_Gravitating Stops._—An insurance from accidents, with a double gun, is
completely effected by Mr. Joseph Manton’s gravitating stops, which act
of themselves, to remedy the serious danger of loading with a barrel
cocked; and, with these stops, you may, by holding the gun downwards,
carry both barrels cocked, through a hedge-row, with little or no
danger, if any circumstance could justify such determined preparation.
The gravitating stops, I should not omit to mention, require to be kept
very clean, as, with rust or dirt under them, they will not fall so
readily, and thereby prevent the gun from going off. This I name as a
caution to a slovenly shooter, and not as an imperfection in the
plan.—_Hawker._
GRAY, _s._ White, with a mixture of black; white or hoary with old
age; dark, like the opening or close of day.
Grey horses are of different shades, from the lightest silver to a dark
iron grey. The silver grey reminds the observer of the palfrey, improved
by an admixture of Arab blood. He does not often exceed fourteen hands
and a half high, and is round carcassed—light legged—with oblique
pasterns, calculated for a light carriage, or for a lady’s riding—seldom
subject to disease—but not very fleet, or capable of hard work.
The iron grey is usually a larger horse; higher in the withers, deeper
and thinner in the carcass, more angular in all his proportions, and in
many cases a little too long in the legs. Some of these greys make good
hackneys and hunters, and especially the Irish horses; but they are
principally used for the carriage. They have more endurance than the
flatness of the chest would promise; but their principal defect is their
feet, which are liable to contraction, and yet that contraction is not
so often accompanied by lameness as in many other horses.
The dappled grey is generally a handsomer and a better horse: all the
angular points of the iron grey are filled up, and with that which not
only adds to symmetry, but to use. Whether as a hackney, or, the larger
variety, a carriage-horse, there are few better, especially since his
form has been so materially improved, and so much of his heaviness got
rid of by the free use of foreign blood. There are not, however, so many
dappled greys as there used to be, since the bays have been bred with so
much care. The dappled grey, if dark at first, generally retains his
colour to old age.
Some of the greys approach to a nutmeg, or even bay colour. Many of
these are handsome, and most of them are hardy.
GRAYLING, _s._ The umber, a fish.
[Illustration]
Grayling are never found in streams that run from glaciers—at least near
their source; and they are killed by cold or heat. I once put some
grayling from the Teme, in September, with some trout, into a confined
water, rising from a spring in the yard at Dawnton; the grayling all
died, but the trout lived. And in the hot summer of 1825, great numbers
of large grayling died in the Avon, below Ringwood, without doubt killed
by the heat in July.
The grayling lies deeper and is not so shy a fish as the trout; and,
provided your link is fine, is not apt to be scared by the cast of flies
on the water. The fineness of the link, and of the gut to which your
flies are attached, is a most essential point, and the clearer the
stream the finer should be the tackle. I have known good fishermen
foiled by using a gut of ordinary thickness, though their flies were of
the right size and colour. Very slender transparent gut of the colour of
the water, is one of the most important causes of success in grayling
fishing.
He is to be fished for at all times, for he is rarely so much out of
season as to be a bad fish; and when there are flies on the water, he
will generally take them: but as the trout may be considered as a spring
and summer fish, so the grayling may be considered as a winter and
autumnal fish.
Grayling do not refuse large flies; and in the Avon and Test May flies,
and even moths, are greedily taken in the summer by large grayling.
Flies, likewise, that do not inhabit the water, but are blown from the
land, are good baits for grayling. There is no method more killing for
large grayling, than applying a grasshopper to the point of a leaded
hook, the lead and shank of which are covered with green and yellow
silk, to imitate the body of the animal. This mode of fishing is called
sinking and drawing. I have seen it practised in this river with as much
success as maggot fishing, and the fish taken were all of the largest
size; the method being most successful in deep holes, where the bottom
was not visible, which are the natural haunts of such fish. In the
winter, grayling rise for an hour or two in bright and tolerably warm
weather, and at this time the smallest imitations of black or pale gnats
that can be made, on the smallest sized hook, succeed best in taking
them. In March, the dark-bodied willow fly may be regarded as the
earliest fly; the imitation of which is made by a dark claret dubbing
and a dun hackle, or four small starlings’ wing feathers. The blue dun
comes on in the middle of the day in this month, and is imitated by dun
hackles for wings and legs, and an olive dubbing for body. In mild
weather, in morning and evening in this month, and through April, the
green tail, or grannon, comes on in great quantities, and is well
imitated by a hen pheasant’s wing feather, a grey or red hackle for
legs, and a dark peacock’s harle, or dark hare’s ear fur, for the body.
The same kind of fly, of a larger size, with paler wings, kills well in
the evening, through May or June. The imitation of a water insect called
the spider-fly, with a lead-coloured body and woodcock’s wings, is said
to be a killing bait on this and other rivers, in the end of April and
beginning of May, but I never happened to see it on the water. The
darker alder fly, in May and June, is taken greedily by the fish; it is
imitated by a dark shaded pheasant’s wing, black hackle for legs, and a
peacock’s harle, ribbed with red silk, for the body. At this season, and
in July, imitations of the black and red palmer worms, which I believe
are taken for black or brown, or red beetles or cockchafers, kill well;
and in dark weather there are usually very light duns on the water. In
August, imitations of the house fly and blue bottle, and the red and
black ant fly, are taken, and are particularly killing after floods in
autumn, when great quantities of the fly are destroyed and washed down
the river. In this month, in cloudy days, pale blue duns often appear,
and they are still more common in September. Throughout the summer and
autumn, in fine calm evenings, a large dun fly, with a pale yellow body,
is greedily taken by grayling after sunset, and the imitation of it is
very killing. In the end of October, and through November, there is no
fly fishing but in the middle of the day, when imitations of the smaller
duns may be used with great success; and I have often seen the fish
sport most, and fly fishing pursued with great success in bright
sunshine, from twelve till half past two o’clock, after severe frosts in
the morning; and I once caught under these circumstances a very fine
dish of fish on the 7th of November. It was in the year 1816; the summer
and autumn had been peculiarly cold and wet, and, probably in
consequence of this, the flies were in smaller quantity at their usual
season, and there were a greater proportion later in the year.
