406 REPTILES AND BIRDS. 



earth which feeds them both. The Cock is a perfect model of a 

 sultan; he attaches an entire seraglio to his train. His love is a 

 curious mixture of delicate attentions and revolting brutalities. See 

 him walking in the midst of his companions, he assumes an air at 

 once proud and defiant. He directs his wives, protects them, watches 

 them with restless tenderness, and if he finds a savoury morsel he 

 unselfishly offers it to them. When the time for feeding comes, by 

 voice he invites them to pick up the grain spread upon the ground ; 

 on the contrary, at other times he is cruel and brutal both to hens 

 and chickens. Of a jealous character, the Cock cannot suffer a 

 rival ; thus battles are inevitable when two males inhabit the same 

 poultry-yard. With flashing eyes, head lowered, and feathers of 

 the neck bristled, the two adversaries observe each other for a 

 time in silence. At last the storm breaks with violence ; they pre- 

 cipitate themselves upon each other, and fearlessly fight with both 

 beak and spurs till the earth is reddened with their blood. These 

 battles, which sometimes last an hour, only cease, to be resumed 

 the next day, till one of the champions succumbs, or acknow- 

 ledges the supremacy of the victor. The cock sometimes employs 

 his courage and strength in more noble contests, for he does not 

 fear to expose his life for the defence of his seraglio. Man, who 

 knows how to utilise even the bad instincts of animals, has not 

 failed to employ their natural combativeness in ministering to his 

 pleasures. In olden times the Greeks delighted in cock-fights; 

 those of Rhodes were particularly renowned for their game quali- 

 ties. It is related that Themistocles, marching against the Persians, 

 who had invaded Greece, and seeing the troops very much dis- 

 couraged before the battle, recalled to them the obstinacy these 

 birds displayed in their combats, and then added, " These animals 

 show their courage for the pleasure of victory; but you, soldiers, 

 you go to fight for your gods, for the tombs of your fathers, for your 

 children, for your freedom." These words reanimated the failing 

 ardour of the Greek troops, and the Persians were vanquished. In 

 memory of this event the Athenians consecrated a special day in the 

 year to cock-fighting. The Romans borrowed this pastime from the 

 Greeks. Even in the present day cock-fighting is still in favour in 

 various parts of the East. In Java, Sumatra, and Manilla this 

 amusement is carried to the length of folly ; the inhabitants of these 

 countries scarcely ever travel without a favourite bird, which they 

 carry under their arm. It is by no means rare to find gamblers 

 betting not only their fortune, but even their wives or daughters, upon 

 the strength and dexterity of a champion cock. In England the 



