ON. COCK-FIGHTING 
thei coins; which - chads on: them two’ fighting 
cocks. aid sok: jtee 
Ons two palian gcins, i in: che. ean of Sir 
Wilkam Hamilton;* are: strongememorials: of 
this custom: on one? isaCock; with his head 
erect, carrying invhisbill:a palm-branch, in 
token of victory over another, which is. standing 
before. with a- drooping head:. On. the other, 
are two.in the action: of fighting, and-a mouse 
above, running away with an ear of corn, the 
cause of the battle: from both these represent- 
ations, it is evident that the antients neither 
trimmed. their Cocks, or cut off their combs 
and wattles. 
The race of birds most esteemed by the an- 
tients, was that of Tanagra, a city of Beotia, 
the Isle of Rhodes, Chalcis in Euboea, and the 
country of MJedia.t They preferred the larger 
kind, or what we call Shakebags. The hens of 
Alexandriain Egypt, called MovsGo9a, were high- _ 
ly valued. for breeding spirited chickens. 
From Greece the diversion was carried to 
Rome; but did not arrive at the height of folly 
as it did at Athens...The Romans delighting 
more in pus beh pnse as the Chinese do at 
* Archeologia, vol. ii. tab. ix. 
4 Plin. Nat. Hist. lib. x.¢. 21. 
3. Geoponic. lib. xiv. c. 7. 
BY, 
g 
i 