Grayling, if you take your station by the side of a river, will rise
nearer to you than trout, for they lie deeper, and therefore are not so
much scared by an object on the bank; but they are more delicate in the
choice of their flies than trout, and will much oftener rise and refuse
the fly. Trout, from lying nearer the surface, are generally taken
before grayling where the water is slightly coloured, or after a flood;
and in rain trout usually rise better than grayling, though it sometimes
happens, when great quantities of flies come out in rain, grayling, as
well as trout, are taken with more certainty than at any other time. The
artificial fly, in such cases, looks like a wet fly, and allures even
the grayling, which generally is more difficult to deceive than trout in
the same river.—_Sir Humphry Davy._
GREASE, _s._ The soft part of the fat; a swelling and gourdiness of
the legs, which generally happens to a horse after his journey.
Swelled legs, although distinct from _grease_, are apt to degenerate
into it. This disease, therefore, comes next under our consideration. It
is an inflammation of the skin of the heel, sometimes of the fore, but
oftener of the hind foot. It is not a contagious disease, although when
it once appears in a stable it frequently goes through it, for it is
usually to be traced to bad stable management. The skin of the heel of
the horse somewhat differs from that of any other part. There is a great
deal of motion in the fetlock, and to prevent the skin from excoriation
or chapping, it is necessary that it should be kept soft and pliable;
therefore, in the healthy state of the part, the skin of the heel has a
peculiar greasy feel. Under inflammation, the secretion of this greasy
matter is stopped—the heels become red, dry, and scurfy; and being
almost constantly in motion, cracks soon succeed: these sometimes
extend, and the whole surface of the heel becomes a mass of soreness,
ulceration, and fungus.
The first appearance of grease is usually a dry and scurfy state of the
skin of the heel, with redness, heat and itchiness. The heel should be
well washed with soap and water; as much of the scurf should be detached
as is easily removable: white ointment composed of one drachm of sugar
of lead, rubbed down with an ounce of lard, will usually supple and
cool, and heal the part.
When cracks appear, the mode of treatment will depend on their extent
and depth. If they are but slight, a lotion composed of a solution of
two drachms of blue vitriol, or four of alum, in a pint of water, will
often speedily dry them up and close them. But if the cracks are deep,
with an ichorous discharge, and the lameness considerable, it will be
necessary to poultice the heel. A poultice of linseed meal will be the
most effectual, unless the discharge is thin and offensive, when an
ounce of finely powdered charcoal should be mixed with the linseed meal,
or a poultice may be made with carrots boiled soft, and mashed. The
efficacy of a carrot poultice is seldom sufficiently appreciated in
cases like these.
When the inflammation and pain have evidently subsided, and the cracks
discharge good matter, they may be dressed with an ointment composed of
one part of resin, and three of lard, melted together, and one part of
calamine powder added, when these begin to get cool. The healing will be
quickened if the cracks are occasionally washed with either the vitriol
or alum solution. A mild diuretic may here be given every third day, but
a mild dose of physic will form the best medicine that can be
administered.
After the chaps or cracks have healed, the legs will sometimes continue
gorged and swelled. A flannel bandage evenly applied over the whole of
the swelled part will be very serviceable; or, should the season admit
of it, a run at grass, particularly spring grass, should be allowed. A
blister is inadmissible, from the danger of bringing back the
inflammation of the skin, and discharge from it; but the actual cautery,
taking especial care not to penetrate the skin, must occasionally be
resorted to.
There will be great danger in suddenly stopping this discharge.
Inflammation of a more important part has rapidly succeeded to the
injudicious attempt. The local application should be directed to the
abatement of the inflammation. The poultices just referred to should be
diligently used night and day, and especially the carrot poultice; and,
when the heat and tenderness and stiffness of motion have diminished,
astringent lotions may be applied; either the alum lotion, or a strong
decoction of oak bark, changed, or used alternately, but not mixed. The
cracks should likewise be dressed with the ointment above mentioned; and
the moment the horse can bear it, a flannel bandage should be put on,
reaching from the coronet, to three or four inches above the swelling.
Walking exercise should be resorted to as soon as the horse is able to
bear it, and this by degrees may be increased to a gentle trot.—_The
Horse._
GREASY, _a._ Oily, fat, unctuous; smeared with grease.
GREAVES, _s._ The offal of chandlers; the animal matter which
remains after the tallow has been extracted. Greaves mixed with
oatmeal make excellent feeding for dogs.
GREBE, s. A water-fowl.
[Illustration]
The bills of this genus are compressed on the sides, and though not
large, are firm and strong, straight and sharp pointed: nostrils linear;
a bare space between the bill and the eyes; tongue slightly cloven at
the end; body depressed; feathers thickly set, compact, very smooth, and
glossy; wings short, scapulars long; no tail; legs placed far behind,
much compressed, or flattened on the sides, and serrated behind with a
double row of notches; toes furnished on each side with membranes; the
inner toes broader than the outer; the nails broad and flat.
