_Capot_ is when either of the players makes every trick, for which he
scores forty.
_Cards_ signify the majority of tricks, which reckon for ten points.
_Carte Blanche_ means a hand without a court card in the twelve dealt,
which counts for ten, and takes place of every thing else.
_Huitième_, eight successive cards of the same suit, counts eighteen
points.
_Pique_, is when the elder hand has reckoned thirty in hand, and plays
before the adversary has gained one; in which case, instead of thirty it
is called sixty, and he adds thereto as many points as are obtained
above thirty.
_Point_, the greatest number on the cards of the same suit in hand,
after having taken in, reckoned by their pips, scores for as many points
as cards.
_Quart_, four cards in sequence of the same suit counts four points:
there are five kinds of quarts, the first called quart-major, consisting
of ace, king, queen, and knave; the second quart, of king, queen, knave,
and ten; the third quart, of queen, knave, ten, and nine; the fourth
quart, of knave, ten, nine, and eight; the fifth, a basse-quart or
quart-minor of ten, nine, eight, and seven.
_Quatorze_, the four aces, kings, queens, knaves, or tens, scores
fourteen points.
_Quint_ means five cards of the same suit in sequence, and reckons
fifteen points: there are four sorts of quints; a quint-major of ace,
king, queen, knave, and ten, down to knave, ten, nine, eight, and seven,
styled a quint-minor.
_Repique_ signifies when one of the players counts thirty or more in
hand, before the adversary obtains one, when it is called ninety,
reckoning besides as many points above ninety as were gained above
thirty in _pique_.
_Sixième_, or six cards of the same suit in sequence, reckons for
sixteen points; there are three sorts of sixièmes, viz. sixième-major
from the ace, sixième from the king, and sixième-minor from the queen.
_Septième_, or seven of the same suit in sequence, counts for seventeen
points; there are two septièmes, one from the ace, the other from the
king.
_Threes_ of aces, &c., down to tens, reckon three points.
_Talon_ or _Stock_ means the eight remaining cards after twelve are
dealt to each player.
_Tierce_ or sequence of three, reckons for three: there are six kinds of
tierces, tierce-major, of ace, king, queen; down to nine, eight, seven,
styled tierce-minor.—_Hoyle._
PISCATION, _s._ The act or practice of fishing.
PISCATORY, _a._ Relating to fishes.
PISCIVOROUS, _a._ Fish-eating, living on fish.
PISMIRE, _s._ An ant, an emmet.
PISTOL, _s._ A small sort of firearms.
PISTOL, _v._ To shoot with a pistol.
We were awakened early the next morning by some of our party, who had
come to Versailles for the express purpose of witnessing the great
shooting match which was to take place at six o’clock in the gardens of
the manufactory. Accordingly we repaired to the appointed spot, attended
by M. Boute, one of the principal overseers. I naturally imagined, that
the pistols to be tried on this occasion were those of the manufactory,
but I found this was not the case, the locks only having been
constructed there.
The first match being read, whereby Mr. Tripper had engaged that an
Italian gentleman named Dance, would hit a cork of an ordinary size, at
sixteen yards’ distance, four times out of five, for two hundred
guineas, Mr. Dance begged leave to state, that his friend must have
laboured under an error, as he never pretended to hit more than once in
five shots, and consequently declined any other. The forfeit money was
therefore paid to me as judge, and an elegant dinner agreed on for a
subsequent day.
The second bet was between Mr. Tripper, and Mr. H—— when the former
wagered twenty guineas that Mr. H—— could not hit a cork at the same
distance once in ten shots. At the first trial Mr. H—— very nearly
struck the cork, and bets were keenly laid on his side, but
notwithstanding he made good mark he proved unsuccessful.
Mr. Dance was then matched to hit a card-wafer, twice in four shots,
at sixteen yards for thirty guineas. His aim proved accurate three
times, and he consequently won the wager. Mr. Boute came forward and
hit the wafer four times successively, but missed in two other
trials.—_Thornton._
PIT, _s._ A hole in the ground; abyss; the area on which cocks
fight; the middle part of the theatre; any hollow of the body,
as the pit of the stomach, the arm-pit; a dint made by the
finger.
PITCH, _s._ A black and impure resinous substance, used by farriers
in making charges, obtained by boiling or distilling tar to the
desired consistence.
PITFALL, _s._ A pit dug and covered, into which animals fall
unexpectedly.
PLAICE, _s._ A flat fish. Although properly a sea fish, plaice will
not only live in fresh water, but thrive apace. They will take
any sort of small worm, and to the sand-worm, called in Ireland
the lug, they appear particularly partial.
PLAIN, _s._ Level ground, open flat.
PLASH, _s._ A small lake or puddle of water; branch partly cut off
and bound to other branches.
PLASTER, _s._ Substance made of water and some absorbent matter,
such as chalk or lime well pulverised, with which walls are
overlaid; a glutinous or adhesive salve.
PLATE, _s._ A piece of metal beat out into breadth; wrought silver;
a small shallow vessel of metal or porcelain, on which meat is
eaten; the prize run for by horses.
PLATES, _s._ Light horse shoes. _Vide_ RACING.
PLATINA, _s._ A species of metal, much used in bushing touch-holes,
and generally preferred to gold for that purpose.
PLAY, _s._ Amusement, sport; game, practice of gaming; contest at a
game; practice in any contest.
