lEEIB OBIODT IN BBIIAIN. 



The costermoiiger kept lis codk, and fought it for a crown 

 against the one owned by his neighbonr the sweep ; and Lord 

 Noodle kept his cock, and fought it for fifty pounds against my 

 Lord Boodle's, in the cook-pit at Westminster. The practica 

 was even defended, or at least excused, by writers who, if 

 they wfll pardon me, ought to have known better. Even that 

 humane and creditable writer, Bonington Mowbray, goes out 

 of his way to admire the ruffianly " sport." He ^ys, — 



" Philanthropists are in the habit of declaiming much against 

 the practice of cock-pit battles ; but, on reflection, the cruelty 

 of that sport will be found to be among the least wherein 

 the feelings of animals are concerned, since fighting, in the 

 game cock, is a natural and irresistible passion, and can never 

 take place against his will, and since those engaged in combat 

 upon the arena would do so voluntarily, and with equal ardour, 

 did they meet in the desert. Another and a similar mistake 

 is the supposed additional cruelty of arming the heels of the 

 cock with steel, which, on the contrary, conduces to shorten the 

 period of their sufferings." 



If the first part of Mr. Mowbray's argument is sound, why 

 then, for the delectation of folk of sanguinary mind, let us 

 revive buU-baiting and dog-fighting, and the imperial Roman 

 pastime of setting tigers and hons by the ears. They are all 

 "ajiimals of irresistible passions." Let us even give our 

 countenance to that remaining reUc of ancient barbarism, 

 man-fighting. But the argument is not sound. WiU the dog 

 worry the bull if not hounded on by his master ? Do bears 

 and Uons, in private life, continually give their minds to growl- 

 ing and fighting P No. Li spite of Doctor Watts's testimony 

 to the contrary, I insist it is not so : no more than Mr. Sayers 

 will enter the prize-ring unless a substantial sum is to be his 

 reward for beating his antagonist to jelly. With regard to the 

 desirability of arming the heels of the birds with steel spikes, 

 " because they conduce to shorten the sufferings " of the poor 

 creatures, comment would be an insult to the reader. 



I have had some conversation lately with a person whoso 

 father was a breeder of game cocks, and he assures me that to 

 prepare a bird for the pit the utmost care was required. He 

 was fed on the richest food, made to take so much exercise 

 each day, his hmbs were bathed once a day, and his beak samd- 

 fio/pered to needle-like sharpness. He related that on one 

 occasion he was present at a cock-fight at Birmingham, whera 

 one celebrated fighting bird was pitted against five others. They 