This genus is ranked by Ray and Linnæus with the diver and guillemot;
but as the grebes differ materially from those birds, Brisson, Pennant,
and Latham, have separated them. The grebes are almost continually upon
the water, where they are remarkable for their agility: at sea they seem
to sport with the waves, through which they seem to dart with the
greatest ease, and, in swimming, slide along, as it were without any
apparent effort upon the surface, with wonderful velocity; they also
dive to a great depth in pursuit of their prey. They frequent
fresh-water lakes and inlets of rivers as well as the ocean, to which
they are obliged to resort in severe seasons, when the former are bound
up by the ice. No cold or damp can penetrate their thick, close plumage,
which looks as it were glazed on the surface, and by which they are
enabled, while they have open water, to brave the rigours of the coldest
winter. They can take wing from the water, or drop from an eminence, and
fly with great swiftness to a considerable distance; but when they
happen to alight on the land, are helpless, for they cannot either rise
from the flat surface of the ground, or make much progress in walking
upon it. On shore they sit with the body erect, commonly upon the whole
length of their legs, and, in attempting to regain the water, they
awkwardly waddle forward in the same position; and, if by any
interruption they happen to fall on their belly, they sprawl with their
feet, and flap their short wings as if they were wounded, and may easily
be taken by the hand, for they can make no other defence than by
striking violently with their sharp-pointed beak. They live upon fish,
and it is said, also upon fresh water and sea-weeds. They are generally
very fat and heavy in proportion to their size.
The females generally build their nests in the holes of the rocky
precipices which overhang the sea-shores; and those which breed on
lakes, make theirs of withered reeds and rushes, &c., and fix it among
the growing stalks of a tuft, or bush, of such like herbage, close by
the water’s edge. They lay from two to four eggs at one hatching.
The skins of these birds are dressed with the feathers on, and made into
warm beautiful tippets and muffs; the under part only is used for this
purpose, and a skin of one of the species sells as high as fourteen
shillings.
_Great Crested Grebe._—(_Greater crested Douker_, _Car Goose_,
_Ash-coloured Loon_, or _Gaunt_, _Colymbus cristatus_, LINN.; _Le Grêbe
huppé_, BUFF.)—This bird is the largest of the grebes, weighing about
two pounds and a half, and measuring twenty-one inches in length, and
thirty in breadth. The bill is about two inches and a quarter long, dark
at the tip, and red at the base; the bare stripe, or core, between the
bill and eyes, is in the breeding season red, afterwards change to
dusky; irides fine pale crimson. The head, in adult males, is furnished
with a great quantity of feathers, which form a kind of ruff,
surrounding the upper part of the neck; those on each side of the head,
behind, are longer than the rest, and stand out like ears: this ruff is
of a bright ferruginous colour, edged on the under side with black. The
upper parts of the plumage are of a sooty or mouse-coloured brown; the
under parts of a glossy or silvery white; the inner ridge of the wing is
white; the secondaries of the same colour, forming an oblique bar across
the wing when closed: the outsides of the legs are dusky, the inside and
toes of a pale green.
This species is common in the fens and lakes in various parts of
England, where they breed and rear their young. The female conceals her
nest among the flags and reeds which grow in the water, upon which it is
said to float, and that she hatches her eggs amidst the moisture which
oozes through it. It is made of various kinds of dried fibres, stalks,
and leaves of water plants, and (Pennant says) the roots of bugbane,
stalks of water-lily, pond-weed, and water-violet; and he asserts, that
when it happens to be blown from among the reeds, it floats about upon
the surface of the open water.
These birds are met with in almost every lake in the northern parts of
Europe, as far as Iceland, and southward to the Mediterranean; they are
also found in various parts of America.
_Tippet Grebe, Greater Dabchick, or Greater Loon._—(_Colymbus urinator_,
LINN. _Le Grêbe_, BUFF.)—This bird differs from the last only in being
somewhat less, in having its neck, in most specimens, striped downward
on the sides with narrow lines of dusky and white, and in having no
crest.
Modern ornithologists begin to suspect, that the tippet grebe is the
female of the great crested grebe, or a young bird of that species,
Latham says, “It is with some reluctance, that we pen our doubts
concerning the identity of this, as a species, at least as being
distinct from the great crested grebe, in contradiction to what former
authors have recorded on the subject. It is certain that the last-named
bird varies exceedingly at different periods of life; and we are
likewise as certain, that the birds which have been pointed out to us as
the Geneva grebes, have been no other than young ones of the great
crested, not having yet attained the crest; and whoever will compare
Brisson’s three figures of the birds in question, will find (the crest
excepted) that they all exactly coincide, allowing for their different
periods of ages.”
_Eared Grebe._—This bird measures about twelve inches in length, and
twenty two from tip to tip of the wings. The bill is black, inclining to
red towards the base, rather slender, nearly an inch long, and slightly
bent upwards at the point, lore and irides red; the head is thickly set
and enlarged with feathers of a sooty black colour, except two large
loose and spreading orange-coloured tufts, which take their rise behind
each eye, flow backwards, and nearly meet at their tips, the neck and
upper parts of the plumage are black, the under parts of a glossy white;
the sides a rusty chestnut colour; legs greenish black. The male and
female are nearly alike, only the latter is not furnished or puffed up
about the head with such a quantity of feathers.
This species is not numerous in the British isles. Pennant says they
inhabit and breed in the fens near Spalding in Lincolnshire, and that
the female makes a nest not unlike that of the crested grebe, and lays
four or five small white eggs. The eared grebe is found in the northern
regions of Europe, as far as Iceland, and also met with in southern
climates. The circumnavigator Bougainville says, it is called the “Diver
with spectacles,” in the Falkland Islands.
_Dusky Grebe_, _Black and White Dabchick_, (_Colymbus nigricans_, LINN.