PLEDGET, _s._ A small mass of lint.
PLETHORA, _s._ The state in which the vessels are fuller of humours
than is agreeable to a natural state of health.
PLEURISY, _s._ An inflammation of the pleura.
PLIERS, _s._ An instrument by which anything is laid hold of to bend
it.
PLOVER, _s._ A lapwing.
[Illustration]
This genus is distinguished by a large full eye; the bill is straight,
short, and rather swollen towards the tip; the head is large; the legs
are naked above the knee; and most of the species are without the hind
toe.
Although the plover has generally been classed with those birds whose
business is wholly among water, we cannot help considering the greater
part of them as partaking entirely of the nature of land birds. Many of
them breed upon our loftiest mountains, and though they are frequently
seen upon the sea coast, feeding with birds of the water kind, yet it
must be observed that they are no more water birds than any of our small
birds which repair thither for the same purpose. The long legged plover
and the sanderling are waders, and belong more immediately to the water
birds, to which we refer them; the great plover and the lapwing we
consider as entirely connected with birds of the plover kind; the former
has usually been classed with the bustard, and the latter with the
sandpiper; but they differ very materially from both, and seem to agree
in more essential points with this kind. We have therefore given them a
place in this part of our work, where, with the rest of the plovers,
they may be considered as connecting the two great divisions of land and
water birds, to both of which they are in some degree allied.
_The Great Plover_, _Thick-kneed_, _Bustard_, _Stone Curlew_, _Norfolk
Plover_. (_Charadrius œdicnemus_, LINN.; _Le Grand Pluvier_, BUFF.)—The
length of this bird is about sixteen inches. Its bill is long, yellowish
at the base, and black at the tip; its irides and eyelids are pale
yellow; above each eye there is a pale streak, and beneath one of the
same colour extends to the bill, the throat is white, the head, neck,
and all the upper parts of the body are of a pale tawny brown; down the
middle of each feather there is a dark streak; the forepart of the neck
and the breast are nearly of the same colour, but much paler; the belly,
thighs, and vent, are of a pale yellowish white, the quills are black;
the tail is short and rounded, and a dark band crosses the middle of
each feather; the tips are black, the rest white: the legs are yellow,
and naked above the knees, which are very thick as if swollen, hence its
name, the claws are black.
This bird is found in great plenty in Norfolk and several of the
southern counties, but is nowhere to be met with in the northern parts
of our island; it prefers dry and stony places on the sides of sloping
banks. It makes no nest: the female lays two or three eggs on the bare
ground, sheltered by a stone or in a small hole formed in the sand; they
are of a dirty white, marked with spots of a deep reddish colour, mixed
with slight streaks. Although this bird has great power of wing, and
flies with great strength, it is seldom seen during the day, except it
is surprised, when it springs to some distance, and generally escapes
before the sportsman comes within gun-shot; it likewise runs on the
ground almost as swiftly as a dog; after running some time it stops
short, holding its head and body still, and on the least noise it squats
close on the ground. In the evening it comes out in quest of food and
may then be heard at a great distance: its cry is singular, resembling a
hoarse kind of whistle, three or four times repeated, and has been
compared to the turning of a rusty handle.
Buffon endeavours to express it by the words _turlui, turlui_, and says
it resembles the sound of a third flute, dwelling on three or four tones
from a flat to a sharp. Its food consists chiefly of worms. It is said
to be good eating when young, the flesh of the old ones is hard, black,
and dry. Mr. White mentions them as frequenting the district of
Selborne, in Hampshire. He says, that the young run immediately from the
nest almost as soon as they are excluded, like partridges; that the dam
leads them to some stony field where they bask, skulking among the
stones, which they resemble so nearly in colour as not easily to be
discovered.
Birds of this kind are migratory; they arrive in April, live with us all
the spring and summer, and at the beginning of autumn prepare to take
leave, by getting together in flocks: it is supposed that they retire to
Spain, and frequent the sheep-walks with which that country abounds.
_The Golden Plover_, _Yellow Plover_. (_Charadrius pluvialis_, LINN.;
_Le Pluvier doré_, BUFF.)—The size of the turtle; bill dusky; eyes dark;
all the upper parts of the plumage are marked with bright yellow spots
upon a dark brown ground; the fore part of the neck and breast are the
same, but much paler; the belly is almost white; the quills are dusky;
the tail is marked with dusky and yellow bars; the legs are black. Birds
of this species vary very much from each other; in some which we have
had the breast was marked with black and white; in others it was almost
black; but whether this difference arose from age or sex we are at a
loss to determine.
The golden plover is common in this country and all the northern parts
of Europe; it is very numerous in various parts of America, from
Hudson’s Bay as far as Carolina, migrating from one place to another,
according to the seasons. It breeds on high and heathy mountains; the
female lays four eggs, of a pale olive colour, variegated with blackish
spots. They fly in small flocks, and make a shrill whistling noise, by
an imitation of which they are sometimes enticed within gun shot.
The male and female do not differ from each other. In young birds the
yellow spots are not very distinguishable, as the plumage inclines more
to grey.
