. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. DOMESTIC FOWLS. 017 certainly tlie finest of nil the varieties. Tlie time has now passed away, when tlu>se splendid birds wen; opi'iily trained fijr combat, and cock-fights were held in every viHago and town throughout tlu' kingdom. The law has rightly prohihiu'd this savage amusement, and cock-tighting like dog-iighting is now confininl to a small and coiitiiuiaily decreasing knot of sjMirtin" men. For this purpose, the birds are trained in the most regular and^scieutific manner, as gr
. The illustrated natural history [microform]. Birds; Natural history; Oiseaux; Sciences naturelles. DOMESTIC FOWLS. 017 certainly tlie finest of nil the varieties. Tlie time has now passed away, when tlu>se splendid birds wen; opi'iily trained fijr combat, and cock-fights were held in every viHago and town throughout tlu' kingdom. The law has rightly prohihiu'd this savage amusement, and cock-tighting like dog-iighting is now confininl to a small and coiitiiuiaily decreasing knot of sjMirtin" men. For this purpose, the birds are trained in the most regular and^scieutific manner, as great pains being taken about them as about a race-horse on the eve of the Derby. In ertler to deprive the antagonist of the advantage which it would gain by ])ecking the ciim'l), which is very tender and bleeds freely, the comb was cut off and the horny spurs were ri'placed with steel weajxms, long, sharp-edged and i)ointed. These precautions were, alter all, not so barbarous as they seem on a tirst view, for the comb was " dubbed" at so ("iU'ly an age that its growth was ])revented rather than its sid)stance mangled, and the substitution of metal for horny spurs served to scit the combatants on more equal terms^ just as a sword sets a small man on an e(iuality with a large one. IrreRi)ective of these 'advantages, the Game-cock is au hereditary gladiiitor, delighting in combat and instinctively pviu'tising the art of defence as well as that of assault. So suix-rior is it to the ordinary lireods in these respects, that I have seen a litth; f)ld one-eyed f !ami>-cock cut down, as if with a sword, a gn^at barn-door cock that looked as if it could have killed its puny antagonist with a blow and eaten him afterwards. There seems to be no limits to the courage of the Game-cock, whicli will attack not only his own kind, but any other creatures that may offend it. One of these birds has licen known to tly at a tliat was carrying off one; of his wives,
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectnaturalhistory
