S.

SADDLE—is the well-known mechanical construction formed for the mutual

accommodation and safety of both the HORSE and the RIDER. Although

historical records prove them to have been in use with the ancients,

there is no demonstrative reason to believe they were established in

England till the reign of HENRY the SEVENTH, when they were adopted

under a compulsory law, that the nobility should not ride without them.

Saddles are of different sorts, according to the distinct services for

which they are designed; and, in fact, are so universally known, not

only in the aggregate, but in all their component parts, that any

elucidation upon so common a subject; must be evidently superfluous and

unnecessary.

SADDLE-BACKED.—A horse is so termed, when the RUMP-BONE rises so high

behind, in conformity with the WITHERS before, that a hollow (or rather

a complete curve) is formed in the middle, as a natural receptacle for

the Saddle. Horses of this description are mostly, in action, easy and

pleasant to the rider; but they are invariably weaker in the loins than

those of an opposite description.

SADDLE-GALLED.—This is an injury frequently sustained by horses either

in the FIELD with HOUNDS, or in JOURNIES upon the ROAD; and can only

happen by the _inattention_, _neglect_, or _penury_, of the OWNER, in

not affording occasional precaution and inspection to the state of the

_pad_, as well as to the first and safe FITTING of the SADDLE. It cannot

but be known to the most superficial observer, that the padding of every

saddle becomes progressively harder, in proportion to the perspirative

matter it absorbs; and, in direct proportion with the hardness it

acquires, the greater is the chance of its being injurious to the parts

with which it comes into constant contact, and with a burning heat,

produced by a long and repeated friction. Injuries of this kind,

although originating in the same cause, vary a little in their effects:

with one but slightly affected, a WARBLE may be produced; this happens

on the side, and if attended to upon its first appearance, is easily

obliterated by applications of vinegar, or other mild repellents; but

unattended to, and a frequent repetition of the cause being permitted to

take place, they soon become SITFASTS, and can only be got rid of by

instrumental extirpation. Where any part of the saddle-tree (in the

centrical cleft between the saddle-pads) is inconsiderately suffered to

come into contact with the wither, or vertebræ of the back, and so

continues in _friction_ and _pressure_, during a CHASE or JOURNEY,

certain mischief inevitably ensues: in the first a swelling, formation

of matter, and FISTULA, may be the consequence; in the latter, an

excoriation, followed by a tedious wound, or ulcer, may take place.

Circumstances which so constantly occur (and that so often, from an

unthinking stupidity in those who ultimately suffer by trouble and

vexation in the event) are only brought to recollection, for the

interested inculcation of those, who, inexperienced at present, will be

taught, by time and prudence, that PREVENTION is at all seasons

preferable to CURE, as it will be the means of shielding the body from

trouble, and the mind from repentance.

SALLENDERS—are at the bend of the hock (or hough) behind, exactly what

the MALLENDERS are at the back of the knee; for which the modes of

treatment and means of cure are precisely the same. See MALLENDERS.

SALTRAM,—the name of a horse who acquired considerable celebrity by his

performances upon the TURF, since which he has stood as a STALLION in a

proportional degree of estimation. He was foaled in 1780; got by

_Eclipse_, dam (_Virago_) by _Snap_ grand-dam by _Regulus_, out of a

sister to _Black and all Black_. He was sire of his Royal Highness the

Prince of Wales's _St. David_, the Duke of York's _Laurustina_, and the

Duke of Bedford's _Sprightly_, Lord Grosvenor's _Brown Filly_ (out of

_Sting_,) who won five prizes in 1790, at _two years old_, amounting to

1100 guineas; _Caroline_, and _Tiffany_; _Queen of Sheba_, (who won 900

guineas, at Newmarket, in 1792;) _Rose_, _Spankaway_, _Sweeper_, and the

Prince of Wales's _Whiskey_, who won in the same year 1000 guineas, 2000

guineas, the 1400 guineas, 100 guineas, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket,

and 50_l._ at Bedford; _Royalist_, _General_, _Henrietta_, _Clytus_,

_Coal Merchant_, _Tear-Coat_, _Peeping Tom_, _Septem_, _Coiner_, _Whip_,

and _Oscar_; exclusive of many Colts and Fillies, who were winners at

Newmarket, and elsewhere, but never were named.

SANDCRACK—is a crack or cleft in the HOOF of a HORSE, which originates

in a preternatural brittleness, brought on by standing too constantly

upon hot dry litter, without stopping to the bottom, or a proper and

occasional oiling of the hoof, to keep it in a healthy state. It

generally runs in a straight line downwards; and when it extends from

the junction of hair and hoof to the bottom, with the bloody lymph

oozing from the membranous mass at the top, it then becomes a serious

concern, affording no expectation of speedy consolation. There is, in

fact, but one direct mode of cure, which is to reduce the projecting and

ragged edges to a level, with the finest side of the rasp. Then with the

fine edge of a small firing-iron, of moderate heat, run two lines

parallel to each other on each side the crack longitudinally; this done,

draw two in the same manner transversely _above_, and the same below the

centrical part of the cleft, by which it will be enclosed in a small

square of double lines, calculated to restore the union which has been

destroyed. A little compound tincture of myrrh, or friar's balsam,

should be poured into the crack so soon as it is observed, particularly

if blood should be perceived to transude from the opening. In slight

cases, horses may be continued in moderate use; but where they bear the

complexion previously described, turning out to grass in a pasture

_moist_, but not _wet_, and that for a length of time, is the only

foundation upon which the expectation of permanent cure can be

entertained.

SCAB.—The disorder in horses so called, is the species of mange become

inveterately _dry_ and _scabby_ by its long duration.

SCENT—is the leading principle from which the great and inexpressible

enjoyment of all FIELD SPORTS is derived. It is the sublime and

inexplicable mystery upon which so many have contemplated, without being

enabled to define. That every information may be collected upon a

subject so rich, and so desirable of attainment to the SPORTING WORLD, a

rotational but concise review shall be introduced from those who have

given their thoughts in print to the public.

We are told by one, that "SCENT is an _effluvium_ continually arising

from the _corpuscles_ that issue out of all bodies; and being

impregnated with the peculiar state and quality of the blood and juices

of that particular animal from which they flow, occasions the vast

variety of smells or scents cognizable by the olfactory nerves, or

organs of smelling." This writer proceeds in confirmation thus: "Hence

the reason why one person differs from another in scent, and why a dog

will trace the footsteps of his master for a hundred miles together,

following him into any house, church, or other building, though

surrounded by ten thousand: and when the faithful animal has thus

diligently sought out and recognized his master, he is seldom willing

even to trust the evidence of his own eyes, until, with erected crest,

he has taken a few cordial sniffs, to convince himself he is right.

Hence also we perceive how a pack of hounds are enabled to pursue HARE,

FOX, STAG, or any other animal they are trained to hunt, across the

scent, and amidst the society of others of the same species, without

being diverted from the pursuit of that self same animal they had first

on foot; and hence too we discover how it is possible for birds and

beasts of prey to be directed to their food at such vast distances; for

these corpuscles issuing from putrid bodies, and floating in the air,

are carried by the wind to different quarters; where striking the

olfactory nerves of whatever animals they meet in their way, immediately

conduct them to the spot: and it is by this means the small-pox,

measles, putrid fevers, and all epidemic complaints, are communicated,

and the plague and pestilence conveyed from one place to another.

"It matters not how much the effluvia may be gone off, so as enough

remains to irritate the olfactory organ: for whether it be bird or

beast, they try the scent in all directions, till at length they

discover that which is stronger and stronger, in proportion as they

proceed; and this Nature has taught them to know is the direct and

obvious road to their prey, and prevents them from following a contrary

course, which is naturally weaker and weaker, and what in hunting is

called _heel_. This observation is confirmed by the encreasing eagerness

we perceive in all animals, the nearer they approach the object of

pursuit; as we see hounds and spaniels in HUNTING and SHOOTING, are the

most earnest, in proportion as the scent is recent, and they draw nearer

to the GAME. The same thing amongst quadrupeds, whether wild or

domestic, directs the male to the female that is in season for love; and

hence we see the DOG, the BOAR, the BULL, and the STALLION, when turned

loose, apply their nostrils to the ambient air, and proceed accordingly.

By the same medium the vermin which infest our dwellings know how to

direct their operations; whether to undermine walls, eat through solid

boards, cross rivers, or climb spouts; which shows how much stronger the

faculty of smelling is possessed by the _brute_ than the HUMAN species;

wisely ordained by NATURE, to enable them to seek their food, and

propagate their species; but for which they would often perish, or have

long since become extinct."

SOMERVILE, seemingly anxious to explore this hidden source of instinct,

conceives the SCENT (divested of the dignity of blank verse) to arise

from the peculiar property of the blood; which, when the game is on

foot, is so encreased in its circulation, that the "ferous particles"

are propelled through the skin in perspiration, and

"Leaves a long-steaming trail behind; which, by

The cooler air condens'd, remains, unless

By some rude storm dispers'd, or rarefy'd

By the meridian sun's intenser heat:

To every shrub the warm effluvia cling,

Hang on the grass, impregnate earth and skies.

With nostrils opening wide, o'er hill, o'er dale,

The vig'rous hounds pursue, with ev'ry breath,

Inhale the grateful steam, quick pleasures sting

Their tingling nerves, while their thanks repay,

And in triumphant melody confess

The titillating joy. Thus on the air

Depends the hunter's hopes."

MR. BECKFORD, equally energetic in his endeavours to discover and

ascertain the origin and property of SCENT, very modestly confesses his

state of uncertainty, in a few lines preparatory to his remarks made in

a letter to his friend, where he observes, "As you ask me my opinion of

SCENT, I think I had better give it you before we begin upon the subject

of HUNTING. I must, at the same time, take the liberty of telling you,

that you have puzzled me exceedingly; for scent is, I believe, what we

SPORTSMEN know least about. SOMERVILE, the only one I know of who has

thrown any light upon the subject of HUNTING, says, I think, but little

about scent; I send you his words: I shall afterwards add a few of my

own." Adverting then to the conclusion of the above quotation, he most

judiciously proceeds:

"I cannot agree with MR. SOMERVILE, in thinking that SCENT depends on

the AIR only; it depends also on the soil. Without doubt, the best scent

is that which is occasioned by the effluvia, as he calls it, or

particles of scent, which are constantly perspiring from GAME as it

_runs_, and are strongest and most favourable to the hound, when kept by

the gravity of the air to the height of his breast: for then it neither

is above his reach, nor is it necessary he should stoop for it. At such

times scent is said to lie _breast high_. Experience tells us, that

difference of soil occasions difference of SCENT; and on the richness

and moderate moistness of the _soil_ does it also depend, I think, as

well as on the AIR. At the time leaves begin to fall, and before they

are rotted, we know that the scent lies ill in covert. This alone would

be a sufficient proof, that scent does not depend on the _air only_. A

difference of scent is also occasioned by a difference of motion; the

faster the game goes, the less scent it leaves. When game has been

ridden after, and hurried on by imprudent sportsmen, the scent is less

favourable to hounds; one reason of which may be, that the particles of

scent are then more dissipated. But if the game should have been run by

a dog not belonging to the pack, seldom will any scent remain.

"I believe it is very difficult to ascertain what SCENT exactly is: I

have known it alter very often in the same day. I believe, however, that

it depends chiefly on two things; _the condition the ground is in, and

the temperature of the air_; both of which, I apprehend, should be

moist, without being wet: when both are in this condition, the scent is

then perfect; and _vice versa_, when the ground is hard, and the air

dry, there seldom will be any scent. It scarce ever lies with a north or

an east wind; a southerly wind, without rain, and a westerly wind, that

is not rough, are the most favourable. Storms in the air are great

enemies to scent, and seldom fail to take it entirely away. A fine

sun-shiny day is not often a good hunting day; but what the French call

_jour des dames_, warm without sun, is generally a perfect one: there

are not many such in a whole season. In some fogs, I have known the

scent lie high; in others, not at all; depending, I believe, on the

quarter the WIND is _then_ in. I have known it lie very high in a mist,

when not _too wet_; but if the wet should hang on the boughs and bushes,

it will fall upon the scent, and deaden it. When the dogs roll, the

scent, I have frequently observed, seldom lies; for what reason, I know

not; but, with permission, if they smell strong when first they come out

of the kennel, the proverb is in their favour; and _that smell_ is a

prognostic of good luck.

