cocker's manual. 15 



with the same number of entries, and I am not quite ignorant of the 

 fighting bird, having fought my first main in public, with the parish 

 constables keeping order in the pit, about the same time as 'Duck- 

 wing' began breediiig, and have seen a score or two of cocks judged 

 by merits in private since he wrote his article in the Journal asking 

 for the points of the Malay in our exhibition birds. I would ask where 

 the whip-tail came from, carried as only a Malay and a craven does 

 carry? What is the first thing a bad-bred one and a craven does, when 

 intending to fly the pit ? (I am sure 'Duckwing' knows, as I think we 

 have had some conversation on this subject), and is it not to fold his 

 flag and put it in true exhibition posture ? whilst the up and spread 

 tail belongs only to the true Game cock. 'Duckwing' must surely in 

 varied experience have seen half-bred Malays awarded cups, and on 

 the second and third days of the show seem so ashamed of their de- 

 ception that they would neither crow nor fight. I knew a sporting 

 American colonel to take thirteen cocks to America from our best 

 shows, and after journeying 3000 miles with them found all were dung- 

 hills, except two low-priced despised yellow-legged ones. I have just 

 received a letter from a breeder and shipper of Game fowls in America, 

 asking me to try to get him something better than the trash exhibited 

 in this and his own country. Our Journal stated that many of the 

 birds at the last Birmingham show were as much Malays as game, and 

 an old and able correspondent of this Journal, 'Newmarket,' wrote me 

 to the same effect, and no one knows a Gime cock in or out of con- 

 dition better than he does. I recently wrote for a brood cock to a 

 gentleman who has long bred and shown as good Game fowls as any 

 man in England, and he requested me to see a bird he was sending to 

 a show in my district. It was awarded the cup, but I thought it the 

 coarsest bird of the Malay type I had ever seen him exhibit, wrote him 

 to that effect, and his reply informed me that he fully anticipated my 

 verdict, saying that he had purchased this one not to please himself 

 but the judges ; and as this bird has taken as many, if not more cups 

 than any other bird shown this season, it would seem he has been very 

 successful in doing it. 



"As to length of head, I know an exhibitor who has a stag only 

 three removes from a prize Malay hen, whose head for mere length 

 would beat most prize-winning show birds ; and of the many 

 birds I have known so manufactured for the show pen, a judicious se- 