_The Grey Plover._ (_Tringa squaturola_, LINN.; _Le Vanneau Pluvier_,
BUFF.)—The length of this bird is about twelve inches; its bill is
black; the head, back, and wing coverts, are of a dusky brown, edged
with greenish ash-colour, and some with white; the cheeks and throat are
white, marked with oblong dusky spots; the belly, sides, and rump, are
white: the sides are marked with a few dusky spots; the outer webs of
the quills are black; the lower parts of the inner webs of the first
four are white; the tail is marked with alternate bars of black and
white; the legs are of a dull green; the hind toe is small. In the
Planches Enluminées this bird is represented with eyes of an orange
colour; there is likewise a dusky line extending from the bill
underneath each eye, and a white one above it.
We have placed this bird with the plovers, as agreeing with them in
every other respect but that of having a very small hind toe; but this
is so slight a difference as not to render it necessary to exclude it
from a place in the plover family, to which it evidently belongs. The
grey plover is not very common in Britain; it appears sometimes in small
flocks on the sea coasts. It is somewhat larger than the golden plover.
Its flesh is said to be very delicate.
_Long-legged Plover_, _Long-shanks_, or _Long-leg_. (_Charadrius
himantopus_, LINN. _L’Echasse_, BUFF.)—Its slender black bill is two
inches and a half long, from the tip of which to the end of the tail it
measures only about thirteen inches, but to the toes a foot and a half;
the wings are long, measuring from tip to tip twenty-nine inches; irides
red; the crown of the head, back, and wings, a glossy black; tail light
grey, except the two outside feathers, which are white, as are all the
other parts of its plumage, except a few dusky spots on the back of the
neck. Its long, weak, and disproportionate legs are of a blood red, and
measure from the foot to the upper naked part of the thigh about eight
inches; the toes are short, and the outer and middle ones are connected
by a membrane at the base.
Ornithologists mention only a few instances of this singular looking
species having been met with in Great Britain, but it is common in other
countries.
Latham says it is common in Egypt, being found there in the marshes in
October; its food is said to consist principally of flies. It is
likewise plentiful about the salt lakes, and is often seen on the shores
of the Caspian Sea, as well as by the rivers which empty themselves into
it, and in the southern deserts of Independent Tartary. We have also
seen it on Chinese paintings, and it is known at Madras in the East
Indies. It is also often met with in the warmer parts of America; is
sometimes seen as far north as Connecticut, and also in Jamaica.
* * * * *
_Plover Shooting._—There is, in shooting plovers, a common remark made
by sportsmen that the second is always the more productive barrel. The
rapidity with which they vary their position when on the ground, seldom
admits of a grand combination for a sitting, or rather a running-shot.
But when on the wing, their mode of flight is most favourable for
permitting the shot to tell; and it is by no means unusual to bring down
a number. When disturbed, they frequently wheel back directly above the
fowler, and offer a tempting mark if he should have a barrel in reserve;
and even when too high for the shot to take effect, I have often thrown
away a random fire; for the plovers, on hearing the report, directly
make a sweep downwards on the wing, and I have by this means brought
them within range of the second barrel.
* * * * *
Golden plovers were formerly killed in great plenty by means of a
stalking-horse. If you fire at these birds as they fly over you, they
will dart down for the moment, and spread in every direction; so that by
taking a random shot with your first barrel, you may often bring down
the birds to a fair one for your second.—_Bewick._
PLUCK, _v._ To pull with nimbleness or force; to snatch, to pull, to
draw; to strip off feathers.
PLUCK, _s._ A pull, a draw, a single act of plucking; the heart,
liver, and lights of an animal.
PLUMAGE, _s._ Feathers, suit of feathers.
I believe that no attention has been paid to the effects of different
kinds of food on the colours of birds. The linnet and redpole, in
confinement, lose, after the first moult, their red colour, and it does
not return. Is this owing to the want of the peculiar food they would
take in the spring, if at liberty, or to their being less exposed to the
sunshine? I once saw the English white water-lily blow of a pale rose
colour, after a week of unusual heat in July. Birds that change their
colours at different seasons, always put on their bright garb in the
warm season. I have repeatedly observed, in a splendid nondescript finch
which I possess, that, although it moults partially twice in the year,
the colour of the larger feathers on the wings and back changes
gradually from yellowish brown to scarlet, and fades again at the
approach of winter. In this bird, the change to grey red is very clearly
occasioned by the increase of temperature. I have observed, in the
spring, that the supervention of cold weather stops its progress. In the
Whidah bird, the mutation of dress is rapid, accompanying the moult in
June and July. The American blue bird pushes brown feathers in its
summer moult, which are very suddenly turned to blue. There is a mystery
in these mutations which we do not understand.
* * * * *
It is not easy to account for the variation we sometimes perceive in the
plumage of birds of the same species. I have observed a rook with one
white wing, during the last three years, in the rookery in Hampton Court
park; and I saw a sparrow nearly white, amongst a flock of those birds,
at West Molesey. A linnet was shot and brought to me from the same
place, which was beautifully mottled with white and brown. Some years
ago I was shown some white blackbirds, in the grounds of a nobleman at
Blackheath, which had been bred there; and what showed this was not an
accidental circumstance, they produced young of the same colour as
themselves.—_White of Selborne_—_Jesse._
PLUME, _s._ Feather of birds; feather worn as an ornament; the
colour of a hawk’s feathers, by which her age and condition are
ascertained.
PLUME, _v._ To pick and adjust feathers; to strip off feathers.
PLUMING, _p._ The hawk in the act of tearing feathers from her prey.
PLUMIPEDE, _s._ A fowl that has feathers on the foot.