"When cobwebs hang on the bushes, there is seldom much scent. During a

white frost, the scent lies high; as it also does when the frost is

quite gone: at the time of its going off, scent never lies: it is a

critical minute for hounds, in which their game is frequently lost. In a

great dew, the scent is the same. In heathy countries, where the game

_brushes_ as it goes along, scent seldom fails. Where the ground

_carries_, the scent is bad, for a very evident reason, which

hare-hunters, who pursue their game over greasy fallows, and through

dirty roads, have great reason to complain of. A wet night frequently

produces good chases, as then the game neither like to run the COVERT,

nor the ROADS. It has been often remarked, that scent lies best in the

richest soils; and countries which are favourable to horses, are seldom

so to hounds. I have also observed, that in some particular places, let

the temperature of the air be as it may, scent never lies."

Amidst the various opinions upon the origin and property of scent, the

most opposite join issue upon the simple question of doubt; whether the

particles of effluvia which constitute what is termed scent, and by

which hounds are excited to follow the game, are proper identical parts

of the animal's body emitted in exhalations of respiration from the

lungs, or by the transpiration of perspirative matter through the skin.

This, perhaps, is of too abstruse a depth for the utmost extent of human

wisdom to explore with success. The opinion of SOMERVILE seems founded

upon the very basis of experimental observation, bettered by the sound

judgment, and practical remarks, upon the promoting, or retarding,

effects of both the atmosphere and soil; to which one circumstance alone

seems to convey additional rays of elucidation. It must be recollected

by every sportsman, who has occasionally taken the field with HARRIERS,

that, although they have _picked the trail_ for a mile, into the very

_stubble_, _fallow_, or _covert_, where the hare is sitting in her form;

although they are trying round her in every direction, and even within a

very few yards; there is then no more palpable perceptible scent, than

when they trailed at half a mile from her form; and when she _lays

close_, it is evident the dog, or dogs, derive no additional advantage

from being nearer to her, (in respect to finding,) unless by _stealing

away_, or jumping up, she gets into motion, when the scent is then

afloat, and continued as already described.

Whether this enquiry will ever be traced to the source of certainty, is

almost immaterial; it is a large field for the speculation of

philosophy, and well worthy investigation. From a contemplative review

of the operations of nature, it is evidently demonstrated, that there is

a secret instinctive principle infused into the whole race of animals,

whereby they are impulsively propelled to the propagation of their

species, the preservation of their offspring, or an implicit pursuit of

their propensities; so that no one shall become too numerous and

destructive for the existence of another upon whom they prey, or with

which they live in a perpetual state of warfare. It is likewise to be

remarked, that the greater likeness we discover in the form of the

animal creation, the more we perceive their friendly disposition to each

other; because the scent of their bodies afford a pleasing gratification

to the sensitive faculty, without exciting the appetite; if it was not

for which all-wise dispensation of a superior and invisible Power, the

same species would devour each other, and the purposes of the creation

would be annihilated by the operation of its own works.

SCHIRROUS.—The substance or enlargement so called, is an accumulation of

obstructed or extravasated lymph, becoming more and more indurated by

its stagnant retention. All tumours of this description, either in MAN

or _beast_, should be attended to in their infancy; when warm

stimulants, and powerful repellents, may be expected to have a proper

effect, previous to their having acquired induration; after which no

hope of obliteration can be indulged, but by instrumental extirpation.

From the reflection naturally arising upon which, will appear the

prudent necessity of paying early attention to swellings and

enlargements of every description; that nature may be assisted in her

own efforts, and her indications promoted without delay. Those tumours

which are hard, and seemingly insensible, not feeling pain upon

pressure, are of the indurated and schirrous kind; all swellings, and

enlargements, in which there is palpable heat, constant pain, and a

shrinking from the touch, denote SUPPURATION, which should be promoted

by means of FOMENTATIONS and POULTICES applicable to the purpose; for

where there is a well encouraged formation of matter, and a good

discharge, there is seldom any disappointment in the expectation of a

speedy cure.

SCIATICA—is a species of RHEUMATISM attacking a horse in one or both

hind quarters, which is sometimes so severe, as to render him nearly or

quite immoveable in his stall. It will be found enlarged on under the

head RHEUMATISM, where the means of relief are properly pointed out.

SCOURING.—A horse is said to have a scouring, when the body labours

under a continued LOOSENESS, similar to a course of purgation, without

any perceptible cause. Some, called fluey carcased horses, are liable to

this disorder from a variety of trifling causes, explained more largely

under the head LOOSENESS, which see.

SCRATCHES—are cracks in the heels of horses, which are originally

produced by the changes of weather, and their being left with _wet_

heels in the winter season. These, when long neglected, assume a degree

of virulence, and, from small, and almost imperceptible cracks, become

clefts with ragged edges, acquiring, by degrees, a kind of fungous

callosity. From these a fœtid oily ichor is discharged, attended with an

inflamed tension of the fetlock-joints, and so much constant pain, that

the horse is unwilling to move in his stall, unless compelled so to do;

and when a leg is lifted from the ground, he suspends it for some time,

in a seeming state of misery, from the fear of putting it again to the

ground. The cure consists solely in daily fomentations of warm,

well-boiled, gelatinous gruel, with a sponge; followed by linseed

poultices; dressings of digestive ointment; a few DIURETIC BALLS, given

three days apart; and, lastly, a course of ALTERATIVE POWDERS, to obtund

and correct the acrimony in the blood. If they have been permitted, by

neglect and inattention, to reach their most inveterate state,

displaying prominent fungous warts, or small tetters, mild escharotics,

or instrumental scarifications, must be brought into use; without one or

both of which, an early or certain cure will not be obtained.

SCUT.—The tail of either HARE or RABBIT is so called.

SEAMS—was a term formerly in use to signify the re-union of divided

parts in the hoof of a horse, as a cured SANDCRACK; or the cleft at the

junction of a FALSE QUARTER, with the uninjured part of the foot.

SEAT,—the position on horseback. A person once mounted, and sitting at

his ease, free from every seeming constraint, with his body pliably

erect, his thighs and knees adhering closely to the skirts of the

saddle, an easy freedom in his legs, and a personal motion corresponding

with the action of the horse, is said to have a GOOD SEAT. Those who are

always changing their position, throwing about their arms, swinging

their legs, looking every way but the right, with stirrups too _long_,

too _short_, or probably one shorter than the other, are horsemen of a

very different description, having a very _bad seat_, or rather no seat

at all.

SETONS—are artificial drains (or minor kind of rowels) in horses,

corresponding in effect with the issues inserted in the arms or thighs

of the human species. They are generally made upon the cheek, or under

the jaws of a horse, for some defect in, or inflammation of the eyes. A

writer of much celebrity admits "their utility to be very great, because

they facilitate the discharge of matter from abscesses, without the

necessity of admitting much air; the influence of which upon an ulcer,

produces pain and symptomatic fever." Another observes, that, "when

tumours are taken in time, whether on the POLL, WITHERS, or BACK, not

having been injudiciously retarded by common farriers, (whose management

in this case is always _worse_ than the DISEASE,) they may be carried

off, and brought to heal by the discharge from SETONS, without any of

the usual _butchery_, or cauterization, or the least blemish or loss of

parts. FARRIERS (he continues) are always very much disposed to proceed

with the _knife_, before the matter of the TUMOUR is fully concocted, by

which error they treble the difficulty, protract the period of cure, and

probably leave an indurated enlargement, which is never effaced."

The operation is in itself exceedingly simple, and is thus performed:

the practitioner being provided with a seton needle, of a size and

length proper for the tumour to be discussed, and having armed it with a

sufficient number of cotton threads, in proportion to the effect

required, and dipped in digestive ointment warm, the needle is to be

introduced (if possible) at the upper part of the swelling, and the

point conducted through the whole, and brought out at the bottom, as a

depending orifice is of considerable advantage in assisting the

discharge. The seton having been passed through the ABSCESS or TUMOUR,

is then separated from the needle, and the two ends tied together: or if

the length will not admit of that, a knot may be formed, or a wooden

button may be affixed to each end, by which it may be occasionally

pulled up or down, as when the two ends are tied together, it may be

moved in a circle. When the swelling is perfectly reduced, and the

offending matter entirely run off, the seton may be withdrawn, and the

orifice will soon unite, and form a cicatrix, without any farther

application.

SETTING DOG—is perhaps, in respect to natural formation and effect, the

most beautiful and attracting of the canine species: there is an

elegance of figure, an uniformity of shape, make, and speed; a pleasing

variegation in colour, (being generally yellow, or brown pied;) an

inexpressibly anxious solicitation of notice, and an aspect of

affability and anticipating gratitude, beyond the power of the PENCIL to

_depict_, or the PEN to _describe_. The sporting business of the

SETTING-DOG (commonly called the English setter) is precisely the same

with the POINTER, but with this difference, that, admitting their

olfactory sensations to be equally exquisite, and that ONE can discover

and receive the _particles_ of SCENT (alias the effluvia of the game) as

readily, and at an equal distance, with the OTHER, the difference of the

sport, in which they are separately engaged, renders it necessary that

one should do upon his legs, what the other does by prostration upon the

ground; and they are neither _more_ or _less_ than the effect of

education; for as in the sport of SHOOTING (with the pointer) the GAME

is expected to _rise_, so in drawing (with a setting-dog and net) the

BIRDS are required to _lie_.

Naturalists seem to have assumed a greater degree of _latitude_ in

respect to the CANINE SPECIES, than in any other part of the creation,

where they have been _less_ at a _loss_. Great musical teachers

inculcate strongly, one forcible precept upon the _minds_ and _memories_

of their PUPILS, which is, "when they happen to err in execution, _never

to stop_; because it will inevitably serve to convince the auditors,

such are inadequate to the task they have undertaken; when by _keeping

on_, not one in fifty may know an accidental mis-movement has taken

place." Just so it seems to have been with speculative delineators of

the CANINE RACE; where the pedigree could not be ascertained, the

peculiar kind of any distinct class appears to have been _accidentally_

forgotten. It does not seem that the _origin_ of the POINTER is any

where described, or by any writer attempted; but by the most respected

authority we have, from whence information, instruction, and

entertainment, can and may be derived, we are told, "the HOUND, the

SETTING-DOG, and the TERRIER, are only one and the _same race_ of DOGS;

for it has been remarked, that the same birth has produced setting-dogs,

terriers, and hounds, though the hound bitch has only had access to one

of the three dogs." The true state of the case is precisely this, that

although Nature, in her outlines, has furnished the canine race with

powerful instinctive properties, by which their propensities, their

pleasures, their dislikes, and attachments, may be disclosed; and

notwithstanding it must be admitted, their olfactory sensations are

refined in an extreme degree beyond the human species; yet much depends

upon the means, mode and manner of education. This has been demonstrated

a few years since beyond all manner of controversy, when a gamekeeper

absolutely brought a full-grown PIG to _hunt_ and _point_ to the BIRDS;

and procured a considerable emolument from displaying repeated proofs of

his ingenuity, patience, and perseverance.

SETTER,—in the game of HAZARD, is the person who _sets_ the CASTER;

or, in other words, the player, who makes stakes with the person holding

the box and dice, who, if he THROWS IN, draws the money; on the

contrary, if he _throws out_, the setter is the winner.

SETTER-TO—is a term in cocking. The setter-to is the person who in a

cock-pit receives the cock (going to fight) from the feeder, and hands

him upon the SOD during the battle, according to the laws of the pit,

and the conditions of the match. See COCKING, COCK-PIT, and MAIN of

COCKS.

