200 A MONOGRAPH OF THE PHEASANTS 



friend Lieut.-Colonel D. C. Phillott, for the Asiatic Society of Bengal, the translation 

 being as close as the English language will permit. 



"The cocker must know that there are in Hindustan four breeds of fowl. First, 

 there is the tent, or common barn-door fowl, kept for domestic purposes ; second, the 

 ghagas or cross between the game-fowl and the tent; third, the karnatak, a breed in 

 which the skin, bones, tongue, eyes, and blood are all black ; this breed is useless for 

 fighting ; and fourth, the asll or Indian game-fowl, which is kept for fighting only. 



"The points of the Indian game-cock are: beak white, shanks 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 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 and wings not fleshy. Its crow is not as long as that of 

 the barn-door cock. The best breed is obtained from Haiderabad, Deccan. 



"When the game-cockerels are a year old, the cocker should keep them apart, 

 feeding them on bajra or millet wetted in water. Should bdjra not be obtainable, he 

 must substitute wheat-flour mixed with butter. In either case he must give them but 

 little water to drink. When the cockerel is in high condition, he must foment it with 

 butter (the hand is warmed before the fire, the palm and fingers dipped in butter and 

 pressed on the joints), and begin feeding it on the yolks of two eggs to begin with. 

 The following is the method of feeding on the yolks of eggs : — 



"Take the yolk of one ^gg, one tola (about 200 grains) of butter, one mdsha of 

 Sambhar salt, and four mashas of pepper-corns ; mix together and half-fry, and give 

 to the cockerel, giving it water every third or fourth day. This will make it strong 

 and lusty. 



"Another receipt. Take the yolks of 200 eggs, of musk 1 mashas, of good 

 ambergris 2 mashas, of saffron 2 mashas, of white-shifted sugars 5 sers, of almond 

 kernels 2\ sers, of kernels of the Edible Pine \\ sers, of pista kernels 2 sers, of 

 walnut kernels i ser, of butter 6 sers, and of fine wheaten flour 5 sers. First fry 

 the. flour well in the butter, and then cast in the shifted sugar. Next add all the 

 ingredients (with the exception of the saffron), having previously pounded them 

 well. Then add to the mixture the saffron well rubbed down in '' kewra water." 

 The first day give one told as a dose, and on the top of that a feed of wheaten flour 

 unmixed with butter, so that the grease may be removed from the cock's throat. Then 

 put on the muzzle, either the leather-muzzle or the string-muzzle (so that it may 

 neither pick up any grit nor drink) and let it loose to exercise itself. There are two 

 times for exercise, first early in the morning till seven o'clock, when the cockerel should 

 be fed, spouted (spouting is spraying the bird with water from the mouth, d la 2. Chinese 

 laundryman) with water, and confined under a square or a round coop. At four o'clock 

 it must be released, spouted as before, and muzzled and freed for exercise till five 

 o'clock. The cock should be studied, to see whether it has increased in strength or not. 

 If the cock is lusty and strong, more halwd should be given to it and less flour. If it 

 is not strong and has become fat, it should, at night, be dry-fomented with a pad. If 

 fat has collected on the langot (stomach), it must be reduced by dry fomentation, and 

 the cock must be kept confined in a warm place away from cold air. In the morning 

 it should be fought for \^no pdnt — \do pant: a match is made for rndLny pdm or intervals 



