THE DOMESTIC COCK. 65 



beautiful, and though the greater part were cocks, there 

 was, with few exceptions, even when arrived at nearly 

 their full size, neither crowing nor fighting. The ab- 

 sence of the former was probably owing to their not 

 hearing the thrilling clarion of older birds. As to the 

 latter, it is often asserted that the high mettle and cou- 

 rage of the game cock is natural, and that if two were 

 to meet in a desert, they would fight until one was killed. 

 But this is an error : these birds have sufficient courage 

 for their defence, but all beyond is the efi'ect of training 

 and diet. Brutal — most brutal are those persons who 

 pervert the qualities of animals, in the hope of deriving 

 amusement from their sufferings, or of gain from the 

 practice of gambling, to which, unhappily, many are 

 addicted — gambUng, the parent and the offspring of 

 vice and of crime. 



Domestic fowls often display what among human 

 beings would be called jealousy. One instance may be 

 taken as a specimen of many. The children of the 

 writer had a bantam-hen given them some time since, 

 with which, of course, they were much amused. Tiny, 

 as they called it, lived alone for some time, when an- 

 other present arrived of a pair of bantams, to which the 

 names were assigned of Robin and Beauty. Tiny, 

 somewhat dull at first, soon became a favourite with 



F 



