VENATION, _s._ The act or practice of hunting, obs.
VENEER, _v._ To make a kind of marquetry, or inlaid work.
VENERY, _s._ The sport of hunting; the commerce of the sexes.
VENESECTION, _s._ Bloodletting, the act of opening a vein,
phlebotomy.
VENISON, _s._ Game, beast of chace, the flesh of deer.
VENOMOUS, _a._ Poisonous.
VENT, _s._ A small aperture; a hole; a spiracle; the aperture of a
bird or fish; act of opening; emission; discharge.
VENTER, _s._ Any cavity of the body; the abdomen.
VENT FEATHERS (_Crissum_, LINN.), _s._ In ornithology, are those
that lie from the vent, or anus, to the tail underneath.
VENTILATOR, _s._ An apparatus to supply close places with fresh air.
VENTRICLE, _s._ The stomach; any small cavity in an animal body,
particularly those of the heart.
VERDERER, _s._ An officer of the forest.
In every forest there are usually four verderers, so named from
_viridis_ or _vert_. The verderer is a judicial officer of the forest,
chosen by force of the king’s writ in full county, and sworn to maintain
the laws of the forest, and to view, receive, and enrol the attachments
and presentments of all trespasses within the forest of vert and
venison.
VERDIGRIS, _s._ The rust of brass.
VERJUICE, _s._ Acid liquor expressed from crab apples.
VERMICULAR, _a._ Acting like a worm, continued from one part to
another.
VERMIFUGE, _s._ Any medicine that destroys or expels worms.
VERMILION, _s._ The cochineal, a grub of a particular plant;
factitious or native cinnabar, sulphur mixed with mercury; any
beautiful red colour.
VERMIN, _s._ Any noxious animal.
_To destroy vermin._—When dogs are afflicted with lice, the most
effectual remedy is to rub the whole animal over with train-oil; allow
it to remain on half an hour, and then wash it off with salt of tartar,
or potashes and water. Soft soap made into a thick paste, and rubbed
over the body, and allowed to remain on an hour before washing the dog,
will effectually destroy them.
N.B.—The method of giving any bolus, pill, or other medicine to a dog,
is to pull out his tongue, then put it down his throat as far as
possible, and when the dog draws in his tongue, the medicine will
descend into his stomach.
Sopping the skin with tobacco water has been recommended; but it has
only a momentary effect, and it not unfrequently poisons the dog.
Innumerable other means I have tried to drive away fleas, but the only
tolerably certain one I have discovered, is to make dogs sleep on
fresh yellow deal shavings. These shavings may be made so fine as to
be as soft as a feather bed; and, if changed every week or fortnight,
they make the most cleanly and wholesome one that a dog can rest on;
and the turpentine in them is very obnoxious to the fleas. But, where
it is absolutely impracticable to employ deal shavings, it will be
found useful to rub or dredge the dog’s hide, once or twice a week,
with very finely powdered resin: if simply rubbed in, add some
bran.—_Brown_—_Blaine._
VERNAL, _a._ Belonging to the spring.
_Vernal Birds of Passage._—The earlier or later appearance of our spring
birds may be found to arise from accidental vicissitudes of the season
in those countries from whence they come; and, viewed in this light, the
time of their arrival becomes an interesting phenomena to note down.
Generally speaking, they arrive at the following times, on an average of
many years:—
Wryneck Middle of March.
Smallest Willow Wren March 25.
House Swallow April 15.
Martin April 20.
Sand Martin April 20.
Blackcap April 17.
Nightingale April 10.
Cuckoo April 21.
Yellow Willow Wren April 20.
Whitethroat April 16.
Redstart April 16.
Night Plover or Stone Curlew March 27.
Grasshopper Lark April 15.
Swift May 9.
Lesser Red Sparrow April 30.
Corn Crake or Land Rail April 25.
Largest Willow Wren End of April.
Fern Owl May 20.
Flycatcher May 3.
Other birds, water wagtails for instance, who only make partial
migrations, are more uncertain in their times of appearance.—_Foster._
VERT, _s._ Everything that grows and bears a green leaf within the
forest.
VERTEBRAL, _a._ Relating to the joints of the spine.
VERTEBRÆ, _s._ Joints of the back.
VERTIGO, _s._ A giddiness, a sense of turning in the head. According
to White fast trotters are particularly subject to this disease.
When a horse has been worked hard and fed high, and especially horses
that excel in trotting, we often find, in the course of a few years,
that they appear giddy at times, or when trotting suddenly stand still;
ramble or reel a little, and shake their heads; but after a short time
recover. Sometimes they reel and drop down, and lie motionless for some
time; when they get up again, and recover in a short time. Sometimes
after falling down, they are convulsed, and the eyes are distorted; from
this state also they recover after a short time.—_White._
VESICATE, _v._ To blister.
VESICATORY, _s._ A blistering medicine.
VETERINARY, _a._ Belonging to cattle, particularly horses.
VIBRISSÆ (LINN.), _s._ In ornithology, are hairs that stand forward
like feelers: in some birds they are slender, as in flycatchers,
&c. and point both upwards and downwards, from both the upper
and under sides of the mouth. _Vibrissæ pectinatæ_ (LINN.), in
ornithology; these hairs are very stiff, and spread out on each
side like a comb from the upper sides of the mouth of the
nightjar.—_Montagu._
VICE, _s._ The course of action opposite to virtue; a fault, an
offence; a kind of small iron press with screws. _Vice_, in
horses, ill temper, savageness.
VINEGAR, _s._ Wine grown sour.
VINGT-UN, _s._ A game.
Vingt-un, or twenty-one, very much resembles quinze; but may be played
by two or more persons, and as the deal is advantageous, and often
continues long with the same person, it is usual to determine it at the
commencement by the first ace turned up.
The cards must all be dealt out in succession, unless a natural vingt-un
occurs, and in the mean time the pone, or youngest-hand, should collect
those that have been played, and shuffle them ready for the dealer
against the period when he shall have distributed the whole pack. The
dealer is first to give two cards, by one at a time to each player,
including himself, then to ask every person in rotation, beginning with
the eldest hand on the left, whether he stands or chooses another card,
which, if required, must be given from off the top of the pack, and
afterwards another, or more, if desired, till the points of the
additional card or cards, added to those dealt, exceed or make
twenty-one exactly, or such a number less than twenty-one, as may be
judged proper to stand upon; but when the points exceed twenty-one, then
the cards of that individual player are to be thrown up directly, and
the stake to be paid to the dealer, who is also in turn entitled to draw
additional cards, and on taking a vingt-un is to receive double stakes
from all who stand the game, such other players excepted who may
likewise have twenty-one, between whom it is thereby a drawn game: when
any person has vingt-un, and the dealer not, he who has it wins double
stakes of the dealer; in other cases, except a natural vingt-un happens,
the dealer pays single stakes to all whose numbers under twenty-one are
higher than his own, and receives from those who have lower numbers; but
nothing is paid or received by such players as have similar numbers to
the dealer: and when the dealer draws more than twenty-one, he is to pay
to all who have not thrown up.