SHANK-BONE,—in a horse, is the bone extending from the knee to the

fetlock-joint. This bone should be uniform, firm and compact, well

proportioned to the length of the fore-arm above, and the pastern below;

if too long for either, or both, the symmetry is totally lost; and hence

a general objection to horses whose legs are _too long_ for the CARCASE,

which is a defect readily observed; and indifferent judges are always

prepared to say, such a horse has "too much day-light under him."

SHAPE and MAKE.—The "shape and make" of horses offered for sale, is such

an eternal echo, whether at the public hammer, or by private contract,

from one end of the kingdom to the other, that it is natural to

conceive, no sporting subject can be more completely understood; but as

there are eternally younger branches coming forward, and monied

noviciates _paying_ for practical experience in the _art_ of DEALING,

such extensive rules are introduced, to inculcate the absolute necessity

for circumspection in BUYING, under the head HORSE, that not a single

line of utility can be added upon the subject.

SHARK—was the most capital horse of his time; bred by MR. PIGOTT, foaled

in 1771, got by MARSK, dam by _Snap_, out of the dam of _Warwickshire

Wag_. This horse was proved, next to CHILDERS and ECLIPSE, to have been

possessed of more speed than any horse ever bred or produced in the

kingdom. He beat all his cotemporaries at every distance, (_long_ or

_short_,) clearly demonstrating his superiority, whether they run for

_speed_, or run for _bottom_. His distinct winnings are too remote from

the present time to enumerate individually, but they amounted in the

aggregate to a GOLD CUP value 123 guineas, eleven hogsheads of claret,

and the astonishing sum of 20,000 guineas, in plates, matches,

sweepstakes, forfeits, and bets. When no horse in England could be found

to start against him, he was taken to America as a STALLION, although it

was publicly affirmed, 10,000 guineas were offered for him before his

departure; admitting which to be the fact, it could have been done with

no other motive than to render him a private STALLION for the mares of

those _only_ who subscribed to the aggregate.

SHOEING of HORSES,—which for time immemorial remained in its almost

original state, has for the last fourteen years become an object of

importance and general investigation. What for a century before was

never thought worthy a moment's consideration, but by those whose

professional province it was to FORM the SHOES, and _set them on_, is at

length found worthy the fashionable and condescending inspection of

NOBLEMEN, GENTLEMEN, the _polished_ groom, and the illiterate

stable-boy. This change is well known to have originated in the

publication of "TAPLIN'S Stable Directory" 1789; which, from its

unprecedented popularity, passed through TWELVE editions in the short

space of four years. To the appearance of this work, upon a subject so

long neglected, are the public indebted for the much-wanted veterinarian

improvement which has since taken place; as well as for the constantly

increasing influx of veterinary writers, who, speculating upon the

success of the original reformer, have obtruded upon the world such an

infinity of _imitations_, and such a profusion of what they have thought

_improvements_, that the discerning part of the public (plainly

perceiving the deceptive imbecility of such attempts) rendered them

abortive; a multiplicity of books having been announced upon veterinary

subjects within the last seven years, which have been immediately buried

in oblivion, without a sale sufficient to pay even for the paper upon

which the works were printed.

The rage for an improvement in the system of farriery which TAPLIN'S

books had induced, extended to almost every part of the kingdom, and

_necessitous_ adventurers became _vulcanian_ speculators in every

direction. Various new, important and _infallible_ plans of SHOEING were

_hypothetically_ introduced amongst the infant _crop_ of _newly-sown_

veterinarians; one avowed himself an advocate for _long_ shoes; another,

for _short_ shoes; a third, for _high_ shoes; a fourth, for _low_ shoes,

and _thin_ heels; a fifth, for _half_ shoes; and a still more

_sagacious_ groupe of THEORETICIANS, for _no shoes at all_!!! To the

great credit of the nation, and the strenuous endeavours of

investigating individuals, this fashionable _thirst_ of _folly_, this

_infatuating furor_, seems now in a great degree to have subsided, and

affords reason to believe, as well as to hope, the _veterinary mania_

has (at least in this respect) attained its CRISIS; and that the only

rational, safe, and judicious mode now in general use, will be no more

attacked by the wild and chimerical speculations of those, whose want of

professional skill and scientific information must ever render their

schemes abortive.

That gentlemen will dedicate part of their time to examine the internal

structure of the foot, the anatomical formation and junction of the

bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilages, and membranes, is not to

be expected; but that they will, upon the principle of self-defence, be

careful to understand enough of the EXTERIOR, to check occasionally the

rude hand of the injudicious or inconsiderate operator, is readily to be

believed. The operative act of shoeing, in its general sense, as

appertaining to the making of the shoe, the insertion of the nails, and

the external finish of the foot, are too well known, and publicly

performed, to require the most trifling description. Although one

general data, or fixed rule, is laid down, by which all good and

sound-footed horses should be shod without an exception, (proportioning

the form, size, substance and weight of the shoe to the use of the

horse,) yet there are occasional deviations, which cannot consistently

be avoided, but must be prudently submitted to, when diseases of the

foot, or injuries to the hoof, render them truly necessary. Hoofs, it is

well known, are not all alike, nor are the same hoofs always in the same

state; some are preserved so by unremitting care, and strict attention;

others are permitted to get into decay, and to become diseased by a want

of both. The OPERATIVE FARRIER has his different distinctions and

denominations for the various kinds of hoof which come under his hand;

as the sound, strong, firm, black hoof, which is generally perfect, and

seldom either defective or diseased; the rough and brittle hoof, which

is mostly wide and weak, requiring nightly stopping at the bottom, and

oiling round the top; the long, flat and shelly hoof, which runs all to

_toe_, and leaves nothing at the _heel_; the crooked or rather horny

hoof, which, from a defect in radical moisture, grows into a wrinkled

rigidity, that almost sets both the RASP and BUTTERIS at defiance. There

are also others so thin, wide, and expanded above, and the outer sole so

prominent on each side the frog below, that such are called

fleshy-footed, and require a shoe of peculiar formation, as well as much

extra care in setting it on. Some hoofs are so contracted with heat, and

narrowed at the heel, (particularly if the frogs are wasted by thrush

and corrosion,) that when turned, the vacuum bears the appearance of

intentional excavation.

Under this accumulation of considerations, some conditional variations

must be admitted, from the fixed and proper rules to be laid down,

although the fundamental principle should still be the same; and,

notwithstanding the superfluous and destructive freedom of the

_drawing-knife_ and _butteris_, are frequently, and with great justice,

condemned; yet they must sometimes be brought into moderate use: but

those who render them subservient to the purposes required, should

invariably retain it in memory, that more may be injudiciously destroyed

in _five_ minutes, than can possibly be restored in TEN months. The

entire ART of SHOEING may be reduced to a very concise description, and

consists in paring the foot (when it is necessary) with judgment,

tenderness, and safety; to form the shoe with good, substantial, sound,

Swedish iron, of a shape and make hereafter to be described; in

selecting nails of a proper size, length, or strength, equally adapted

to the shape of the foot, and the weight of the shoe; and, lastly, to

the very critical task of driving them properly, clinching them firmly,

and finishing the foot neatly.

The act itself being thus publicly seen in practice, and generally

comprehended, it becomes only necessary (amidst the variety of

speculative opinions lately obtruded upon public notice) to introduce

such comparative reasoning, and practical proof, of the superior

excellence and rational propriety of the execution, as may enable every

reader to take an impartial survey of the different modes recommended,

in doing which, he is then at liberty to adopt which ever he may be

induced to think approaches the nearest to perfection.

Amidst the great variety of attracting _novelties_ which issued from the

press, after the publication of TAPLIN'S PATTERN SHOES, was "a concave

shoe," most zealously recommended by the PROFESSOR of a public

institution, since deceased; who, had he lived only a few weeks longer,

would have received the most unequivocal proofs of the _fallacy_ of the

_theory_, when put into competition with the UNERRING criterion of

PRACTICE: but happily for him, and luckily for his great and opulent

friends, (who were daily and shamefully forsaking him,) he died just in

time to save his reputation. Suffice it, therefore, in delicacy to his

error, as well as to his memory, only to observe, that the SHOE passing

under that denomination (having a smooth or flat inside to cover the

foot, and a concave surface, to come in contact with the ground or

pavement) was the very _reverse_ of what it should be, and only

calculated to render tender, if not cripple, any horse, if obstinately

persevered in; as will be candidly admitted by every reader of

rationality, when the representation of the FOOT, the form of the SHOE,

and the setting on of that shoe, are taken into distinct and separate

consideration.

[Illustration: _To face Page 265. Vol. 2ᵈ._

DEMONSTRATIVE SHOEING.]

That this may be done with a more comprehensive and general effect,

divested of SCIENTIFIC disquisition, or ANATOMICAL ambiguity, a PLATE is

annexed; which, with very little explanatory matter, will afford the

most perfect and satisfactory elucidation. A is the representation of a

sound, firm, well-formed HOOF, in a slate of unembellished nature: here

is evidently no devastation required—no paring off at the heel—no

slicing off from the sole—no cutting-knife at the toe; nor does it, with

an eye of the strictest judgment and circumspection, seem to claim or

solicit from the art of man, any other assistance, than protection

against the injury it must inevitably sustain from harder bodies, when

brought into use by constant collision. That this fair and candid

investigation may be the less liable to miscontruction, and that cynical

misrepresentation, or envious opposition, may not (even in the weakest

minds) warp the effect of truth, let it be observed, that the circular

line marked 1 is the line of articulation, or, in other words, the

distinct line of separation; around which is the _wall_ or _crust_ of

the HOOF, (in itself insensible,) where the bearing only should be, and

where the figure 5 of E will be found accurately formed for its

reception.

That part of the foot extending from the line of separation on one side,

to the corresponding line of separation on the other, having the FROG in

the center, and marked 2 on each side, is called the _outer sole_,

covering a membranous mass, or substance, called the _inner sole_, which

is of exquisite sensibility, requiring PROTECTION without _pressure_

upon the external part; which it will be seen (by referring to the

PLATE) is sufficiently afforded by the concave formation at Fig. 6 of

letter E, which, upon the accurate inspection of the best informed and

most experienced investigators, must be admitted a shoe of the first

perfection for the promotion of every good, and the prevention of every

ill.

Having thus produced both _foot_ and _shoe_, as unsullied

representations of NATURE and ART, and adapted the _make_ of _one_ to

the _formation_ of the other, with a consistency no man of common

comprehension will presume to dispute, we proceed to an impartial

examination of the letter B, which represents the mode of SHOEING

adopted, and some time persevered in, at a place of veterinary

celebrity, upon the discontinuance of the very _short-lived_ concave

shoe.

As it is a remark of long standing, that the _exterior_ strikes _first_,

so we shall find here, that, upon a superficial survey of the letter B,

there is a neatness in the execution, that seems to excite attention,

and command respect; but when it is critically examined with the eye of

precision, and its deficiencies pointed out, it then loses all power of

permanent attraction, and will advance no well-founded claim to

approbation or imitation. Admitting (as it is presumed no opposition

whatever arises to the fact) that the _wall_ of the FOOT represented by

Fig. 1, should have its bearing upon the properly-adapted part of the

shoe, ascertained by referring to Fig. 5 of E, and continued home to the

extreme point of the heel accurately terminated by the Fig. 7 of C; let

us see what would be the inevitable consequence of having the shoes an

inch and a half too short at each heel, as represented by Fig. 3 of B,

where NATURE, REASON, OBSERVATION, and EXPERIENCE, concentrate their

whole force to demonstrate the consistency, the safety, in fact, the

indispensible necessity, of its being continued to Fig. 4 of B, as is

already explained by previous reference to Fig. 7 of C.