PLUMMET, _s._ A weight of lead hung to a string, by which depths are
sounded, and perpendicularity is discerned. A plummet and line
will be very serviceable to the bait fisher, in ascertaining the
depth of the water, and enabling him thus to regulate the
position of the float.
PLUMP, _a._ Somewhat flat, sleek, full, and smooth.
PLUNGE, _v._ To sink suddenly in water; to dive.
POACH, _v._ To steal game; to carry off game privately in a bag.
POACHER, _s._ One who steals game.
POCHARD, POKER, DUNBIRD, GREAT-HEADED WIGEON, (_Anas Ferina_, LINN.;
_Penelope_, _La Millouin_, BUFF.) _s._
The pochard is nineteen inches in length, and two feet and a half in
breadth, and weighs about one pound thirteen ounces. The bill is of a
dark lead-colour, with the tip and sides near the nostrils, black:
irides fine deep yellow: the head and neck are of a glossy chestnut,
joined to a large space of sooty black, which covers the breast, and is
spread over the shoulders: the lower part of the back, rump,
tail-coverts, and vent, are also black: the rest of the plumage, both
above and below, is wholly covered with prettily freckled, slender,
dusky threads, disposed transversely in close-set zig-zag lines, on a
pale ground, more or less shaded off with ash, and deepest on the
wing-coverts. The primary quills are brown, with dusky tips; the
secondaries lead-colour, tinged with brown, and slightly tipped with
dull white. The tail consists of twelve short feathers, of a
dark-brownish ash, which have also a hoary grey appearance: the legs and
toes are lead-colour, shaded and dashed with black. This species is
without the beauty-spot on the wings, and has altogether a more plain
and half-mourning kind of look than others of this tribe. The specimen
from which the above figure was drawn, was shot at Axwell-park, in the
county of Durham: the description was taken from one shot in January,
near Holy Island. The former differed from the latter in wanting the
black on the rump and vent, and in some other slight variations in the
shadings of its colours.
The head of the female is of a pale reddish-brown; the breast is of
rather a deeper colour; the coverts of the wings plain ash-colour; the
back marked like that of the male; the belly ash-coloured.
These birds leave the north on the approach of winter, and migrate
southward as far, it is said, as Egypt, in Africa, and Carolina and
Louisiana, in America. They arrive in the marshes of France about the
end of October, in tolerably numerous flocks; and considerable numbers
of them are caught in the fens of Lincolnshire during the winter season,
and sold in the London markets, where they and the female wigeons are
indiscriminately called dunbirds, and esteemed excellent eating. It has
not yet been discovered whether any of them remain to breed in England.
The pochard is of a plump, round shape, and its walk is heavy,
ungraceful, and waddling; but when on the wing they fly with greater
rapidity than the mallard, and in flocks of from twenty to forty,
commonly in a close compact body, whereby they may be easily
distinguished from the triangular-shaped flocks of the wild duck, as
well as by the difference of the noise of their wings.
The few attempts which have been made to domesticate this species have
failed of success. They do pretty well where they have plenty of water,
but it is said that they cannot bear walking about on hard, pebbly
ground.—_Bewick._
POCK, _s._ A pustule raised by the small pox.
POD, _s._ The capsule of legumes, the case of seeds.
POINT, _s._ The sharp end of any instrument; a string with a tag;
headland, promontory.
POINT, _v._ To sharpen, to forge or grind to a point; to indicate,
as dogs do to sportsmen; to show.
POINTER, _s._ Anything that points; a dog that points out game to
sportsmen.
[Illustration]
_The Spanish Pointer._ (_Canis Avicularis, variety α_, LINN.)—This dog,
as his name implies, is a native of the Peninsula, and was introduced
into this country at a very early period. Great attention was paid by
sportsmen for a long series of years to preserve, in purity, this
important breed; but lately it has in a great measure been set aside in
field sports, a more improved race having been produced by crossing,
usually called the English pointer.
The Spanish pointer is much larger and stronger than the English, and is
also more steady. He seems to have an inherent aptness for receiving
instruction. Indeed it requires but little tuition to render him fit for
the field; as, in most instances, young dogs of this breed will point of
their own accord, whilst the more improved kinds require considerable
drilling to initiate them, and make them do their work steadily.
The Spanish breed is the most staunch of all dogs, and if they had speed
and activity in proportion to their steadiness, they would excel all
others which are auxiliary to man in the sports of the field. From their
weight, however, they are not so well suited for an extensive range, nor
are they so hardy as the English dog, on which account they are ill
adapted for the laborious amusement of grouse-shooting. They are now
chiefly used by those who confine their sport to the pheasant and
partridge.
_The English Pointer_ (_Canis Avicularis, variety β._)—This dog is
sprung from the Spanish pointer, but is of a much lighter form, and much
more rapid in his movements. He was obtained originally by a cross of
the latter and the fox-hound, and has since been recrossed with the
harrier. The English pointer is of a great variety of sizes, being in
this particular bred according to the taste of the sportsman.
This dog possesses a beautiful symmetry of frame, and in this respect
is, perhaps, the most elegant of all the canine tribe. His docility and
pliability of temper, too, are truly astonishing, and he enjoys, at the
same time, the sense of smelling in an exquisite degree.
