where it is watched till it flies down. He
who is so fortunate as to capture it when
il reaches the ground may count on the
largest share Of happiness during the year,
The priests retain all the other cocks
This is literally one prize in a lottery.
There are many superstitions connected
with the growing Of hen. Walpole in o
letter to Lady 0ssory, the year of the gun
powder accident at Hounslow, said -
Margaret (his housekceper) was not
quite unprepared, for one of the Bantam
hens had crowed on Sunday morning, aud
tho chandler told her, when the barn was
blown down, that illluck never came
singly."
With many il is believed that when a
hen begins to crow she has given over
laying eggs aud has stihed the maternal
instinct, in which case she becomes val
uelcss, save for the table, which may have
led to the saying, Growing hens should
have their heads cut of.
CHARACTERS OF VARIOUS BREEDS
While all the members Of the family
have some general resemblance they have
each distinctive marks that enable us tC
classify them, from the long-legged, un.
calmly Shanghai to the exquisite little Ban.
tams that come from Java. Some are
very showy, Even the common barn
yard cock has an attractive dress, bpI
birds that trace their descent from the
golden pheasant are the most brilliant
Then there are the eccentric birds capped
with crown of feathers, the cog huppe Oi
the French, and the croppie crowns Of oul
own raising. Some fowls, as those oi
Priesland, delight in curling their feath
ers back; others are tailless, aud the Dork
ings have five toes instead of four.
Linn@us, in his journey to Lapland
says he supped at Jamtboht on fow
which had been killed the preceding year
and that he found it sweet and palatable
tho process of preserving being no Other
than sailing aud drying the fpwls, when
they are hung up to the rooftree till want
ed. But in Russia, to save the cost Of
feeding it through the winter the poultry
intended fOr table use Is fat.ened, killed
and packed 10 boxes. 10 this state 1t 1
frozen, and is kept frozen all winter. But
it must all be eaten before the winter i,
over, for there is no gradual ia the seasons
there "In Moscow they have no spring,
says Clark in his Travels; !iwlnter yaplshe,
and summer is,"-N Y. ErsHing Post.