Convinced, therefore, beyond the shadow of doubt, (as every reader may

by another reference to No. 1,) that the _wall_ of the HOOF holds forth

its _own proof_, that the shoe should be continued home to the extreme

_point_ of the _heel_, or that it requires _no shoe at all_; and this

alternative being first understood, and then acceded to, by every

comprehension, it will be equally clear, that as much as _art_ falls

_short_ in the support which NATURE requires, proportional must the

injury be, by the inevitable _indentation_; invariably productive of

bruises, and tenderness upon the _edge_ of the _sole_, thereby laying

the foundation of preternatural stricture, _corns_, _callosities_, and

other _ills_, which would be more perfectly understood by an examination

of any such subject, after a shoe _one_ _third too short_ had been eight

or ten days in constant wear.

By way of concluding observations upon the PLATE, and its purpose, it

becomes only necessary to remark, that the letter C is the hoof of a

large saddle or carriage horse, well covered for the _pavement_ of the

METROPOLIS, or travelling upon the turnpike-road. That the letter B is a

perfect model of good shoeing for HUNTER or HACKNEY, provided the heel

of the shoe was continued to Fig. 4, instead of terminating at 3. That

Fig. 8 is called the _web_ of the SHOE, which is, in fact, no more than

the whole breadth of the iron, and may be widened, or narrowed, entirely

by the _judgment_ of the SMITH, or the discretion of the OWNER. That

Fig. 9 is the cavity called the _groove_, or fullering, to receive the

heads of the nails, above which (in SHOEING of EXCELLENCE, and

superiority) they should never constitute a prominence; and that the

letter D is no more than a back view of the short shoe, for some time so

powerfully recommended, which has already most deservedly fallen into

disrepute.

Having considered it necessary to introduce such minute references as

will sufficiently demonstrate the difference between _good_ shoeing and

_bad_, it remains only to add a single deficiency of SHOEING SMITHS in

general, who, from _indolence_, _inattention_, or _inability_, entirely

lose sight of, or never form at all, the proper line of distinction

between the bearing of Fig. 5 for the crust (or _wall_) Fig. 1; and the

protection afforded the _outer sole_, Fig. 2, by the internal concave

example in Fig. 6. Considering this remissness in the operator, and

shoeing too _short_ at the _heels_, to constitute the prevalent and

principal errors requiring rectification, it is anxiously to be hoped,

that those whose minds are open to conviction, will contribute their

assistance to inculcate the necessity of adopting one invariable

standard as a leading step to general reformation.

SHOEING SMITH.—The shoeing smith, more frequently known by the

denomination of BLACKSMITH or FARRIER, is, unluckily for those who

profess it, a business of much greater bodily labour than professional

emolument; hence it is, that few, except the very lowest classes of

society, can ever be prevailed upon to engage in it. Here then has

always been the deficiency so much complained of, and so universally

known, with all the practitioners of the old school, acting as SMITHS

and FARRIERS, whether in town or country; and it is much to be

regretted, that their original want of education, the means of

instruction, and their total ignorance of the _properties_ of MEDICINE,

should have hitherto secluded them from every chance of mental

improvement, and personal emulation. If we advert to their _manners_, we

find them in direct uniformity with their intellectual capacity: _rude_

by _nature_, they become _cunning_ by _art_; unfortunately _untaught_,

it is their greatest pride to become proportionally _untractable_, and

know so little themselves, they confidently affect to believe but

_little_ is known by _others_: shielded by which ideal sagacity, they

obstinately persist in an opinion of _their own_, in opposition to every

other, or individually determine to abide by no rational opinion _at

all_.

When a candid comparison is made between their dangerous and laborious

employment and their disproportioned emoluments, it must be admitted by

every mind of liberality, they are the _worst paid_ for their drudgery

of any set of men in the universe. Hence arises that _sterile apathy_ in

the business, which is so much the subject of general indignation and

universal contempt; and is the only well-founded reason, why there are

so few men of education, or intellectual ability, to be found amidst the

daily increasing number who profess the practice. Custom, too, has

excluded them from any respectable weight in the scale of society;

thereby rendering the obstacles to worldly elevation too numerous, and

too uncertain, for even the most laudable and spirited emulation to

encounter, with even a distant probability of success. These

considerations readily reconcile it to reason, why (upon the most

moderate calculation, taking the kingdom in general from one extremity

to another) there are not more than one in every hundred, who exists by

the practice of SHOEING and FARRIERY, that can speak with precision upon

the _property_ of the MEDICINE he prescribes; or elucidate, with

propriety, the probable process, or ultimate effect, of the OPERATION he

_recommends_.

In such predicament, probably anxious to do good, without the _personal

power_ to EFFECT it, they may be impartially considered "men more sinned

against than sinning;" and, in many instances, much more entitled to the

commiseration of the enlightened, than the contemptuous indifference

they so frequently receive. Happily, however, for the vocation itself,

much more happily for the community at large, improvement in the

PRACTICE of FARRIERY has at length become an object of national

consideration; and the institution has been repeatedly honored with

PARLIAMENTARY CONTRIBUTIONS; under which predictive ray of reformation,

part of the present generation may probably not only derive future

advantage, but live to see the former system rescued from the

_ignorance_ and _barbarity_ by which it has been for so many centuries

disgraced. The great hazard arising from the practice of the injudicious

or ill informed, is their possessing an unrestrained power of plunging

into a bold and inconsiderate use of the most _dangerous_ medicines, the

present operation and ultimate effect of which they so _little_

understand, and are so absolutely _unable_ to explain.

It is no uncommon thing to hear of _bleeding_, _rowelling_, _purging_,

_glystering_, and _blistering_, nearly all taking place (with the same

subject) within the space of _twenty-four_ hours; and could a

_thousandth_ part of the poor unfortunate animals so rashly annihilated,

but _rise_, and _recite_, the load of medical _combustibles_ and

_contrarieties_ by which they were _destined_ to their _long_ and _last_

sleep, what a complicated history of the MATERIA MEDICA would be brought

to light, and what a scene of _professional knowledge_ displayed, to

form the basis of REFORMATION, with that long list of sublime

disquisitionists, who, waving the disgraceful appellations of _smith_

and _farrier_, are becoming VETERINARY SURGEONS in almost every remote

corner of the kingdom! One great and almost invincible error amongst the

veterinarian fraternity (of whom there are many _juveniles_ now to be

seen) is their superficial survey, and hasty decision, in cases of the

utmost magnitude; anticipating the _prognostics_, without even

descending to examine the predominant _symptoms_ of DISEASE.

Passionately fond of _affecting infallibility_, they rashly promise

_more_ than they find themselves able to perform; and thus by their own

weakness, voluntarily exposed, are frequently compelled to _retract

to-morrow_, what they have most inconsiderately asserted _to-day_;

thereby overwhelming themselves with a load of professional _disgrace_,

from which there seems no sanguine prospect of speedy extrication.

SMITHS and FARRIERS in general, being unfortunately ignorant in the

peculiar property of each particular medicine, is not a greater

misfortune, than their being absolute strangers to the _medicines

themselves_, thereby becoming the standing dupes of adulteration. The

warehouses and shops of inferior druggists, it is well known by men of

experience, are by no means remarkable for professional _purity_; in

some obscure corner of which is generally a _reservoir_ of _rubbish_,

admirably adapted to the _prise_ and _practice_ of FARRIERS, with whom a

custom so laudable has been established for time immemorial, and from

the palpable pecuniary effects upon both parties is not likely to be

abolished.

SHOOTING—is become a sport of so much pleasure and universality, that

the legislature has found it expedient to extract an annual contribution

of THREE GUINEAS from every individual who enjoys it. In fact, it is so

perfectly congenial to the dispositions of the people, and so truly

conducive to the greatest blessing in life, HEALTH, that it should seem

its votaries have annually increased in proportion to the conditional

restraints of parliamentary prohibition. SHOOTING, in its most extensive

signification, may be supposed to imply the act of shooting with a

fowling-piece, at any object in general, without a specific

determination; but, narrowed into a less diffuse, and more expressive

compass, it is then reduced to the more particular points thus defined.

PHEASANT shooting, PARTRIDGE shooting, GROUSE shooting, COCK shooting,

RABBIT shooting, SNIPE shooting, DUCK, WILD FOWL, &c. These are

pleasures varying a little in the difference of pursuit and enjoyment,

but have, according to the season, their various degrees of attraction.

Pheasant shooting begins (under certain penalties and restrictions, if

killed _before_ or _after_ the days mentioned) on the _first_ of

_October_ in every year, and ends on the _first_ of _February_

following. Partridge shooting begins on the _first_ of _September_, and

extends to the _first_ of _February_ next ensuing. The season (under

similar restrictions, but heavier penalties) for killing HEATH-FOWL, or

black game, commences on the 20th of _August_, and terminates on the

10th of _December_; and for grouse, or red game, on the 12th of

_August_, and ends on the 10th of _December_. Woodcocks and Snipes being

birds of passage, and not included in any act for the preservation of

game, the time for killing is unlimited; being entirely dependent upon

the season, the country they appear in, and the flights as they arrive.

PHEASANT SHOOTING may be considered the most laborious, and least

entertaining, of the whole, unless in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex,

Hampshire, and some other counties, where the large tracts of lofty

woodlands, and corresponding underwood, contribute so materially to

their annual increase and preservation. This sport is mostly pursued

with the small springing spaniel, whose eager tongue, the moment he

touches _scent_ of the _foot_, or _winds_ the _bird_, gives "early note

of earnest preparation." Pointers of great strength, and high courage,

hunted with _a bell_, are frequently instrumental to good sport, and

great success; but they must be fast goers, and once knowing their

business, not readily disposed to _stop_, or _draw_ slowly; if so, the

bird will frequently rise in the highest part of the covert, or at such

_a distance_, that an open shot will but seldom be obtained,

particularly in a country thin of game. Those who wish to preserve

well-bred and well-broke pointers in a state of unsullied excellence,

will not accustom them to covert hunting, but invariably use their

spaniels in one of the sports for which they were so evidently intended.

PARTRIDGE SHOOTING is, to a contemplative mind, of a much more

entertaining description; for the objects of pursuit being found in the

open fields, every part of the sport is seen and enjoyed. Partridges are

not in equal abundance every year, but depend in a great degree upon the

state of the weather during the time of _laying_ the _eggs_, as well as

the time of HATCHING; which is almost invariably between the _middle_

and the _end_ of JUNE. When the months of MAY and JUNE are dry, birds

are in general exceedingly numerous, and proportionally strong upon wing

by the commencement of the SHOOTING SEASON; but when heavy and dreadful

rains fall, as they frequently do during the HAY HARVEST, the

destruction is incredible. Such continued rains not only chill the eggs

during incubation, but drown numbers of the young almost so soon as they

are out of their shells. Wet seasons also are destructive to ANTS, upon

which, and their eggs, young partridges and pheasants principally

subsist. Partridges so soon as the corn is cut down, and they are in a

great degree deprived of the shelter and protection under which they

were bred, display a most wonderful timidity and dread of danger; to

which the whole covey are induced by the unceasing anxiety of the HEN

for the safety of her young.

Thus incessantly alive to perpetual fear, they change their situation

repeatedly in the course of the day; as well to insure security from all

probable danger, as to supply the calls of nature. In the first part of

the shooting season, while the _stubbles_ of WHEAT and BARLEY are fresh,

and not rendered too bare, or too much beaten by cattle, they are to be

found in either one or the other, both late at night, and early in the

morning: after feeding in which, (if not disturbed by the approach of

those in pursuit of them,) by a signal from the hen, they rise gently,

as it were, in a cluster, and glide or skim along with as little flutter

as possible to the nearest turnips, standing clover, rushy moors, or

grassy low coverts, in some of which, during the middle of the day, they

are always to be found; and not unfrequently near a watry ditch, or

running stream; as it is at this time, and only once a day, they take

this part of their sustenance: but as there are many hilly countries in

which water is but rarely to be found, it is natural to conclude, their

wants in this respect may be amply supplied by the morning dewdrops with

which vegetation so plentifully abounds.