About sixty years ago, the breed of pointers was nearly white, or mostly
variegated with liver-coloured spots, except the celebrated dogs of the
then Duke of Kingston, whose black pointers were considered superior to
all others in the kingdom, and sold for immense sums after his death.
Since that time they have been bred of all sizes and colours, and have
at length attained that degree of perfection for which they are now so
justly prized all over Europe.
Dogs of the middle size are now generally considered the best by
experienced sportsmen; the larger kinds, like the Spanish pointer, are
too heavy, and soon tire in warm weather, although they are best adapted
for hunting in the high turnips, heath, and broomfields.
In proportion as the breed of pointers diverges in blood from their
Spanish original, the difficulty of training them, and rendering them
staunch for the field, increases, as they seem to lose a quality
inherent in the latter dog.
Pointers are never considered complete in training, unless they are
perfectly staunch to bird, dog, and gun, which implies, first, standing
singly to a bird or covey; secondly, to backing or pointing the moment
he perceives another dog to stand at game; and, thirdly, not to stir
from his own point at the rising of any bird, or the firing of any gun
in the field, provided the game is neither sprung nor started at which
he himself originally pointed.
The pointer possesses a degree of mildness and pliability of disposition
most admirably adapted for receiving instruction, and his mental
faculties are extremely acute. He is most susceptible of impressions;
serene in his general habits, and unwearied in his attachments. With all
these good points, he is well qualified to secure the esteem and
confidence of man, whom he is always solicitous to please, and obedient
to all that is inculcated upon him. Whenever he is conscious of his own
powers and education, he makes it his whole business to serve and amuse
his master. At the same time, he will also perform his work to others to
whom he may be lent, and is sensible of the duty required of him the
moment he enters the field.
Pointers are seldom used in any other kind of shooting than that of
grouse, partridge, and snipe; in the two last of which sports their
merits are the more conspicuous.
Mr. Daniel informs us, that he once had a pointer that would always go
round close to the hedges of a field before he would quarter his ground;
the dog being sensible that he most frequently found his game in the
course of this circuit, and therefore very naturally took the middle
road to discover it.
_The Small Pointer_ (_Canis Avicularis, minor variety, γ._)—I have just
seen an extremely small pointer, in the possession of C. G. Stewart
Menteath, Esq. of Closeburn. His length, from the tip of the nose to the
point of the tail, is only two feet and half an inch; from the one
fore-foot to the other, across the shoulders, two feet; length of the
head, six inches; round the chest, one foot three inches. He is an
exquisite miniature of the English pointer, being in all respects
similar to him. His colour is white, with dark liver-coloured patches on
each side of the head, extending half down the neck; the ears, with some
patches on the back, are also of the same colour; and numerous small
dark brown spots appear over his whole body and legs. This beautiful
little animal has an exquisite sense of smell; and it is said that some
of the same variety, possessed by the Earl of Lauderdale, have been
broken in, and make excellent pointers; although, from their minute
size, it cannot be expected that they will be able to do much work. When
intent on any object, the dog assumes the same attitude as other
pointers, holding up one of his feet.
I have not been able to ascertain the native county of this variety,
although I have been informed it is common in the south of Germany.
Sir James Colquhoun has a dog of the same breed, which is even smaller
than that belonging to Mr. Menteath.
_The Russian Pointer_ (_Canis Avicularis, variety δ._)—This variety
seems only to be a descendant of the Spanish pointer, which he strongly
resembles in shape, with rough wiry hair all over his body, probably
arising from the coldness of the climate, as nature seems to provide all
the dogs of boreal regions with a covering fitted to resist the
inclemency of the sky. Even his legs are invested with hair, which is
generally of a uniform black colour, or of a dark umber brown. There is
one peculiarity about him, which is, that his nose is so deeply cleft
that it appears to be split in two; on which account he is termed, in
Russia, the double-nosed pointer. His scent is said to be superior to
that of the smooth dogs. His cleft nose is found to be inconvenient when
he is beating in cover, as the face is apt to be torn where the
brushwood is thick.
Russian sportsmen generally feed their pointers on oatmeal boiled, and
they are kept about their houses.
_Colour of Pointers._—Respecting the colour of pointers (as before
observed), a great deal depends entirely on fancy, but that most
esteemed is the liver and white, although there are as good dogs of
every other colour, indeed there is hardly a colour but some reason may
be assigned for its being either good or bad. A white dog is to be
preferred on two accounts; the first is, being all white, he is void of
any thing phlegmatic in his constitution, which does not hinder him from
retaining the lesson he has been taught, and prevent his being obedient;
besides, he has always a good nose: secondly, in grouse shooting, he can
be discerned at any distance, whereas a brown one cannot. A white
pointer, if good, is a treasure to a keen sportsman. Pointers of lemon,
or setters of a red or chestnut colour, are always the most difficult to
be brought to obedience, by reason of the bilious humour which prevails
in them, and which causes this irregularity. The white pointer is full
of stratagems and cunning, and is not so easily tired as dogs of the
lemon colour, which are very giddy and impatient, as choler is the most
predominant humour in them it in some measure accounts for their being
so; they are very uneasy under correction, and are certainly more
subject to diseases than any other dogs. Pointers of a brown colour are
generally good ones; but one great objection to this colour is, they are
difficult to be seen on a mountain, and are sometimes lost, which gives
the sportsman a vast deal of trouble before he can discover them; but
let any sportsman be asked, if he has not remarked that a brown-coloured
dog will bring him closer to game than any other, by reason that they
are not so easily perceived by the birds or game, as one of a white or
any other colour. The compiler, from many years’ experience, is
confident a sportsman will get more shots with a brown dog than one of
any other colour, and has found him very useful when birds become shy,
and the season is far advanced.—_Thornhill._
POISON, _s._ That which destroys or injures life by a small
quantity, and by means not obvious to the senses, venom.
