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to the care of the "feeder" (or trainer). These men were con- 

 sidered as important as the trainer of race-horses is to-day, and 

 each had a system more or less exclusively his own, which he 

 believed superior to all others. Their duties were to get the cock 

 as light as they could without injury to his health on the weighing 

 day, in other words, to produce as large a bird to his weight as 

 possible, at the same time to keep him in the very highest degree 

 of health, spirit, strength, and wind. After the weighing it was their 

 aim again to increase his weight. Their art was to simply divest him 

 of fat and superfluous flesh in the same manner in which racehorses 

 or athletes are prepared at present. Physic, sweating, exercise, 

 were all used to attain this end, and as no cock can remain at the 

 very top of his condition for long together, they used every endeavour 

 to arrive at this point on the day of battle. It was in this particu- 

 lar that the best feeders especially showed their superiority ; and 

 when it is remembered that each cock would vary somewhat in con- 

 dition and constitution when he was first put in the feeder's pens, 

 it will be seen that this was no easy matter. There are many rules 

 and receipts laid down for feeding cocks, and many curious com- 

 pounds were sometimes given them, the receipts of each feeder 

 varying to such a degree that it seems unnecessary to give them 

 here. Judgment was the chief thing ; some birds requiring to lose 

 niuch weight, others rather to be increased than reduced. They 

 were usually fed for nine or ten days before fighting, before which 

 event they were trimmed or " cut out of feather," that is, the hackle 

 was cut off short, the wing feathers cut from the last sloping feather 

 downwards, the feathers of the belly and vent trimmed short and 

 the long sickle feathers cut from the tail, leaving only the vane, or 

 fan, which was shortened about half. The cock's natural spurs were 

 cut off about half an inch from the leg, and the silver or steel spur 

 tied on, the socket fitting over the natural spur, and the point 

 extending back on a line with the outside of the hock (or rather 

 outside the line of the natural spur). Much art was supposed to 

 be necessary in putting on these weapons. It is mere ignorance 

 which would describe them as cruel. With natural spurs the 

 combat lasts far longer ; whilst with artificial spurs the longest 

 fight is over in a few minutes. They therefore actually lessen the 

 sufferings of the birds by shortening them. Silver spurs were used 

 by the Romans, specimens having been found in Cornwall and else- 

 where amongst Eomau remains. They were somewhat different 



