162 BOMBAY DUCKS 
pullarius must have been trying experiments with them, 
for they refused the food offered them. This was too 
much for Claudius Pulcher, who was consulting them ; 
he fairly lost his temper, seized the recalcitrant birds, 
and threw them into the sea, with the remark, “If you 
won't eat, you rascals, you shall drink!” 
Our medieval ancestors highly honoured the cock, 
Gerald Legh asserts that “the Cocke is the royallest 
birde that is, and of himself a king, for Nature hath 
crowned him with a perpetual diademe, to hime and 
his posteritie for ever. He is the valliantest in battle 
of all birdes, for he will rather die than yielde to his 
adversarie. The cock, moreover, was believed to be 
able to impart his valour. 
Porta writes: “If you would have a man become 
bold and impudent, let him carry about the skin or 
eyes of a lion or cock, and he will be fearless of his 
enemies—nay, he will be very terrible unto them.” 
Extract of cock was held to be a cure for con- 
sumption. 
The prescription runs: “Take a red cock, cut him 
into quarters, and put him into an earthenware pot 
with the rootes of fennell, parcely and succory, corans, 
whole mace, Anise seeds, and ligorice scraped and 
slyced, two or three clean dates, a few prunes and 
raysons.” Then add half a pint of rosewater and a 
quart of white wine and stew the whole gently for 
twelve hours. A teaspoonful of the resulting broth 
should be taken twice a day. 
The fowl, alas! has now fallen from his high estate, 
especially in India. In this country, although it is the 