Corrosive sublimate, or oxymuriate of quicksilver, is a most deadly and
unmanageable poison to dogs, in doses as small even as five or six
grains. Its effects are observed soon after it is taken, by the distress
of the animal, by his frequent retchings, insatiable thirst, panting,
and anxiety for a cool situation. The mouth becomes swollen; if the dose
has been large, it appears ulcerated also, and emits a very fœtid odour,
which circumstance forms a very strong characteristic, both with regard
to the animal’s having been poisoned, and also to the article employed
for the purpose. As the symptoms advance the retchings are tinged with
blood; the stools become liquid and bloody also; the heart beats
faintly, but with rapidity; the extremities become cold; violent
tremblings, paralysis, or convulsions follow, and death relieves the
sufferer. On examination of the body afterwards, the whole alimentary
canal, beginning at the mouth and proceeding backwards, exhibits marks
of the corrosive nature of the matter taken. The stomach, on being
opened, will appear covered with highly inflamed patches, and the
villous folds of its inner and rugose surface will present gangrenous
and ulcerated spots, and a ready separation of the mucous from the
muscular coat, with blood often suffused between them; which
circumstances only take place when a most acrid poison has been
swallowed. The intestines also show appearances of great inflammation,
particularly of their inner surface, which will be found sprinkled with
gangrenous specks, and, moreover, frequently filled with a thick bloody
mucus. Such are the usual morbid appearances; but satisfactorily to
detect the presence of a poison, and the immediate nature of it, some of
the liquid contents of the stomach and bowels, both before and after
death, should be saved, and undergo a rigid chemical analysis. In
general cases the addition of potash to some of these liquid contents
will occasion a light yellow precipitate when corrosive sublimate has
been the poisonous agent; but a practical chemist will employ many other
tests.
The medical treatment to be pursued in these cases consists in both
endeavouring to envelope and to neutralise the acrid matter: the former
may be attempted by means of a glairy fluid, for which purpose the
whites of eggs have proved the most effectual remedies, beaten into a
liquid, given in large quantities, and repeated as often as they have
been ejected; when these are not immediately at hand, milk may be
substituted. Mild clysters should also be thrown up. When the stomach is
somewhat appeased, give an opiate and castor oil. Large doses of soap,
dissolved in water, have been recommended as a counter poison to
corrosive minerals, or their preparations, and, in the absence of eggs,
should be tried.
_Arsenic._—This powerful oxide is often given to dogs, and not
unfrequently they find it for themselves in a state of mixture with
other matters placed to poison rats. The effects produced by it resemble
those occasioned by corrosive sublimate, except that, although they
prove equally fatal, they are not apparently so intense. The mouth,
likewise, is not usually affected, in an equal degree, by this poison as
by the other. Dissection, also, detects similar morbid appearances to
those above detailed; but, unless a very large dose has been taken,
there is not such complete lesion of the coats of the stomach and
intestines, but the gangrenous spots and the excess of inflammation are
fully sufficient to detect the disorganising action of a mineral poison.
Instead of subjecting the liquid contents of the stomach and bowels to
the action of potash, as directed when corrosive sublimate is looked
for, it is usual to detect arsenic by applying the blue ammoniacal
sulphate of copper, which will produce a lively green if arsenic is
present. A red hot iron will also occasion these contents to give out a
garlic-like smell under similar circumstances.
The treatment proper, in cases of arsenical poisoning, is to give sugar
dissolved in milk, in considerable quantities, until it may be supposed
that all the poison is evacuated from the stomach, when a similar
treatment is to be pursued to that before recommended.
* * * * *
In speaking of poisons White makes the following curious remark.—I once
gave two drachms of stavesacre to a glandered horse; he died in great
pain the following night. It is probable that more horses have been
killed by aloes, than by any other vegetable preparation. That is to
say, by strong physic, or by neglecting the horse during its operation.
The best antidote in this case, is gruel made of arrow-root or fine
wheat flour. The animal poisons are the stings of venomous reptiles, for
which stimulating embrocations seem to be better remedies than
fomentations. The matter which flows from the nose of a glandered horse
is a strong poison, whether applied to a recent scratch in the skin, or
swallowed with food or water. The saliva of a mad dog is a dreadful
poison to man, and to all animals.—_Blaine_—_White._
POISON, _v._ To infect with poison; to injure, or kill by poison
given; to taint.
POISONOUS, _a._ Venomous, having the qualities of poison.
POLE, _s._ A long staff; a tall piece of timber erected; a measure
of length containing five yards and a half; an instrument of
measuring.
POLEAXE, _s._ An axe fixed to a long pole.
POLECAT, _s._ The fitchew; it is of the weasel tribe, and emits a
most fetid smell.
