Electio. Ex gallis eligendi sunt pugnacissimi. Tales autem discernes quum usu atque experimento, tum signis etiam quibusdam, Florentinus. Gallinaceos mares nisi salacissimos habere non [386] expedit, atque in his quoque sicut in foeminis, idem color, idemque numerus unguium: status altior quaeritur, Columel.[1] Galli probantur lacertosi, Varro[2]. συνεστραμμένοι τοὺς ὄγκους, id est mole corporis contorta, Florentinus. Cristae sunto sublimes, sanguineae (rubentes, Varro. φοινικόλοφοι, Florent.) nec obliquae. Oculi ravidi vel nigrantes, Columella. ravi vel nigri, Varro. Galli sint εὐχάροποι τὰς ὄψεις καὶ [malim ἤ] μελανόφθαλμοι, Florent. Cornarius vertit, aspectum pulchrum habeant, pro εὐχάρ. τὰς ὄψ. Andreas a Lacuna, aspectu venusto splendicent. Ego vocem εὐχάροπον Graecam esse non puto, sed χαροπόν tantum quae ravum significat: de qua multis egimus in leone. Rostrum breve, acutum, Varro. breve et aduncum, Columella. Palea rubra subalbicans, Varro. paleae ex rutilo albicantes, quae velut incanae barbae dependent, Columel. barba rosea, γένειον ῥοδίζον, Florentinus. Aures maximae candidissimaeque Columella. Collum varium aut aureolum, Varro. bene compactum et coloribus varium, (Τραχήλους ἔχοντες εὐπαγεῖς, καὶ ποικίλοι [lego ποικίλους] τοῖς χρώμασι,) Florent. Iubae variae vel ex auro flavae, per colla cervicesque in humeros diffusae, tum lata et muscolosa pectora, lacertos aeque (forte lacertosaque <lacertosaeque>[3]) similes brachii, (locus videtur corruptus. Suspicor post lacertosaque comma aut punctum notandum. tum haec verba, Similes brachii alae, iungenda.) Alae[4] alae, tum procerissimae . Caudae caudae duplici ordine, singulis utrinque prominentibus pinnis inflexae, Columella. caudae magnae, frequentibus pinnis, Varro. magnae et densae, Florent.

Choice. Among roosters have to be chosen those extremely combative. And you will be able to recognize them with practice and experience as well as according to some characteristics, Florentinus. Gallinaceous males are not worthwhile to be held if they are not very lustful, and they must have, as females too, the same color and the same number of toenails: a rather tall height is required, Columella. The brawny roosters are appreciated, Varro. Synestramménoi toùs ónkous, that is, of thick body structure, Florentinus. The combs must be straight, bloody (red, Varro; phoinikolóphoi, Florentinus) and have not to be sloping. The eyes ravidi vel nigrantes – yellow-grayish or black, Columella, ravi vel nigri, Varro. The roosters have to be eucháropoi tàs ópseis kaì [I would prefer ë - or] melanóphthalmoi, Florentinus. Janus Cornarius translates eucháropoi tàs ópseis with must have a good looking. Andrés Laguna with they have to shine for the good looking. I think that the word eucháropon is not Greek, but only charopón, which means yellow-grayish: we have dealt with this term far and wide when speaking of the lion. The beak has to be short, sharp, Varro. Short and hooked, Columella. The wattle red suffused with white, Varro. The wattles red suffused with white hanging as beards of elderly persons, Columella. The beard pink, ghéneion rodízon, Florentinus. The earlobes biggest and whitest, Columella. The neck variegated or gold in color, Varro. Very thick and variegated in color (Trachelous échontes eupagheîs, kaì poikíloi [I read poikílous, accusative] toîs chrømasi) Florentinus. The hackle's feathers variegated or yellow-gold, scattered from neck and nape until shoulders, then wide and brawny breasts, as well as muscles (perhaps lacertosaeque), strong wings and similar to arms, then long and bent tails with a double order of feathers sticking out from both sides, Columella. Big tails, with a lot of feathers, Varro. Big and large, Florentinus.

