cocker's manual. 75 



passed. They have been kept pure and clean from any cross for a 

 number of years by the proudest families of the country, and Mr. 

 Rilands who bred them for a great number of years was so careful on 

 this point that he scrupulously kept the light and dark varieties apart. 

 Mr. Walker also bred and fought against many of them, and all have 

 found when crossed even with Beverly and other noted Piles, leaving 

 out other colors that have invariably been a falling off of their first 

 and grand requisite, the "bloody heel," which has rendered them so 

 notorious. The celebrated Mr. Hetchley, who bred some of the best 

 birds in England upwards of half a century after, tried to cross them 

 but could never reproduce their equals. 



The black cocks of Stafford, Lord Veres, were much sought after 

 and were very successful for many years, and so enamored was the 

 noted Nathaniel Monk of them that after seeing a week's main at 

 Boston he fell asleep during service at church on-the following Sunday 

 and startled the minister and congregation alike by peering over the 

 pew with half awakened eyes and shouting at the top of his voice, 

 "I'll have the black cock for a crown !" The Derbyshire striped 

 hackle, dark reds of Mr. Saut, and the Norfolk spangles of Mr. Gurney 

 could always find backers in any company which the Smocks or white 

 cocks of Zealhampton, in Devon, were for a long time annually pitted 

 against the Cornish light reds of Couth. The latter were only an ofl"- 

 shoot of the Earl of Derbys, and Mr. Taylor's strains which were one 

 and the same family. Couth kept those birds carefully bred and were 

 very successful for up'vards of forty years, when he crossed them to 

 gain bone; With larger bone they were just as unsuccessful as they 

 had been successful, when he put an old hen of a pure strain, although 

 thirteen years old, with her brother, and the produce brought him 

 back his former successors. 



The Earl of Derby strain had been bred at Knowsley a long time 

 previous to the Earl's appearing on the sod. Many cockers objected 

 to their dun eyes. Busley was his lordship's first feeder. On bis de- 

 cease Potter took the office, and was followed by Potter, Jr. But their 

 opponent in feeding, Joseph Gillien, was always too much for either 

 had they not been better cocks. But for a great number of years his 

 lordship's breeder, Roscoe, senior and junior, placed out to walk up- 

 wards of 3,000 cock chickens annually, and from this number it was 

 easy to pick mains of cocks faultless in shape and perfect in constitu- 