This animal is known by various names or local appellations. In some
parts of the country it is called a fitchet, in others a foumart, in
others again a fillemark. The polecat is larger than the ferret, which,
however, it very much resembles in appearance and disposition. But,
according to the accounts which have been given us by naturalists, there
are, it seems, internal differences which distinctly mark these two
animals: the polecat has but fourteen ribs; whereas the ferret has
fifteen; and it also wants one of the breast bones which is found in the
ferret. The ferret is more slender and elongated than the polecat, and
has also a more pointed or sharper snout. It is, for the most part, of a
deep chocolate colour; it is white about the mouth; the ears are short,
rounded, and tipped with white; a little beyond the corners of the mouth
a stripe commences, which runs backward, partly white and partly yellow.
Its hair is of two sorts, the long and the furry, and the two kinds are
of different colours: the longer is black, and the shorter a dull or
dirty yellow, which produces the general chocolate colour already
mentioned; the feet and tail are blacker than any other parts: the claws
are white underneath and brown above; and its tail is about two inches
and a half long.
The polecat, like the fox, avoids as much as possible the human
countenance; and, like the fox too, possesses the most undaunted
courage. However, in comparing these two animals, though they happen to
agree in the two particulars just mentioned, yet they are enemies to
each other: or, in other words, the fox will not fail to kill the
polecat whenever they meet; in fact, the fox may be regarded as the
unrelenting enemy of all the smaller vermin. Reynard will kill and eat
the wild cat, or any other cat which might happen to come in his way; as
well as the polecat, the weasel, the stoat, the rat, &c.
The polecat evinces an insatiate thirst for blood, and is very
destructive to all kinds of young game; and if it is not openly so to
that which is full grown, it is because it is not so easily caught: it
will surprise hares on their seats, will seize partridges or pheasants
on the nest; and is incredibly destructive in a rabbit warren: it will,
like all the other animals of the weasel tribe, kill much more than it
can devour; in fact, so fond are these animals of sucking the blood of
their victims, that, in a place like a rabbit warren, or wherever their
food is presented in such abundance, the polecat (and the same of the
weasel and stoat) would continue destroying, if undisturbed, merely for
the sake of the blood.
The polecat is particularly destructive among pigeons, when it happens
to get into a dove-house:—it despatches each bird with a single wound
near to, or in, the head; and, after killing all it can, and sucking
their blood, will convey them to its retreat. This the animal will
carefully perform, going and returning, and bringing them one by one to
its hole; but if it should happen that the opening by which it got into
the dove-house be not large enough for the body of the pigeon to pass
through, this mischievous animal contents itself with carrying away the
heads, and makes a most delicious feast upon the brains.
The polecat is also fond of honey, frequently robbing the bee hives in
winter, a period when its prey is not so easily found in the woods and
fields.
Their retreat is generally in banks well sheltered with brambles or
underwood, or amongst brakes or woods, or other similar situations. They
burrow in the ground, making a tolerably large hole, about two feet
deep, which may easily be known by any one who has once noticed the hole
of a polecat. In winter, they will frequently approach houses or
buildings, and will rob the hen-roost, the pigeon-house, or even the
dairy, when pressed by hunger: on these occasions, they contrive to form
a retreat in or under some of the walls; and if they are unable to
secure an asylum of this sort, they will make their way under the corn
stacks, and whenever this happens to be the case, all the rats in the
immediate vicinity remove to a greater distance; the polecat is a deadly
enemy to the rat, and of this the latter is very well aware; and yet it
would appear that the polecat (from its size) is unable to follow it
through its burrows or runs; and the rat, as if conscious of this
incapacity in the former, removes no further from the presence of its
enemy than what may suit its convenience. The writer witnessed an
instance, where a great number of rats were found in a stack of wheat,
but all of them in the upper part; for several feet from the ground not
a rat was to be met with, which excited some surprise; but the
circumstance developed itself on reaching the bottom, where it was found
an enormous polecat had taken up its abode.
The female brings forth her young in the spring, to the number of from
four to six. To “stink like a polecat” is a common observation in some
parts; and indeed so impregnated does every part of the animal appear to
be with a very offensive fetid matter, that even the fur, which is soft
and warm, can scarcely be divested of it. Whenever the polecat happens
to be killed, the fetid matter just mentioned issues from the pores of
its body in great quantities, forming a very unpleasant effluvium, which
is perceptible even at some distance.
There are farmers to be met with who, whenever a polecat approaches
their barns, buildings, or houses, afford it every possible protection,
on account of its enmity to rats; but as its chief propensities are in
direct opposition to the views of the sportsman, so gamekeepers should
be careful to destroy it wherever it is to be met with.
If taken young, the polecat is not difficult to tame; nor in a domestic
state is it offensive to the human olfactory organs; as although it is
impregnated with a fetid matter, yet it would seem that the effluvium
which thence arises is only thrown off when the animal is killed or very
much alarmed.
The polecat is seldom seen during the day, unless compelled by hunger to
quit its retreat; but, as soon as night sets in, it leaves its hole in
quest of prey, when it may be pursued and killed by terriers. In the
midland counties hunting the polecat by moonlight forms a diversion for
schoolboys and the younger branches. After night-fall, when the polecat
rambles abroad, its hole (if known) is stopped, the terriers are thrown
off, one of which, upon whom the greatest dependence can be placed, has
a small bell fastened round his neck, in order that the hunters may know
where the dogs are questing. When they hit upon the scent, the terriers
give tongue; and as soon as the polecat finds himself pursued, he makes
directly for his hole, which, if stopped, he cannot of course enter, and
is compelled to seek some other retreat, during which he is perhaps
killed; if run to ground, he is very unceremoniously dug out and worried
on the spot, it being a general opinion amongst the vulgar (in
Leicestershire for instance), that whenever or wherever a polecat is run
to ground, they have a right to dig him out.
