3. Of the Shape of a Game Cock.
Now having furnished your self with a breed that is stout and sure stricken; see then to the Shape, and know that here you ought to be very nice and circumspect, strictly examining every Part, and if by the severest scrutiny you find your Cock to be foul Grown, or disproportioned, reject him as a Bird unhandsome to look on, uneasy to Match, unwealdy in his Fight, oft times unfortunate in his Battle, and for these reasons ever unfit for breed, and consequently unworthy of your care, or least regard, notwithstanding the Stock be never so good from whence he is derived.
And therefore I shall here delineate and set forth to you the true Shapes pertaining to a compleat Cock in all respects, whereby you may be able with all the ease and facility imaginable, to discover the defects and imperfections of these Birds, and give a right definition of a Cock exactly Shaped, when need requires it.
And first I shall begin with the Head, which must be adorned with a lofty tow’ring Frontlet, or Comb, smoothly cut into the exact Shape of a Half Moon, so that rising in the Middle, it serves both for a Guard, and an Ornament to the Royal Bird; his Beak, or Bill, ought to be crooked, strong, and firm, of a middle size, and well jointed in his Head, with large Nostrils therein: his Eyes should imitate the Sparrow-Hawks, appearing quick, clear, and large; his Head ought to be round, smooth and small; his Neck short, strong, and well cemented, with a full set of Feathers for his Mane, that are strong and glittering Plumes, the better to set off his Crest, which ought to rise a little in the middle: his Back strong, crook’d, and big at the setting on: his Breast broad and large; his Body in all respects strongly made, round, close and well built, penipotent, fresh, and full Feather’d; his Legs strong, clear, and impennous, and if a little crooked ’tis so much the better, for that always denotes a deadly Heeler; his Feet with a Frog flat, and small therein; his Claws almost straight, strong and sharp: and for his Spurs (so he have any) it matters not what they be, seeing they are now of no use, save only to set to the Weapons with which they Fight in pitched Battles. And as for the Colour of your Cock, that is the best which you fancy most, be it Black or White, Red or Dun, Grey or Piled, or any other Colour whatever: For though Captain Markham makes a great difference in the Colour of Cocks, preferring the Grey before the White or Dun, yet is there nothing in it, for the World affords no better Birds for the Game than many of your Duns, and Whites prove, both for Hardness and good Heeling, as we daily see and experience.
The Scarlet colour’d Cock my Lord likes best, And next to him, the Grey with Tresle-breast, This Knight is for the Pile, or else the Black: A third cries no Cock like Dun Yellow-back: The Milk-white Cock with Golden Legs and Bill, Or else the Cuckoo, chuse you which you will: Don Magnus swears (of all) these are the best, They heel (says he) more sure than all the rest: But this is all meer fancy and no more, The Colour’s nothing, as I said before.
And therefore without taking any notice of the Colour, I shall only hold you close, to the afore-mentioned shape as being the all, and only parts necessary to make up a compleat Cock.
4. Of the right Size of a Game Cock.
Lastly, having obtained a Cock that is hard, Sharp-Heel’d, and handsome shaped, it remains then that you pitch upon a fit Size for your purpose, for otherwise you will still be at a loss: Now tho’ there be almost as many different Sizes, as there are several Cocks, yet are these Birds commonly reduced into two sorts only, and distinguished by these two general terms, that is to say, the great Game Cock, or Shake-bag, and the little Match, or Battle-Cock.