I think setters, for moor shooting, are infinitely to be preferred to pointers, for their superior speed and wider range: that breed of black ones, called (I believe) the Duke of Athol's breed, in my opinion surpasses any other, both for staunchness and beauty.

As I fear I have already tres passed too far on your pages, I will conclude with the motto of a volume on sporting most highly and justly approved of

Si quid novisti rectius istis Candidus imperti, si non, his utere mecum. AN AMATEUR.

October 2d.

ANSWERS TO RACING QUESTIONS.

SIR,

to prevent, even by force, any horse running for a stake for which he is disqualified; because the running of an additional horse in a stake will often cause a considerable difference in the running of the other horses; and should the owner of the unqualified horse entertain any animosity against the owner of any of the qualified horses (which is not unfrequently the case), it is affording him an opportunity of taking every advantage to revenge himself on that person, by running his horse (if it is even unfairly) so as to defeat the horse of the individual against whom he holds unfriendly feelings, and thus prevent him from winning the stake: and though he knows he cannot possibly possess any hope of obtaining the stake himself, acts like "the

have yet sent you any answer to the racing questions of ONE as CAN GO, in your Magazine for August last, I beg to offer you an opinion on each, which if you think possess sufficient weight to claim a place in your columns, you will oblige by inserting them; and should any of your correspondents differ in opinion with me, I shall be happy to see them adduce some substantial reason why they think I have viewed the subject in a wrong light.

I am, Mr. Editor, yours, &c.
ALFRED HIGHFLYER.

IN cases of dispute on racing matters, much generally depends on the wording of the stake in question; but I wish it to be understood, that, in the following opinions, I am supposing the whole power of decision to be invested in the Steward alone.

First, then, I conceive, that a Steward has an undoubted. right

utmost to prevent others.

And again, if the Stewards, or any other authority, did not possess the power of preventing an unqualified horse from starting, any individual might start both a horse, and make the thorough-bred thorough-bred and a half-bred one run, to be subservient to the interest of his other horse.

Secondly. I conceive the owner of any horse brought out to start for a half-bred stake must produce, before starting, a certificate from the breeder of the pedigree of his horse, which must prove, beyond doubt, that he is either got by a known half-bred horse, or that the dam is not thorough-bred; and if the owner has a clear and well-attested pedigree of the horse, I consider that is quite satisfactory; but should the pedigree be a thoroughbred one with the exception of a single cross, and that cross be doubtful, then I think the owner ought to be compelled to prove,

from some undoubted source, that that cross is not a thorough-bred

one.

Thirdly. I beg to observe I do not think that any Steward ought to dispense with the producing of the certificate of a horse, because he has (perhaps through the negligence or indifference of some other Steward) been permitted to run in public for half-bred stakes before that time; but that he ought himself to examine the pedigree, and be satisfied that the horse is duly qualified before he permits him to start: or, if he cannot at the moment be perfectly satisfied, he ought only to permit him to start and run on the contingency, that, should he win, the stake will be withheld until the owner succeeds in satisfying him of the qualification of his horse. The want of this precaution on the part of the Stewards of Croxton Park Meeting 1825, permitted Tom Paine (alias Tybalt) to start and win the Billesdon Coplow, and his owner in consequence received the stake; though, had the Stewards sought into the qualification of Tom Paine, and not said they were satisfied that he was a half-bred horse, because he had been permitted to run in public for so many half-bred stakes prior to that time, Bogtrotter would have been declared (which he undoubtedly was) the winner, and his owner would have received the stake.

Lastly. When a person has a well-attested pedigree from the breeder, I do not see the necessity of producing a certificate from the breeder of the dam; because, if it became a practice, in many cases it would be impossible to obtain it, as perhaps the individual might be deceased, or his name or resi dence not known.

SIR,

CAPPED HOCKS.

