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part of Peter; but it was the right sort of thing for the amateur-scientific. Peter returned thanks for the liberality he had experienced, when the Court was soon cleared.

Tom Spring (the late Champion), from Hereford, was present, but he did not exhibit. We never saw Spring look in better condition.

MATCH AGAINST TIME.-Wednesday evening Mr. J. Maclarren made a bet with Major Evans, at a distinguished sporting-house in the West End, for 100 sovs., that he would perform the distance between London and Bath (107 miles) in seven hours, on four of his own horses, to start within ten days. Mr. Maclarren not to ride more than 12 stone. The money was immediately deposited, and considerable bets were laid, the odds 5 to 4 that Mr. Maclarren wins. The following are the places where the horses are to be stationed

707

15.

JUNE,

birds do not attain their proper growth before November. Despite this, however, many fall victims to the unfair and unprincipled sportsman, even during the month of September. Pheasants, by dint of uncommon preservation, have now become not only common, but numerous, throughout the kingdom; and though they will, for the most part, cling to the preserves, yet, capricious in their movements, they will still frequently be found at some distance from them. The best time for pheasantshooting on the borders of preserves is about the middle of October, inasmuch as these

beautiful birds will then choose such haunts, and in them continue, if not much molested, about ten days; when they again seek the friendly shelter of the wood. As these are young birds which thus temporarily stray away, it would seem as if the mother bird drove them from her, in the same manner as the domestic hen is seen to get rid of her chickens, "warring against Nature still." Pheasant-shooting, considered as a diversion, is not, in the opinion of the writer, equal to partridgeshooting. While the ground is thickly covered with vegetation, pheasants may be flushed in all situations and as long as potatoes and turnips afford good shelter, they will frequently be amongst them; but as the winter advances, the thicker hedgerows will be sought, and coverts and protecting woods be courted, in which they are readily found, and, by good performers, easily killed. The pheasant flies with difficulty; for instance, if one be sprung and not killed, but marked down, followed and sprung again, and if this be more than twice repeated, the bird will scarcely be able to rise with any effect the third time, but may be caught by the

dogs. At the same time it should be admitted that the first rushing rise of a pheasant is not a little calculated to try the nerve of inexperienced or commencing sportsmen. The breed we have reason to believe abundant, though there be ugly reports extant of a disease in the species. Time will showwe remain sceptical.

Woodcocks will present themselves towards the latter end of this month, when they sometimes appear in considerable numbers; though it is not till the beginning of November that they are met with in abundance.

Snipes are to be seen during the whole year, but generally may be said to be numerous towards the latter end of this month.

Coursing will soon become general; though hares, at this early period of the season, may be considered, if the greyhounds are good for anything, as very much overmatched. Much, however, depends, in this respect, upon the season, and a good deal upon the country. After a dry, bracing, breeding time we have known hares run remarkably well from the middle of October; and upon open, down, and heath countries, where a chivey may be had three miles from covert into it, we have seen young hares puzzle, and sometimes beat, a very good brace of greyhounds. Something must now, also, be conceded to the courser, on account of his young dogs. He, as well as the fox hunter, and the keeper of harriers, has puppies to enter, trials to make, and hence Octobercoursing (but not sooner) may fairly be admitted. Blood, too, is as requisite to the encouragement and formation of the courage of a greyhound as it is to the entered fox-hound; if cub-hunting is necessary to the one, so is moderately early coursing to the other.

Unlike a racing colt, the three species of dogs in question can have no fair trial unless the game is afoot before them, except we could train a cunning old fox, or a clever running hare, to mind their points, as Tunner, of the New Forest, did his pig. But advance we.

Hunting with the harriers is somewhat dangerous, till the frosts have so far nipped vegetation, that the leaves begin to fall. Prior to this period, the leaps or jumps (as they are more fashionably, but ably, but less philosophically, termed) are blind, and, consequently, the horse is liable to come down. However, some ardent hare-hunters turn out in September: in October, hare-hunting becomes general.

Fox-hunting will commence this month, though this pursuit can scarcely be considered in scason till November; however, like woodcock-shooting, it commence by degrees, gradually swells into the noontide of its glory, and finishes much in the same manner as the bird just mentioned takes leave of this country. It is greatly to be lamented that no truce can be made between fox-hunters and pheasantshooters, since it has frequently been demonstrated that the two diversions are not incompatible; or, in other words, that the existence of foxes is not necessarily the destruction of pheasants, even in the very same cover. But it would appear that the two diversions generate very different feelings than could be wished for: the fox-hunter is a generous character, and nothing gives him so much pleasure as seeing his friends, and as much company as possible, with his hounds; whereas the pheasant-shooter too often eyes, with unkind jealousy, the approach of every stranger, and

admits only a very select few to share with him in the pleasures of his chase the one is a very social, the other, too frequently, an unsocial, diversion. The writer of these memoranda of the month is not, however, of the number of those desponding disciples, who think that fox-hunting must experience annihilation, because a few ill-natured pheasant shooters destroy the foxes which happen to stray into their preserves. Foxhunting not only must go on, but must go on increasing, since it is encouraged by the principal part of the rank, the wealth, the respectability, the common sense, and the sterling integrity of the country.

Foxes, like hares, will be found very abundant, as the breeding season has been as fine as possible; and from the uncommon preparations made in various parts of the country, we have not the least doubt but that fox-hunting will be more vigorously pursued the ensuing season than at any former period. Acquiret vires eundo; the greater its antiquity the stronger its strength.

