um mstontns oF Gace sreamis French stock has induced breeders from oversea to try and raiso them elsewhere. Dr. Clarke Sn former yours imported into the States Nord and Flemish game, and so have done many others in recent days. "English broodars were unable &2 ‘ais them Jost over the Canal. Tn South Ameria, ‘specially in Argentina and Chile many attempts Ihave been mado to breed and rear them. But ‘the French game strongly objects to being trans: planted and loses mat offs vim in foreign cour fries. ‘The denily hick and destnoas that inthe ride of the French pits goes lost elewhere, and after a few goneration, no amount of sil srs tobe of any tse toatop the vaniahing virtues from fading amay. Yet, not long ago, Belgian coskt fought naled heeled in the Staten and wor, while others have contributed thelr bcod to eatlish new ates, ‘Bat in the cesnco, the Belgians, Legeols and ‘lamands, the large and small combatants da ‘Nord, are s local breed, seemingly destined to Dold very igh the reputation of their nataral colons, erowing loud end clear their dee, a8 ‘ver since has done the "Coa Gatos.” The Asil By ©. A. Finsrmnsusca, ‘There ia something strikingly particular about ‘this Zo ‘The ovistanding quality of this ancient breed ‘beng’ am abnormal deep” gameness, in fact 90 ‘marked deep—that it cannct bo expressed in ‘words, using the standard mesaure of igh clas srestern ok ‘The ward “Asi! denoting not a mere name to ‘entity breed, but itis an Idea summing up no- Diy high breding, courage and desperate gume- nea, Brtish sportsmen have fist usod the word Aalto itty tho breed of cocks that are found ‘im the Ctra provinces from Patna along the Ganges, Zenares, Allahabad, Lucknow, Cawnpur, ‘Agra and Gwalior, Travelers visting these paces find. several breeds of poultry that are sometimes related to the Warror tribe of high caste, but which obvi- ously are graded. ‘Now and then garococks are found cowed or kept in encoaures, and which say bo seedily bought for some Rupees. They sre called game, and toa certain extent may be nsiderel an such, as they are by no means bad. But from these offshoots, coming in all colours, ap to the high caste Asil there is a worlwide Aiterence, ‘What is termed Acil in thove districts,34 mstonns oF can stars sn CRB gad He nari oe api prod {ia distinct bird etiraly. Ivf oven aifialt to fee them as they are kept entirely out of barm’s wy. “Abdul Vurma isa native cocker rom Lucknow, lualner to MM, C.D. Camper, who Kops some of the pure strains, for nothing more than fighting, Hee doce not breed all the numbers he ean, bat ‘nly that quantity that can be fought and condi- tioned in the highest imaginable form. I merely ‘reproduce here what I have been able to lera in long years of correspondence and incessant inves tigation ‘Abdul Vurma keeps every hen, with enviable MISTORIBS OF GAME STRAINS 18 recon, separately. They have each a falrly good ‘mount of garden to roam about. ‘They lke o lg ep holes around the soft and aundy soll that forms near the bembeo pants, ‘Those are high and thickly sct. The leaves that fall constantly oem a deep bod, where itis delight to scratch 4 eareh of Hite bags that are abundant In & shadows, cool corner a nest has boon arrangod vith bricks ‘When the night comes, Abdul goes into every pen and smingly picks up one hen, takes her nto {he house and after a short examination she is ‘cooped under a baskotike erat, shapod Uke @ bechive, teugh twice os large. ‘The same opert- tom dane with cach and every ea, ‘Only the young sinck is allowed to roam in a ‘lock in ancther walk, But they are constantly observed and sleepin a special room. Provisions fre made to avail the entrance of robbers, bth Ihara oF anima. "Tho cocks aro constantly kept cooped and are Iiberatod during the day fora few hours exercise. ‘When notin mool, tay are trained constanty. ‘Abdul keep a record of the eg that are No beginning fo come. He neticd time ago the ar- ‘val of the sean and has made his cholee of cocks, Thea hens thet are exactly alike in blood ‘aro accostoned to cach other Keaping thom in oops and ascompanied by a cock, whose value at ‘breeder hasbeen ascertained in about thre years of cloest cbeervation. It i a cock of the Ghan stra, Thia cock has no defect that could de1st —-MISTORIES oF GAME STRAINS See are Frnt eerin in hig Ce ka Senta