_La petite Grêbe_ BUFF.)—This species measures about an inch less in
length, and two in breadth, than the last. The bill is more than an inch
long, and of a pale blue colour, with reddish edges; lore and orbits
red; irides bright yellow: the upper part of the head, hinder part of
the neck, scapulars, and rump, are of a dark sooty or a mouse-coloured
brown; the feathers on the back are nearly of the same colour, but
glossy, and with greyish edges; the ridge of the wings and secondary
quills are white, the rest of the wing dusky. There is a pale spot
before each eye; the cheeks and throat are white; the fore part of the
neck is light brown; and the breast and belly are white and glossy like
satin; the thighs and vent are covered with dirty white downy feathers;
the legs are white behind, dusky on the outer side, and pale blue on the
inner sides and shins; the toes and webbed membranes are also blue on
the upper sides, and dark underneath.
_Red-necked Grebe_ (_Colymbus subscristatus_, _Le Jougris_, BUFF.)—This
bird measures, from the bill to the rump, seventeen inches; to the end
of the toes twenty-one; and weighs eighteen ounces and three quarters.
The bill is about two inches long, dusky or horn-coloured on the ridge
and tip, and on the sides of it, towards the corners of the mouth, of a
reddish yellow; the underside of the lower mandible is also of the
latter colour: lore dusky; irides dark hazel; the cheeks and throat are
of a dirty or greyish white; the upper part of the head is black, with a
greyish cast, and the feathers are lengthened on each side, on a line
with the eyes backward, so as to look like a pair of rounded ears—these
it can raise or depress at pleasure: the fore part and sides of the neck
are of a dingy brown, mixed with feathers of a bright rusty red; the
upper parts of the plumage are of a darkish mouse-coloured brown,
lightest on the wing-coverts, deepest on the scapulars and rump, and
edged with grey on the shoulders; the under parts are of a glossy white,
like satin, mottled with indistinct brownish spots: primary quills
brownish tawny, with dark-coloured tips; secondaries white: outer sides
of the legs dusky, inner sides sallow green; webs of the outer toes
flesh colour, middle ones redder, and the inner ones orange.
Pennant supposes the red-necked grebe to be only a variety of the great
crested grebe; but Latham, who has been furnished with several
specimens, is of opinion that it is a distinct species. He describes the
adult males in full feather, as having their necks of an uniform reddish
chestnut; and the younger birds, when they have not obtained their full
plumage, to be only partially spotted on their necks with that colour.
_Little Grebe, Dab-chick, Small Doucher, Dipper, or Didapper_ (_Colymbus
minutus_, LINN.; _Le Castagneaux_, BUFF.)—This is the least of the grebe
tribe, weighing only between six and seven ounces, and measuring, to the
rump, ten inches, to the end of the toes thirteen, and about sixteen
from tip to tip of the wings. The bill is scarcely an inch long, of a
dusky reddish colour; irides hazel; the head is thickly clothed with a
downy kind of soft feathers, which it can puff up to a great size, or
lay down flat at pleasure; the cheeks are mostly of a bay colour, fading
towards the chin and throat into a yellowish white. The neck, breast,
and all the upper parts of the plumage, are of a brown or chestnut
colour, tinged with red, lightest on the rump: the belly is white,
clouded with ash-colour, mixed with red: thighs and vent grey: greater
quills dark brown; the lesser white on their inner webs: legs dirty
olive green.
The little grebe is a true aquatic, for it seldom quits the water, nor
ventures beyond the sedgy margins of the lake where it has taken up its
abode. It is a most excellent diver, and can remain a long while under
water, in pursuit of its prey, or to shun danger. It is found in almost
every lake, and sometimes upon rivers, but seldom goes out to sea. Its
food is of the same kind, and its habits much the same as those of the
other grebes.
This species of the grebe is an inhabitant of both Europe and America.
_Black-chin grebe._—This bird is described as being larger than the
last. Chin black; forepart of the neck ferruginous; hinder part mixed
with dusky; belly cinereous and silver intermixed. Inhabits Tiree, one
of the Hebrides.—_Latham._
GREEDY, _a._ Ravenous, voracious, hungry; eager.
GREEN, _a._ Having a colour formed by compounding blue and yellow;
flourishing, fresh; new, fresh, as a green wound; unripe,
immature, young.
GREEN, _s._ One of the seven original colours; a grassy plain.
_To dye green._—Boil your stuff to a very rich yellow, in turmeric, lift
it, and add near a teaspoonful of best madder; boil it for five minutes,
and draw what you want for the first shade; add a teaspoonful and a half
of madder, and boil for the same length of time, and for as many shades
as you want; follow the same plan to four or five shades; wash them well
in water, then in urine, as in the other recipes. Wring them and green
them, one by one, in the greening-vat; beginning with the lightest,
which will green in a very few minutes. You will destroy the greens if
they take too much of the blue: you must attend them closely till you
finish. These are the richest of all greens, and fast colours. The
lightest of them, or the next, are used for the green rail and
September-green fox. If you want your greens finer, put less madder, and
do not boil so long; you must here be guided by your eye.—_Old Recipe._
GREEN, _v._ To make green.
GREENFINCH, _s._ A small bird.
GREENSHANKED GODWIT, or GREENLEGGED HORSEMAN, (_Scolopax glottis_,
LINN.; _La Barge variée_, BUFF.), _s._
[Illustration]
The greenshank is of a slender and elegant shape, and its weight small
in proportion to its length and dimensions, being only about six ounces;
although it measures from the tip of its beak to the end of its tail
fourteen inches, and to the toes twenty, and from tip to tip of the
wings twenty-five. The bill is about two inches and a half long,
straight and slender: the upper mandible black; the under reddish at its
base. The upper parts of its plumage are pale brownish ash colour; but
each feather is marked down the shaft with glossy bronze brown; the
under parts, and rump, are of a pure white: a whitish streak passes over
each eye; the quill-feathers are dusky, plain on the outer webs; but the
inner ones are speckled with white spots: the tail is white, crossed
with dark waved bars: the legs are long; bare about two inches above the
knees, and of a dark-green colour: the outer-toe is connected by a
membrane to the middle one, as far as the first joint.