The dogs peculiarly appropriate to and used in this sport, are

principally POINTERS, at least with those who rank as SPORTSMEN, and

have too high a respect for its character to degrade the order; and it

is never pursued with greater consistency, or enjoyed with greater

ecstasy, (or more success,) than when _too many guns_, or _too many_

dogs, are not seen in the field together. Any number above two of the

former, and two brace of the latter, in one company, evidently denote

much more of _poaching rapacity_, and an intentional annihilation of

GAME, than of SPORTING equity. DOUBLE-BARRELLED GUNS partake a little of

the same impression, being admirably calculated to promote the very

scarcity so much and so constantly complained of. The art of SHOOTING

FLYING, in which numbers are so exceedingly expert, and which, in fact,

may be so easily attained, is not, in general, acquired with that

facility by young sportsmen, which might naturally be expected. This is

entirely owing to the _timidity_, _volatility_, _anxiety_, and

_impatience_, of the mind, at the very critical moment when all should

be _quiet_ and _calm_ within; but at the impressive crisis, when the

point takes place, and the animal is fixed seemingly immoveable, under

an instinctive impulse, which instantaneously excites in the human frame

a most aweful sensation, (the heart palpitating with HOPE, FEAR, and

SUSPENSE,) the birds rise, and with so much noisy rapidity, that the

mind and body being equally agitated, no particular bird is singled for

the AIM, at the instant of _pulling_ the _trigger_, and the whole escape.

There is no pursuit, game, or amusement, in which a proficiency is to be

obtained, can require a nicer eye, a steadier hand, a cooler head, or a

more philosophic patience, than the SPORT before us. Sportsmen of

experience waste neither their _time_ nor their _labour_; they well

know, according to the description not long since given, where to find

the game, according to the time of the day; and are seldom seen hunting

their dogs in unlikely places. They cover the ground slowly and

deliberately, that none should remain unbeaten, or birds be left behind:

when a dog stands (or makes his point) the master should for a moment

_stand still_ also; the general stillness settles the dog more firmly to

his point, and the birds are more likely to lie. If the gunner hurries

up, (as many frequently do,) it hurries the dog also, and not only makes

him impatient, but the game probably gets up _out of shot_; or, what is

equally productive of mortification, he himself gets up to the point so

flurried, and out of breath, that he finds it impracticable to take

regular aim; and when he _fancies_ he does, the bodily _tremor_ he is in

renders the shot ineffectual. To become a steady and good shot, some few

short rules are unavoidably necessary, the principal of which is cool

deliberation: those of too warm, hasty and impetuous a disposition,

should retain in memory a single line from the immortal bard;

"WISELY and _slow_; they STUMBLE who run _fast_."

When the dog has enjoyed his point sufficiently, whether the birds are

walked up, or rise spontaneously, the gun should never be raised to the

shoulder till the whole covey are _patiently_ surveyed, and the very

bird fixed upon, at which the aim is intended to be taken; this once

done, and the eye not removed from the devoted _victim_ till the

instrument of death is brought to bear, the sight _once_ caught, and the

_motion_ with the _trigger_ made in the critical and corresponding

_twinkling_, success in most instances must eventually ensue. It may not

be inapplicable to remark, that the progress to perfection is greatly

retarded, amongst the _juvenile_ branches of SPORTING SOCIETY (when

shooting in company) by invariably and emulatively (but very

inconsiderately and imprudently) endeavouring to obtain the FIRST shot:

the error being mutual, so is the disappointment; probably _both_, or

all, _miss_; to which nothing ensues but a _vacant stare_ of

mortification, not to add disgrace: but if a bird _happens_ to fall, it

is productive of clamour, and general jealousy: it is claimed by all:

and personal acidities, from such trifling circumstances, have sometimes

arisen about a _paltry partridge_, that have continued during the lives

of the parties. The prudent and patient who shoot in company, will be

circumspect in every motion; they will not take aim at the _first bird_

which happens to rise, (to be confused by those who are rising,) or fix

upon a bird on the left hand when a companion is on _that side_, and the

bird going off directly _across him_. The right hand man and the left

should take invariably birds on their own distinct sides; but when they

go off in a _direct line_, circumstances and proceedings must be

regulated accordingly.

GROUSE SHOOTING differs but little from the preceding, excepting its

being more laborious, and taking place in the hotter months, and in the

more hilly or mountainous countries. This species of game is not

universally dispersed, like the partridge, over the face of the kingdom,

but a native inhabitant of some particular district in wild, remote, or

peculiar situations. They were some few years since to be plentifully

seen in many parts of WALES, and in the NEW FOREST of HAMPSHIRE; but

they are now very much reduced, and rarely to be found; at least not in

sufficient numbers to render it a sport worth pursuing. In the northern

counties bordering upon the Tweed, and in various parts of Scotland,

they are so numerous, that many of the most opulent and eager sportsmen

make very long and expensive journies, to satiate themselves, and weary

their dogs, with an unrestrained and unlimited profusion of sport. The

grouse is larger than the partridge, and, when full grown, weighs from

twenty to two-and-twenty ounces. The plumage is variegated, and

beautifully composed of black, red, and white; the tail being similar to

that of the partridge, but a little larger when extended in flight.

The GROUSE perseveringly adhere to those mountains and moors which are

covered with heath, seldom or ever descending into the lower grounds.

They fly in _packs_, consisting of four or five brace; and indulge upon

intervening tracts of soft mossy ground, particularly in the hotter

months of the year. The cackling noise of the cock may be heard at a

considerable distance; and when once the dog makes his point, he is

commonly the first bird upon wing. Upon the POINTER'S being first

observed to _stand_, it is instantly necessary to keep the eye forward;

for if the birds are perceived to _erect_ their heads, and _run_, it is

considered an infallible sign they will _not lie well_ during that day;

in which case there is no alternative, but to head the dog, and, if

possible, keep pace with them, so as to be within shot when they rise;

if which advantage is not taken, many a long and laborious day may be

undertaken without the consolation of a single bird. As the time for

this sport commences in the sultry season, and generally in parts of the

country remote from expeditious means of conveyance, they do not very

frequently reach the Metropolis; at least in such a recent state as to

be perfectly attracting: they are (particularly if not killed remarkably

clean) very soon disposed to _putridity_; and if required or intended to

be sent to any great distance, they should be drawn as soon as

convenient after they are shot, and the vacuum filled up with fine heath

or herbage for the journey.

COCK (or WOODCOCK) SHOOTING is of a different and most entertaining

description, when and wherever a plenty for the sport can be found. The

woodcock is a bird of passage, and found frequently in a greater or less

degree about the second, third, or last week of October. Their annual

arrival in this country is more or less protracted by the uncertainty of

the _wind_ and _weather_ at that particular season; the east and

north-east winds (with a foggy heavy atmosphere) bring them over in the

greatest plenty. Upon their first arrival, they have the appearance of

being nearly exhausted, and drop under the nearest offered protection to

the sea-shore; high trees, hedge-rows, small copses, heath, tufts of

bushes and brambles, are equally acceptable. After rest, and such

refreshment as the situations where they fall afford, they separate, and

almost singly explore their way into the country more in-land, and fall

in such woods, coverts, copses, or shaws, as are most applicably

attracting or convenient to the length of their flight; varying the

situation in future according to the accommodation they find, or the

country they are in. No one part of the coast is more remarkable for

their arrival in immense flights than another; Wales, Sussex, Norfolk,

and to the extreme points of the north of Scotland, are, at different

periods, supplied with equal plenty: in all or either of which, eight or

ten brace (immediately after a flight arrives) have been killed out of

one covert in a morning by a single gun.

The dogs used for this sport are the small COCKING SPANIEL; though they

are frequently found by pointers, who make their point upon winding the

bird, but not quite so staunch as to the more confirmed species; of

which game the cock in a certain degree seems to partake. The woodcock,

when _flushed_, rises heavily from the ground; and in an open glade, is

so easily brought down, that even a _moderate_ shot must be ashamed to

_miss_; but when sprung in a lofty oaken or beechen wood, he is obliged

to tower almost perpendicular above their tops, before he can attain

sufficient height to take his flight in a horizontal direction; and this

kind of vermicular flight he makes with such rapidity, (turning and

twisting to avoid the trees,) that it is almost impossible to seize a

moment for shooting with any tolerable prospect of success. As partridge

shooting requires an almost systematic silence for the production of

sport, so cock shooting admits of the reverse: for the greater the

noise, the greater probability of success. Well-bred spaniels

immediately _quest_ so soon as they come upon _haunt_, as well as the

moment a cock unexpectedly springs; this is the distinguishing trait of

their utility, as it gives timely notice to every one of the party, and

each individual has sufficient opportunity to be upon the _watch_.

Those who enter into the true spirit of this sport, and where cocks are

likely to be found, seldom set out for a complete day's adventure,

without being previously provided with a MARKER excellently qualified

for the purpose in which he is engaged. And an assistant of this

description becomes the more necessary, as a cock will very frequently

suffer himself to be found, and shot at, _four_ or _five_ times in the

same covert; and when absolutely driven out, will sink beyond the outer

fence, and gliding a short distance almost close to the ground, will

drop in some adjoining ditch.

WOODCOCKS are seen in this country till about the first, and sometimes

the second, week in MARCH: this, however, depends entirely upon the

openness or severity of the season: if the winter has been accompanied

with long and sharp frosts, they suddenly disappear within a few hours,

(as by a kind of magical mystery,) and none to be found, with

occasionally (and that but seldom) an exception of a disconsolate

individual at or near some warm or sheltered SPRING which has not

_frozen_. They are fullest of flesh during the months of DECEMBER and

JANUARY to the middle of FEBRUARY, from which time, as the spring sun

gets warmer, they decline in _weight_ to the time of their departure.

SNIPE SHOOTING is a sport the best calculated to try the persevering

_fag_ and _bottom_ of a SPORTSMAN of any yet recounted; if he is not

possessed of all the _fortitude_, _patience_, and indefatigable

_exertion_ of a WATER SPANIEL, he had better never be induced to make

the embarkation, at least with any sanguine expectation of success. To

_wet_, _dirt_, and _difficulty_, he must be habitually inured: in body

he must be invulnerable; with a constitution impregnable to the united

attacks of morbidity, and a mind most perfectly at ease. Thus armed at

all points for _land_ or _water_, _moor_ or _mire_, _swamps_ or _bogs_,

SNIPE SHOOTING (where they are to be found in plenty) is a most

excellent diversion; and some spots, particularly in a heath country,

intersected by moors, swamps, and bogs, (as a celebrated scope called

EEL MOOR, near Hartford Bridge, upon the western road,) the sport is so

incessant, that those who visit the place in open hazy weather, may

shoot so often in succession, as to have frequent occasions in the same

day to wait till the barrel cools. SNIPES are of two kinds, one being

full double the size of the other, and is called a WHOLE SNIPE; the

smaller is called a _jack_, and of course somewhat more difficult to

_kill_. Both sorts are found upon the same ground, and sometimes close

to each other. They are birds of passage, and vary but little with the

_flights_ of WOODCOCKS in the time of their arrival, which is generally

about the _first_ plentiful _rains_ in AUTUMN. They are said to breed

mostly in the low and swampiest parts of GERMANY and SWITZERLAND;

although it is certain numbers do not return with the greater bodies in

the spring, but remain here during the summer, and breed in the

_marshes_ and _fens_, where their nests are often found in the month of

June with four and five eggs in each. POINTERS only are made use of in

this sport; and it is rather remarkable, that, notwithstanding this

species of bird is so diminutive in proportion to the game that a dog is

constantly accustomed to, he stands equally staunch to even the _jack_,

(the least of the two) as to either PHEASANT, HARE, or PARTRIDGE.

Snipes, the moment they are upon wing, fly against the wind,

encountering which, they go off in such a _twisting_ and _twirling_

direction, that they are _then_ a very difficult object to _aim_ at; but

by waiting with patience till they take their intended line, the shot

may be made with a much greater probability of success. They cannot be

said to be in season before NOVEMBER, or after FEBRUARY; for killed at

any other time of the year, they mostly appear with a branny _scurf_

upon their bodies, as if _diseased_, or in a state of emaciation.

