ADDITIONS and CORRECTIONS 



T O 



BRITISH ZOOLOGY. 



[To be inferted immediately before the Index of Birds.] 



VOL. I. Page 280. 



OF COCK-FIGHTING. 



COME account of the barbarous cuflom of 

 Cock-fighting, fo frequent, till of late years, a 

 favorite amufement among fome of all ranks in 

 this kingdom, will be no improper appendage to 

 the hiflory of our domeftic birds. 



If it can be any apology for fo cruel a diver- 

 fion, we may plead that it was in ufe among the 

 moft polite people of antiquity : firft invented, 

 in all probability, by the Athenians, and borrowed 

 from them by other nations, in particular by the 

 Romans, who introduced it into our iflands. 



At Athens was an annual feaft, attended with 

 Cock-fighting, inflituted by Themiftocks in honor 

 of the birds from whofe fighting he received an 

 omen of his fuccefs againft the Perjians. He ob- 

 ferved, that thefe birds fought for mere glory ; 

 neither for the gods of their country, nor tombs 



of 



