248 
The Australasian Book of Poultry. 
decision. This is rather "tall,'' isn't it.' Of course, my acquaintance proceeded to argue from this that cock- 
fighting is a true form of sport, when so much is left to the honour of its followers. ' What would a racing 
man think,' he proudly asked,' if it were known that the Judge in a horse-race had been backing a horse 1 ' 
" As a rule, the fight takes place between 8 and lo o'clock in the morning. Thus early, because it is 
the nature of the cock to be freshest then. 
" An important person in the pit is the ' setter,' who stands in pretty much the same relation as a second 
in the prize-ring. One of the first acts before the great spectacle commences is the making of a collection 
— a custom, I am given to understand, not unknown in circles where the ' Pit ' has a deep and darker 
significance — for the setters and feeders. Custom decrees that a sovereign should be dropped into the hat 
on such occasions. An equal division of the money subsequently takes place between the bird attendants 
on either side. The scales are now brought into the pit, together with the cocks. The final operation of 
weighing is generally attended with a great deal of excitement, because if either bird is so much as half an 
ounce over weight he is disqualified, and it counts as a victory to the other side. Assuming that the birds 
have been weighed in the balance, and not found wanting, each party to the fight takes his bird tenderly in 
his arms, and exhibits his spurs (technically called ' heels ') to the other side. This is done with the idea of 
ensuring the use of ' fair ' spurs, because there are some heels to which the contrary applies. The spurs 
used in cock-fighting are either steel or silver. The former is, of course, the much more deadly instrument. 
The majority of battles, however, are fought in silver spurs. 
"The operation of heeling a Game cock requires the finest judgment, care, and experience, and takes 
at least half-an-hour. The spur is to be set on in an exact line with one of the tendons of the leg, and the 
slightest deviation would, probably, lead to the bird cutting its own throat with a thrust intended for its 
adversary. 
" The duration of battles varies. Some are over in a second, the spur, perhaps, being driven right 
through the brain. The victor on these occasions struts proudly round the ring. One curious fact is 
vouched for by ' old cockers ' : A Game cock who has killed his bird has never been known to strike a blow 
at a dead adversary. Some battles last for considerably over an hour. A ' main ' proceeds until one side 
has won seven battles out of thirteen, and thus is awarded the palm. The intricacies of cock-fighting are 
very great, and the length of the rules hardly allows them being set out here. One important rule, however, 
forbids the setter to touch his bird, except its spur has become inextricably fixed in the body of its rival, or 
in the turf floor of the pit. If both birds get exhausted, so that neither is able to strike a blow, it is open 
for either setter to ' tell ' either the long or short ' law,' as it is called. In telling the long law, the setter bets 
;£io to on his bird — that is, if the other bird should happen to strike a blow before he has counted a 
hundred, he will forfeit his ^lo. The short law is a variant of this, the amount being increased to ^40. 
Game cocks kept for the pit are allowed to run about on the farms until a match is made, when thirty or 
forty birds are picked up, and put in separate pens, in a warm, well-ventilated room. For the first three or 
four days they are given purges, to get them into a fit condition, and other methods, similar to fighting men, 
are resorted to. The natural spur is cut off, leaving about one-eighth of an inch. Each day the birds spar 
in couples. Round their legs, where the remnant of the spur appears, is fastened a pair of boxing gloves 
(technically called muffs), with the idea that the birds shall not hurt themselves. There are various ways of 
feeding the birds. One of the most successful cockers of days gone by told me that the best thing to train 
a Game cock on was a little chopped raw beef, the best barley it is possible to procure, and bread made with 
wheaten flour and eggs, and baked to a degree of hardness. This bread is generally soaked in a little port 
or sherry before being given to the bird. A little chipped apple is also frequently employed. The great 
secret is to feed the bird little and often during the day, so that he never gorges himself, but is got into as 
fit a condition as possible. The care exercised in the feeding operations no doubt gave rise to the favourite 
expression, "To live like a fighting cock." Some of the more modern cockers have, on the day of battle, 
considered it prudent to give their birds a little bread steeped in brandy, but the old-fashioned school doesn't 
believe in 'Dutch courage.' 