These are the different kinds of shooting only which comprize the

pleasure of the gentleman sportsman, and in which the better kind of

sporting dogs (POINTERS, SPANIELS, and SETTERS) are used. Shooting of

_wild-fowl_, _rabbits_, &c. are principally the amusement of those who

are not particular in their objects of pursuit; but equally prepared for

whatever may come in their way, from a PHEASANT to a _tom-tit_, or from

a SOLAN GOOSE to a _dab-chick_. The scientific and systematic rules of

shooting in the field are so generally known, and universally

comprehended, in respect to the length of the gun, the mode of charging,

the distance for firing, and some other trifling minutia, dependent upon

contingencies, that a single line must be unnecessary in elucidation;

except a salutary hint to the young and inexperienced, never to let

others do for them _with the gun_, what they can do for themselves. It

should be the particular province of the person who shoots, to charge

his own gun, and to be punctually precise in drawing the charge at his

_return_: a retrospective survey of the most melancholy and shocking

accidents which the last few years have produced, will demonstrate to

any humane and reflecting mind, the danger of letting either GUN or

PISTOL remain loaded in a dwelling-house, where, by the single

inadvertency alone, any individual of the family is perpetually liable

to instantaneous destruction.

SHOULDER-LAMENESS,—in a horse, is a defect in the scapularian muscles,

or at the ligamentary junction of the fore thigh-bone with the concave

point of the shoulder blade, upon which many, and some opposite opinions

have been obstinately maintained: and there are not wanting at the

present moment, those who _affect_ to believe, and presume to affirm,

"there is no such thing as a shoulder lameness in _any_ horse." The

absurdity of this ridiculous and contemptible assertion, can only be

equalled by the unparalleled ignorance and illiteracy of those who make

it: strangers to the anatomical structure of parts, they are inadequate

to the comprehension of their uses, and the purposes to which they

become intentionally appropriate. In direct confutation of such futile

opinion, it is most indisputably ascertained, that injuries are

frequently sustained in the shoulders, from which _incurable_ lameness

often ensues. Such accidents and misfortunes happen to horses in

different ways: some by unforeseen circumstances, which no human

prudence can prevent; others (equal, if not superior in number) by

carelessness, inhumanity, inattention, or neglect. Lameness in the

shoulder may be occasioned by the horse's being too suddenly _stopped_

and _turned_ upon uneven ground; sliding, stumbling, or flipping down,

in a distorted position of either fore leg; turning too rapidly in a

narrow stall, or too quick, sudden and short into a stable. That all

which may be the better understood, by those who are anxious for

information, and open to conviction, it is necessary, for the

accommodation of every comprehension, to observe, that the blade or

shoulder-bone not being fixed to the body by articulation, but by

apposition adhering to the ribs, and firmly fastened thereto by

corresponding muscles _above_ and _below_, the animal, in undergoing any

of the casualties before recited, sustains the injury described; in

which the tendons or coats of those muscles are strained and relaxed;

and as the extension has been more or less violent, so will the case be

more or less dangerous and perplexing.

Cases constantly occur, where, by a slip, a cavity in the road or

pavement, a rolling-stone, or any other cause, the leg of a horse is

unavoidably thrown into a distorted and unnatural position, from whence

ills ensue; the ligamentary junction, and muscular support, may be

singly or conjunctively injured, in proportion to the magnitude of the

cause by which the accident was sustained. In most occurrences of this

description, some difficulty arises in the endeavour to discover the

precise _seat_ of _injury_, which is not, by the most judicious and

observant investigator, always to be decisively ascertained: amidst such

doubts, strict examination should be made to discriminate with certainty

between a LAMENESS in the SHOULDER, and a _defect_ in the _foot_; and

this investigation is the more indispensibly necessary to be made,

because, in strict verification of the ancient adage, "Doctors differ,"

instances are numerous, where one practitioner _vehemently_ affirms the

lameness to be in _one part_, and his veterinarian opponent as

_violently_ pronounces it to be in another. There is, however, one kind

of clue, if properly attended to, which will generally lead to a ready

distinction between a lameness in the foot and an injury in the

shoulder; by getting twenty yards before the horse, so as to face him,

and having him brought forward with increased action, fixing the eye at

the foot, and bringing it gradually up to the chest, the imbecile effort

at the _point_ of the SHOULDER attended with pain, and the consequent

_bow_ or _drop_ of the _head_, (as if going to fall,) will evidently

demonstrate whether the seat of injury is there. On the contrary, in

most lamenesses of the FOOT, the subject makes an attempt rather to hop,

or to touch the earth lightly with the joint affected, than to give it

equal support with the rest upon the ground: a horse lame in the foot,

displays it most, the more he is ridden or driven; but a horse who has

received an injury in the shoulder, demonstrates it less and less, the

more he gets into a perspiration.

SIDE-SADDLE.—The saddle upon which women ride is so called. The injuries

horses sustain by the use of these saddles, when not properly attended

to, exceed conception. It is well known by those who are much in public,

and make their occasional observations as they ride, that most of the

women about the Metropolis (who, it may be presumed, are taught in the

schools) ride exceedingly _ill_, and to a spectator, most mortifyingly

_ungraceful_; or, in words more expressive and explanatory, they bear

near their _whole_ weight upon the swivel-clog _stirrup_ of the SADDLE,

and little or none upon the back of the horse. The evident effect of

this is, that the saddle, which should preserve a due and consistent

equilibrium, compulsively preponderates with the weight of the

injudicious RIDER, and has a constant bearing friction upon the WITHER

on the off side, from whence originates inflammation, bruise, tumor,

formation of matter, and not infrequently FISTULA, as a finishing

consolation to the concern. When a comparison is made between the

equestrian ability of the FINE LADIES in the environs of London, and the

_bounce-about_ self-taught damsels of the country, the former sink

extremely in comparative estimation. The best and most certain means of

insuring safety with a saddle of this description, is to have a hollow

on the inside the pad which comes in contact with the off side the

wither, so formed, as to admit of no bearing on that side at all. This

is readily accomplished, by ordering a vacuum of the size of an inverted

tea-cup, with elastic quilting to surround the edge, which taking a

regular, equal and circular bearing, so completely protects the wither,

that it is impossible an injury can be sustained.

SIGNS OF DISEASE—are various in horses, as influenced by the different

sensations originating in the peculiar disorder of which they are the

prognostics. One leading sign of internal pain or disquietude in a horse

is, the _refusal_ of his FOOD, a drooping of the _head_, a dulness of

the _eyes_, a general bodily _lassitude_, and a seeming dislike to

_action_. These are evident signs of indisposition, and should always

prove an immediate stimulus to necessary examination, which cannot be

made too soon, as many horses are totally lost for want of proper

attention at the commencement of disease. Those just mentioned, are not

considered symptoms of severity, or such as hold forth indications of

SPEEDY DANGER; but they are of consequence to justify such early

counteraction, as the nature of each particular case may render a matter

of prudence and precaution. Much information may be collected from the

state of the pulse, the warmth or coldness of the ears, the parching

heat, clammy viscidity, or fleshy smell of the mouth, the heaving of the

flank, the white or inflamed state of the eye-lids, and the glassy

appearance of the eyes themselves; all which appertain to cold, fever,

pleurisy, inflammation of the lungs, or affections of the liver. A

horse's being in excruciating pain, looking back to his flank

incessantly on either one side or the other, laying, or rather

_dropping_, down suddenly, extending his extremities to the utmost,

groaning at the same time, then raising his head as he lays, and

pointing the nose to his flank, rolling over in his stall, and hastily

rising, are all symptoms of cholic, and of that kind termed

inflammatory, occasioned by indurated excrements in the intestinal

canal, which, if not properly and expeditiously removed, produce

MORTIFICATION, and, of course, death.

If the body is greatly distended, having the same symptoms, it is then

called the flatulent cholic, and proceeds from the confined collection

and retention of _wind_; to the immediate relief of which, flank and

belly rubbing by two good strong men (one on each side) will greatly

contribute. Constantly striding, and endeavouring to stale without

success, denotes defect in the sphincter or neck of the bladder:

discharging the urine by dribblings, in small quantities, and often, may

be considered some injury sustained in the KIDNIES, particularly if the

urine is in any degree tinged with blood. Glandular tumefactions under

the jaws, with a soreness of the throat, if the horse is young, may be

supposed an attack of the strangles; if an aged horse, who is known to

have had _that_ disorder, GLANDERS may probably ensue. A dry parched

tongue, wrinkled at the sides with constant heat, is a palpable proof of

fever; a raw and fleshy smell from the same, confirms it: a putrid fœtid

smell from the nostrils, attended with a slimy discharge, equally

glutinous and offensive, denotes a consumption of the lungs. A horse

constantly dejected, with a gradually declining appetite, and

inattention to those about him, bearing his head constantly to his right

side, may be suspected of an inflammation of, or a tumefaction in, the

LIVER, affording an additional and strongly corroborating symptom, if

there is a palpable _yellowness_ upon the original white of the eyes.

This latter is also a distinguishing trait of jaundice.

Horses, when first attacked with fever, or an inflammation of the lungs,

are observed to have alternate fits of _shivering_ for the first two or

three hours. Although a horse's coat may be _rough_ and _hollow_ from a

cold stable, neglect, and ill looking after, it is sometimes a proof

that all is not right _within_. If a horse is observed to strike his

foot petulantly, and repeatedly, against his belly, threatenings of

CHOLIC may be apprehended: but if at the same time he frisks his tail,

and draws it in close to his quarters, irritation in the rectum is the

cause; and the pain in the body, and itching at the anus, are produced

by WORMS. In addition to the signs of disease, a few words may be

applicable upon the signs of health; and although the horse's VIGOUR,

STRENGTH, and SPIRITS, will, upon nearly all occasions, unerringly

demonstrate this, yet some few shades of instruction and precaution may

be acquired from a little attention to the secretions of, and discharges

from, the body.

A HORSE or MARE in high health, seldom varies much in the colors or

quantities of what are termed the excrementitious discharges from the

body; as they are in general a tolerable criterion of the real state it

is in. The dung from a horse in good condition for work, free from a

viscid or diseased affection of the blood, and the various disorders and

humours dependent thereupon, will be mostly observed of a pale yellow,

moderately united in firm bright globules, rather brittle than adhesive,

with a shining slippery surface, but perfectly free from a glutinous

viscid slime. If the dung is _hard_, _black_, and _offensive_, when it

falls, the body is overloaded, the habit is costive, and it has been too

long retained; if covered with the gluey slime before described, it is a

sufficient proof of internal foulness, and most probably of impending

disease. When a horse is labouring under a dangerous disease, some

occasional assisting information may be derived from the URINE as it

_falls_, and much more if caught, and set by to subside. If it comes

away limpid and colourless, remaining in that state after being set by,

it is not considered a symptom of a very favourable complexion; but if

it comes away red, or of a turbid yellow, with an oily skin upon its

surface, and afterwards deposits a kind of brickdust sediment, with a

kind of strong or terebinthinate effluvia, it may be considered a good

sign, and is very frequently the harbinger of a _speedy_ recovery.

If, during the progress and various changes of disease, it should assume

different appearances, first of the healthy, and then the opposite

aspect, the case is doubtful, and danger may be apprehended; as it

affords sufficient demonstration, there is a powerful struggle in the

system, and the morbid miasma is not subdued. The best state of a

horse's urine, when in HEALTH and CONDITION, is of a yellowish tinge,

moderate consistence, a strong smell, rather grateful than offensive,

and a penetrating property: these, in the aggregate, may be concluded

indications of _spirits_, _strength_, and _vigour_; the reverse, (in any

serious degree,) slight symptoms of disquietude, or impending disease.

