PHASIANUS. 
England by the Romans, but the precife period of its 
introduction has not been afcertained. The bird was 
here before Csefar’s arrival; but Mr. Pegge, in his Re- 
fearches, has found no notice of his fighting before the 
time of William Fitz-Stephen, who wrote the life of 
archbifhop Becket, fome time in the reign of king Henry 
II. William defcribes the cocking as a fport of fchool- 
boys on Shrove-Tuefiday, called “ Carnilevaria.” The 
theatre was the fchool, and the mailer was the director of 
the fport. From this time, the diverfion, however abfurd 
and barbarous, has continued amongft us; it was fol¬ 
lowed, though difapproved and prohibited 39 Edw. III. 
alfo in the reign of Henry VIII. and A.D. 1569. By 
fome it has been called “ a royal diverfion.” Henry VIII. 
delighted in the fport, and caufed a commodious houfe 
to be built for the purpofe, which, although afterwards 
applied to a very different ufe, ftill retained the name of 
the Cock-pit. The part of our fliips, fo called, feems 
alfo to indicate that in other times the diverfion of cock- 
fighting was permitted in order to beguile the tedious 
hours of a long voyage. 
It is a great pity that a cuftom which originated in 
barbarous times, fhould ftill continue to the difgrace of a 
philofophic and enlightened age. “ Cock-fighting,” fays 
Mr. Pegge, “is an heathenilh mode of diverfion from the 
firft; and at this day ought certainly to be confined to 
tbofe barbarous nations above-mentioned; the Chinefe, 
Perfians, Malayans, and the ftill more favage Americans, 
whofe irrational and fanguinary practices ought, in no cafe, 
to be objeCts of imitation to more civilized Europeans.” 
y. Gallus criftatus, the crefted cock ; differs from the 
common, in having a tuft of feathers on the head inftead 
of a comb, but has the wattles as ufual. This variety is 
common in England, and is more or lefs crefted : in fome 
the creft is fo large as to hide almoft the fight of the eyes, 
by hanging over them. 
J. G. per.tadaflylus, the five-toed cock; has two toes 
behind inftead of one ; otherwife differs not from others. 
This may be accounted a mere fport of nature ; for there 
is not known any bird of this genus which has two toes 
behind and three before, in a natural ftate. This race is 
common in England, but thought to be more fo at 
.Dorking in Surrey ; hence are known by the name of 
Dorking fowls. Thefe are alfo a fine and approved 
breed, being much larger than common. 
s. G. crifpus, the crifped or frizzled cock; this varies 
oniy in the feathers, the end of every one of which is 
curled up, appearing at a diftance as if the bird had juft 
come out of the water, or that the feathers grew the re- 
verfe way. This variety is found at Java, Japan, and 
throughout the fouth of Afia, where it is likely they are 
natives, efpecially as the young chickens are more averle 
to cold, and more difficult to rear, than others in England ; 
where they are feldom kept, except as a^curiofity. They 
are alfo to be met with in Surinam and Guiana, and ap¬ 
pear to be the only fort lent by Fermin and Bancroft. 
The laft of thefe authors adds, that they are fmaller than 
ours, and are brought from the inland parts, where they 
are reared by the Indians, and thought by them'to be 
doubtlefs natural to this part of America. Their flelh 
laid to be firm and delicate. 
G. ecandatus, the rumpkin : this odd variety, for 
fingular it appears, wants even the rudiment of a tail ; 
but differs not from the others except in that particular. 
How this change is produced no one can tell ; but it has 
been oblerved that thole tranfported from England to 
Virginia loft their tails, and the whoie breed are defcitute 
of them. 
». G. purnilo, the creeper, or dwarf-cock : legs exceed¬ 
ingly ftiort; and they are befides confiderably (mailer than 
other fowls, fome not exceeding thefize of a large pigeon. 
