. Murgh-Nama # 

 By Lieut.-Colonel D. C. Phillott. 



Extract on Cocking (" Murgh-Nama") from the " &ayd-gdh-i 

 Shawkati," an Urdu work on sport, written by Nawdb Yar 

 Muhammad Khan of the Rampur State, A.D. 1883, and two 

 Appendices : translation by Lieut. -Colonel D. C. Phillott, 

 F.A.S.B., Secretary, Board of Examiners, Calcutta. 



The Cocker must know that there are in Hindustan ' four 

 breeds of fowl. First there is the tern 2 or common barn-door 

 fowl kept for domestic purposes : second the ghagas 8 or cross 

 between the game-fowl and the tent : third the karnatak or 

 karaknath* a breed in which the skin, bones, tongue, eyes and 

 blood are all black ; this breed is useless for fighting : and fourth 

 the asil 6 or Indian game-fowl, which is kept for fighting only. 



The points 6 of the Indian game-cock are, beak white, 

 shanks 7 white, eyes white and blood-shot (if the white of the 

 eye be slightly yellowish it does not signify), the comb of 

 medium size, the jaw and cheeks s large and hard and with 

 little flesh, the bones of the neck small, the whole neck being 

 like an iron bar, the pope's nose* large, the tail-feathers small, 

 and the jaws s and wings not fleshy, i0 Its crow is not as long 

 as that of the barn-door cock. n The beat breed is obt Mined 

 from Haiderabad, 12 Deccan. 



1 Hindustan amongst natives generally means the United Provinces. 



2 Teni, H., a breed of small fowls ; also a bantam. 



3 A large breed with feathered feet. 



* Probably from the Karnatak, Deccan, just as sabzwar is the nam. 

 of a breed of fowls from Sabzwar in Persia. The test of this br. i is the 

 colour of the tongue, which should be black. 



6 The asil is also called kulang. A common taunting proverb is :— 

 Man te.nl ha/n kulnnn rin ke. bachc-h* rana barana. "The father was a 



ame 



The offspring are a mixed lot. 



6 For further points see Appendix. 



? Sdqain ^U# In one Persian MS. it is laid down that the shank 



must be void of red marks. 



3 Kalla, lit. " head ", is by some " Cockers applied to the "jaw 



and cheeks ' ' only. 



Dum ka gath, 



1° Suta hu, a. . „ . , _ , 



H The end of the crow (azan or bang) especially, is not so long drawn 



Out. II j i ; 



1* The Singapore cocks are also famous: they are Mlled kai 

 katiya as they have black spurs. In an Indian-Persian MS without name 

 or date, it is stated that the Chatgaml (Chittagong) breed, though 

 fine and larcr« is not eaual to the former. 