After all the inculcations that can possibly be introduced under this

head, the most judicious and experienced practitioner will sometimes

find it extremely difficult to distinguish, with certainty, between one

internal disease and another; having nothing to assist him in the

discovery but his own judgment, and the most predominant symptoms at the

_moment_, many of which are common to other diseases. Notwithstanding

these uncertainties, and the doubts which may arise between one and the

other, it is the duty of every Veterinarian to acquire as perfect a

knowledge as possible of DIAGNOSTICS; for although his incessant

inquiries may not render him an _infallible_ guide in every case without

exception, it will afford him the gratification of a distinguished

superiority over those who have neglected to avail themselves of the

same advantages.

SINEWS—is the fashionable and common term for the tendinous coat of the

muscles extending from the back of a horse's knee to the fetlock joint,

when which is in any degree elongated by _strain_, _twist_, or any other

accident, the horse is then said to be broken down in the BACK SINEWS.

The sinews or tendons are liable at all times to violent spasmodic

contractions (see CRAMP) not only in any one of the extremities, but

throughout the whole body; the immediate and remote causes of which are

hitherto undiscovered, and will most probably remain so, in respect to

_certainty_; although there are not wanting speculators of _mental

fertility_, who attribute them to various causes, without having,

perhaps, in the whole number, fixed upon the _right_. One class of these

_suppose_, convulsive contractions of the tendons are occasioned by

_surfeits_, or the want of proper evacuation; another, from too

plentiful and repeated bleedings, too violent purgings, or too hard

labour; assigning for a reason, "that these fill the _hollowness_ of the

SINEWS with cold windy vapours, which are the only great causes of

convulsions." Where they occur from accidental causes, and casual

injuries, as in wounds, perforations, or instrumental incisions, the

origin is obvious, and in a certain degree points out the immediate road

to local relief. When a tendon has been in part divided, or only

punctured, a succession of painful and most alarming symptoms invariably

ensue, and relief can only be obtained by early application to the best

opinion, and most experienced judgment, that can be produced; with the

very slender and mortifying consolation, that not one in twenty (if

severely injured) ever after proves of any permanent utility.

SIR PETER TEAZLE,—the name of the most celebrated STALLION at present in

the kingdom; his blood, performances, and progeny, being reckoned

inferior to none, and superior to most of those who have ever appeared

upon the turf. He was foaled in 1784; bred by the EARL of DERBY, got by

_Highflyer_, dam (_Papillon_) by _Snap_, grand-dam by _Regulus_, who was

got by the GODOLPHIN ARABIAN. At three and four years old he was the

best of his time, beating every opponent, and winning stakes to a great

amount. The second day of the Craven Meeting at NEWMARKET in 1789, when

four years old, he won a subscription of 50 guineas each; beating

_Meteor_, _Pegasus_, and _Gunpowder_; and received forfeit from

_Bustler_, _Rockingham_, _Poker_, _Patrick_, _Schoolboy_, _Harlot_, and

three others. In the first October meeting of the same year, he broke

down, when running against _Cardock_, _Driver_, _Schoolboy_, and

_Gunpowder_, with the odds in his favour; immediately after which he was

announced as a stallion for the ensuing year at 10 guineas a mare, and

half a guinea the groom. In 1794 his get began to appear. A bay filly of

Mr. Clifton's won 120 guineas at Catterick, and 140 guineas at

Knutsford. Another of Mr. Tarleton's won 100 guineas at Preston, and

40_l._ 10_s._ at Nottingham; and the afterwards celebrated _Hermione_

won 80 guineas at Newmarket, the Oaks stakes of 50 guineas each (31

subscribers) at Epsom, 50_l._ at Lewes, and 50_l._ at Reading.

In 1795, _nine_ winners appeared, amongst whom _Hermione_ (then MR.

DURAND'S) won 100 guineas at Epsom; the gold cup, 40 guineas, and 100

guineas at Oxford; 45 guineas at Egham, and the Queen's 100 guineas at

Chelmsford.

In 1796 _twelve_ winners started. _Ambrosio_ (three years old) won 150

guineas, and 50_l._ at York; 275 guineas at the same place; and the St.

Leger stakes of 25 guineas each (15 subscribers) at Doncaster. _Brass_

won 300 guineas, and 50 guineas, at Newmarket. A brown colt of Sir F.

Standish's won 200 guineas, and the Prince's stakes of 500 guineas, at

the same. _Hermione_ won the two King's plates at Newmarket, and 50_l._

at Guildford. _Parisot_ won the Oaks stakes at Epsom, 50 guineas each,

42 subscribers.

In 1797 his reputation as a stallion continued increasing; eleven of his

produce obtained 33 stakes, plates, &c. _Ambrosio_ won the first class

of the Oatland stakes of 50 guineas each, (12 subscribers,) beating

_Stickler_, _Gabriel_, _Play or Pay_, _Frederick_, _Trumpeter_,

_Parrot_, and _Cannons_; 100 guineas, and 200 guineas, at Newmarket.

_Hermione_ won the third class of the Oatlands, 50 guineas each, (12

subscribers,) beating five others; and the King's plate at Newmarket,

and 50_l._ at Epsom; the King's plate, and 60 guineas, at Lewes; and the

King's 100 guineas at Canterbury and at Warwick. _Honest John_, 100

guineas at York, and 100 guineas at Richmond. _Petrina_ won three

fifties at Newcastle, Knutsford, and Northampton. _Shepherd_, two

fifties at Durham. _Stamford_ (3 years old) 200 guineas, and 150

guineas, at Newmarket, 200 guineas at Epsom, 280 guineas at Stamford,

and the gold cup at Doncaster. _Welshman_ won 100 guineas at Chester,

50_l._ and 50 guineas, at Knutsford, and a sweepstakes at Tarporley.

In 1798, _Ambrosio_ won eight stakes and plates, amounting to 1625

guineas. _Black George_ won 180 guineas, and 150 guineas, at Chester, 45

guineas at Newcastle, and 50_l._ at Knutsford. _Demon_, 100 guineas at

Chester, and 60 guineas at Tarporley. _Honest John_, 200 guineas at

York, and 134_l._ at Richmond. _Pentacrue_, 50_l._ at Dumfries, and

50_l._ at Ayr. _Petrina_, the gold cup at Chesterfield, and the King's

100 guineas at Lincoln. _Sir Harry_ (three years old) the Derby stakes

at Epsom, 50 guineas each, 37 subscribers. _Stamford_, 233_l._ 15_s._

and the Ladies' Plate at York; the gold cup, and 100_l._ at Doncaster.

In 1799 seventeen started, who were the winners of 37 subscriptions,

sweepstakes, and plates. _Ambrosio_ won 50_l._ at Newmarket, 225_l._ at

York, and 200 guineas at Doncaster. _Archduke_ (three years old) won 400

guineas at Newmarket, and the Derby stakes, 50 guineas each, 33

subscribers, at Epsom. _Black George_, 50 guineas at Newcastle, and 70

guineas at Litchfield. _Expectation_ (three years old) 100 guineas and a

handicap plate at Newmarket. _Fanny_, 140 guineas at Doncaster.

_Knowsley_, 60 guineas at Catterick; 120 guineas, and the stand plate,

at York. _Lady Jane_, 25 guineas at Preston, two fifties at Cardiff,

50_l._ at Hereford, and 50_l._ at Abingdon. _Parisot_, 800 guineas at

Newmarket. _Petrina_, 50_l._ at Warwick, and 50_l._ at Shrewsbury.

_Polyphemus_, 50_l._ at Shawbury, and 50_l._ at Northampton. _Princess_,

50_l._ at Epsom, 50_l._ at Brighton, and 50_l._ at Reading.

_Push-forward_, 50_l._ at Penrith, and 50_l._ at Carlisle. _Roxana_, 100

guineas at Catterick, 300 guineas, and 100 guineas, at York, and 80

guineas at Beverley. _Sir Harry_, the Claret stakes of 1100 guineas at

Newmarket. _Stamford_, the King's 100 guineas and the Ladies' Plate at

York.

His constantly increasing reputation as a stallion produced an annual

increase of winners. In 1800 fifteen of his get started, and were the

winners of _thirty-nine_ sweepstakes, subscriptions, matches, and

plates; the principal of which were, _Agonistes_, (three years old) 140

guineas at York, 220 guineas at Newcastle, the produce stakes of 100

guineas each at Preston, and 160 guineas at Malton. _Expectation_ (then

four years old) won _ten_ prizes, 150 guineas, 35 guineas, 32½ guineas,

and 25 guineas, at Newmarket; 50 guineas, and the Jockey Club Plate, at

the same; the Pavilion stakes of 25 guineas each (6 subscribers) at

Brighton; 200 guineas, and 60 guineas, at Lewes, and the Gold Cup at

Oxford. _Fanny_, the great produce sweepstakes of 100 guineas each at

York, (22 subscribers;) seven she beat, and fourteen paid half forfeit,

so that she won 1400 guineas in less than eight minutes. _Knowsley_ (the

Prince of Wales's) won the King's 100 guineas at Guildford, Winchester,

Lewes, and Litchfield, with 80 guineas also at Lewes. _Robin

Red-breast_, 50_l._ at Bridgenorth, 50_l._ at Newcastle, 50_l._ at

Nantwich, the King's 100 guineas at Warwick, and 50_l._ at Litchfield.

_Sir Harry_, 200 guineas, and 550 guineas. _Sir Solomon_ made a very

conspicuous figure, as will be seen under that distinct head.

In 1801 and 1802 he seems to have attained, in his progeny, the very

summit of all possible celebrity: during the former there appeared

fifteen of his produce, who were the winners of 44 sweepstakes,

subscriptions, and plates, of which the most eminent were _Agonistes_,

who won 100 guineas at Newcastle, the King's Plate, 216_l._ 5_s._ and

the Ladies Plate, at York; the Gold Cup, of 170 guineas value, at

Richmond; 120 guineas at Malton, and the King's 100 guineas at Carlisle.

_Haphazard_, 90 guineas at Catterick, 50_l._ at Preston, 60_l._ at

Knutsford, 50_l._ at Pontefract, 100_l._ at Doncaster, and 50_l._ at

Carlisle. _Lancaster_, 50 guineas at York, two fifties and 100 guineas

at Morpeth. _Lucan_, 100 guineas at Newmarket. _Sir Harry_, 400 guineas,

and 50 guineas, at Newmarket, 235 guineas at Ascot, and the King's Plate

at Winchester. _Telegraph_, 100 guineas, and 50_l._ at Newmarket, and 45

guineas at Bibury.

In the last year, 1802, sixteen of his get were the winners of 41

prizes; of which _Agonistes_ won 1000 guineas at Newcastle.

_Attainment_, 50_l._ at Newcastle, and 45_l._ at Nantwich. _Duxbury_,

250 guineas, and 100 guineas, at Newmarket. _Haphazard_, 50 guineas at

Catterick, 250 guineas, and 268_l._ 15_s._ at York, 92_l._ at Richmond,

the Doncaster stakes of 10 guineas each (13 subscribers) with 20 guineas

added by the Corporation of Doncaster, and the King's Plate of 100

guineas at Carlisle. _Lancaster_, 50_l._ at Middleham, 50_l._ at

Manchester, 150 guineas at York, 50_l._ and 50 guineas at Preston.

_Lethe_, 1000 guineas, and 50_l._ at York, 1000 guineas at Edinburgh,

and 100_l._ at Montrose. _Lucan_, 50_l._ at Newmarket, 130 guineas at

Bibury, 50_l._ at Oxford, 50_l._ at Bedford, and 50_l._ at Newmarket.

_Pipylin_, 150 guineas at Newmarket, and 65_l._ 15_s._ at Nottingham.

_Ransom_, 50_l._ at Stamford, and 50_l._ at Canterbury. _Robin

Red-Breast_, 100 guineas at Newmarket. _Sir Simon_, 50 guineas, and 25

guineas, at Goodwood: and _Wilkes_, 50 guineas at Newmarket.

Thus the united blood of _Herod_, _Blank_, _Snap_, and _Regulus_, are

proved equal, if not superior, to every other junction or cross ever

introduced. SIR PETER TEAZLE is now only nine years old, in high health,

and just announced to cover the present season (1803) forty-five mares

at Knowsley, near Prescot, Lancashire, at FIFTEEN GUINEAS each mare, and

fifteen shillings the groom.