TANDEM MATCH.-Captain Fairburn undertook his tandem match on Wednesday, over a part of Epping Forest. He engaged, for 100 sovereigns, to trot twelve miles in one hour, and to back his wheels if he once broke into a

gallop. This happened only once in the eighth mile, which he completed in 32 minutes. On his return, the pacing of the horses was a complete picture.

It is 13 to 7 that he holds three trumps; 7 to 1, or 38 to 5 that he holds two trumps; and 57 to 1 that he holds one trump.

It is 2 to 1 against your partner having one certain card, suppose an honour.

It is 17 to 2 against your partner having two certain cards.

But he that has one or both it is about 5 to 4 in his favour.

It is 5 to 2 that your partner has one, two, or all three certain cards.

8 to 9 is about 100 to 96 in favour of 8 with the deal; against the deal the odds are still, though very small, in favour of 8.

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING commenced yesterday. From all parts of the country we hear that the birds are numerous, but strong upon the wing; and as the ground is cleared of the corn, the sportsman must expect that his vigour and patience will be called into full exercise.-Life in London, Sept. 2.

MY DEAR MR. EDITOR,

Having given in my last some idea of the method in which a tiger-hunt is conducted, I have determined, at the request of a friend, to turn to a subject not only more congenial to the ideas of the many sportsmen on this side of India, but one in which I feel myself far more at home, and consequently better able to touch on. If I should find myself unable to give anything very new, there are still more chances of my being able to produce something more interesting than tiger-hunting offers. I am not to be understood as quitting the latter sport altogether, having at any rate sufficient matter for one, if not two more letters; but besides the request of my friend, I have other reasons for changing the subject, and as the tigers will keep very well, Hog-hunting shall be the subject of this letter.

Of all sports in the East, none can compete with this. Fox-hunting in this climate is anything but what it is in England. The jackals can't go compared with a fox at home; the hounds are seldom in the order they should be,

and at any place but a presidency, or a very large station, that indispensable requisite, a good field, is wanting; added to which, a man gets up in the middle of the night-no trifling damper in my opinion-so great a one, indeed, that was hog-hunting to take place early in the morning, at least one half of its pleasure would be lost. I don't mean to say this is every one's opinion, for daybreak is the hour for meeting throughout Guzerat, and I suppose if this midnight hunting was not approved of, some other more rational hour would be fixed on. Perhaps the heat of the day has something to do with it, though I have heard many a Guzerattee say it is not greater during the cold season than in the Deccan. However, it is not of much consequence-they like it, and they have certainly a right to please themselves. I thank my stars it's not the practice in the Deccan, and as I happen to be in that part of the world just now, I am satisfied.

The first time I ever saw a pack of hounds throw off, I thought nothing in the world could cause

such an anxious and breathless feeling as I experienced just as their sterns began to be merry; but where my heart was when the first challenge was distinctly answered, is more than I can sayI've heard of greyhounds with their hearts in their lips: I won't swear mine was there all I know is, my agitation was very shortly felt by my horse, and the pair of us must have resembled death on the pale horse more than a sportsman on his hunter; but this is really a joke to what I felt at finding the first hog, and if I might judge from the faces of my brother sportsmen, I was not the only one unable almost to speak! The truth is, the excitement is too great it's violent enough foxhunting, but not to be compared to the other. From the moment of rising in the morning to the putting in the beaters, a man is all anxiety; but from that moment until the hog is dead, the feeling is indescribable. In fox-hunting, keeping his place is all a man has to do when fairly gone away-no individual exertion can tend much to ensure the death of the fox. I don't mean to say that a sportsman cannot make himself of use during checks and on emergencies which may sometimes occur,-but in a hog-hunt the case is widely different. When once away, everything depends on the exertions of the riders-arms, legs, eyes, and judgment, are all in requisition; and if not made very good use of, there is but little chance of the hog suffering much from his pursuers. Nerve is required in both sports, but undoubted nerve is indispensable to make a first-rate hog-hunter.* I have seen many a good goer make but poor work of a large fierce boar

* This term is applied to the riders as well as horses, and meant so here.

something more is there wanted than the trick of getting quick over the country-a man may come up with him well enough, but there is still one more difficulty to be got over, and that is, as a vulgar term has it, to settle his hash.

As

I need hardly tell the least sporting of my readers that a wild hog, heavy as he looks, can go a most astonishing pace, and that to kill one a man must, at one time or another during the chase, put his horse out to the utmost. long as the ground is good, most can manage to do that much; but when the riders get into nullahs, or on stones or holes, then is the time to see who can, and who cannot, do the trick. The field presently becomes select, and probably out of eight or ten riders, two, or even one, has it all his own way, the cocktails just coming in time for a dig at the brute, probably in his last gasp. Even that much is what all cannot aspire to. This must at first sight appear rather odd, but the fact is, a hog goes at so great a pace that any fumbling or craning at nullahs widens the distance between you and him so much as to allow plenty of time for a first-rate hand to kill him before it is possible to make up the lost way-a single spear not unfrequently being the death

blow.

Of all difficult riding, nullahs are decidedly the worst-the best performers cannot go very fast, and the hog is apt to play all sorts of tricks the moment he find the riders at all behindhand. On getting into a deep ravine, it's an even chance that you go the contrary way to that he has chosen. He generally leaps straight down, and instantly goes off as hard as he can lay legs to the ground. Should this ravine afterwards branch off in different directions,