as acca of ee eit or ttt gor soca iti tary one sta lS St ptt th tr ts SPO ow ep deen. te sent iba ti eee fener oe Seay cut nee he etm yk arabe a any antre a at ‘Stine ho be yee ern th erat inte wes oof hr and oe Taine tebe ope” Aonk histo here tow Youn rani ie ha eae eek ar ext nfl rom the curt a eben oa i So San Geral ‘insane et We si ea Som gow eit cot mek Fons a etre the sh ied ay Sh coh HISTORIES OF GAME STRAINS 382 ing been disposed of as soon as they show up. Combs are trimmed wherever necessary. With ‘liled Hens the birds are handled and once more ‘fw aotioes go on record, Four montha later the stags commence their Ife seriously, ‘They are specaly fod and trained, until they reach a ma: ture stats. They are worked by hand, tossed, pressed and run.” Carefully massaged, fomented fd tually sparred, Wind and endurance are de- veloped to the highest degre, their action and punch observed minutely, while thelr style and ‘mental capecity are tried, teaching them treks that are repented with truly orlental patience. Tn thls stige of hls profesion, Abdol is master, and when a cock doesnot show sterling qualities he is Joking fr, is dispopsed of immediatly “And co comes the dey, when the Sahib tals Ab- ‘ul thst he has agreed with a party to Gght five cocks and as he managed to wager heavily on his cocks, he must wia. About twenty cocks are st- Teetod, "The additional trainers appeet and teri ous, eoxret work siarés at once. ‘The best welght foreach cock is found oat, and once the prelim ‘nary work hat boon settled the cocks ere con- Altione tothe higheet dagree. ‘Nobody counts or hopes for quick Aght. ‘The spurs are shortened ‘and tape i mound round the sum, nlnefeld. "The Oghts for the "Dore Dirsa” have been de- seribed elsewhere. About fve long and Tanger ounds per day, with pauses between each, alld the “Farni” ‘Cocks ere refreshed, eto and lampered. The handlers are the moat akilfal ‘men known inthe cocking world. "They rerlacs oF18 AIsromtEs oF caste srarNe remove broken teathors. They operete quickly ‘wounds preduced by smashing Blows. Swollen arta are tested with efleaey, ete. ‘The cxcks fought did not show marked sdvan- tage, the fist day, so Abdul puts thom to slop a0 soon ashe can, cating to cover thers with a heed, ‘0 long as other cocks are provnt. As the night falls, there is llnce fn Abda'scace house, and each one is slaeping almost at ones. In s orner ‘he man sets silently istaning to each noise sboat the cooks, ‘Then he hears the bls one producing slight rattling sound at be breather, A moment ‘waiting, to ascertain tho fact, and then the cook ir taken to the next room, where in the light he can examine the birds throat. He had got ser- ral hard blows on the windpipe, and the exab is to get the thing alright for tomorrow. He get hs ‘basket from whence he produces afew smal onions ‘that grow wild in the near jungles. "He euta some slices which ae placed round the swollen part and held in placo with a ott bandage. "The cock goes bck to his coop and after afew hours the rating ‘nag ceased completely. ‘Knowing that al is wel, Abdu foie his com: pany in the next zoom where ame eats are lad tout. Chatting and esting they pass the time, un- ‘il at about midnight a moter ear stape st the place. ‘The Subib comes to se about the cock,-— Deng vated and natucally tired he soon loaves anain, "The men round the light inquire about that cock Abdul was nursing a few hours, “Ob nothing 0 fan” says Abdul, “he wil start early tomorro™ afternoon, snd he will soon recover. That cock fights better the aocond day, and at bent when he has gota thorough lot of punishment” "The expectation grows, a8 tha one oe the other caloalates the chances the white Sahib has. Then ‘hey start ehisken talk and rerslnisences, and as ‘usual they come to agre that the oli-ime birds ‘mere better than the modem ones, Ths Is 30 ‘the whole world through. Tt is nly Abdul who ‘rep sila this, he eatinatas thatthe Jt he had fn preparation was the grandest he ever observed, (Otherrne it would be discret o his ee, snd ‘his la his most vulnerable spot Tinally they fall sleep, and our man dreams of ‘hat dreadful blackored cock that the Rajeh has titted against his best. Ife fours something, it In from his astagonat, that could owing both his shanks in tareiblo fashion, and which had fairly shown