This species is not numerous in England, but they appear in small flocks
in the winter season, on the sea-shores and the adjacent marshes; their
summer residence is in the northern regions of Russia, Siberia, &c.,
where they are said to be in great plenty; they are also met with in
various parts of both Asia and America. Their flesh, like all the rest
of this genus, is well flavoured, and esteemed good eating.—_Bewick._
GREGARIOUS, _a._ Going in flocks or herds.
GREYHOUND, _s._ A tall fleet dog that chases by sight. Of this
species the varieties are numerous, and are generally named
after the countries to which they originally belong.
[Illustration]
_The Irish greyhound._—(_Canis Graius Hibernicus_, RAY.)—This is one of
the largest of the canine race, with an air at once beautiful, striking,
and majestic. He has been known to grow to the extraordinary height of
four feet, although the general standard is about three feet.
In shape, the Irish greyhound somewhat resembles the common greyhound,
only that he is much larger, and more muscular in his formation; clumsy
in all his different parts, and is quite unserviceable for hunting
either the stag, fox, or hare. His chief use, in former times, was in
clearing the country of wolves and wild boars, for which his great size
and strength peculiarly adapted him.
The colour of the Irish greyhound is a pale cinnamon or fawn. His aspect
is mild, and his disposition gentle and peaceable. It is said he is
greatly an overmatch for either the mastiff or bull dog; and when he
fights, he generally seizes his antagonist by the back, and shakes him
to death, which his great strength enables him to do with ease.
M. Buffon supposes the great Danish dog to be only a variety of the
Irish greyhound: and Mr. Pennant was of opinion that the French matin
and the Albian dog were also varieties of the same.
The Irish greyhound is now rarely to be met with even in his native
country.
Aylmer Bourke Lambert, Esq., one of the vice-presidents of the Linnæan
Society, took the measurement of one of the Marquis of Sligo’s dogs,
which was as follows:—“From the point of the nose to the tip of the
tail, sixty-one inches; tail, seventeen and a half inches long; from the
tip of the nose to the back part of the skull, ten inches; from the back
part of the skull to the beginning of the tail, thirty-three inches;
from the toe to the top of the foreshoulder, twenty-eight inches and a
half; length of the leg sixteen inches; from the top of the hind toes to
the hind shoulders, thirteen inches; from the point of the nose to the
eye, four inches and a half; the ears, six inches long; round the widest
part of the belly, (about three inches from the forelegs,) thirty-five
inches; twenty-six inches round the hinder part, close to the hind legs;
the hair short and smooth; the colour of some brown and white, of others
black and white.”
They seemed good-tempered animals, but, from the accounts Mr. Lambert
received, it is obvious that they must have degenerated, particularly in
point of size.
Dr. Goldsmith says he has seen a dozen of these dogs, and assures us the
largest was about four feet high, and as tall as a calf of a year old.
_Scottish Highland Greyhound or Wolf Dog_, (_Canis Caledonius._)—This is
a large and powerful dog, nearly equal in size to the Irish greyhound.
His general aspect is commanding and fierce; his head is long, and
muzzle rather sharp; his ears pendulous, but not long; his eyes large,
keen, and penetrating, half concealed among the long, stiff, bristly
hair with which his face is covered; his body is very strong and
muscular, deep-chested, tapering towards the loins, and his back
slightly arched; his hind-quarters are furnished with large prominent
muscles; and his legs are long, strongboned, and straight,—a combination
of qualities which gives him that speed and long duration in the chase
for which he is so eminently distinguished. His hair is shaggy and wiry,
of a reddish colour, mixed with white: his tail is rough, which he
carries somewhat in the manner of a stag-hound, but not quite so erect.
This is the dog formerly used by the highland chieftains of Scotland in
their grand hunting parties, and is in all probability the same noble
dog used in the time of Ossian.
The Scotch Highland greyhound will either hunt in packs or singly.
_The Russian Greyhound_, (_Canis Graius Borealis._)—This is a large and
powerful dog, nearly equal in strength to the Irish greyhound, which he
also resembles in shape; his hair is long and bushy, and his tail forms
a spiral curl, but which in the chase stands nearly straight behind him.
The colour of the Russian greyhound is generally of a dark umber brown,
but sometimes black: his coat is rough and shaggy.
When the Russian greyhound loses sight of the hare, he runs by the
scent. Indeed, when parties go out a coursing, this dog even endeavours
to find game. He is a very powerful animal, and is frequently used
either in small packs, or with other dogs, to hunt the wild boar, deer,
or wolf, the latter of which a good hound will kill singlehanded. But it
is the deer principally that he hunts. When used in coursing, he is
slipped in the same manner as is practised in this country.
_The Scotch Greyhound_, (_Canis Graius Scotius._)—This dog, in point of
form, is similar in all respects to the common grey-hound, differing
only in its being of a larger size, and the hair being wiry, in place of
that beautiful sleekness which distinguishes the coat of the other.
Their colour for the most part is of a reddish brown or sandy hue,
although they are sometimes to be met with quite black. I saw some
powerful animals of this description in the north of Ireland, in
possession of the small farmers and peasants of the mountainous
districts. They are said to be the only dogs which are capable of
catching the hares which inhabit those mountain ranges,—the common
greyhound wanting strength for such a laborious chace. These dogs in
Ireland are almost universally dark iron grey, with very strong grizzly
hair, and are much superior in many respects to any I have seen in
Scotland. I remark a peculiarity in those Irish hounds, which was that
of having very small but extremely brilliant and penetrating
hazel-coloured eyes; their teeth were also very strong and long.
