GUINEA-HEN. 205 



that, in its original haunts, the cock has black and yellow 

 plumage, and a purple and yellow comb and wattles. 



When opposed to its own species, the cock is among 

 the most courageous of animals ; and, wherever the refine- 

 ments of humanity and the polish of good manners have 

 not superseded ferocity and barbarism, cock-fighting 

 seems to have constituted a principal diversion. In India, 

 China, the Philippine Islands, and all over the East, this 

 brutal pastime is, and ever has been, the amusement of 

 kings and princes. Fortunately for our national reputa- 

 tion, this savage sport is approaching to decay in Eng- 

 land ; and will, it is to be hoped, soon be regarded with 

 abhorrence, even by the lowest classes. The breed of 

 this country is commonly thought to be more bold and 

 hardy than that of any other ; but in reality the cocks of 

 China are equal, if not superior, to those of Britain ; and, 

 as there are persons who venture large sums on the 

 prowess of a single fowl, it seems extraordinary that no 

 pains have been taken to improve the breed by a foreign 

 mixture. But as cock-fighting is a dastardly, wanton, 

 and ignoble amusement, it should not be attempted to pro- 

 mote barbarity by any new incentives; since he who ad- 

 vises or recommends an art founded in cruelty, can scarcely 

 be considered in any other light than as an accessary to 

 the criminals. 



A hen seldom clutches a brood more than once a year ; 

 she will lay annually upwards of two hundred eggs, when 

 well supplied with food and water ; and this shows her 

 value in domestic economy. 



By the ancients the cock was consecrated to Minerva, 

 as the symbol of vigilance ; to intimate that genuine wisdom 

 is ever on its guard. 



THE GUINEA-HEN. 



This singular fowl, in some measure, unites the charac- 

 teristics of the pheasant and the turkey ; having the fine 

 delicate shape of the one, and the bare head of the other. 

 It is about the size of the common hen ; but its neck and 