The above method, however, is not the mode in which I would recommend
gamekeepers to destroy the polecat; for the accomplishment of their
purpose, they can go a much shorter and surer way to work: this animal
seems possessed of little cunning, and is trapped with little
difficulty. The steel trap is generally used for this animal; but it may
be taken in the following manner:—box traps may be set in the bottom of
ditches, or under walls or pales, with the ends of the traps fenced up
to, for four or five yards aslant, and two or three yards wide at the
entrance, with earth, bushes, or broken pales, so that the animal cannot
pass without entering the trap. A trail of red herrings, half broiled,
should be drawn from one trap to another, and the traps should be baited
with the same material, with which also the ends of the traps may be
rubbed. By having both ends of box-traps painted white, and rubbed with
herrings or the entrails of any animal, hares will be deterred from
entering. This mode is well calculated to catch the wild cat, or indeed
any kind of quadrupedal vermin. Therefore, when any of the traps are
sprung, a bag sufficiently large to admit an end of the trap is to be
provided and slipped over it; and by rattling at the other end of the
trap, the creature will spring into the bag; for, without some such
precaution, should a wild cat be caught, the moment the light is
admitted it will fly in the face of the person opening it This is the
method generally adopted by warreners.
The steel-trap, however, is by far the best and surest method of taking
the polecat—and indeed the best method of catching all kinds of vermin.
It is more portable, more easily prepared, and very rarely fails in its
operation.—_Gamekeeper’s Directory._
POLISH, _v._ To smooth, to brighten by attrition.
POLISH, _s._ Artificial gloss, brightness given by attrition.
POLISHER, _s._ The person or instrument that gives a gloss.
POLL, _s._ The head; a fish called generally a chub, a cheven.
POLLARD, _s._ A tree lopped; the chub fish.
POLLEN, _s._ A fine powder, commonly understood by the word farina,
as also a sort of fine bran.
POLLEVIL, _s._ Pollevil is a large swelling, inflammation, or
imposthume in the horse’s poll or nape of the neck.
POLLOCK, _s._ A kind of fish. This species is abundant on the
British coasts.
POLYGON, _s._ A figure of many angles.
POMMEL, _s._ A round ball or knob; the knob that balances the blade
of the sword; the protuberant part of the saddle before.
POND, _s._ A small pool or lake of water, a basin, a water not
running or emitting any stream.
Very little is known of the habits and economy of fish, from the nature
of the element in which they live. When I resided in Bushy Park, I
caused the sides and bottom of a place to be bricked, through which a
stream of very clear water ran, and stocked it with most of the
varieties of our English fresh-water fish, supplying them abundantly
with food; but though I constantly watched them, and could see all they
did at any time of the day, the result of my observations was far from
being satisfactory. The perch were the boldest and most familiar of any
of the fish, as I found no difficulty in soon getting them to come with
eagerness to take a worm out of my hand. The barbel were the shyest, and
seemed most impatient of observation, although in the spring, when they
could not perceive any one watching them, they would roll about and rub
themselves against the brickwork, and show considerable playfulness.
There were some large stones in my _piscatorium_, round which they would
wind their spawn in considerable quantities. The trout appeared to bear
their confinement with less philosophy than any of the others, making
high leaps against the grating which admitted the water, and seeming at
all times out of sorts and out of condition. The chub were also very
restless, being continually on the move, but they never could resist a
cockchafer when thrown to them. My flounders only moved at night, and
the eels always made their escape, but in what way I never could
conjecture, except, indeed, they had the power of crawling up the
brick-work, which was about five feet from top to bottom, and generally
two feet above the edge of the water. They certainly could not get
through the grating, which was sufficiently close to confine bleak and
gudgeons; and some of the eels were of a large size. The pike, of which
I had eight of about five pounds’ weight each, kept up their character
for voracity. Out of 800 gudgeons which were brought to me by a Thames
fisherman, and which I saw counted into the reservoir—some few of which,
however, died—there were scarcely any to be seen at the end of three
weeks; though I should mention, that three large barbel I had, and six
good-sized perch, probably partook of them.
* * * * *
Jesse, p. 86, says, I will now give an account published by Mr. Neill,
in the Scots’ Magazine, of some sea-fish kept in a small pond into which
sea-water could be introduced. This pond was from time to time
replenished with fish. The following fishes were in it:—
1. _Cod._—They were lively, and caught greedily at shell-fish which were
thrown into the pond. They kept chiefly, however, in the deep water,
and, after approaching with a circular sweep, and making a snatch at the
prey, descended out of sight to devour it.
2. _Haddock._—These, contrary to expectation, were found to be the
tamest fishes in the pond. At ebb tide they came to the inner margin,
and ate limpets from the hand of a little boy, the son of a keeper. They
appeared white, and rather sickly.
3. _Coalfish._—Some of these were of a large size, exceeding in
dimensions the largest cod in the pond. They were bold and familiar,
floating about slowly and majestically, till some food was thrown to
them; this they seized voraciously, whether it consisted of shell-fish
or ship biscuit. They would also occasionally approach the margin, and
take their food from the keeper’s hand.