We are informed by Topsel, that the dog was used for tracing thieves in
Scotland, and also on the borders of England, and that he had an
excellent sense of smelling. Even at the present day he has the sense in
a more acute state than the common greyhound; and it is probable that in
early times he was still more distinguished by an active power of scent.
_The Italian Greyhound_, (_Canis Graius Italianus._)—Is about half the
size of the common greyhound, and is perfectly similar in form. His
shape is exquisitely beautiful, and he has a most delicate appearance.
The general colour of this handsome dog is a pale mouse brown, sable, or
white. The skin is very sleek, and the hair extremely fine and short. He
does not thrive well in Great Britain, the climate being too cold for
his delicate constitution.
The Italian greyhound is too small to have sufficient speed for taking a
hare, and is in consequence never employed in the chace, his principal
use being an attendant on the great. In Italy, men of rank are
frequently seen either walking or riding followed by several of these
dogs.
_Turkish Greyhound_, (_Canis Egyptius_, LINN.)—This is a diminutive
variety of the greyhound, probably reduced to its smallest size from the
influence of climate. It is little more than half the bulk of the
Italian greyhound, and like the same animal, both in this country and in
Italy, is an attendant on people of rank, and usually kept as a pet.
The Turkish greyhound is quite naked, with only a few scattered hairs on
its tail. The colour of the skin is leaden or black, and has all the
appearance of leather. His ears are long and erect. This dog is said to
possess great attachment to his master. We have heard of one which
belonged to a pacha who was beheaded, that laid itself down on the body
of his murdered master and expired.
It is said that the greyhound of Great Britain when taken to Turkey,
quickly degenerates, and becomes a poor spiritless animal, without the
least desire for sporting. This is not peculiar to the greyhound, but
extends to all dogs brought from temperate climates.
Sonnini, who travelled through the Ottoman empire, mentions that he
endeavoured by every means in his power to ascertain whether this
singular dog was really a native of Turkey, but that he had sought in
vain for it in that country. He further remarks, that it is not in the
temperate climate of Turkey that dogs lose their hair, nor even under
the burning sun of Egypt.
* * * * *
The breeding of the greyhound is recommended to be from the well tried
and best bitches, as an indifferent dog was supposed from such a cross,
to get better whelps than if the excellence was inverted, and the bitch
but tolerable; the surest way to have the whelps excellent, is to have
both sire and dam good, and not to exceed four years old; if any
inequality in their age, it is recommended to be on the bitch’s side,
provided the dog be young.—_Brown._
GRIG, _s._ A small eel.
GRIMALKIN, _s._ A cat.
GRIN, _v._ To set the teeth together, and withdraw the lips; to fix
the teeth as in anguish.
GRIPE, _v._ To hold with the fingers closed; to catch eagerly; to
seize; to clutch.
GRISTLE, _s._ A cartilage.
GRISTLY, _a._ Cartilaginous.
GRIT, _s._ The coarse part of meal; oats husked, or coarsely ground;
sand; rough hard particles; a kind of fish.
GRIZZLE, _s._ A mixture of white and black; grey.
GRIZZLED, _a._ Interspersed with grey.
GROAT, _s._ A piece valued at fourpence; groats, oats that have the
hulls taken off.
GROGGINESS, _s._ A disease incident to horses.
The peculiar knuckling over of the fetlock joint, and tottering of the
whole of the foreleg, known by the name of _grogginess_, and which is so
often seen in old and over-worked horses, is seldom an affection of
either the fetlock or the pastern-joints simply, although these have
their full share in the mischief that has been produced by tasking the
poor animal beyond his strength. Sometimes it is difficult to fix on any
particular joint; at others, it seems to be traced to a joint deep in
the foot, where the flexor tendon runs over the navicular bone. It seems
oftenest to be a want of power in the ligaments of the joints generally,
produced by frequent and severe sprains, or by ill-judged and cruel
exertion; and, in the majority of cases, admits of no remedy; especially
as dissection often discovers ulceration within the joints, and of the
membrane which lines the cartilage, and even of the cartilage itself,
which it was impossible to reach or to remove.
GROOM, _s._ A servant that takes care of the stable.
GROOVE, _s._ A deep cavern or hollow; a channel or hollow cut with a
tool.
GROSS, _a._ Thick, corpulent; inelegant; coarse, rough, opposite to
delicate.
GROUND-BAIT, _s._ A bait made of barley or malt boiled, thrown into
the place where fish are to be collected.
GROUNDLING, _s._ A fish which keeps at the bottom of the water.
GROUSE, _s._ A kind of fowl, a heathcock.
[Illustration]
_The Wood Grouse_, _Cock of the Wood_, or _Capercalzie_.—(_Tetrao
urogallus_, LINN. _Legrand Coq de Bruyère_, BUFF.)—This bird is as large
as the turkey, is about two feet nine inches in length, and weighs from
twelve to fifteen pounds. The bill is very strong, convex, and of a horn
colour; over each eye there is a naked skin, of a bright red colour; the
eyes are hazel; the nostrils are small, and almost hid under a covering
of short feathers, which extend under the throat, and are there much
longer than the rest, and of a black colour; the head and neck are
elegantly marked with small transverse lines of black and grey, as are
also the back and wings, but more irregularly; the breast is black,
richly glossed with green on the upper part, and mixed with a few white
feathers on the belly and thighs; the sides are marked like the neck,
the tail consists of eighteen feathers, which are black, those on the
sides are marked with a few white spots; the legs are very stout, and
covered with brown feathers; the toes are furnished on each side with a
strong pectinated membrane. The female is considerably less than the
male, and differs from him greatly in her colours; her throat is red;
the transverse bars on the head, neck, and back, are red and black; the
breast is of a pale orange colour; belly barred with orange and black,
the top of each feather white; the back and wings are mottled with
reddish brown and black; the scapulars tipped with white; the tail is of
a deep rust colour, barred with black, and tipped with white.