supererity at tho earlier rounds. Yet his GGhan Margha, with a white eye, had evenod with ‘hin lat in the afternoon, ‘And so came next day and found the lot quite silent bat extremely busy as the fight started ‘again, No rows that day beyond that Abdal's ‘Murghs was thrown twice backwards over his ck But the third day brought ame of the ex: posted surprte. The fst that Abdul's Ghan cock {ot hi neck roken. Another of hs cock broke ‘Ring, andthe Black Rarapar led his antagonist ‘va sudden rash thst startled the audience Sn on- ‘ual fashion. ‘The fourth day saw the fights draw, one antag- nit being hile. This evened the count, and te{ov being to seriously dauble that he lst. Bat ‘the hero ofthe ght wan the Black Rampur that ‘vas s badly Beaten the first day. He won inthe grand fashion that vas penliar to all he beds of his strain. Abdal's cmdence in his "Snake. aller” strain was fully justified as the young sock showed the traitaUhat were peculiar ofthis emily ver alnee, ‘There was another thing that Abdal made out. He knew now that the young Rajah, tho last ad- versary, had bettr Ghaneoeks than'his ow, and that Ht was a task for him to get under any et- ‘cumstances a hen or two from hia yard. ‘This a an ‘extremely dificult tas, but is ifelong experience ‘ill teach him the way to procure those highly Yalued. specimens. ‘No frat cass profesional ould aftord ta be without smme of the highly teamed cocks of the Ghan strain, ‘Thos a cocker in Inia has always a task before ‘um always something batar to ative for alan some perfection to alm at. Just aa iti eleewhere {nthe world too. General Remarks About A [No two Aall cocks are ate, Ifthe one has a tervile power, the other may be a tife quicker. But taken as a whole they ae a marvelots ant form breed. ses one paramount and fundamental quay Gameness! No other cock, besides the near re- lated Shamos and some Malay atraina pontess that stuperdous power, that give them the mortal Dench, unleown i Coucasian breads, ‘Sone early authors have stated that Asis are semerast slow, and that thelr mental resoures fare limited. This s obviously wrong. Atk the reodera that have handled tho genuine article what they think about Chele speed, and doubtless {you wll get the information that though not a fateh for the high speed developed naturally by teal or slasher fights, thoy are. extremely thifty and that they adapt thelr fighting style to ‘any other cock. "Thar lick of wing, of course makes them wn- ble fr iting ndvantagoounly armed with long ‘hela. Their observation and goneral cleverness, thle unerring eve, together with accurate cutting ‘compounded with thelr general physical vizoar, ‘males thom outstanding intelligent and extreme- Iy dangerous adversaries for any cock alive. ‘They ean stand an unusual amount of punish- mont and even deadly cutting. “However datress- 4 thare fe hope im him along as his staunch heart beats, and ho wil try and try again, with tenacious bitterness, so that only an extremely fame cork will stand him. ‘Type and colour are remarkably Axed, although the average Aall breeder loks for en ‘untantad pedigree and time "proot™ conaistoney in frst Hine. No specimen is kept for faney points, In ft rach a thing wold exis an All reedet to smile, were he tag of. ‘thas bem a source of speculation whenco the caferent strana eae from, oF how they derived.detected. ‘His comb has bean trimmed years ago, ‘when fought forthe fst time, ‘Other Hens, ofthe aame and other strains, are ‘oqally matched to eholce cocks, Some hens se- ‘capt tho marriage proposition with visible joy. ‘Others less so, But that black ben, “Gohra” by ‘ame, fs Inclined to Mut the cosk. She fa the worst layer, but her sons are vo high quality fighters. that no egg from her is spared or dare 0 lst For Abdol it was always a matter of specu. tion, in former years, to choose a proper mate for har a ao was from the blk strain, and no cock available round Ladknow. ‘They gota famous oock ‘of the same blood In Cavnpar, 68 kilometers from Lucknow, and the offspring showed such ramael- fable quality that ahe waa subsequently bred hher frst oon, the same that won a three. days {ight in Gwalior against enoted winner. Although she ln 7 years ld, she fs bred from, and will be {in oming years, "The Blacks are highly reputed for thar outstanding beauty and staying