SIR SOLOMON,—the name of a horse of much recent racing reputation: he

was got by SIR PETER TEAZLE, dam (_Matron_) by _Florizel_, who was got

by _Herod_. _Sir Solomon_ was bred by Earl Fitzwilliam, foaled in 1796,

and started for _six_ different three year old stakes, (in the name of

_Tankersley_,) always running in a capital form, and in a good place,

but without winning once in that year. He was then purchased by MR.

JOHNSON, and started 1800 for the King's Plate at Nottingham (with his

new name) which he won easy, beating _Welter_, _Honeycomb_, and

_Coniac_; and the next day a 50_l._ plate. At York he won the King's

hundred, beating _Applegarth_, and _Honeycomb_. In 1801, he won five

times out of the six stakes and plates he started for. He won the Stand

Plate at York, beating those famous horses _Chance_, _Cockboat_, and

_Timothy_; the King's Plate at Newcastle, with the gold cup and 130

guineas at the same; the gold cup at Nottingham, and 500 guineas at

Doncaster. In 1802 he won the gold cup, value 100 guineas, and 60

guineas in specie, at Newcastle. A subscription of 25 guineas each, nine

subscribers, and 268_l._ 15_s._ at York, (beating the famous

_Cockfighter_,) 50_l._ and 70 guineas, at Lincoln. He was since

purchased by Mr. Lumley Saville, and is announced to cover the present

season, 1803, (10 guineas a mare, and 10_s._ 6_d._ the groom,) at

Rufford, in Nottinghamshire.

SITFAST.—A sitfast is an eschar upon the side of a horse, which having

been originally a warble, from the pressure and friction of the

girth-buckle, (indiscreetly permitted to come upon, or near to, the edge

of the pad,) is, by a repetition of the injury, converted into a

_sitfast_; or, in terms of easier comprehension, a circular or oblong

space of the integument, so completely cauterized by the repeated heat

and friction, that it bears all the appearance of a piece of burnt

leather inserted upon the spot. When, by carelessness and neglect, it

has acquired the state now described, there is but one mode of cure,

which is instrumental extirpation. The edge being raised so as to admit

of being taken hold of by either FORCEPS, or common PINCERS, it may be

separated from the substance to which it adheres, by any common

operator, and healed in a few days, almost as soon, and with as little

difficulty, as the most trifling and superficial laceration.

SKITTISH.—A horse is said to be SKITTISH, who is considerably above

himself both in _spirit_ and _condition_; displaying much more of

pleasure in exercise, and the enjoyment of air and conditional freedom,

(from the narrow confines of a stable,) than the least tendency to

habitual _vice_. A skittish horse will jump two or three feet at the

flight of a sparrow, or dance a _saraband_ upon the rumbling approach of

a carriage: he is (unless weary with work) always alive with _gaiety_

and _motion_, without the least intentional injury to those who ride or

drive him. There are those who confound the terms, and consider a

SKITTISH and a STARTING horse one and the same thing; but they are in

the eye of accuracy by no means _synonymous_.

SKYSCRAPER,—the name of a horse of much present celebrity: he was bred

by the late DUKE of BEDFORD, and got by _Highflyer_ out of

_Everlasting_. In the Craven Meeting, at Newmarket, 1789, when two years

old, he received forfeit from three for a sweepstakes of 200 guineas

each across the flat. The same Meeting he beat Mr. Fox's _Maid of all

Work_ across the flat for 500 guineas. The second Spring Meeting (then

three years old) he won the Prince's Stakes of 100 guineas each, eight

subscribers; the Derby Stakes at Epsom, 50 guineas each, thirty

subscribers. At the same place he received 70 guineas compromise from

the Earl of Egremont's _Tag_. In the first October Meeting he received

250 guineas forfeit from Mr. Ladbroke's _Magpie_, two middle miles of

Beacon Course, for 500 guineas, half forfeit. In the second October

Meeting he won a sweepstakes of 100 guineas each, from the Ditch-in,

nine subscribers. The next day he won the 50_l._ Plate for three year

olds, beating _nine_ others. The same week he received 122½ guineas

forfeit in a Post Match with Lord Derby. In the Houghton Meeting he

received 130 guineas compromise from Mr. Fox's _Sister to Lethe_, 300

guineas, _half forfeit_. The same week he received 130 guineas

compromise from Mr. Fox's _Braggadocio_, across the flat, for 300

guineas, _half forfeit_.

In 1790, at the first Spring Meeting, he won the Jockey Stakes of 100

guineas each, (half forfeit,) fourteen subscribers, of which nine paid

forfeit. In the same week for the Claret Stakes of 200 guineas each,

_half forfeit_, he received from his Royal Highness the Prince of

Wales's _Sujah ul Dowlah_, his Royal Highness the Prince's _Deir Sing_,

Duke of Orleans's _Jericho_, Lord Egremont's _Calomel_, and Sir C.

Bunbury's _Glaucus_. In the first October Meeting he received 100

guineas forfeit from _Montezuma_. In the same Meeting he won half a

subscription of 30 guineas each, (seven subscribers,) beating the famous

_Escape_, then the property of his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.

In the first Spring Meeting of 1791, he won the renewed 1400 guineas, a

subscription of 200 guineas each, half forfeit; beating _Pipator_;

fourteen having paid forfeit. In the second Spring Meeting he received

150 guineas forfeit of four, for a sweepstakes of 300 guineas each, over

the Beacon. The first Spring Meeting, 1792, he won the King's Plate at

Newmarket, beating those famous horses _Coriander_, _Gustavus_, and

_Toby_, with the odds ten to one against him at starting. At Stockbridge

he won 50_l._ beating _Thalia_. He won the King's Plate at Winchester;

walked over for a sweepstakes of 10 guineas each, five subscribers, at

Bedford; won the King's Hundred in the first October Meeting at

Newmarket, beating _Skylark_; and in the second a subscription of 60

guineas, beating _Skylark_ and _Espersykes_, with the odds against him

at starting. In 1793 he started but twice, and was beat each time by the

celebrated _Coriander_. In 1794, on the first day of the first Spring

Meeting at Newmarket, he won a 50_l._ plate, beating _Serpent_ and _No

Pretender_; about which time the DUKE of BEDFORD beginning to reduce his

racing establishment, _Skyscraper_ appeared no more on the turf. He has

hitherto covered at Woburn Abbey, in Bedfordshire; but is now announced

for the ensuing season, 1803, at Tytherton, near Chippenham, Wilts, at

TEN GUINEAS a mare, and _half a guinea_ the groom.

SLOT.—The impression of a deer's foot upon the earth, so as to be

perceptible, is then called _a slot_; and when, in consequence of

storms, rain, sleet, or extreme drought, the hounds cannot carry on the

scent, the huntsman and his assistants have no alternative, but to avail

themselves of every possible clue and information from the SLOT, to

prevent the disgrace of the HOUNDS being _beat_, and the deer _lost_.

SMITHFIELD—is the name of a most celebrated spot in the Metropolis, from

which a SPORTSMAN is not likely to derive either _pleasure_ or

_emolument_; unless it is in the purchase of diseased or emaciated

subjects for his HOUNDS. To those in remote parts of the kingdom, it may

not be inapplicable to be informed, that Smithfield is the great CATTLE

MARKET for the consumption of the infinite body of inhabitants in the

cities of London, Westminster, their suburbs, and the environs for some

miles round. The principal days are MONDAY and FRIDAY in every week; on

which some hundreds of OXEN, in a state of perfection for slaughter, and

thousands of SHEEP and LAMBS, are constantly transferred to supply the

immense demand. The afternoons of those days are principally

appropriated to the purchase and sale of _aged_, _crippled_, and

_worn-out_ horses; the greater part of whom are only fit to receive

sentence from the INSPECTOR, previous to their being delivered to the

_nacker_, (or slaughterman,) unless it is _some few_, with still

remaining strength enough to drag the carts of the industrious about the

inferior streets, with a supply of vegetables in the summer, and

potatoes in the winter, for the accommodation of the lower classes of

society.

SNAFFLE.—The simplest and plainest BRIDLE-BIT is so called: it consists

of only a single mouthpiece, having a joint in the middle, with a cheek

of different lengths at each extremity, and an eye annexed to receive

the reins; when which are added, it is then called a SNAFFLE (or

single-reined) BRIDLE. When snaffle-bits are made very large in the

mouth for breaking colts or fillies, they are then called MOUTHING-BITS.

SNAP,—the name of a horse, as a STALLION, formerly held in high

estimation: he was bred by the late EARL of SANDWICH; foaled in 1750;

got by _Snip_; dam by _Fox_, grand-dam by _Bay Bolton_; from which the

blood of both sire and dam may be traced to most of the Barbs and Turks

ever brought to this country. There were also three others of this name,

distinguished by different appellations; as Lord Chedworth's _Snap_;

Wildman's _Snap_; and Latham's _Snap_. The first was got by _Old_

_Snap_; his dam by _Dormouse_, grand-dam by _Mixbury_. The second by

_Old Snap_; dam by _Regulus_, grand-dam by Bartlet's _Childers_; going

on both sides directly into Arabian blood. The third by _Snap_, dam by

_Cade_, grand-dam by _Old Partner_.

SNIPES—are well known to the sporting world in winter shooting, and are

of two sorts; one nearly as large again as the other, though precisely

the same in shape, make, feather, and formation. They frequent the same

places, subsist on the same food, and are frequently found near to each

other. The larger is called a _whole snipe_; the smaller, a _Jack_; the

latter of which is not very easily killed, at least by an indifferent

shot; of which some proof was recently given by a gentleman of

Easthampstead, in Windsor Forest, who very warmly entertained his friend

with a description of "a _Jack snipe_ he had found upon the heath, which

had afforded him sport for _six weeks_; and he did not at all doubt but

he would serve him for sport during the season, if he was not _taken

off_ by a frost; and what was still more _convenient_, he always knew

where to find him within a hundred yards of the same place." They are

birds of passage, supposed to breed principally in the lower lands of

Switzerland and Germany, though some (particularly the _Jacks_) remain

and breed in the fens and marshy swamps of this country, where their

nests with eggs and young are frequently found. They arrive here sooner

or later in the Autumn, regulated in respect to time by the wind and

weather, but never appear till after the first rains; and leave this

country in the spring, so soon as the warmer sun begins to absorb or

exhale the moisture from the earth, and denote the approach of

Summer.—See SHOOTING.

SNORTING.—is a cartilaginous propulsion of sound from the nostrils of a

horse, which he avails himself of at different times, to signify

sensations _seemingly_ opposite to each other. Upon being led from the

light, through a gloomy passage, to a still more gloomy stable, he is

frequently observed to SNORT either from fear or surprize; meeting or

coming suddenly upon a new, strange or unnatural object, he snorts from

absolute dread of injury; taken into a stable or out-house smelling

musty, from foul dung and confined air, he snorts with dislike, and

enters with reluctance: but snorting in the field at exercise, or in the

CHASE with HOUNDS, may each be considered a proof of pleasurable

gratification.

SOILING,—in the more confined signification, applies merely to the

supplying a horse with grass, clover, tares, lucern, fain-foin, or rye,

cut green, and brought to the stable for his daily consumption; but in a

more general acceptation it extends to the act of turning him out in a

plentiful pasture, and in the genial season, when and where he may enjoy

all the advantages of which the frame is susceptible. It cannot but be

known, that liberty, so dear to us, and to every part of the creation,

must be equally so to the horse: to have his limbs free from restraint,

to expand his frame, and roll upon the earth, to snort and snuff the

ambient air, and to have his coat cleansed and purified by the dew of

heaven, is to the horse a state of nature, and a life of luxury. Thus

free and uncontrouled, although they are equally subject to, yet they

are seldom known to be afflicted with pain or disease, in any degree

equal to those who are confined within the limits of a small and

offensive stable.