This beautiful kind is found chiefly in high mountainous regions, and is
very rare in Great Britain. Mr. Pennant mentions one, as an uncommon
instance, which was shot near Inverness. It was formerly met with in
Ireland, but is now supposed to be extinct there. In Russia, Sweden, and
other northern countries, it is very common: it lives in the forests of
pine with which those countries abound, and feeds on the cones of fir
trees, which, at some seasons, give an unpleasant flavour to its flesh,
so as to render it unfit for the table; it likewise eats various kinds
of plants and berries, particularly the juniper. Early in the spring the
season for pairing commences; during this period the cock places himself
on an eminence, where he displays a variety of pleasing attitudes; the
feathers on his head stand erect, his neck swells, his tail is
displayed, and his wings trail almost on the ground; his eyes sparkle,
and the scarlet patch on each side of his head assumes a deeper dye; at
the same time he utters his well-known cry, which has been compared to
the sound produced by the whetting of a scythe; it may be heard at a
considerable distance, and never fails to draw round him his faithful
mates. The female lays from eight to sixteen eggs, which are white,
spotted with yellow, and larger than those of the common hen: for this
purpose she chooses some secret spot, where she can sit in security: she
covers her eggs carefully over with leaves, when she is under the
necessity of leaving them in search of food. The young follow the hen as
soon as they are hatched, sometimes with part of the shell attached to
them.
_The Black Grouse_, _Black Game_, or _Black Cock_.—(_Tetrao Tetrix_,
LINN.; _Le Coq de Bruyère à queue fourchue_, BUFF.)—This bird, though
not larger than the common hen, weighs nearly four pounds: its length is
about one foot ten inches, breadth two feet nine. The bill is black, the
eyes dark blue; below each eye there is a spot of dirty white colour,
and above a larger one, of a bright scarlet, which extends almost to the
top of the head; the general colour of the plumage is a deep black,
richly glossed with blue on the neck and rump; the lesser wing coverts
are dusky brown; the greater are white, which extends to the ridge of
the wing, forming a spot of that colour on the shoulder when the wing is
closed; the quills are brown, the lower parts and tips of the
secondaries are white, forming a bar of white across the wing; there is
likewise a spot of white on the bastard wing; the feathers of the tail
are almost square at the ends, and, when spread out, form a curve on
each side; the under tail coverts are of a pure white; the legs and
thighs are of a dark brown colour, mottled with white; the toes are
toothed on the edges like those of former species. In some of our
specimens the nostrils were thickly covered with feathers, whilst in
others they were quite bare, probably owing to the different ages of the
birds.
These birds, like the former, are found chiefly in the high situations
in the northern parts of our island; they are common in Russia, Siberia,
and other northern countries: they feed on various kinds of berries and
other fruits, the produce of wild and mountainous places: in summer they
frequently come down from their lofty situations for the sake of feeding
on corn. They do not pair, but, on the return of spring, the males
assemble in great numbers at their accustomed resorts, on the tops of
the high and heathy mountains, when the contest for superiority
commences, and continues with great bitterness till the vanquished are
put to flight: the victors, being left in possession of the field, place
themselves on an eminence, clap their wings, and with loud cries give
notice to their females, who immediately resort to the spot. It is said
that each cock has two or three hens, which seem particularly attached
to him. The female is about one-third less than the male, and differs
from him considerably in colour, her tail is likewise much less forked.
She makes an artless nest on the ground, where she lays six or eight
eggs of a yellowish colour, with freckles and spots of a rusty brown.
The young cocks, at first, resemble the mother, and do not acquire their
male garb till towards the end of autumn, when the plumage gradually
changes to a deeper colour, and assumes that of a bluish black, which it
afterwards retains.
_Red Grouse_, _Red Game_, _Gorcock_ or _Moorcock_.—(_Tetrao Scoticus_,
LINN.; _L’Altagas_, BUFF.)—The length of this bird is fifteen inches;
the weight about nineteen ounces. The bill is black; the eyes hazel; the
nostrils shaded with small red and black feathers; at the base of the
lower bill there is a white spot on each side; the throat is red: each
eye is arched with a large naked spot, of a bright scarlet colour; the
whole upper part of the body is beautifully mottled with deep red and
black, which gives it the appearance of tortoise-shell; the breast and
belly are of a purplish hue, crossed with small dusky lines; the tail
consists of sixteen feathers of equal length, the four middlemost barred
with red, the others black; the quills are dusky; the legs are clothed
with soft white feathers down to the claws, which are strong, and of a
light colour. The female is somewhat less; the naked skin above each eye
is not so conspicuous, and the colours of her plumage in general are
much lighter than those of the male.
This bird is found in great plenty in the wild, heathy, and mountainous
tracts in the northern counties of England: it is likewise common in
Wales and the Highlands of Scotland. Mr. Pennant supposes it to be
peculiar to Britain; those found in the mountainous parts of France,
Spain, Italy, and elsewhere, as mentioned by M. Buffon, are very
probably varieties of this kind, and no doubt would breed with it. It is
to be wished that attempts were more frequently made to introduce a
greater variety of these useful birds into this country, to stock our
waste and barren moors with a rich fund of delicate and wholesome food;
but till the legislature shall alter or abrogate our very unequal and
injudicious game laws, there hardly remains a single hope for the
preservation of such birds of this species as we now have.
Red grouse pair in spring; the female lays eight or ten eggs on the
ground. The young ones follow the hen the whole summer; as soon as they
have attained their full size, they unite in flocks of forty or fifty,
and are then exceedingly shy and wild.
