St. Paul daily globe., 1888-02-20
FREAKS In FOWLS,
Monstrosities Among Lower Or
ders of Animals.

Monstrosities Among Lower Or
ders of Animals.
Philadelphia News.
This is as nice poultry as you will
find IN the markets." said one of the
Stall-keepers at the Twelfth Street
markets to a News reporter yesterday
afternoon, as he (the repOrter) paused
TO few minutes in front of stall and
looked up at the dozens of dressed
chickens, turkeys, geese and poultry of
every other kind which hung so closely
on all sides that it almost hid from view
the proprietor, who made the above
sweeping remark in the hope of sccur-
ing a purchaser.
Yes, its very nice" said the reporter,
ever have any three-legged foWlS?"
"Yes, indeed, and fOur-legged ones.
too. You needn't laugh, for l mean
just what lsay. / have chicken at
home now which is almost year old
that has three as perfect legs as you
ever saw. The extra leg is midway be-
tween the other two, and the chicken
uses it almost as much in walking as it
does either of its other legs. Sometimes
1t will lift up its right leg when it uses
this third one, and sometimes the left,
but it never uses all three at the same
time. You see it's mighty handy to
have third leg, for the chicken can
rest one of its others sometimes and
still walk OF run right along.
"YOu know we hatch out all our poul-
try, or, at least, most of it, by means of
an incubator. 1t saves time, and the
machine does the work better than hens
can. BY that l mean we get more chick
ems or other poultry,aS the case may be,
out of the same number of eggs by this
patent process than we did when the
chicks had monopoly of the business.
Sometimes a hen that was Matching
would do good work for two or three
weeks and then, just before the eggs on
which she was sitting were hatched out,
she would go on strike, as it were, and
no amount of force or persuasion would
induce her to finish the job. OF course
the eggs soon get cold. and that made
them worthless.
Talking about that three-legged
chicken. however, reminds me of a num-
Der Of other monStroSitieS l have seen
Matched out in the form of fowls.
A DOUBLE DUCK.
''LaSt summer two ducks were ush-
cred into existence which owed their
being to the same egg. l say they were
two, but might as truthfully have said
it was only one duck. for they were
joined together by as indiSsoluble tie
as you could well imagine. They were
the Siamese twins of duckdom. In fact,
they were grown together on their
backs. and whenever one walked around
it had to carry the other, while it's feet
stood straight up. With the exception
of their backs both were perfectly
formed. Of course, the one that carried
the other soon got tired, and then it
would fall over on it's side, and
pretty soon the other would get
UP and do the carrying act for
while. Could they swim? Yes, when
they were about four months old. |
saw them one day standing on the banks
of a small pond, OF, rather, to be ac-
curate, the one was standing with the
other on its back, looking at number
of other young ducks which were SWIM
ming around in the pond and having
lots of fun. Well, in few minutes the
one which was just then carrying the
load forgot its burden, and, true to it's
natural distinct, plunged into the water.
| feared for the result, and for a few
moments it did look as though it must
SINK and drown not only itself but its
companion, but it didn't, although it
remained in the water only short
time.
1T would have taken good deal of
money to have bought that duck, or
those ducks, as you see fit to speak of
the wonderful freak of nature, for |
intended to exhibit them when they got
full grown, and l believe would have
made money, too, by so doing, but one
day they went in swimming again and
drowned. The one on the others back
it seemed for some cause had suddenly
become too heavy weight to carry, and
of course both sank.
Fowls with their wings on upside
down are quite common, as are also
chickens with web feet like ducks and
geese. or vice versa.
There are also many curiOuSly-
formed vegetables, but l haven't time to
tell you about them to-day"
Il suppose you can raise all kinds of
vegetables on your farm?''
Yes, indeed" said the stall-keeper,
as he began to put Oh his Overcoat pre-
paratory to starting for home. HEyery
thing but pumpkins. and the soil is too
rich for them"
How So?''
"Well, you see, the vines grow so fast
that it wears the pumpkins out dragging
them over the ground"
A Comprehensive Swear-Off.
Boston Courier.
Il understand you swore off at New
Years, Jack"
81 did"
Keeping your resolution?'
Eyes, SIR"
s'GOing to stick to it?n