New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-20
4 COCK CROPPING CONTEST
Feature of Recent Paris Poultry
Shoe.
Paris, November /.

| Paris. November 1.
| While certain quarters in Paris are convulsed
| with heated discussions as to whether another
universal exhibition in the capital be expedient
and desirable not. few original minds have
| provided the citizens with a highly sensational
! kind of show. The fine glass houses on the
Cours la Refine. which are in summer the scene
| Of the beautiful show given annually by the
French Horticultural Society. are just occIi-
pied by the exposition of the Agricultural So
ciety and 1t IS under the auspices of that society
| that a new kind Of competition-that OF Growing
cocks-has been held The most popular part OF
the poultry show undoubtedly was the cock
Growing section and of the crowds who passed
through the turnstiles on the opening day when
the prizes were to be awarded nine-tenths GER
tatnly asked at once for the cock show
A cock Growing match is not unheard of out
side France, but one had ever seen such a
thing in this country before. and the novelty of
| course, attracted numbers of people who know
| nothing more of poultry than to recognize a
| roast fowl when they see It before them on the
table 1t Is not given to everybody to be
| connoisseur of fancy breeds of birds. but all
1 competent to judge the voice Of a cock-barn-
door variety. Black Hamburg. Brahma. Buff
| or what not-though it is probable that no one
would want to do it twice.
| On Friday IN the annex given up TO the
singers perfect silence prevailed the judge
and jury, watches IN hand. took their places
The candidates were placed in single boxes. care
fully arranged to admit no light Now and then
a nervous bird gave a little agitated cIuck. but,
| true to their traditions, they waited to begin
their song until the light dawned upon their
unwonted horizons. At a signal the coverings
were all withdrawn from the boxes, and stimuli
| taneously the cocks began TO crow The noise,
| Of course. was deafening. for hundreds of birds
had been entered for the prizes. and some OF
| them had incredibly powerful organs The prize
| was awarded to the bird which uttered the
greatest number of cries in half hour. and
long before the time had elapsed OF the
amused spectators were forced to beat re-
| treat The birds shrieked one against another.
and in one part of the building the betting
very animated At the opening the odds were
| all In favor OF Picador. a Flemish bird which
/ has taken several prizes I'm his native land
He was however. beaten in the end by Toreador.
| which made the record with thirty-two loud
and clear crows I'm the thirty minutes The per-
formance of each bird was noted by an official
| scorer. Santos Dumont, which came in a good
second. only three points behind the Torea-
dor, with twenty-nine crows.
| In Fridays show only restriction was
| placed upon the entries. 1t was that no cock
would be accepted whose ears had been stopped
up. and a notice to this effect conspicu-
ously posted the walls of the building. There
are differences of temperament in cocks: with
some emulation acts as spur, while others ara
easily discouraged The owner OF a nervous
bird might be tempted to stop its ears in order
that it might not be conscious of the prowess
OF its neighbors and. believing itself the only
performer It might in this way be led 10 do
more ample justice to its breeding The COM
mittee of the present show ruthIessly disqualt-
fled any bird thus doctored. and the inevitable
result of their action that some owners
were greatly disappointed In the performance
of their favorites. The staying powers OF the
winners was truly astonishing, their last calls
being as powerful their first All the com
petitors were in first class condition, extraOr-
dinarily fine plumage being the order OF the day.
C b