powers. Quicker than the “Ghan” strain, they indulge in sudden attacks of bestial fury, that not seldom ‘wrecka the antagonist. They dont soom to worry bout ho offensive Uh other coca ae, they ght ‘and fight with an amazing consistency, clover and svage. Some notod cockars do not fancy the ‘laoks, stating that thoy are anew tribe, but Ab- dul sticks to them, knowing there are no better fn the whole regio of Outh, formerly Ayodhya. “Gohra," the blk hen, came from the United Provinces, whore she was the lst hen of « noted [MISTORIES OF GAME STRAINS 77 strain reared slmost on the embankments of the Kosila river, Her caste ls oo high, and her eons ‘0 dendly good, Oat they are spared for very Seldom eseasions, when Mf. Carper wil back them heavily. ‘They are epelally good when fought ‘unbandaged. ‘The troublo with this strain con- faasea Abdul, ls that they throw about 60% ‘whites among the fomles.”‘Thase are led off early, and only occasionally are sold to traders ‘coming all the way by zal from Caleuta. The Sever Hindu (ralner remembers ths incident and ‘the fact that some of the oftspring come rather leagy. "Tels the Kulm blood no doubt." At last they ‘are not bad off the other pare strains sometimes ‘lio throw oftype specimens. Thus, the Sonata- ‘wala have boen produced from selecting off-shots of the Ghan strain. ‘They are immensely game too, not quite aa raise an the Ghan, but ev- Alently of greater speod. These Sonatavals are ometimes bt weak in the tall, come with longer ‘wing, and their epure being alight upeurvod are of elipticalsetion, so a if they were produced by a double spur grown together. Reversion to Southern blood, which la ald to have boon used to proce the Asi cocks several thousands of years age. ‘There are two other Black hens, which are Kept Inthe bamboo raled tree garden. ‘They roam at tse here,—both sisters,—from the same dam and ie, They are go much alk Uh ff wa not for f sear on "Sit's” com, even Abial would id 1k dicate to identity them. Both are of the1m MUSTORIES OF cas STRAINS ‘Rampur strain and reared in the garden they now occupy by themselves since their mother was found dend—evidenty kiled by a cobra. Abgul never found the snake alive, but one day he found “Sita” and "Rada," both siaters, devouring the prestmable Klee of their mother, AS the cobra ‘was found tobe femal with al indications of hav- Ing laid her eggs only” e short time before, a ‘mungo was proctred, and:since then kept in the garden, making perfect friends to both hens. Thay wore then named the "eabrakllars” and as ‘uch are thelr offspring knows, and—reputed. "Three of ther have Kiled their rerpective a veroaes, early i the battle—too early fr indian kes. Bat they have shown later on that it was rot mare acsidnt, but the enormous power these [MISTORIRS OF GAME STRAINS 178 birds develop when warmed up in full sti, "Abdul has peoeured rome very quick cocks from Dirmah, to be used as spurrers, and as expected, noted that the somowhat slow action of these ‘cook, ually diplayed with their near kin antag- lt changed to euch dashing activity that i i baeved that they havo a mighty chance ‘gsinet a full own cobra. Thus they have earned ‘hele name. "Abdel can waite too, Not auficently for a white man fo read and understand hia notes, but [ood enouzh for him and his work. "You see— tine boy, at his som Is doing now, he started to hhlp hs brown father to care for cocks and hens, {chick are naver entrusted to bays), and so he learnt only what the white Indy, who taught the ‘Sehib's eons could teach him inher spare hour ‘And that was qulte alot afterall Abdu learnt ‘ta'use the drawing penel, and though is cocks ‘ome rather stout, and his makes Tar too long, ‘everybody wil recognize his elephant, which are variably white, and wear two eyes. T have one these elephants drawn on dark paper. ‘There {snot one beetle missing. ‘When the Lens lay their eggs, day by day, Ab- il makes his notes on a book, which is truly & pedigree record for Mr. Camper. If in doubt, the Iatter enka Abdu, who knows the whole story, of teeny cock fom the abel a the final ay of his fareer, Abdul's bok enn tal, and Uhereis wo mis- ‘ake in what he says. In former days, Abdo used to tecord epee with fanny ttle white stones set fm rows on t sort of table, The stones belngheaped es toon as the hen went brondy. When