216 THE GAME FOWL. 



Britain. Upwards of 200 Cocks were fought, and the fight- 

 ing generally good, particularly the Cocks of Baglin-hill and 

 Lockey, which all won great majorities. A remarkable cir- 

 cumstance occurred on the Saturday before fighting. A match 

 was made for 20 sovereigns, between Parker and Reed, feed- 

 ers, and won by the latter, after a hard contest. Parker's 

 Cock, however, came round so soon after, that his party made 

 a second match, to come off on the following Monday, for a 

 like sum, which was again won by Reed, after a severe battle 

 a circumstance, perhaps, altogether unknown in the annals 

 of cocking. It is also calculated that, at the termination of 

 the races, which finished with cocking, upwards of 1,000 Cocks 

 had met their deaths. Newcastle, therefore, challenged the 

 world for cocking. Cheltenham, Chester, Gloucester, Nor- 

 wich, Lancaster, Preston, Stamford, &c. &c., were celebrated 

 for their Cocks. The patrons were the Earl of Derby, Sir 

 William Wynne, Ralph Benson, Esq., &c. &c. 



The exterior qualifications of a Cock are, head thin and long, 

 or, if not, very taper ; a large, full eye ; beak crooked and 

 stout; neck thick and long, (a Cock with a long neck has a 

 great advantage in his battle, particularly if his antagonist is 

 one of those Cocks that will fight at no other place but the 

 head ;) his body short and compact, with a round breast, (as a 

 sharp-breasted Cock carries a great deal of useless weight about 

 him, and never has a fine forehand ;) his thighs fine and thick, 

 and placed well up to the shoulder, (for where a Cock's legs 

 hang dangling behind him, be- assured he never can maintain 

 a long battle ;) his legs long and thick, and if they correspond 

 with the colour of his beak blue, gray, or yellow I think it 

 a perfection ; his feet should be broad and thin, with very long 

 claws. With regard to his carriage, he should be upright, but 

 not stiffly so ; his walk should be stately, with his wings in 

 some measure extended, and not plod along, as I have seen 

 some Cocks do ; with their wings upon their backs, like geese ; 