Twenty-one, made by an ace and a ten, or court card, whenever dealt in
the first instance, is styled a natural vingt-un, should be declared
immediately, and entitles the possessor to the deal, besides double
stakes, from all the players, unless there shall be more than one
natural vingt-un, in which case the younger hand or hands so having the
same, are excused from paying to the eldest, who takes the deal of
course.
N.B. An ace may be reckoned either as eleven or one; every court-card is
counted as ten, and the rest of the pack according to their
pips.—_Hoyle._
VINTAGE, _s._ The produce of the vine for the year; the time in
which grapes are gathered.
VIPER, _s._ A serpent of that species which brings its young alive;
any thing mischievous.
When I wrote to you last year on reptiles, I wish I had not forgot to
mention the faculty that snakes have of stinking _se defendendo_. I knew
a gentleman who kept a tame snake, which was in its person as sweet as
any animal while in good humour and unalarmed; but as soon as a
stranger, or a dog or cat, came in, it fell to hissing, and filled the
room with such nauseous effluvia as rendered it hardly supportable. Thus
the squnck, or stonck, of Ray’s Synop. Quadr. is an innocuous and sweet
animal; but, when pressed hard by dogs and men, it can eject such a most
pestilent and fetid smell and excrement, that nothing can be more
horrible.
* * * * *
On August the 4th, 1775, we surprised a large viper, which seemed very
heavy and bloated, as it lay in the grass basking in the sun. When we
came to cut it up, we found that the abdomen was crowded with young,
fifteen in number; the shortest of which measured full seven inches, and
were about the size of full grown earthworms. This little fry issued
into the world with the true viper spirit about them, showing great
alertness as soon as disengaged from the belly of the dam: they twisted
and wriggled about, and set themselves up, and gaped very wide when
touched with a stick, showing manifest tokens of menace and defiance,
though as yet they had no manner of fangs that we could find, even with
the help of our glasses.
To a thinking mind nothing is more wonderful than that early instinct
which impresses young animals with the notion of the situation of their
natural weapons, and of using them properly in their own defence, even
before those weapons subsist or are formed. Thus a young cock will spar
at his adversary before his spurs are grown: and a calf or lamb will
push with its head before its horns are sprouted. In the same manner did
these young adders attempt to bite before their fangs were in being. The
dam, however, was furnished with very formidable ones, which we lifted
up (for they fold down when not used) and cut them off with the point of
our scissors.
There was little room to suppose that this brood had ever been in the
open air before; and that they were taken in for refuge, at the mouth of
the dam, when she perceived that danger was approaching; because then
probably we should have found them somewhere in the neck, and not in the
abdomen.—_White’s Selborne._
VIPEROUS, _a._ Having the qualities of a viper.
VISCERA, _s._ The bowels or entrails.
_Viscera of the horse._—The alimentary canal is continued from the
expellent orifice of the stomach to the anus, or end of the passage;
forming a long canal, whose varying dimensions have occasioned it to be
divided into the small and large intestines. The length of the tract
ranges between twenty-seven and thirty yards; of which proportions the
small intestines occupy from twenty to twenty-two yards, and the large
from seven to eight. It is not easy to give a determinate place to the
intestines, either individually or generally; the large, however, may be
said to occupy all the inferior portion of the abdomen throughout, and
the small to range between and upon them; both occasionally shifting
their position by the peristaltic motion. They are, however, prevented
from an unnatural displacement, by membranous productions of the
peritoneum, under the name of mesentery, mesocolon, and mesorectum. The
first intestinal coat is derived from the peritoneum, which separates to
receive the tube between its lamen; at once protecting it, and affording
a medium for the transmission of its vessels and a lubricating surface.
The second, or muscular coat, presents a longitudinal and a circular
plan of fibres; by the contraction of which, the vermicular motion,
called peristaltic, is performed, the longitudinal slightly shortening
them, and the circular diminishing their diameter; the inner surface of
this fabric being garnished with a quantity of dense cellular tissue,
was formerly erroneously considered as another and a nervous coat. The
inner tunic of the intestinal canal is villous, or mucous, and is very
vascular and sensible, its villi presenting an increased surface for the
mucous secretion, as well as more numerous chyliferous orifices, with
which it is thickly studded; but it presents no valvulæ conniventes, as
in the human, their place being supplied by the increased length of the
tract.—_Blaine._
VISCOUS, _a._ Glutinous, sticky, tenacious.
VISION, _s._ Sight, the faculty of seeing; the act of seeing.
_Vision of Birds._—Ross, in his voyage to Baffin’s Bay, proved that a
man under favourable circumstances could see over the surface of the
ocean to the extent of one hundred and fifty English miles. It is not
probable that any animal exceeds this power of vision, though birds,
perhaps, excel men and most quadrupeds in sharpness of sight. Schmidt
threw at a considerable distance from a thrush (_Turdus musicus_) a few
small beetles, of a pale grey-colour, which the unassisted human eye
could not discover, yet the thrush observed them immediately and
devoured them. The bottle tit (_Parus caudatus_,) flits with great
quickness among the branches of trees, and finds on the very smooth bark
its particular food, where nothing is perceptible to the naked eye,
though insects can be detected there by the microscope. A very tame
red-breast (_Sylva rubecula_, LATHAM,) discovered crumbs from the height
of the branch where it usually sat, at the distance of eighteen feet
from the ground the instant they were thrown down, and this by bending
its head to one side, and using of course only one eye. At the same
distance a quail discovered, with one eye, some poppy-seeds, which are
very small and inconspicuous.—_Montagu._
VITRIOL, _s._ Vitriol is produced by addition of a metallic matter
with the fossil acid salt.
VITRIOLIC, _a._ Resembling vitriol, containing vitriol.
VITRIOLATED ZINC, _s._ White vitriol.
VIVES, _s._ A disease in horses.
This disorder consists of a swelling of the parotid gland, situated
immediately beneath the ear, and is commonly named the vives or ives.
Fomentations of hot water should be first applied, that is, a large
piece of thick woollen cloth should be wrung out of hot water, and kept
in contact with the swelling. After continuing this operation for some
time, the woollen cloth may be confined close to the part, by suitable
bandages, until it is convenient to repeat the fomentation. Sometimes
these swellings go on to suppuration, and burst; when this happens, the
opening should be enlarged sufficiently to introduce the fore-finger,
and when the extent of the cavity has been thus ascertained, any further
opening, should it appear necessary, may be made. A tent of digestive
ointment is then to be applied, and repeated daily until the disease is
cured. Sometimes these swellings continue hard, and I have known them
prevent a horse from feeding. In a case of this kind, which I met with
last spring, I completely relieved the horse in a short time, by rubbing
in the following ointment:—
Crystallised tartarised antimony,
very finely powdered. 2 drachms.
Olive oil. 1 drachm.
Hog’s lard. 1 ounce.
Mix.
The hair must be closely cut off from the swelling, and the ointment
well rubbed in with the hand for about ten minutes. When horses have
sore necks, and lose the jugular vein, which sometimes happens after
bleeding, a hard swelling of the parotid gland takes place, which
generally continues a considerable time. In such cases, the above
ointment, after the disease in the neck has been cured, may be
tried.—_White._
ULCER, _s._ A sore of continuance, not a new wound.