the chicks came out, they ware replaced by red, yellow and back seed com, nd the whole system ‘rocked fine ull the tle own Rams,—Bia only son-—thoueht they were afne tay for hn This ‘was his fet mischief and for that he got the fest stvere king in is fe ‘Seldom that the trainer leaves the yards and fous, He has three assistants with him, and be- sidas Mr. Camper, the Sahib, employs two more trainers in the season, When itis time, they do nothing else than training the cocks that are ‘be fought. ‘The Sahib does not ike to ep 00 ‘many games is not quantity, but quality that hes aftr. ‘That is why ho got rid of the whole ‘train of Kaptans, ‘They were exceedingly beauti- (slender and high. Dark-reds in coleur with ‘orange-red beak and logs. A fo white apocke ot the body, and some white feathers in wing and tall. ‘They to, threw some white specimens, and some of the progeny came norly grey, “Saux” as it in called, and perfectly abhorred by the real cocker. They are not good enough for any af the Aail fowl, and though they can whip most any ‘cock of the lower castes matched in natural spurs, hey are not granted a place where the pare, the true, the immaculate Mids of tnelied devent race the coop ‘A cocker in India does not go openly to some probable adversary of the next Sight, But he wil fmploy scouts to hear and sce what others are Going for the season. Al never learnt anything ‘new by this method, but waetever determination the took after months of thoughtful consideration, 4 proved tobe Hight. ‘The moreso, aa he never dared too outside the way, very far from what he learned from his beloved father. ‘When the hens ae brody they siton their own aga. Abdul never touches Uhem.. Other cockers oo Whorally, and tht i why ao many are spol. ed, ho says, Ho alows the chicks to eame out all, by thomaclves, never rendering tho slightost as- slotance. Only strmg ones came out, and ov ‘ody Ie wure that th emall ots that rom along in ‘hele walls, are tray strong and heathy. Some are foand dead here and there, and the wise trainer knows immediately if they died poisened ‘or bitten by some vermin. One ofthe Mungos de- ‘eloped a taste for chicken, and alnce the old hen run him down, he as not attemptod the trek ‘gain, tll ho was found deed under bucket. ‘As the chicks grow, disaster grows evenly. The smothers yolk in them hes too much of the ght- Ing spirit to be oversean. When the weather be. ‘comes warm, and atmoephercal depressions fn- ‘fuenees the mind, the yolkings start hts that are bloody, nay, mortal. No use to separate thom. Loosened again, they start it anew, chewing af ach other, biting and hitting. Tals Infantile sameness and fighting spirits distressing fr the {elings of the Sahib. “He urges to separate the chickens and to keep them #0 unt the fury wan- fishes ‘But Abdul knows that f¢ isnot a momentary fury that causes the youngsters to ght. AS he explains iis the mother's blood that is makingfrst aparition in the offspring. Chicks that are weaker, that cannot stand that amount of Btn, io, Ttis in tho hard test tht the good ones show ‘heir superiority, and this acid test ls, other- ‘wiso apparently sound chekens, before they got hance to show up dagracefully. "The eurvival of the fitet, that in game fow, is carried on at such ‘an early state induced by the maternal yolk. A ‘game mother would jump foriously at any asa fant manacing hor breod, yet ahe tolerates with Derfoct indifference when two of her brood are Tearing thamselves to places. A. coc interferes whenever two youngsters running under him tart a eht ‘Young Asis aro carefully band-fed from the very start to got them accustomed tothe master’ Inand. “Later-on they are almoet invariably fe ‘rom the hand, the system being an aid to male ‘hem grow straight and roachy. ‘At T months of age, after Abdul resards, the stock ls reviewed day by day, the faulty ones hav Ing boon disposed of as soon as they show wp. Combe avo rimmed wherever necesury. With ‘sklld hands the birds are handled and once more {few nties go on record, Fonr moathe later the ‘Stags commance their fe serously. They are “pevaly fd and trained, until they reach a mse fre state. ‘They are worked by hand, tossed, pressed and ron. Carefully massage, fomented nd finally spare, Wind and endurance are de- ‘sloped tthe higheat degre, thelr action and