1)0 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [February, 1910. 



APPENDIX B. 



From the 'Aja'ib-ul-Makhluqat 1 



(Or The " World of Wonders"). 



The cock is the most lustful and the vainest of birds. It 

 heralds the dawn. One of the strangest things about it is that 

 it knows the watches of the night, and apportions the times 

 for its night-crowing according to the length or shortness of 

 the nights ; for instance, if the night is fifteen hours in length, 

 he crows, at stated intervals, the same number of times as 

 he does in a night of nine hours ; and this he does by a God- 

 given instinct. 2 It is related that the Prophet (May the Peace 

 and Blessing of God be upon him) said, cl God the Most High 

 has created a cock beneath His Throne, with wings that can 

 extend beyond the East and the West ; and towards dawn he 

 spreeds his wings, and flaps them, and raises his voice in praise 

 of Him, crying, ; Glory to the Most Holy King ' and ; when he 

 has ceased, all the cocks in the Earth join in returning that 

 cry, flapping their wings in like manner. It is said that the 

 chief caller-to-prayer amongst the cocks, is that breed that has 

 long wattles and a castellated comb. The cock has a sense of 

 jealous honour about his wives, and he is generous to them, and 

 cares for them. It is a belief that, should a man rise from sleep 

 at cock-crow, he will be fresh and bright all day A white cock 

 puts to flight the lion. The best of cocks is the game-cock. 

 Its points are, a red comb, a thick neck, small and black eyes, 

 sharp claws, a loud cry. A cock is unselfish to his hens ; he 

 takes a grain in his beak and casts it to them. It is said 

 that he does this in the time of his youth, when his passions 

 dominate him ; but that when he ages he no longer does so. 

 The cock defends his hens from the attack of an enemy, and at 

 night collects them in a safe place and stands guard at the door. 

 They say, too, that the cock lays one egg in his lifetime, called 



in Arabic bayzat* 'l-'uqr ( j**h 4*g ), 8 and that it is very small. 

 The following lines are by the poet Bashshar:- 



Thou hast visited me but once in all this time. 

 Make not thy visit rare like the egg of the cock. 



It is a belief that one who slaughters a white cock with a 

 divided comb, will suffer loss in his possessions and in his 

 house, and also that the Devil never enters a house in which 



1 An Arabic work by Al-Qazwini, who died A.D. 1283. 



5 An obscure -nhmaa. 



