82 cocker's manual. 



would never stand, and as he never knew how to mix the alloys prop- 

 erly, and as Faultless obtained his recipe under secrecy he would not 

 divulge it to him. Their sort of spurs was made of steel and washed 

 over with silver to pass for silver spurs. They often broke, and Mr. 

 Bald Houghton once lost a main to Lord Derby by the spsr breaking 

 in the last battle. The very best maker of this class of spurs was Sin- 

 gleton, of Ireland. These can be made very good at present in 

 England, although no cocker would trust the best silversmith in Lon- 

 don to make a pair of silver spurs and fight a battle for money in 

 them. Steel spurs were made very good in Ireland by Singleton and 

 others, but the largest quantities were made in Sheffield, and generally 

 were very reliable ; although the best maker of steel spurs was a 

 resident of Exeter in Devonshire, who has been dead some thirty 

 years ; his name was John Wattling, and at present his spurs are much 

 sought after, and half a dozen pairs of any other make can be gotten 

 for a pair of his, for in addition to their being a very killing spur, 

 no cock can either break or bend them, although they are so light and 

 elegantly made. 



Main bags were made of different colored silk velvet embroidered 

 in gold and silver lace, were used to carry the birds into the pit, and 

 this alone was often worth the entrance fee. 



There wi.s a difference in mains, but a long main and those gene- 

 rally fought was that each county and party should show and weigh 

 sixty-one or more or less cocks between three pounds six ounces and 

 four pounds eight ounces three days before fighting, and as many as 

 fell within une ounce of each other had to fight in the main which 

 began with the lightest pair of cocks on the third day after, and the 

 battles were as equally divided as could be into five or six single or 

 double day's play — a double day being when five or seven battles 

 were fought in the first ingo, or before dinner, and the second ingo 

 of the same number who were fought in the afternoon. But at race 

 mains single day's play or ingo in the morning only were fought, the 

 afternoon being devoted to racing. When the cocks were weighed 

 the colors and marks were most carefully and accurately taken by both 

 parties in order that the birds might not be changed. All birds not 

 falling in one ounce but falling within two ounces of each other were 

 fought by battles for ten, twenty or forty pounds a side. Three 

 pounds six ounces and four pounds eight ounces were the regular fixed 



