ANIMALS AS PRIZE-FIGHTERS 39 



It is of interest to note that in the reign of James I 

 a cock-pit was built on a portion of the site where 

 Drury Lane Theatre now stands ; while another 

 famous cock-pit, known as the Cock-pit Royal, 

 stood in St. James's Park. Henry VIII also erected 

 one at Whitehall, which, of course, was no longer 

 used during his reign after he had put a stop to the 

 practice of cock-fighting. 



There is a curious association between cock- 

 fighting and Shrove Tuesday, for on that day it was 

 the custom for the authorities of many pubUc 

 schools to allow their scholars to indulge in the sport, 

 the masters taking a toll from the boys on these 

 occasions, which was known as cock-penny. Many 

 curious regulations were connected with cock- 

 fighting, not the least remarkable being the one 

 which stipulated that in the event of a match being 

 arranged for a bet of £5 or more, the birds should 

 wear sUver spurs upon their legs instead of the 

 usual steel ones. It appears that the reason for 

 this rule was in order that the combat should last 

 longer than it would otherwise have done had steel 

 spurs been worn (the former metal being softer 

 and less penetrating than the latter), and that the 

 birds might therefore have a better opportunity for 

 displaying their activity and powers of endurance. 

 A great deal of attention was paid to the birds 

 preparatory to a fight, and their diet was regulated 

 in a most scientific fashion so that they might be 

 in the pink of condition on the day of combat. 

 Their plumage was clipped in various ways, the 

 feathers upon the wings being cut so as to give a 



