THE COCK. 117 



which are white. The bill measures ten inches in length, 

 is slightly curved at the tip, and has, near the base of the 

 upper part, a large process turned upwards like a horn ; 

 it is red above and yellow below, divided by a black line, 

 and black towards the base : the bill is nearly similar. 

 The bird observed, appeared heavy and timid, and of a dull 

 disposition, it hopped in the manner of a crow, and mani- 

 fested great affection towards the person who took care of 

 it, running towards him with extended wings, and a scream 

 of joy. 



THE COCK. 



Of all the birds the cock seems to have been first re- 

 claimed, and earliest taken under the protection of man. 

 Having been long subject to human cultivation, he exhibits 

 a prodigious number of varieties, and has lost almost every 

 trace of his original instincts and independence. 



At what period this valuable bird was first domesticated 

 is wholly unknown ; but it is generally supposed that he 

 was introduced into the western part of the world from 

 Persia ; whence Aristophanes calls him the Persian fowl, 

 and informs us, metaphorically, we suppose, that this fowl 

 enjoyed that empire before some of its earliest monarchs. 

 Under the Druidical dispensation, we find the cock for- 

 bidden as food among the ancient Britons. 



This domestic bird seems almost to have banished the 

 idea of the wild one ; and, were it not occasionally seen in 

 the woods of India, and in some of the oriental islands, 

 doubts might be entertained as to the form wherein it first 

 appeared in a state of nature. However, it is sufficiently 

 Known to naturalists, that in his original haunts, the cock 

 has black and yellow plumage, and a purple and yellow 

 comb and wattles. 



When opposed to his 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 not superseded ferocity and barbarism, cock-fighting seems 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 reputation, this 

 savage sport is verging to decay in England, and will, we 