Femina vasta, et frequenter horrentibus plumis hirta, (pilosa, Var.) Crura robusta, nec longa, (brevia, Var.) sed infestis velut sudibus (spiculis solidis et bene mucronatis, Florent.) nocenter armata, Columella, crura squamosa, crassa magis quam longa Florent. Ungues longi, Varro. Praeterea laudantur qui elati sunt, ac vociferantur saepe, in certamine pertinaces, Varro. qui pugnam ipsi non auspicentur, sed aggredientibus aliis fortiter repugnent, et acriter de illis se ulciscantur, Florent. Et animalia quae nocent gallinis non modo non pertimescant, sed etiam pro gallinis propugnent, Varro. {Mores} <Mares> autem quamvis non ad pugnam, neque ad victoriae laudem praeparentur, maxime tamen generosi probantur, ut sint elati, alacres, vigilaces, et ad saepius canendum prompti, nec qui facile terreantur. Nam interdum resistere debent, et protegere coniugalem gregem: quin attollentem minas serpentem vel aliud noxium animal interficere, Columella[5]. Et rursus, Non probo pugnacem, nec rixosae libidinis marem. Nam plerumque caeteros infestat, et non patitur inire foeminas, cum ipse pluribus sufficere non queat. impedienda est itaque procacitas eius ampullaceo corio, quod cum in orbiculum formatum est, media pars eius rescinditur, et per excisam partem galli pes inseritur: eaque quasi compede cohibentur feri mores.[6] Talibus autem maribus (gallinaceis vulgaribus) quinae singulis foeminae comparantur. Nam Rhodii generis, aut Medici propter gravitatem, neque patres nimis salaces, nec foecundae matres, quae tamen ternae singulis maritantur: et cum pauca ova posuerunt, inertes ad incubandum, multoque magis ad excudendum raro foetus suos educant. Itaque quibus cordi est ea genera propter corporum speciem possidere, cum exceperunt ova generosarum, vulgaribus gallinis subiiciunt, et ab his exclusi pulli nutriuntur. Tanagrici plerunque Rhodiis, et Medicis amplitudine pares, non multum moribus a vernaculis distant, sicut et Chalcidici. Omnium tamen horum generum nothi sunt optimi pulli, quos conceptos ex peregrinis maribus, nostrates ediderunt. Nam et paternam speciem gerunt, et salacitatem foecunditatemque vernaculam retinent, Idem Columella[7]. Huius igitur villatici generis non spernendus est reditus, si adhibeatur educandi scientia, quam plerique Graecorum, et praecipue celebravere Deliaci. sed et ii, quoniam procera corpora, et animos ad praelia pertinace{i}s requirebant, praecipue Tanagricum genus, et Rhodium probabant, nec minus Chalcidicum, et Medicum, quod ab imperito vulgo litera mutata Melicum appellatur. Nobis nostrum vernaculum maxime placet, omisso tamen illo studio Graecorum, qui ferocissimum quenque alitem certaminibus et pugnae praeparabant. nos enim censemus instituere vectigal industrii patrisfamilias, non rixosarum avium lanistae, cuius plerunque totum patrimonium pignus aleae victor gallinaceus pyctes abstulit, Idem[8]. Nec tamen sequendum in seminio legendo Tanagricos ac Medicos et Chalcidicos: qui sine dubio sunt pulchri, et ad praeliandum inter se maxime idonei, sed ad partus sunt steriliores, Varro[9].

Big thighs and bristling with feathers often rising (hairy, Varro). Strong legs, and not long (short, Varro) but threateningly equipped with spikes (armed with hard and well pointed spurs, Florentinus) as if they were ready for offense, Columella; legs covered by scales, wider than longer, Florentinus. Long toes, Varro. Furthermore are appreciated those being tall and often crowing, resistant in fight, Varro. Those who are not first in giving battle but rejecting with strength those are attacking them, and harshly avenging on them, Florentinus. And they must not only not fear the animals harming the hens, but must also fight in defense of the hens, Varro. And the males, even if not trained for fighting nor for glory following the victory, are nevertheless judged of best quality if they are tall, lively, vigilant and ready to crow more frequently, and if they are not easily frightened. In fact sometimes they have to put up resistance and protect the conjugal crowd: up to kill a threatening snake or another harmful animal, Columella. And still: I don't appreciate a warlike male and of quarrelsome lust. In fact for the most he bothers the others and doesn't allow them to mate with females, while at the same time he himself is not able to satisfy quite a lot of them. That's why it is necessary to restrain his lust with leather for leather-bag, and after it has been rod shaped its central part is cut off, and through the removed part the leg of the rooster is passed through: and with this kind of clamp a check is put on his aggressive behaviors. Such males (the common roosters) are provided with five females each. In fact in Rhodes' or Media's breed, because of their excessive weight, neither the fathers are too much mating, nor the mothers are fertile, and nevertheless they are married three each: and after they laid few eggs, being unfit to brood them, and much more to hatch them, very rarely are raising their offspring. Therefore those who want to own these breeds for body's beauty, after they collected the eggs of pure-bred hens, are putting them under the common ones, and by these the hatched chicks are raised. The chickens of Tanagra, for the more as big as those of Rhodes and Media, for their behavior are not too much different from the common ones, as well as those of Chalcis. Nevertheless the hybrids of all these breeds are very good offspring, and our hens yielded them after conceived them with males of foreign origin. In fact they have the father's aspect and are keeping the lust and the fertility of our breed, still Columella. Therefore it is not necessary to despise the revenue coming from this courtyard breed, if we have a recourse to the breeding method habitually used by most of Greeks and above all by the inhabitants of Delos. But also the latter, being that they were seeking tall bodies and obstinate spirits in fights, they esteemed above all the breeds of Tanagra and Rhodes, and furthermore those of Chalcis and Media, which by incompetent people, exchanging a letter, is said Melica. We like above all our own breed, leaving naturally aside that passion of Greeks who trained for combats and fights any very fiery bird. In fact I think it is fitting to get an income for an industrious family's head, not for a trainer of fighting birds from whom  a victorious fighting rooster has taken away almost the whole patrimony, pledge of a dice's bet, still Columella. Nevertheless in choosing the breed it is not necessary to let ourselves to be attracted by the roosters of Tanagra, Media and Chalcis: undoubtedly they are beautiful and very skilled in fighting among them, but rather unproductive from an offspring's point of view, Varro.