Ulceration is a process directly the reverse of granulation; for as that
builds up, so ulceration directly breaks down parts, which become
absorbed through the medium of the lymphatics; the surfaces thus acted
on producing at the same time a purulent or other discharge. An abraded
surface thus circumstanced is called an ulcer, for the cure of which we
must endeavour to remedy the morbid action, by exciting a new and more
healthy one; by which the part being then brought to the condition of a
simple wound, will heal. When ulcers have continued for a long time, it
is often necessary to employ constitutional remedies to establish a
cure. In full habits we increase the other secretions, as those of the
bowels, the kidneys, the skin, &c., by purgatives, diuretics, and such
remedies as act on the skin. We also lessen the excess of morbid
secretion of pus, by establishing a new and artificial drain in the
neighbourhood, which is done by setons or by rowels. In some cases,
instead of existing plethora the ulcer has occasioned, or is accompanied
by great irritability of system, which must be combatted by opium, and
other sedatives; or if debility become very apparent, tonics must be
given, together with liberal diet. In general cases, stable soiling, a
course of carrots, or other total change of food, assists the healing
and restorative process greatly. Ulcers are often found of a greater
extent internally than externally; and when such cavities extend in
different directions, they form the sinuses of the surgeon and the pipes
of the farrier: when the edges of the external opening are hardened, it
is said to be fistulous. In general cases, the longer an ulcer has
lasted, the more obstinately will the vessels have gained a diseased
habit, and the more difficulty there will be to bring them back to a
healthy state. The external means employed for this purpose are usually
three; stimulating injections, seton, or incision; which operations it
will not be necessary to enter upon here, as we shall proceed to
describe the more common and important ulcers, with their treatment,
separately. It remains, however, to state, that ulcers in general are
apt to be treated by farriers erroneously, by plugging up the sinuses,
by which the matter formed penetrates farther, bringing into its own
action all the neighbouring parts. They likewise dress them so seldom,
that the pus frequently takes on a process of decomposition, and becomes
acrid; and, lastly, they neglect to gain a depending orifice for these
collections.—_Blaine._
ULCERATE, _v._ To disease with sores.
ULCERATION, _s._ The act of breaking into ulcers; ulcer, sore.
UMBLA, or OMBRE CHEVALIER, _s._ A fish.
The umbla or ombre chevalier, is very like a char in form, but is
without spots, and has a white and silvery belly. On the table, its
flesh cuts white or cream-colour, and it is exceedingly like char in
flavour. On February 11th, 1827, one was brought me from the lake of
Bourget, in Savoy; it was said to be small for this fish, it was fifteen
inches long, and seven and a half in circumference. In the dorsal fin
there were twelve spines, in the pectoral nine, in the ventral eight, in
the anal eleven, and in the caudal twenty-four.
Bloch says, that it is peculiar to the lakes of Geneva and Neufchatel;
but what I have just said must convince you of the inaccuracy of this
statement, as I dare say the fish exists in other deep waters of a like
character amongst the Alps. It is a fish closely allied to the char, and
congenerous both in form and habits.—_Sir H. Davy._
UMBLES, _s._ A deer’s entrails.
UNDER TAIL COVERTS, _s._ Those feathers immediately covering the
base of the tail beneath.
UNDER WING COVERTS, _s._ Those feathers covering the wing
underneath.
UNEARTHED, _a._ Driven from the ground. To unearth a fox, is to
force him from his den.
UNFLEDGED, _a._ That has not yet the full furniture of feathers,
young.
UNFLESHED, _a._ Not fleshed, not seasoned to blood.
UPPER TAIL COVERTS, _s._ Those feathers immediately covering the
base of the tail feathers.
VOLANT, _a._ Flying, passing through the air; active.
VOLE, _s._ A deal at cards that draws the whole tricks.
VOLERY, _s._ A flight of birds.
VOLLEY, _s._ A flight of shot; an emission of many at once.
VOLT, _s._ A round or a circular tread; a gait of two treads made by
a horse going sideways round a centre.
VOMICA, _s._ An encysted humour in the lungs.
VOMIT, _v._ To cast up the contents of the stomach.
VOMIT, _s._ The matter thrown up from the stomach; an emetic
medicine.
VOMITORY, _a._ Procuring vomits, emetic.
VORACIOUS, _a._ Greedy to eat, ravenous.
VORACITY, _s._ Greediness, ravenousness.
URETHRA, _s._ The passage of the urine.
URINARY, _a._ Relating to the urine.
URINE, _s._ Animal water.
Inflammation of the kidneys is generally caused by riding or driving a
horse immoderately, by straining the loins, in making him draw heavy
loads or carry heavy burthens; or they may become inflamed in
consequence of peritonæal inflammation of the bowels. In either case
breed freely, or to faintness; cover the loins with a fresh sheep skin,
the flesh side under, having first rubbed on them some warm embrocation,
such as hartshorn and oil, with a little oil of turpentine, or the
following embrocation. Open the bowels with a dose of castor oil and
clysters of warm water, with a small quantity of salt and oil, or hog’s
lard. I should first have noticed, however, the symptoms of the
disorder, which are, a constant desire to make water, without being able
to void any, or scarcely any: and the little that is discharged is dark
coloured or bloody. There is great stiffness of the hind parts,
generally more observable in one leg than the other. The horse often
stands straddling or wide, as if in want to make water, and every now
and then straining, or making painful and ineffectual efforts to stale.
This appearance often leads the groom to think that it is a stoppage of
water, and that a diuretic is necessary; but the fact is, that the
dark-coloured or bloody urine is so stimulating or acrimonious that the
bladder contracts violently in order to force out the smallest quantity
that gets into it.
The disorder I have now been describing may happen in various degrees,
but still the treatment is the same. It sometimes happens, however, that
the urine becomes foul and stimulating from high feeding, or foul and
unwholesome feeding. In this case the bladder will contract upon a small
quantity of urine, and the urine may be rather high coloured, like beer,
or turbid, like whey, and the horse may appear to strain a little in
voiding it; but this is very different from those distressing symptoms
which attend inflammation of the kidneys, nor is it accompanied with
loss of appetite, or any degree of fever, which is always present in
inflammation of the kidneys. When the urine becomes thus stimulating,
some cold mashes, with a little nitre, may be given, or what is still
better, perhaps, some grass, vetches, or lucern. If the horse is at all
costive, a clyster should be thrown up. An infusion of linseed is a good
drink for a horse when the urine is in this state.
The improper manner in which horses are generally fed, the early age at
which they are worked, and the immoderate degree in which they are often
worked, are circumstances which either separately or conjointly tend to
weaken the stomach, and disturb the digestive functions; in consequence
of this the blood becomes foul, or loaded with excrementitious matter,
the greatest part of which, in the horse, is carried off by the kidneys.
