294 '^"^ Illustrated Book of Poultry. 



to press if the cock should attempt to struggle ; the operation then commences, by putting the left 

 hand swiftly round the cock's head or neck, and running the scissors straight from the back of 

 comb to the beak, taking all the little spike-like feathers off close, which gives the head a much 

 smoother and finer appearance ; then draw the skin sideways off the cheek, tight, with the thumb, 

 and carry the scissors along the cheek in the same way, which will smooth all the little spiky 

 feathers off there. Many draw them out with small pincers, but I do not approve of this, as it has 

 to be repeated, but when close clipped it is done with. All that is left to be done previous to 

 sending off is with a small nice clean sponge, and a very little salad oil, to sponge the fleshy parts 

 of the head and face, but not leaving a lot of oil on ; this is what gives the nice bright coral-like 

 appearance that most professional show-men's Game have their first day in the show-pens. 



" A Game cock, if well walked, requires no feeding to prepare for show ; but, if in low con- 

 dition, about three or four days in a quite clean pen, feeding twice a day on a teacupful of nice 

 boiled new milk and bread, with a handful of thoroughly good barley at night, will make a great 

 difference, and throw a nice gloss on the feathers. This is all that is necessaiy, for it does not 

 answer to train a cock for show as you would to fight. If living handy to his run, it is well to give 

 a feed of split peas daily for a fortnight ; but a naturally hard-fleshed bird, taken off his walk, may 

 be fed on almost what you like. A cock for fighting is got up to a certain pitch just by a certain 

 day, after which he goes back fast ; but that would not do for a show. A cock should be shown 

 as nearly in his natural condition as possible ; but if fed up for showing he will show it the second 

 day. If it were not to get the birds used to the pens, I would never pen one up even for an hour, 

 and I can always count all the trained birds in a show by their falling off the second or third day. 



" To keep them right on returning from shows, give boiled milk and bread, but no hard food, 

 for the first day or so ; then feed as usual, when, if of good constitution, they will be fit again in a 

 week's time. For several weeks they will keep this up without perceptible injury ; as, having no 

 extra flesh to carry, like Cochins, they can stand it better." 



Besides the varieties described or hinted at by IMr. Douglas, there is a well-marked and 

 singular variety in which the cock is feathered like the hens. This breed is a great favourite 

 in Devonshire and Cornwall, where it is often fought, and has been bred for generations back ; 

 and the birds pourtrayed, as will be seen, come from this part of the country. The origin of this 

 variety is perhaps still more difficult to determine than that of other breeds of Game. Many years 

 ago there were strains of it in the North of England, but for some time past it has become 

 extinct in those regions. Some American writers. Dr. Cooper and other cock-fighters especially, 

 have denied the breed to be "true Game;" but this arises simply from ignorance. If fighting be 

 the criterion, no Game fowl will fight in a more hard and stubborn manner than the Uenny, 

 as evidenced by the report of a fight which disgraced the columns of the New York Weekly Herald 

 so late as January, 1873, and by the constant experience of those who still fight birds in 

 Cornwall ; whilst, if purity of blood and constantly breeding true to points be the arguments relied 

 upon, the proof is equally clear, as the Henny strain never breeds a long-tailed cock unless crossed. 

 The contrary has been stated by many persons, but the mistake has arisen from various birds 

 which have not been true-bred Henny, but only the product of some cross ; such will, of course, 

 breed both kinds of plumage, but the true-bred Henny never does. 



On the whole, the probability is that the breed is descended from some very ancient 

 progenitor, which accidentally exhibited the peculiar hen-plumage, and struck the fancy of its 

 proprietor. In laced Bantams, which are known to have derived their hen-tailed character from a 

 single cock which took Sir John Sebriglit's preference (and which was very probably itself 