Allied to this fort is the acoho, or Madagafcar cock, and 
the Darien cock, which are likewife very (mall. It has a 
circle of feathers about the legs; a thick tail, which it 
carries ftraight; and the ends of the wings black. Buf- 
67 
fon mentions a fowl in Britany which is always obliged 
to leap, the legs being fo ftiort; it is of the fize of a com¬ 
mon fowl, and kept as being very fruitful. Other fowls, 
faid to come from Cambodia, and found now in the Phi¬ 
lippine Ifles, have the legs fo ftiort as to drag the wings on 
the ground. 
9 . G.pulillus, the bantam cock; fo called from having 
been firft found at Bantam in India. This variety is 
not half the fize of the common cock, which he fomewhat 
refembles in colour and fpirit, for lie will attack cats, 
dogs, or any other animal, totally indifferent as to their 
fize; he has a reddifh bill, red eyes, and a curious rofe- 
comb on the top of his head ; his ears are covered witff 
a tuft of white feathers ; his neck and back are clothed 
with long feathers, intermixed with orange, black, 
and yellow ; the breaft and lower part of the belly are 
black. The hens of this variety differ from the cocks, 
principally by varying in their colours, but which a't all 
times are more brown and yellow, and lefs black, than 
his; they have alfo but a final 1 red-comb on the tops of 
their heads; their legs, like thofe of the cock, are fea¬ 
thered down to the toes, fo as to be quite an incum¬ 
brance in walking. This fort is much valued, on account 
of the number of eggs which the hen lays without fitting; 
but the fmallnefs of them, as well as the trifling quantity 
of flefh on a bird of this fize, mult ever preclude their 
coming into general ufe for the table. Thefe are by fome 
called booted fowls. 
1. G. plumipes, the rough-footed cock : this is alfo a 
fmall kind, and differs from the laft in having feathers on 
the legs quite to the toes. Thefe three varieties feem 
fcarcely worth feparating. 
G. Turcicus, the Turkifh cock : all we know of this 
bird is, that it differs from ours principally in the variety 
and beauty of its colour. 
X. G. Patavinus, the Padua cock: this is of a very 
large fize, often weighing from eight to ten pounds. 
They have a large comb, which is frequently double, and 
in the form of a crown ; befides that, a kind of creft, 
which is moft diftinguifhabie in the hens. They have a 
ftrongerand more rough voice than fowls in general. It 
is remarkable that the great fowls of Bahia are not well 
feathered till half grown. It is l’o with the Paduan, as 
they gei their feathers later than other fowls. In relpeft 
to the Paduan breed with the large heads, Pallas has con¬ 
vinced us that it is a difeafe that occafions them'; for, on 
macerating the head in water, the cavity feemed to be 
larger than ufual, and the bones of the ikull perforated 
with fmall holes, as if carious. The brain was alfo 
larger than common, and filled up the whole fpace. It 
was alfo remarked, that fuch birds were remarkably ftu- 
pid, and not long-lived. 
G. rnorio, the Mozambique cock: in this variety 
the comb, wattles, (kin, and membrane which covers the 
bones, are black : the plumage has fome white feathers, 
but is for the moft part black ; and the flelh itfelf, when 
boiled, is faid to be black. Thefe are found about the 
province of Mozambique in Africa, the coaft of Malabar, 
Siam, See. and are laid to be very good eating, though at 
firft the black-looking flelh mult be very difgufting to an 
European. 
v. G. niger, the black or Perfian cock ; this remarkable 
variety is found in Perfia, and has the epidermis entirely 
black, refembling exadly, the Ikin of a negro. The bones 
likewife approach to a black colour; yet nothing can be 
whiter than the flelh, more tender, or more grateful. 
G. tophaceus, the tuberofe-cock: difeovered by 
Pallas and Gmelin in their Ruffian travels; and thus 
named from the lwelling form of its comb, which refem¬ 
bles the tuberofe. 
0. G. lanatus, the filky, or woolly, cock: the body of 
this lort is wholly covered with feathers, the webs of 
which are fo difunited, that they appear like filky hairs; 
the general colour is of a woolly white, and the bird is 
feathered on the cutflde of the legs, quite to the toes. 
It 