This renders the urine more acrimonious than it would otherwise be, and
causes the bladder to contract upon a smaller quantity. We may often
observe, also, how the urinary passages are stimulated by such urine,
making mares appear as if they were horsing, and causing an erection in
geldings. As the horse is often staling in this case, and voiding but a
small quantity, and appearing as if he was endeavouring to void more, it
is often mistaken for a stoppage in the water, as it is termed, and
diuretics are generally given, which, if not too strong, may be of
service. But the best plan is to keep the horse on bran mashes chiefly
for a few days, and give twice a day, for two or three days, the
following powder:—
Nitre 3 or 4 dr.
Carbonate of soda 1 dr. or chalk 2 dr.
Mix for one dose.
Or, No. 2, Nitre, powdered resin, chalk, and levigated antimony, of each
two drachms.—Mix for one dose.
If these powders appear to disagree with the stomach they should be
discontinued: in such cases the cordial diuretic is more likely to do
good, such as has been prescribed for asthmatic affection or broken
wind.
Retention of urine, strangury, or stoppage of water, may be caused by
inflammation and swelling of the neck of the bladder; and this may be
brought on by a peculiar acrimony in the urine, such as that produced by
cantharides when taken as medicine. The different species of pepper, or
grains of paradise, may produce some effect of this kind. The neck of
the bladder may be pressed down upon the pubis by an accumulation of
dung in the rectum, so as to stop the passage completely. A clyster is
always proper on these occasions, for if an accumulation of dung be the
cause, it will be speedily removed. But there will be some difficulty in
giving the clyster, unless some of the hard dung is first taken out with
the hand. The neck of the bladder may be so affected with spasm as to
confine the urine. This may be the cause of the stoppage of water that
happens in flatulent colic, but I rather think it depends entirely upon
an accumulation of dung in the bowels, therefore I always prescribe a
clyster in colic, of whatever kind it may be.—_Blaine._
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WADDING, _s._ That substance which secures the powder and shot in
loading a gun.
_Wadding._—Paper not being stiff enough, hat dirty, card too thin, and
leather apt to soften with the heat of the barrel, the common, and
perhaps the best punched wadding is pasteboard. The larger the bore, the
thicker should be the wadding, which may be got to any size, among the
discarded cuttings of a book-binder.
Nothing is better to punch your wadding on than a round block, sawed out
of some close grained kind of wood; such as beech, chestnut, lime,
sycamore, &c. Lead is improper, as it wears out the punch.
Be careful not to let your wadding get damp, or in drying it may shrink
so much as to become too small for the calibre of your gun.
* * * * *
In countries where orchards abound, a very fine moss, of greenish grey
colour, is found adhering to the apple-trees, which is extremely proper
for wadding, and which even possesses the extraordinary quality of
making the barrel less greasy and foul than paper, which always contains
a certain quantity of oil.—_Hawker_—_Essay on Shooting._
WADE, _v._ To walk through the waters, to pass waters without
swimming.
WADERS, _s._ A class of waterfowls.
WAGER, _s._ A bet, anything pledged upon a chance or performance.
WAGER, _v._ To lay, to pledge as a bet.
WAGTAIL, _s._ A bird.
The species of this kind are few, and these are chiefly confined to the
continent of Europe, where the individuals are numerous.
They are easily distinguished by their brisk and lively motions, as well
as by the great length of their tails, which they jerk up and down
incessantly, from which circumstance they derive their name. They do not
hop but run along the ground very nimbly after flies and other insects,
on which they feed: they likewise feed on small worms, in search of
which they are frequently seen to flutter round the husbandman whilst at
his plough, and follow the flocks in search of the flies which generally
surround them. They frequent the sides of pools, and pick up the insects
which swarm on the surface. They seldom perch; their flight is weak and
undulating, during which they make a twittering noise.
In almost all languages the name of this bird is descriptive of its
peculiar habits. In Latin, motacilla; in French, motteux, la lavandière,
or washer; in England, they are sometimes called washers, from their
peculiar motion; in German, brook-stilts; in Italian, shake-tail, &c.
&c.—_Bewick._
WAIN, _s._ A carriage.
WALK, _s._ Act of walking for air or exercise; gait, step, manner of
moving; a length of space, or circuit through which one walks; a
fish: _Walk_ is the slowest or least raised pace, or going of a
horse.
WALL-EYED, _a._ Having white eyes.
WALNUT, _s._ The name of a tree; the fruit and wood of the tree.
WANDER, _v._ To rove, to ramble here and there, to go without any
certain course; to deviate, to go astray.
WANDERER, _s._ Rover, rambler.
WARBLE, _v._ To quaver any sound; to cause to quaver; to utter
musically.
WARBLER, _s._ A singer, a songster.
This very numerous class is composed of a great variety of kinds,
differing in size from the nightingale to the wren, and not a little in
their habits and manners.
They are widely dispersed over most parts of the known world; some of
them remain with us during the whole year; others are migratory, and
visit us annually in great numbers, forming a very considerable portion
of those numerous tribes of singing birds, with which this island so
plentifully abounds. Some of them are distinguished by their flying,
which they perform by jerks, and in an undulating manner; others by the
whirring motion of their wings. The head in general is small; the bill
is weak and slender, and beset with bristles at the base; the nostrils
are small and somewhat depressed; and the outer toe is joined to the
middle one by a small membrane.—_Bewick._
WARDEN, _s._ A forest officer. The chief warden of the forest is a
great officer, next to the justices of the forest, to bail and
discharge offenders, but he is no judicial officer.
WARN, _v._ To caution against any fault or danger; to give previous
notice; to admonish to any duty to be performed; to warn off
trespassers from a manor.
WARP, _v._ To contract, to shrivel; to turn aside from the true
direction.
WARREN, _s._ A kind of park for rabbits.
WARRENER, _s._ The keeper of a warren.
WART, _s._ A corneous excrescence, a small protuberance on the
flesh.
WARTY, _a._ Grown over with warts.
WASH, _s._ Alluvion, anything collected by water; a bog, a marsh, a
fen, a quagmire; a medical or cosmetic lotion; a superficial
stain or colour.
WASP, _s._ A brisk stinging insect, in form resembling a bee. _Vide_
ADDER.
Abundance of wasps are said to denote a good fruit year. We have
remarked also the converse of this, for in the present season, 1824,
perhaps the worst for apples and stone fruit that we remember, there is
scarcely a wasp to be seen. In general towards the close of summer they
are very numerous, particularly in the month of September. In 1821 they
were prodigiously plentiful, and in 1822 there were a great many of
them, while 1824 scarcely presented a solitary wasp, even where they
usually abound.—_Foster._
WATER, _s._ One of the four elements; the sea; urine; _to hold
water_, to be sound, to be tight; it is used for the lustre of a
diamond.
Water varies considerably in its qualities and temperature. In deep
wells it rarely changes from 40° of Fahrenheit, while in exposed streams
and lakes, there may be a variation of from 12 to 16 degrees. Much,
consequently, depends upon the watering of horses, in quality, quantity,
and temperature. Horses, if they be not violently exercised, cannot be
too frequently watered.
