SPARRING
—is a ceremony practised with game cocks during the time they are in feeding (alias training) to fight in any MAIN or MATCH, for which they stand engaged. When COCKS are brought up from their walks, and placed in their pens, some are, of course, too full in flesh; others, as much deficient: in the judgment of equalizing these different degrees, (by reducing the weight of one, and increasing the substance of the other,) does the art of cock-feeding entirely depend. On every second or third day, during the time they are preparing for the match, each cock has a sparring with an opponent of nearly equal weight with himself; and this sham fight continues a longer or shorter time, according to the flesh, weight, and wind, of each cock so exercised, in proportion to the superflux of substance he is required to lose. For the occasion, and that they may not injure each other, they are equally shielded with mufflers upon the parts where their spurs have been sawed off; and that they may be the better inured to labour, and prepared for difficulty, the ceremony takes place upon a truss or two of straw loosely scattered, that, having no firm hold for their feet, they have less power to oppose each other. Cocks too full of flesh, and foggy, that require a great deal of sweating to bring them down to their proper match weight, are sometimes permitted to continue the controversy till nearly exhausted.