5 1 



shy, a serious defect in the fighting cock 

 however courageous in actual battle 



Opinions at this period differed concerning 

 the amount of sparring a young bird should be 

 allowed to do while training. Most cock 

 masters of this period considered frequent 

 sparring hurtful 



" SHAKE-BAGS " 



Only the very large "the giant or Her- 

 culean "cock was called a "shake-bag" in 

 Queen Anne's time. According to Dr. Wilde, 

 a famous cocker of the age, the name originated 

 in Scotland, being used to describe the cocks 

 preferred by Dutchmen 



The Dutch preference for large birds was 

 due to the fact that they could be fought with- 

 out weighing or matching at any inn or drinking 

 resort ; the Dutchman's habit was to " steep his 

 brains in brandy" till he was past judging 

 of a cock's size, and past handling him. These 

 cockers neither saw the cock they were to fight 

 with beforehand, nor laid a hand upon their 

 own after he was brought into the pit, " but 

 take the bag by the bottom and shake the 