* * * * *
_Water Birdlime._—Procure the strongest and best of birdlime possible,
and wash it in clear spring water till you perceive the hardness is
completely removed, and the lime has become very pliable: then squeeze
or beat out the water remarkably well, till you cannot observe a single
drop; dry it well: after this, put it into an earthen pot, and mix with
it the fat of fowls, unsalted, as much as will make it run; then add two
table spoonfuls of strong vinegar, a table spoonful of the best salad
oil, and a small quantity of Venice turpentine. This is the quantity of
ingredients which must be added to every pound of strong birdlime.
Having thus mixed them, boil them all gently together over a small fire,
stirring the whole continually till the mixture is complete, when it may
be taken from the fire and suffered to cool. When at any time you have
occasion to use it, warm it and then anoint your twigs or straws, or any
other small things, and water will not take away the strength of it.
This sort of birdlime is well calculated for snipes, &c.—_Gamekeeper’s
Directory._
WATER, _v._ To irrigate, to supply with moisture; to supply with
water for drink.
WATER CRAKE, SPOTTED RAIL, LESSER SPOTTED WATER RAIL, SKITTY, or
SPOTTED GALLINULE, (_Rallus porcana_, LINN.; _La Marouette_,
BUFF.) _s._
[Illustration: WATER CRAKE.]
This bird weighs about four ounces, and measures nearly nine inches in
length, and about fifteen in breadth. The bill is of a greenish-yellow,
and not more than three quarters of an inch long. The top of the head,
to the nape, is dusky, and slightly streaked with rusty-brown; a brown
and white mottled stripe passes from the bill over and behind the eyes;
the cheeks and throat are of a freckled dull grey. The neck and breast
are olive, marked with small white spots; the sides dusky and olive,
crossed with bars of white, and the under parts are a mixture of
cinereous, dirty and white yellow. The colour of the plumage of all the
upper parts is dusky and olive-brown, spotted, edged, barred or streaked
with white; the spots on the wing-coverts are surrounded with black,
which gives them a studded or pearly appearance; and the white bars and
streaks on the scapulars and tertials form a beautiful contrast to the
black ground of the feathers on these parts. The legs are of a
yellowish-green. The water-crake in its figure and general appearance,
though much less, is extremely like the corn-crake or land-rail; but its
manners and habits are very different. Its common abode is in low,
swampy grounds, in which are pools or streamlets, overgrown with
willows, reeds, and rushes, where it lurks and hides itself with great
circumspection; it is wild, solitary, and shy, and will swim, dive, or
skulk under any cover; and sometimes it is said, will suffer itself to
be knocked on the head, rather than rise before the sportsman and his
dog. This species is very scarce in Great Britain, and from its extreme
vigilance it is rarely to be seen. It is supposed to be migratory here,
as well as in France and Italy, where it is found early in the spring;
it is also met with in other parts of Europe, but no where in great
numbers. The conformation of its nest is curious; it is made of rushes
and other light, buoyant materials, woven and matted together, so as to
float on, and to rise or fall with the ebbing or flowing of the water,
like a boat; and to prevent its being swept away by floods, it is moored
or fastened to the pendent stalk of one of the reeds, by which it is
screened from the sight, and sheltered from the weather. The female lays
from six to eight eggs. The young brood do not long require the
fostering care of the mother, but as soon as they are hatched, the whole
of the little black shapeless family scramble away from her, take to the
water, separate from each other, and shift for themselves. The flesh is
said to have a fine and delicate flavour, and is esteemed by epicures a
delicious morsel.—_Bewick._
WATERCRESSES, _s._ A plant. There are five species.
WATER CRICKET or CREEPER, _s._ A cricket used as bait for fish.
It is an error to suppose this the same as the cad bait, for though
generally found by the water side, the latter is always in some kind of
husk, the creeper never, nor has ever wings, and cannot therefore be the
stone-fly; it may be kept in the same way as the cadis.
They may be kept in a large horn, like that for powder, with gravel at
the bottom, and some holes at the sides to admit air: the mouth of the
horn should be wide enough to receive a quart bottle cork, and should be
placed in water with the creepers, when not using them.—_Daniel._
WATER DOG, _s._ A rough and web-footed spaniel.
[Illustration]
_The Great Rough Water Dog._ (_Canis Aquaticus_, LINN.)—The great rough
water dog has long curly hair, is web-footed, swims with great ease, and
is extremely useful in the sport of shooting aquatic birds. He has many
of the qualities of the land spaniel.
This dog has a great liking to fetching and carrying, and such is his
exquisite sense of smell, that he will find a particular stone thrown by
his master to the bottom of a river: he dives with astonishing
dexterity. He is particularly valuable on board of ships, as he leaps
from the side of a vessel after any article which has fallen overboard,
and is very useful for recovering birds that have been shot from the
deck of the ship. Above all, he is lively, playful, good-tempered, and
much attached to his master.
_Large Water Spaniel._ (_Canis Inquisitor._)—The large water spaniel is
about the size of an ordinary setter, but much stronger in the bone and
shorter in the legs. His head is long, his muzzle moderately acute, and
his face is quite smooth, as well as the front of all his legs; his ears
are long, which, together with his whole body, is covered with deep
hair, consisting of firm, small, and distinctly crisped curls, not
unlike those of a wig, his tail is rather short, and clothed with curled
hair. His hair is very differently curled from the great water dog and
poodle, as that of the two latter consists of long and pendulous curls.
His general colour is a dark liver-brown, with white legs, neck, and
belly; and is sometimes, though rarely to be met with, all black, or
with a black body and white neck and legs.
His smell is extremely acute, and he has in some instances been taught
to set, but this is rather a difficult task, from his naturally lively
disposition. He takes the water with great eagerness, on which account
he is a valuable dog in shooting wild fowl; he watches with much
keenness and anxiety the motions of his master, and as soon as the bird
is killed he instantly plunges into the water, fetches it out, and lays
it at the feet of his master. He is very quick at finding the haunts of
wild fowl; he is also easily taught to fetch and carry articles, and
will seek things which have been lost, on which account he has received
in England the appellation of the finder.
The great water spaniel has sometimes been employed in otter hunting,
but it is seldom he has the pluck to combat with so keen an adversary.
He is an animal naturally distinguished for mildness and docility,
qualities which are pourtrayed in his countenance, and is remarkable for
his attachment to his master.
The native country of this dog is Spain; but we conceive that the
variety we possess, which is a very distinct one, is not the pure breed
as originally imported into this country, but that it is the produce of
the large water dog and the English setter, as it appears to be
intermediate between these, not only in figure, but also in their united
qualities.
_The Small Water Spaniel, or Poodle._ (_Canis Aquaticus minor._)—This
variety is presumed to be the offspring of the large water dog and the
small cocker; it has all the appearance of the former, not only in
shape, but also in the thick curled silky hairs. It is a most lively
active dog, with an acute sense of smell, and is very susceptible of
instruction of almost every kind. Its general colour is white, although
individuals are sometimes found with black patches over various parts of
their bodies. The poodle is very fond of diving, and can find at the
bottom of a river or pond any particular stone thrown in by his master.