punch observed minutely, while their style and ‘mental capacity are tried tesching them tricks that ace repeated with truly orlntal patience. Tn this stage of hs proforsion, Abdl is «master, and ‘when a cok does ot show sterling qualities he is Tnoking for, is dspopsed of immediately. “And ao comes the day, when the Sahib tls Abe dul that he has agreed with a party to fight five cacks and aa he managed to wager eavily on his cock, ho mast win. About twenty cocks are s- lected, ‘The additonal tralners appour and ser ‘uy, acret work etarts at once, The bast weight for each cock ft found out, and once the prelimi ‘ary work has been settled the cocks are con- Altioned tothe highest degree. Nobody counts oe hopes fora quick fight ‘The spurs are shortened ‘and tape is wound round the stampa, ninefold. ‘ounde pa day, with pauses betwoen each, called the "Pant" Cocks are relreshed, coled and fiampened, The benders are the most skilful ‘men known inthe cocking worl, They replace oris MISTORIES OF GAME STRATE romove broken foathers, They operate quickly ‘wounds produced by smashing blows. Swollen parts are treated with efecy, ete ‘The ence fought didnot show marked advan- tage, the fet day, eo Abdal puta thom to sleep as oan as he ean, caring to cover them with a hoed, fo long as other cocks are prosent As the night falls, there a flnes in Abdus cock house, and ‘ach one Is sloping almost at once. In s corner ‘the man aeta llentlylistoning to each nose about the cooks, ‘Then he hears the black one producing ‘alight ratsing sound as he breathes. A moment ‘waiting, to accertain the fact and then the cock Je taken to the next reom, where in the light he ‘ean examine the hind’ throat, He had got sev- tral hard blows on the windpe, and the erab is to get the thing alright for tomorrow. He geta hin baat from whence he produces a fev smal onions ‘hat grow wild inthe near jungles. He cuts some slice Which are placed round the swollen part and held in place with a oft bandage. Tho cock goes bck to his cop and after a few hours the rattling thas ccased completely. “Knowing tht all ls well, Abdul Joins his com pny in the next room where somo cats are laid ‘ut. Chatting and eating they pase the tne, ux- ‘al at about midnight motor ear stops at the place, The Sabb comes to ave about tho cocks— Deing satiated and naturally tired he soon leaves again. "The men sound the Heht inquire about that ‘cock Albful was nursing afew hours. “Oh, nothing eo far” sayn Abd, “he wil start early tomorrow [STORIES OF GAME STRAINS 186 atternoon, and he will toon rooover, ‘That cock fights beter the sound day, and at beat when he ths gota Sorough lot of punishment.” "The expetation grow, aa the one or the other calculates tho chances tho white Sahib has. ‘Then hoy start chicken talk and reminiscences, and a8 towel they come to agree that the old-time birds Ivere bette than the modern ones, This io 20 ‘he whole word through. Tt is only Abdol who ‘eps stil this, he estimate that the lot he had {npreparaton was the grandest ho ever observed. Otherwise mould be a dnerdit to his el, and this is his most vulnerable spot. "Finally they fall alep, and our man dreams of ‘that dreadful Black-red cock Ut the Rajah bas tel againet le best, Tf fears something, it Is from his antagonist, that could swing both his thanks ina terrible fashion, and which had fairly ‘hown auperiorty atthe enter rounds, Yet his ‘Chen Marga, with a white eye, had evened with him late in ho afternoon. "And ao tame nex! day and found the lot quite silent but extremely busy as the fight started ‘again, No news that day beyond that Abdul Murghs wee thrown tree Dackwarls over bi bck Bat the third day brought some of the ox- pected aurprice. The fret that Abdus Ghan cock fot hia nek broken. Another of hia cocks broke ‘Sing and the Elack Raropar led his antagonist Iva sudden rush that startled the audienes in un- sual fashion. "The fourth day saw the Sights draw, one antag- conit being lille, This evened the eount, and thematch was decided the ath day—the Rajan’ {fowl being so seriously disabled that he lant. Bat ‘the hero of the fight was the Black Rampur that was so badly beaten the frat day. He won in the sand Zeahion that was peculiar to all the bids of Is strain. Abdu? confidence in hin “Snake Killer” strain was fully Justified a the young