¶ De certaminibus gallorum. Galli alii, nempe ferociores, quorum usus ad certamina futurus sit eliguntur: alii, nempe salaciores, ad implendas gallinas, ut paulo superius dictum est ex Columella, qui avium lanistas aliquando totum patrimonium hoc certamine perdere ait. Maxime pugnaces esse Tanagricos, Rhodios, Chalcidicos et Medicos, dictum est et paulo ante, et supra in B. Victi galli silere solent, canere victores, Cicero[10]. Si gallus cum altero pugnans vincatur, idcirco non canit, quod ex illa mala pugna spiritus fracti illi vocem supprimant. Cuius offensionis verecundia confusus, in primam quanque latebram sese occultat. Is autem qui ex certamine victoriam reportârit, tum oculorum eminentia, tum cervice erecta simul et cantus contentione insolenter effertur, et triumphanti similis est, Aelianus[11]. Lego apud Alexandriam aves haberi {monosiros} <monosiras>[12], unde pugnaces subnascantur gallinacei, si bis aut ter ovis incubârint, Caelius. Perdices et gallinaceos (Gallos et coturnices, Diosco.) pugnaciores fieri putant, in cibum eorum additis adianti ramulis, Plinius[13]. Gallinaceis mox compugnaturis allium in cibis obijcere solebant, quo acrius decertarent. Ex quo facetissime in veteri comoedia, ἐσκοροδισμένος, id est allio pastus, pro vehementi ac nimis in pugnam proclivi dicitur quandoque, Caelius. Pergami omnibus annis spectaculum gallorum publice {a}editur ceu gladiatorum, Plinius[14]. De hoc et coturnicum certamine Pergami Athenisque celebrari solitis, plura [387] retuli supra in Coturnice E.

¶ About the fights of the roosters. Some roosters, obviously the more aggressive, are chosen if their use will be for fights: others, obviously the most libidinous, in order to fertilize the hens, as I said a little before inferring it from Columella, who says that birds' trainers waste all their patrimony with this kind of fight. Also a little before I said that are extremely combative those of Tanagra, Rhodes, Chalcis and Media, and just before in the paragraph B. The defeated roosters usually keep silent, the winners are crowing, Cicero. If a rooster is defeated while fighting with another, he doesn't crow since the boldness broken by that ugly fight makes him to lose the voice. Upset by the shame of such a setback he goes to hide in the first hole coming within range. He who achieved the victory by fighting, both with eyes' prominence and holding the neck upright as well as with a persistence in crowing, becomes proud in an arrogant way and is similar to a victor, Aelian. I read that around Alexandria there are the monosir hens from which would take birth warlike roosters, even if they brooded the eggs two or three times, Lodovico Ricchieri. They think that partridges and roosters (roosters and quails, Dioscorides) become more combative if in their food some branches of maidenhair are added, Pliny. They were accustomed to put garlic in the feed of the roosters when they were about to fight so that they fought with a greater fury. Hence in a very jocular way in the ancient comedy sometimes eskorodisménos is said, that is, fed with garlic, for a violent person and too much prone to the brawl, Lodovico Ricchieri. Every year at Pergamum on State's expense a spectacle of roosters is organized as being of gladiators, Pliny. I reported quite a lot of things about this and quails' fighting, usually celebrated in Pergamum and Athens, in the paragraph E concerning the quail.