In France this dog is a great favourite, and is taught many curious
tricks. He is an excellent companion in shooting of wild fowl, which,
when killed in the water, he very soon recovers.
Some dogs are more easily instructed than others, though all are
sufficiently docile. The poodle breed is the most extraordinary for
aptitude in this particular; many have been made so useful as to perform
the common offices of a servant, such as to go on ordinary errands, shut
and open doors, ring bells, &c. and their knack at mimicry is extreme.
* * * * *
I have tried poodles, but always found them inferior in strength, scent,
and courage. They are also very apt to be sea-sick. The Portland dogs
are superior to them.
A water-dog should not be allowed to jump out of a boat, unless ordered
so to do, as it is not always required, and therefore needless that he
should wet himself and every thing about him without necessity.
For a punt or canoe, always make choice of the smallest Newfoundland dog
that you can procure; as the smaller he is the less water he brings into
your boat after being sent out; the less cumbersome he is when afloat;
and the quicker he can pursue crippled birds upon the mud. A bitch is
always to be preferred to a dog in frosty weather, from being, by
nature, less obstructed in landing on the ice.
If, on the other hand, you want a Newfoundland dog only as a
retriever for covert shooting, then the case becomes different; as
here you require a strong animal, that will easily trot through the
young wood and high grass with a large hare or pheasant in his
mouth.—_Brown_—_Hawker._
WATER FOWL, _s._ Fowl that live or get their food in water.
WATER HEN, COMMON GALLINULE, or MOORHEN, (_Fulica chloropus_, LINN.;
_La Poule d’Eau_, BUFF.) _s._
[Illustration]
The weight of this bird varies from ten and a half to fifteen ounces;
the length from the tip of the beak to the end of the tail is about
fourteen inches, the breadth twenty-two; the bill is rather more than an
inch long, of a greenish yellow at the tip, and reddish towards the
base, whence a singular kind of horny or membranous substance shields
the forehead as far as the eyes; this appendage to the bill is as red as
sealing-wax in the breeding season; at other times it varies or fades
into a white colour. The head is small and black, except a white spot
under each eye, the irides which are red; all the upper part of the
plumage is of a dark shining olive green, inclining to brown; the under
parts are of a dark hoary lead colour; vent feathers black; those on the
belly and thighs tipped with dirty white; long loose feathers on the
sides, which hang over the upper part of the thighs, are black, streaked
with white; the ridge of the wing, outside feathers of the tail, and
those underneath, are white; the upper bare part of the thighs is red;
from the knees to the toes, the colours are different shades, from pale
yellow to deep green; the toes are very long, the middle one measuring
to the end of the nail, nearly three inches; their undersides are broad,
being furnished with membranous edgings their whole length on each side,
which enable the bird to swim, and easily run over the surface of the
slimy mud by the sides of the waters where it frequents.
The female makes her nest of a large quantity of withered reeds and
rushes, closely interwoven, and is particularly careful to have it
placed in a most retired spot, close by the brink of the waters, and it
is said, she never quits it without covering her eggs with the leaves of
the surrounding herbage. Pennant and Latham say, she builds her nest
upon some low stump of a tree, or shrub, by the water side; no doubt she
may sometimes vary the place of her nest, according as particular
circumstances may command, but she generally prefers the other mode of
building it. She lays six or seven eggs at a time, and commonly has two
hatchings in a season. The eggs are nearly two inches in length, and are
irregularly and thinly marked with rust-coloured spots on a yellowish
white ground. The young brood remain but a short time in the nest, under
the nurturing care of the mother, but as soon as they are able to crawl
out they take to the water, and shift for themselves.
Although the water-hen is nowhere very numerous, yet one species or
other of them is met with in almost every country in the known world. It
is not yet ascertained whether they ever migrate from this to other
countries, but it is well known that they make partial flittings from
one district to another, and are found in the cold mountainous tracts in
summer, and in lower and warmer situations in winter.
On examination of several specimens of this bird, in full feather, they
were found, like most birds of plain plumage, very little different from
each other.—_Bewick._
WATER OUSEL, WATER CROW, DIPPER, or WATER PIOT, (_Sturnus Cinclus_,
LINN.; _Le Merle d’Eau_, BUFF.) _s._
[Illustration]
The length of the water ousel is about seven inches and a half from the
point of the beak to the end of its tail, which is very short, and gives
the bird a thick and stumpy appearance. The mouth is wide; the bill
black, about three quarters of an inch long; the upper mandible rather
hollow in the middle and bent a little downwards at the point; the
eyelids are white, and irides hazel. The upper parts of the head and of
the neck are of a deepish rusty-brown; the back, rump, scapulars, wing
coverts, belly, vent, and tail are black; but each feather on these
parts is distinctly edged with a hoary grey colour. The breast, forepart
of the neck, and throat, are of a snowy white; and the black and white
on the belly and breast are separated by a rusty brown. The legs and
toes are short and strong, the scales pale blue, the hinder part and
joints brown; the claws are curved, and the toes are distinctly parted
without any membranous substance between to join them.
This solitary species is removed from the place it has hitherto holden
in all systems among the land birds: it ought not to be classed any
longer with the ousels and thrushes, to which it bears no affinity. Its
manners and habits are also different from those birds, and are peculiar
to itself. It is chiefly found in the high and mountainous parts of the
country, and always by the sides of brooks and rocky rivers, but
particularly where they fall in cascades, or run with great rapidity
among stones and fragments of broken rocks; there it may be seen perched
on the top of a stone in the midst of the torrent, in a continual
dipping motion, or short courtesy often repeated, whilst it is watching
for its food, which consists of small fishes and insects. The feathers
of this bird, like those of the duck tribe, are impervious to water,
whereby it is enabled to continue a long time in that fluid without
sustaining the least injury. But the most singular trait in its
character, (and it is well authenticated) is that of its possessing the
power of walking, in quest of its prey, on the pebbly bottom of a river,
in the same way, and with the same ease, as if it were on dry land. The
female makes her nest in the banks of the rivulet, of the same kind of
material, and nearly of the same form as that of the common wren; and
lays four or five eggs, which are white, lightly blushed with
red.—_Bewick._
WATER RAIL, BILCOCK, VELVET-RUNNER, or BROOK OUSEL (_Rallus
Aquaticus_, LINN.; _Le Rale d’Eau_, BUFF.) _s._
[Illustration]
This bird, though a distinct genus of itself, has many traits in its
character very similar to both the corn crake and the water crake; it is
migratory, like the former, to which it also bears some resemblance in
its size, its long shape, and in the flatness of its body: its haunts
and manner of living are nearly the same as those of the latter; but it
differs from both in the length of its bill, and its plumage. It weighs
about four ounces and a half, and measures twelve inches in length and
sixteen in breadth. The bill is slightly curved, and one inch and three
quarters long: the upper mandible is dusky, edged with red; the under
reddish orange; the irides red. The top of the head, hinder part of the
neck, back, scapulars, coverts of the wings and tail are black; edged
with dingy brown. The ridge of the wings is white, the bastard wing
barred with white, the inside barred with brown and white, and the
quills and secondaries dusky. The side feathers are beautifully crossed
with black and white, and slightly tipped with pale reddish brown. The
inner side of the thighs, the belly, and the vent are pale brown, and in
some specimens specked with bluish ash. The sides of the head, chin,
forepart of the neck, and breast, are of a dark hoary lead colour,
slightly tinged with pale rufous. The tail consists of twelve short
black feathers, edged and tipped with dirty red; some of those on the
under side barred with black and white. The legs which are placed far
behind, are a dull dirty red; the toes long and without any connecting
membrane. Latham says, “the eggs are more than an inch and a half long,
of a pale yellowish colour, marked all over with dusky brown spots,
nearly equal in size, but irregular.”