zeele showed the trata that wore peculiar ofthis family ver since, ‘There vas another thing that Abdul made oat, He knew now that the young Rajah, the lst ad- versacy, had better Ghan cocks than his own, and ‘hat it was a task for him to got under any ei ‘cumstances a hen or two from hls yard. ‘This ia an extremely diet task, but his lifelong experience will teach him the way to procure those highly valued specimens. "No first class professional could afford to be without some ofthe highly =~ team cocks of the Ghan strain. ‘Thus a cocker in India has always tak before ‘bm, always something better to steve for, alwand ‘some perfection to alm at, Just a ti elsewhere inthe world too. General Remarks About Asi [No two Asl cooks are alike, If the one has & terrible power, the other may be a trille quicker ‘But taken as a whole they are a marvelous, une form brood. ‘They ment beso, a their breeding ls recorded several thousand years agn. ‘They poe 8 one paramount and fundamental qual Gameness! No other cock, besides the near ne Inted Shame and some Dflay strains posses that HISTORIES OF GAME STRAINS 187 stupendous power, that give them the mortal punch, unknown in Cancessian breeds, ‘Some early authors havo stated that Asis are somewhat slow, and that thelr montal resources ‘te limita, This ig obviously wrong. Ask the breeders that have handled the genuine article ‘what they think about thelr speed, and doubtless ‘you will get the information that though not a Iatzh for the high speed developed naturally by steel of slasher fighters, they are extromely shifty and that they sdapt their ghting style to ‘ny other ook. "Thelr lek of wing, of course makes them un- able for fighting advantageously armed with Tong hnels "Thai obvervation and general clevernes ‘alas them outstanding Intligent and extreme: I dangorone adversaries for any cock alive. ‘They caa stand an unusual amount of punish- rent end even deadly cutting. ‘However dstrest- d,there i hope in him as long aa hie staunch Dart beats, and he wil try and try again, with tenacious bitters, so that only an extremely sume cock wl stand him "Type and colour aro romavkably fixed, although the average All breeder looks for an ‘untainted podlgroc and time “proof” consistency in fst fine. No specimen is kept for faney polnts, In fet rach s thing would este an Aall reader to smile, were he taught of. ‘Tt has been a soure of speculation whence the iMerent strains eame trom, or how they drive.In tho course of investigation I did not learn ‘auch mare han what Mr. Herbert Atkngoa pabe lished some years ago. ‘These facta apply to the four high casto strains. Tndlan cockers differ somewhat in the names accorded to each, 20 that Tati to Mr. Atkinson's nomendatsre, wall now. Ing that his long career a broeder, coker, game judge, and finally president of the greatest game ‘ub, are sufclent tits to enforce hie authority ‘etnitaly. The Ghan. ‘Those are the heaviest stainchet bitds, "Their repllefor gameness is high, while the marvelous punch for which they are famous has given them the name Ghan, that means sledgehammer, They ‘come darkred in colour. Sometimes nealy lack. ‘The hens dark-brown with lustrous Back Ming, Sometimes they appear almest back, Neck ges. erally black. Ghans are the deepest gume fowl on earth ‘Nothing causes them to quit but death, and even dying they seem to be able to atrke with such ‘lelous power that they are at any instance 2a. tally dangerous. ‘There is no eosk that ean stand ‘more heavy punishing than s Ghan cock, As such ‘hy are let cool fighter. Never appear to be ins hury, fighting constantly and shifting elever- 1y, toland blows that are as thelr name plies, as struck with a sledge hemmer, ‘They may Aight for days and days without slackening. Deed game, their wind nd endorance is traly abnormal, ‘They fre, all Asis, very difieult to procure, and are the rarer of all high cate striae [HISTORIES OF GAME STRAINS mB ‘The Sonatawals. [No great dierencebetvoenthexe and the fore- soing, beyond the coloar” The cocks coming aay ‘thade of ghtred to orange-red, Breast back ot Hriped with brown. They appear to be just & thade thinner then the Ghan, higher stationed tnd lighter. Their wings are also larger, and ac- Cardingly they are apeadiar than the Ghan. On the other ide they are less steady in thelr ght, ‘and