Morning journal and courier., 1885-02-09
We find our peace again.
Animal Fighting fin China.

From the New York Chpperl
 Though the denizsns of the Celestial Elm. pire prohibit all entertainments in which human beings may be injured, they have nc objections to fights in which the participants are animals. Religious persons, especially strict Buddhists who believe in the transmi- these sports, but the young men in China patronize them extensively. In every great city such as Canton, Foochow, Pekin, and Ke-Lung there are hundreds of sporting men who make their livelihood from these events.
 Fighting turtles are of two classes, either the mud or snapping turtle. They are caught and regularly trained. They are fed with raw meat and drug that corresponds with the 'slaco" of Texas. In six months the turtle becomes savage and ugly, and will fight and bite on the smallest provocation. To increase it's bellicose powers, the jaws and teeth are carefully filed and send paper ed until it's mouth is made almost into 8 series of razors and needles. Each day it's trainer leases it with cotton and wood until
 it is excited into perfect frenzy and bites
 the training instruments into small fragments
 Six months training puts it in good fighting
 condition. Young and old turtles are value
 less A middle aged turtle-thst is, one of
 seven or eight years-is the best. When the fight comes off the turtles have been starved and leased for week, and are as ugly as
 may be imagined. Each is handled by it's
 own trainer, and is teased and tickled until
 it is in violent rage. It is then placed in 8
 small ring with it's antagonist, and the fun
 begins The fight is always to the death. A
 throat hold means victory, Generally the
 legs are the main points of attack, and often
 both reptiles will lose leg in the first
 round. Their vitality is so great that after
 head is amost bitten off it will turn and seize leg or tail and bite as if nothing had hap pened. 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 wild cat, but are larger and fercer. They are usu- ally caught when young, and are brought up so as to develop their fighting qualities A good commentary upon their training is their market value. When kittens they bring about one tael (s1 .40l: at one year they are worth four taels, and at two and half they command from ten to twenty. They are matched against their own species, and at times against dogs, of about the same general type as our bull terriers. The fight is bloody and horrible.
 In some cities the contest is made nore exciting and terrible by putting metal stud ded collars around the neeks ef the two cats. The fight is then resolved into a matter of endurance, and frequently lasts five hours When wildcat is matched against bull terrier, the result is very uncertain. If 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. After repeated attempts to dislodge his foe, he succumbs from loss of blood and absolute fatigue.
 Cock fighting in China resembles that in the United States. The rules are about the same, but the gaffs arc often more deadly Instead of representing the normal shape of the birds Wsapon, they are made with two or three points and edges like razors. Under such circumstances a fight is frequently de- termined in few minutes In Pe-Che-Ii the beak is sometimes shod wisa nointed steel, and no gaffs are employed, Unless the monotonous, tAe birds being covered with blood in tWe minutes. They are also stimu- lated to increased effort by being fed with grain soaked in no-ma dai-o, liquor corre- spending to whiskey. Fighting or game cocks are valuable in China, and have hsen bred for generations. Those of Feeohow are the most valuable, and possess few qualities saye those of great beauty and reckless cour- age. They range in price from half a tsel (seyenty-five cents) to fifty tsels (seventr- i've dollars) according to the strain from which they come. The best have pedigrees longer than those of OFF great horses and dogs. :. Male rats are very pugnacious, especially 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, be- come very ferocieus. They are usually fought ip small ring, not more than three feet m diameter. These fights are sharp and short, seldom lasting more than twenty min utes. Each tries to strike each other on the throat just behind the ear, and when he suc- ceeds death follows.
 These rats are also fought against dogs and cats. Generally these combats gre uninter-
 esting, the rat having an instinetive fear of
 both these animals. At times, however,
 when we'll trained, they show fight, and often
 have been known to kill the luckless cat or
 dog put into the pit against them.
 Quails, strange to say, are also good fight