The water rail is a shy and solitary bird. Its constant abode is in low
wet places, much overgrown with sedges, reeds, and other coarse herbage,
among which it finds shelter, and feeds in hidden security. It runs,
occasionally flirting up its tail, through its tracks, with the same
swiftness as the corn crake runs through the meadows and cornfields,
shows as great an aversion to take flight as that bird, and has more of
the means in its power of disappointing the sportsman. It generally
exhausts his patience, and distracts and misleads his dog, by the length
of time to which it can protract its taking wing: and it seldom rises
until it has crossed every pool, and ran through every avenue within the
circuit of its retreats. It is, however, easily shot when once flushed,
for it flies but indifferently, with its legs dangling down while on the
wing. This bird is not very common in Great Britain, but is said to be
numerous in the marshes of the northern countries of Europe, whence,
partially and irregularly, it migrates southward, even into Africa,
during the severity of the winter season. Buffon says, “they pass Malta
in the spring and autumn,” and to confirm this, adds, “that the Viscount
de Querhoent saw a flight of them at the distance of fifty leagues from
the coasts of Portugal, on the 17th of April, some of which were so
fatigued that they suffered themselves to be caught by the hand.” The
flesh of the water rail is not so generally esteemed as that of the land
rail, and yet by many it is thought rich and delicious eating.—_Bewick._
WATER RAT, _s._ A rat that makes holes in banks.
I suspect much there may be two species of water-rats. Ray says, and
Linnæus after him, that the water-rat is web-footed behind. Now I have
discovered a rat on the banks of our little stream that is not
web-footed, and yet is an excellent swimmer and diver.
_Habits of the Water Shrew and Water Rat._—The brown rat (_Mus
decumanus_) frequents water and is fond of swimming, though it does not
willingly dive. The water rat (_Arvicola aquatica_, FLEMING,) again,
which is the one alluded to by White, swims as readily below as above
water, and feeds chiefly on the roots of water plants. White was near
the truth in supposing two species of water rats, inasmuch as he was not
acquainted with the water shrew (_Sorex ciliatus_, SOWERBY), so well
described by Mr. Dovaston of Shrewsbury in the Magazine of Natural
History. “I repeatedly,” he says, “marked it glide from the bank under
water, and bury itself under the mass of leaves at the bottom. It very
shortly returned and entered the bank, occasionally putting its long
sharp nose out of the water and paddling close to the edge. This it
repeated at very frequent intervals, from place to place, seldom going
more than two yards from the side, and always returning in about half a
minute. I presume it sought and obtained some insect or food among the
rubbish and leaves, and retired to consume it. Sometimes it would run a
little on the surface, and sometimes timidly and hastily come on shore,
but with the greatest caution, and instantly plunge in again. When under
water he looks gray, on account of the pearly cluster of minute air
bubbles that adhere to his fur and bespangle him all over. He only
appears at evening, and such is his general habit. Once, however, at
broad and bright noon, while leaning on a tree gazing on the sun
sparkles, like fairy lights, in numberless and eternal succession under
the gentlest breath of air, I was aware of my little friend running
nimbly on the surface among them. My rapture caused me to start with
delight, on which he vanished to security within his rush-fringed bank.”
* * * * *
During summer they reside principally in holes on the banks of rivers,
ditches, and ponds; but, as winter comes on, they approach the human
habitations, and very often take up their abode in barns, corn-stacks,
&c. They have haunts or runs in the walls and under the floors of old
houses, where they frequently injure the furniture; and they have been
known to gnaw the extremities of infants while asleep. They swim with
ease, and will dive after fish.
Rats increase very fast; they will bring forth three times a year, and
produce from ten to fifteen at a birth. They are numerous in most large
towns; and though they seek the fields on the approach of summer, it
generally arises from a diminution of food about farm-houses, &c., as
well as from the insecurity which they feel from the removal of the
corn-stacks, the clearing of the barns, &c., at the same time that
plenty of food is presented abroad in the fields. When a colony of these
animals happens to take possession of a field of standing corn, they
make dreadful havoc.
These animals will attack young poultry, and even the old, if pressed by
hunger; and their voracity is such that they have been known to fasten
on the fatter parts of living swine; nor are infants in their cradle
always free from their attacks. They will destroy young game, and indeed
the rat may be regarded as a general marauder.
Rats become uncommonly bold from impunity, but they are easily destroyed
or driven away when proper means for that purpose are adopted. There are
various methods of taking or destroying these creatures, the most
effective of which will be detailed.
The weasel tribe pursue the rat as fiercely as the hare; but the rat,
unlike “the poor timid hare,” does not resign itself to its fate; it is
interesting to see the small weasel attack a large rat. The latter will
get away, if possible; but finding escape out of the question, it turns
upon its invincible assailant and fights while it is able, crying out
all the time. From the active motions of the rat in this contest, as
well as from its evident superiority in strength, a spectator might
suppose that the business must end in the defeat or destruction of the
weasel; but, after a time, the efforts of the rat evidently grow
languid, while the weasel may be perceived sticking like a leech, its
teeth fast hold of the rat about the head or neck. The battle lasts no
great length of time; for when once the weasel has got hold, all the
efforts of the rat are not sufficient to dislodge it.
The ferret, it is well known, is in general use for the destruction of
rats, assisted by the terrier; and this was a kind of business or
employment followed by numbers throughout the country.—_White’s
Selborne_—_Gamekeeper’s Directory._
WATTLE, _s._ The barbs, or loose red flesh that hangs below the
cock’s bill; a hurdle.
WAX, _s._ The thick tenacious matter gathered by the bees; any
tenacious mass, such as is used to fasten letters; the substance
that exudes from the ear.
In this country, one hundred pounds of honey-comb will yield from three
to five or six pounds of wax; in some of the southern countries nearly
double that quantity. Transparent white honey is to be preferred to the
higher coloured; new to old, and that of the spring to the summer or
autumnal honey.
The wax being crumbled or pressed, must be boiled in water, and then
strained from bags into a tub of water. The water being strained when
the wax is cold, it may be collected, boiled, and when cool, will be
found in a cake on the surface. It is refined by repeated boilings in
fair water.—_Moubray._
WAX, _v._ To smear, to join with wax.
WEALD, _s._ A wood, a grove. Old Saxon.
WEAN, _v._ To put from the breast; to withdraw from any habit or
desire.
WEANLING, _s._ An animal newly weaned.
WEASAND, _s._ The windpipe, the passage through which the breath is
drawn and emitted.
