Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-05

increase its bellicose powers its jaws
and teeth are carefully filed and sand
papered until its mouths made almost
| into series of razors and needles.
Each day its trainer leases it with cot
ton and wood until it is excited into
perfect frenzy, and bites the training
| instruments into small fragments. Six
months training puts it into good
| fighting condition. Young and old
turtles are valueless. A middle-aged
turtle-that is, one of seven or eight
years-is the best.
| When the fight comes off the turtles
have been starved and teased for
week. and are as ugly as may be inn
agined. Each is handled by its own
trainer, and is leased and tickled un-
| til 1t is in violent rage. 1t is then
placed in a small ring with its an
tagonist. and the fun begins. The
night is always to the death. A
throat-hoid means victory. Generally
| the legs are the main points of at
tack, and often both reptiles will lose
q foreleg in the first round. Their
vitality Is so great that after a head
is almost bitten off it will turn and
seize a leg or tail, and bite as If
nothing had happened. These fights
last from one to ten hours, and are
always largely attended by men and
boys.
In the Western provinces wildcats
are quite common. They resemble
the American wildcat, but are larger
and fiercer. They are usually caught
when young, and are brought up so as
to develop their fighting qualities.
A good commentary upon their train
49, 81, 1r.A
tens they bring about one tael (S1.4O;
at one year they are worth four taels.
and at two and a half they command
from ten to twenty. They are. match
ed against their own species, and at times
against dogs of about the same general
type as our bull terriers. The fight is
bloody and terrible.
In some cities the contest is made
more exciting and terrible by putting
metal-studded collars around the necks
of the two cats. The fight is then re-
solved into a matter of endurance, and
frequently lasts five hours. When q
wildcat is matched against a bull-ter-
rier the result is very uncertain. Ii the
dog catches the cat by the nose, throat,
or leg he usually wins. But if the cat
gets on his back, which is often the
case, the dog has hopeless fight. At
ter repeated attempts to dislodge his
foe he succumbs from loss of blood and
absolute fatigue.
Cock-tighting in China resembles that
in the United States. The rules are
about the same, but the gatfs are often
more deadly. Instead of representing
the normal shape of the birds weapon
they are made with two or three points.
and with edges like razors. Under such
circumstances fight is frequently de-
termined in few minutes. In Pc
Che-Li the beak is sometimes shod with
pointed steel, and no gaffs are en-
ployed. Unless the eve or throat is
struck the fight is long and monoto-
nous, the birds being covered with
blood in two minutes. They are also
stimulated to increased effort by being
fed with grain soaked in no-ma-
dai-o, liquor corresponding to whis-
ky. Fighting or game cocks are val
liable in China. and have been bred for
generations. Those of Foo Chow are
the most valuable, and possess few
qualities save those of great beauty and
reckless courage. They range in price
from one-half tael (seventy cents) to
fifty taels $50, according to the strain
from which they come. The best have
pedigrees longer than those of our great
horses or dogs.
Male rats are very pugnacious, es-
pecially in the spring. They are fed
lightly during the winter months, and
with raw meats and fish-bones. In
March and April they are in condition,
and, with little excitement, become
very ferocious. They are usually fought
in small ring not more than three feet
in diameter. These fights are sharp
,Lo ~,
twenty minutes. Each tres to strike
the other on the throat, just behind the
ear, and when he succeeds death fol-
lows.
These rats are also fought against
dogs and cats. Generally these COM
bats are embarrassing, the rat having
, an instructive fear of both these ami
mails. At times, however, when well
, trained, they show fight. and often have
been known to kill the luckless cat or
, dog put into the pit against him.
: Quails, strange to say, are also good
+ fighters. In the spring and fall they
develop pugilistic instinct, altogether
/ interesting. They fight with beak,
| wing and claw. The Chinese sport
, sharpens the beak to a needle point.
trims the wing and wing feathers until
, they are series of needles, and works
the claws into similar sharpness. In
these fights the hen quail is never used.
They are good-natured and affection
ate The cock, however, is very belli-
| cose He differs from the game cock
in his style of work. Two cocks stand
1 up, peck, dodge and gaff, and then en-
deavor each to strike the other with
, the trimmed wings. A successful blow
, means temporary binding, and con-
sequent victory for the happy striker.
: Sometimes, especially when women are
) present the beak and claws are blunt
ed, and bloodless fight results. In
such:a case endurance and pluck are
, the determining factors, and a long
and very funny struggle is the conse-
quence. Frequently these ''soft-glove''
fights, if the term may be allowed,
: Will keep on for hours, and the two
birds will drop down at the end from
/ sheer fatigue. Cor. London
NeWs.