_White Grouse_, _White Game_ or _Ptarmigan_.—(_Tetrao Lagopus_, LINN.;
_La Lagopéde_, BUFF.)—This bird is nearly the same size as the red
grouse. Its bill is black; the upper parts of its body are of a pale
brown or ash colour, mottled with small dusky spots and bars; the bars
on the head and neck are somewhat broader, and are mixed with white; the
under parts are white, as are also the wings, excepting the shafts of
the quills, which are black. This is its summer dress, which in winter
is changed to a pure white, excepting that in the male there is a black
line between the cill and the eye. The tail consists of sixteen
feathers; the two middle ones are ash-coloured in summer and white in
winter; the next two are slightly marked with white near the ends; the
rest are wholly black; the upper tail coverts are long, and almost cover
the tail. The white grouse is fond of lofty situations, where it braves
the severest cold; it is found in most of the northern parts of Europe,
even as far as Greenland. In this country it is to be met with on the
summits of some of our highest hills, chiefly in the Highlands of
Scotland, in the Hebrides and Orkneys, and sometimes, but rarely, on the
lofty hills of Cumberland and Wales. Buffon, speaking of this bird, says
that it avoids the solar heat, and prefers the biting frosts on the tops
of mountains; for as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains, it
constantly ascends till it gains the summit, where it forms holes and
burrows in the snow. They pair at the same time as the red grouse; the
female lays eight or ten eggs, which are white spotted with brown. She
makes no nest, but deposits them on the ground. In winter they fly in
flocks, and are so little accustomed to the sight of man, that they are
easily shot or taken in a snare. They feed on the wild productions of
the hills, which sometimes give the flesh a bitter but not unpalatable
taste; it is dark-coloured, and, according to M. Buffon, has somewhat
the flavour of the hare.
* * * * *
Hunting for grouse during the basking hour of the day, is rigidly
prohibited by all gentlemen who compile sporting directories; and yet
every shooter knows, that at these proscribed hours himself is commonly
on the moors. Morning and evening, when the birds are on foot in search
of food, is undoubtedly preferable to the duller portion of the day,
when they are accustomed to indulge in a _siesta_. But, generally, some
considerable distance must be travelled before the sportsman can reach
his beat from his quarters. The morning is consumed on horseback or in
the shooting-cart; the same road must be again accomplished before
night; and hence the middle of the day is, of necessity, the portion
devoted to pursuit of game.
To find the birds when, satisfied with food, they leave the moor to bask
in some favourite haunt, requires both patience and experience; and here
the mountain-bred sportsman proves his superiority over the
less-practised shooter. The packs then lie closely, and occupy a small
surface on some sunny brow or sheltered hollow. The best nosed dogs will
pass within a few yards, and not acknowledge them; and patient hunting,
with every advantage of the wind, must be employed to enable the
sportsman to find grouse at this dull hour.
But if close and judicious hunting be necessary, the places to be beaten
are comparatively few, and the sportsman’s eye readily detects the spot
where the pack is sure to be discovered. He leaves the open
feeding-grounds for heathery knowes and sheltered valleys; and while the
uninitiated wearies his dogs in vain over the hill-side, where the
birds, hours before, might have been expected, the older sportsman
profits by his experience, and seldom fails in discovering the dell or
hillock, where, in fancied security, the indolent pack is
reposing.—_Bewick_—_Wild Sports._
GRUB, _s._ A small worm that eats holes in bodies; a thick short
man.
GRUEL, _s._ Food made by boiling oatmeal in water.
Gruel is a useful drink for horses on many occasions, and, when made
carefully, sweetened with treacle or sugar, and sometimes seasoned with
salt, they will often drink it, and save the trouble of drenching. It is
a good vehicle for such medicines as are of a stimulating or acrimonious
nature, such as oil of turpentine. Gruel is made either with oatmeal or
grits, barley meal or pearl barley, fine wheat flour or arrow root; it
may be made also with sago, salep or tapioca; either of these to be
boiled in water, and, for some purposes, in milk and broth.
Gruel is often made merely by stirring some oatmeal into warm water, but
it is better when boiled: and when grits or pearl barley are employed,
it should be boiled a short time, and the first water thrown away; the
gruel will then be free from an unpleasant taste which these substances
contract by keeping: when they are first crushed or bruised, the gruel
is richer, and more expeditiously made. Gruel is a useful restorative
for weak or convalescent horses, being very nutritious and easy of
digestion; perhaps nothing is more nutritious than wheat flour gruel
made with milk and sweetened with sugar. In India it is a common
practice to give horses strong broths, thickened with grain or flour,
and seasoned with pepper or other spices, when they work hard, or as a
restorative cordial. Infusion of malt makes a good nutritive drink for
horses; but good _sweet_ grits make an excellent gruel. Oatmeal is
sometimes musty, and gruel made with it has often some degree of
bitterness. When gruel is given as a cordial restorative after hard
work, a little beer and ginger may, on some occasions, be added. Horses
are very nice in their drinking, therefore the gruel should be made in a
clean saucepan, free from the smell of meat, smoke, or fat. For some
purposes, or where it is inconvenient to boil the gruel, a little oat,
barley, or wheat meal, may be stirred into warm or cold water. This in
Ireland is termed a _white drink_.—_White._
GRUNT, _v._ To murmur like a hog.
GRUNTER, _s._ A kind of fish.
GUAIACUM, _s._ A physical wood; lignum vitæ.
A resinous looking substance, extracted from a very dense wood of a tree
growing in the West Indies, called Guaiacum officinale. It is little
used in veterinary prescriptions.—_Ure._
GUDGEON, _s._ A small fish of the carp kind, found in brooks and
rivers.