WEASEL, _s._ A small animal that eats corn and kills rats and mice.
The hare has no enemy more fatal than the weasel, which will follow and
terrify it into a state of absolute imbecility, when it gives itself up
without resistance, at the same time making piteous outcries. The weasel
seizes its prey near the head: the bite is mortal, although the wound is
so small that the entrance of the teeth is scarcely perceptible; a hare
or rabbit bit in this manner is never known to recover, but lingers for
some time and dies.
The common weasel is the least animal of this species; the
disproportionate length and height of the little animals which compose
this class are their chief characteristics, and are alone sufficient to
distinguish them from all other carnivorous quadrupeds; the length of
the wolf, in proportion to its height, is as one and a half to one; that
of the weasel is nearly as four to one. The weasel never exceeds seven
inches in length from the nose to the tail, which is only two inches and
a half long, ends in a point, and adds considerably to the apparent
length of the body; the height of the weasel is not above two inches and
a half, so that it is almost four times as long as it is high; the most
prevailing colour is a pale tawny brown, resembling cinnamon, on the
back, sides, and legs; the throat and belly white; beneath the corners
of the mouth on each jaw is a spot of brown; the eyes are small, round,
and black; the ears broad and large, and from a fold at the lower part
have the appearance of being doubled; it has likewise whiskers like a
cat, but has two more teeth than any of the cat kind, having thirty-two
in number, and these well adapted for tearing and chewing its food. The
motion of the weasel consists of unequal bounds or leaps, and in
climbing a tree it gains a height of some feet from the ground by a
single spring; in the same precipitate manner it jumps upon its prey,
and possessing great flexibility of body, easily evades the attempts of
much stronger animals to seize it. We are told that an eagle, having
pounced upon a weasel, mounted into the air with it, and was soon after
observed to be in great distress; the little animal had extricated
itself so much from the eagle’s hold as to be able to fasten upon the
throat, which presently brought the eagle to the ground, and gave the
weasel an opportunity of escaping. Its activity is remarkable, and it
will run up the sides of a wall with such facility that no place is
secure from it. The weasel also preys in silence, and never utters any
cry except when it is struck, when it expresses resentment or pain by a
rough kind of squeaking. It is useful to the farmer in winter by
clearing his barns and granaries of rats and mice.
The weasel sleeps in its hole during the greater part of the day, and
evening is the chief time when it begins its depredations; it may then
be seen stealing from its retreat, and creeping about in search of prey,
which extends to all the eggs it can meet with, and it not unfrequently
destroys the bird that tries to defend them. If it enter the henroost
the chickens are sure to fall victims; it does not there often attack
the cocks or old hens, nor does it devour what it kills on the spot, but
drags it off to eat at leisure.
* * * * *
_Ferocity of Weasels._—In the month of December, 1817, in the parish of
Glencairn, a labourer was suddenly attacked by six weasels, which rushed
upon him from an old dyke, in the field where he was at work. The man
alarmed at such a furious onset from an unprovoked enemy, instantly
betook himself to flight, in which, however, he was closely pursued, and
although he had about him a large horsewhip, with which he endeavoured
by several back hand strokes to stop them, yet so eager was their
pursuit, that he was on the point of being seized by the throat, when he
luckily noticed at some distance, the fallen branch of a tree which he
made for, and hastily snatching it up, commenced in turn the attack with
so much success, that he killed three of them, and put the remaining
three to flight. The man’s life was in great danger, when it is
ascertained that two weasels are a match for a dog.
WEATHER, _s._ State of the air, respecting either cold or heat, wet
or dryness; the change of the state of the air; tempest, storm.
_Effect of Weather in water shooting._—Fog, snow, or any other hazy
weather, is very bad, as it makes every thing on the water appear large
and black, and then it is that these birds (and indeed all others) soon
take alarm. The novice fancies just the reverse. Fog in the fens and
marshes, however, is sometimes the best weather, although quite the
reverse on the sea.
Bright starlight is the very best of all times for getting at birds, as
the tide flows over the mud; particularly if there is a little breeze,
without wind enough to blacken the shallow water. If a cold black frost,
so much the better.
Even in moonlight wigeons are easier approached than in hazy weather. In
white frosts wigeons are often restless. In rain they are constantly
flying and pitching. In very dark weather they are suspicious, and more
on the watch than in starlight; but, if the wind blows fresh enough to
drown the noise of a launching punt, some “heavy shots” may now and then
be made by sweeping the surface of the mud to the sound where the flock
is walking and feeding. This may sometimes be within thirty yards of the
“launcher.” In mild weather, wigeons are generally scattered about like
rooks, till after midnight, unless they become concentrated by the flow
of the surrounding tide. But in cold weather they sit thick together.
The first night or two of thaw, after a sharp frost, is the best
opportunity for this sport.—_Hawker._
WEB, _s._ Texture, anything woven; a kind of dusky film that hinders
the sight; the film or skin that connects the toes of water
fowls and dogs.
WEBBED, _a._ Joined by a film.
WEBFOOTED, _a._ Having films between the toes.
WEIGHT, _s._ Quantity measured by the balance; a mass by which, as
the standard, other bodies are examined; ponderous mass;
gravity, heaviness, tendency to the centre.
_Weight for Inches._—It may prove a matter of intelligence to those
persons unconnected with the movements and terms of the sporting world,
to understand that the graduated scale for a match, when made for two or
more horses to run and carry weight for inches, is thus: that horses
measuring fourteen hands high are to carry nine stone, above or below
which height they are to carry seven pounds more or less, for every inch
they are higher or lower than the fourteen hands fixed as the criterion.
_Example._—A horse measuring fourteen hands, one inch and a half, (four
inches making one hand) will carry nine stone, ten pounds, eight ounces;
a horse measuring thirteen hands, two inches and a half, will carry only
eight stone, three pounds, eight ounces; the former being one inch and a
half above the fourteen hands, the other one inch and a half below it;
the weight is therefore added or diminished by the height of every inch
higher or lower.
* * * * *
Whatever might have been the original intention of cocktail racing (and
I have no doubt it was very laudable) it has become a regular and
well-organised system of swindling and fraud. It behoves every gentleman
and man of honour connected with the turf to discountenance it; and if
stakes “for horses not thorough-bred” cannot be immediately expunged
from every race list, a salutary check may easily be put upon it by
weighting the winners in such a manner as could not fail to bring them
to the proper level. Weight must and will always tell; and by this means
an effectual bridle would be placed upon these nefarious cocktails at
the commencement of their career. Even in regard to the age of these
suspicious cocktails, that is often rendered a doubtful circumstance, as
all the trickery and cunning of the men who own them are put in practice
to accomplish their purpose in this respect. From information which I
have no reason to doubt, a cocktail from the north, which has repeatedly
won during the present season (1829) has been running as a year younger
than the correct age; add to this also, little doubt can exist of the
animal being as thorough-bred as any racer in the kingdom. Moreover, to
say nothing of the immediate and obvious turpitude of the system of
cocktail racing, it is productive of continual and never-ending
disputes.—_Turf Expositor._