not untroquenty they resort to fighting traits that remotely remind of some other bres It ie supposed that they are graded. Ghans, of otherwine a sort from the old trunk. ‘Az the Gha, the Sonatavals are highly repat- dy and some Anglo-ndian cockars prefor them to AV others. Within eho atrain noted Zamilos have ‘been recorded forming eub-strains with some pe- cillar trails, and more poculiar names ail, The Jhena are lighter than Ghans. Soro very light in colour indeed, wheaten, reds, cinmamon. White {feathers wings and tal, frequent in most Asi, fare current appearance. Though, generally spel ‘ng, there Sonata are very near akin to the Ghan, they mist be recorded a a ditint variety. ‘The Kaptans. ‘There is some contradistion in what T learnt bout this rain. While some correspondents state Ghat they are simply grades, others report ‘hat they are an old, dlatnc, and highly reputed tran, ‘They are darkreda and brown with wov- tral white spots and white feathers in wings and {alla The while does not dominate however, ‘Those cockerr that have brea them long enough19 —_mISTORIES oF GAME STRAINS to study their traits aceure that they are a most dangerous strain. Game and active to a dogre, they seem to be of sperir intelligence, and with their ageressivity and unusual andaity,—gocs hhand in hand a style fll of treks,” Now stepping bck they seem to lose ground, dock and dodge, ‘when suddenly, lke a flash they strike deadly Hows. A family of these having been dabed “Cobras” for thelr dangerous behaviour. If we realize that the Cobras bite is mortal, and that a groat percentage of 20,000 fatalities aused hy snakes in Tndia are necomntad to them, ‘we can imagine in whieh esteem these “Cobra” ‘Kaptana are held. They are more slonded than Ghans and Sonatavals, more alive than both, and senerally rported as Moody heeled. Me. AtKinaen ays they are noted as good spurrars. They do ‘not, however, display the massive muscle of the Ghan, nelther possess they the slaying power, vwind and endurance that are inborn tothe former strains, My informant writes: “This ia the strain to be used In Burope for crossing with atel fighters, fs they are the quickest and mort surprising fowls have sen ‘The Rumpus Blacks, ‘Blacks are not ct all untrequent. ‘They may be found even among send rete fighters and that is why many sports donot care to breed them, Bat of course, there are superior famles, some of ‘which are highly prized, at fo the ease with the “Shakekilers." ‘Blacks are found in'a vast lee FUSTORIES OF GAME STRAINS 181 tit, and even filly down Sourn m the United Provines, ‘Thay are about the handsomest of Asis both In typo and eslour. Generally smaller, from 4 to 6 ‘oands, game aa one could wish, fll of tricks, favage in thelr tack, and particularly accurate utters. They are grt nlshers whlch cannot be fad of all Ana, and thelr work on a down cose {i worth soving. When bred near the coast they sonerally grow larger and coer. “Hudorabed garen ate suid to be derived from ‘this strain. Though they are casler to procure ‘than the coloured strains afore mentioned, very few may have bom exported yet. ‘No Asi is good alone to lok a, but tis strain, besides boing of high pt qalty is of outstanding beauty. ‘The black on the whole body fashing In = ‘blue reflection tat i not seen Jn ather fowl ‘The Samatra i green, some coast games aro pur ple bat theae Blacks have 8 proaian bse sheen that i a dolght to bebold. Beyond these four, Mr. Atkinson states, there tre no more tobe clasaed a of high caste.” Some ‘Anglondian cocks difer, but {t may be taken ‘sara, that how good some greys, matted, res, spangies and duckwings may appear, they eve 0 place in the selcted yards of highest repute. "They are, thoogh, exzallent naked healers, that vill whip atd smush western cocks of fying type Im natural spur, but thelr gameneis ia not ale ‘waya reliable. ech cocks have founded seversl Toeal Breede of Indian game that ive boon re- uted at good, but evident are aot Aa,“ey our —aies wo pang jeomas ony 22 -gound peep yeu on) aojaea 3297204 you Og eon, on 0} Buqeq a 3 pe ouoNE B08 feet OH, “epngpubver joys 79 gu049 Fupiods w ‘ods wp 3p ouos wa ye H 384 vp} 3ou HF uN Saw ora sping eu Ye) prFsOpUN of AE ‘Mog pus ‘jdnae w 29910 sda wUaAo5 = 20} sooo AOR “HYBY ssTooat 9 20x09 INP ay sop nop wea 6 38 PoHON 94 TAL AT