IN answer to the inquiry on the subject of "Capped Hocks," I beg to inform you that this disease consists in an enlargement of the capsule of the hock; it is in fact nothing more than a diseased bursa mucosa. The extensor tendon of the

gastrocnemius externus muscle is implanted into the summit of the os calcis; and that of the gastrocnemius internus passes over the externus (the relative situations of the tendons of these muscles being reversed at the hock), embracing it, and forming, by its partial implantation into the sides of that bone, by means of cellular membrane, a theca, or sheath over it. There is considerable motion going on between these tendons, so that it was necessary some provision should be made to guard against friction; and, for this purpose, the cavity between them, which is circumscribed, is lined for about an inch above and below the point of the hock by a thin pellucid membrane, the surface of which secretes, and is lubricated by, a synovial fluid.

A blow on the hock, either from kicking in harness or against the stall (which is mostly the cause of the disease), will occasion inflammation in this delicate membrane; this increased vascular action will cause a preternatural accumulation of the secretion, whereby the sac is over-distended, and the enlarge ment in question produced.

Bursa mucosa are not very sensible parts, and pain is rarely an attendant; consequently lameness is not often a result, unless they become so large as to interfere with the motions of a joint. Cold applications, or some evaporating and disactient lotion, if applied in the early stage, will usually cause them

to be absorbed; if of longer standing, a blister may be necessary.

In chronic cases there is often an alteration of the synovial fluid itself, and it becomes inspissated: there is also often found on dissection a thickening of the tendinous cap itself: such resist our attempts to disperse, and remain permanent blemishes.

I am Sir, your obedient servant,
V. S.

October 9, 1827.

MEASURING HORSES FOR GIVE. AND-TAKE PLATES.

SIR,

SOME time since a give-andtake plate (a system of racing for which horses, &c. carried a certain weight according to their height and age, which some years ago was very popular on the turf, though now nearly forgotten) was run for by ponies in Scotland; and previous to the animals being weighted, much disputation took place as to the usual manner of measuring themsome arguing, that the owner was allowed to stretch the animal's legs as far asunder as possible, and thus to reduce his height when measured with the standard; some, that they were not allowed to be stretched at all; and others, that they were permitted to be stretched, but only to a certain extent. The difference of opinion on this point caused the stake, after it had been run for, to be withheld in dispute, and information was sought from several quarters on the subject. On application at Newcastle upon Tyne, where one of the parties recollected to have seen give-and-take plates run for, no satisfactory answer could be obtained, though the stone on which the horses (were

measured had only been removed a very few years. Other applications at various places met with like unsatisfactory answers, till at last application was made to me to solve this query. I was of opinion that they were allowed to extend the legs of the animal only to a certain extent; but as I did not exactly know how far, I set about finding it out, and, after several unsuccessful inquiries, at last obtained the desired information through an old veteran, who for great many years has been employed as a ditcher and repairer on the York race course. He told me that he recollected having assisted in measuring the horses at York for giveand-take plates some years ago, and that they were always measured on a flat stone in one of the rubbing houses situated on the course near to the Grand Stand. It occurred to me that the stone might possibly be still remaining, and at my request he acccompanied me to ascertain; when on digging the dirt away we found it there perfect and entire, where I believe it is to this day. The stone fully corroborated the old man's account of the mode of measuring the horses. He told me that the owners were allowed to extend the animal's legs apart to a certain mark, which was cut on the stone, and no farther. He also informed me, that among one of "the tricks of the turf" at that time, it was a practice to make the horse shrink down when touched by any thing on his withers; and thus, when they felt the standard, they, from use, would crouch a little, which of course made them appear less than they really were, and entitled them to carry a less weight than they ought in the race. This practice the stable lads used to train

them to, by constantly napping them on the part with a stick.

This little anecdote may perhaps be disbelieved by some of your sporting readers; but I have subsequently been told the same by old turfmen, and am therefore inclined to give implicit belief to it;

for we well know that the sagacious animal, the horse, can almost be taught (except the power of speech) to do anything that is desired.

The stone is six feet four inches long, and three feet three inches broad, and presents the following simple appearance :

The two lines on the stone are, from my own measurement, five feet distant from each other, which was the space allowed between the animal's fore and hind feet, and the length of each line is two feet, which was the space allowed between the two fore feet, as also the same between the two hind feet.

The evidence of this individual, together with the appearance of the stone, in my humble opinion fully answered all inquiries on the subject, and the information was transmitted to the quarter where it was wanted, and I believe settled the dispute ; ; but as the case has never appeared in print, and being anxious that the old rules of the turf may not be buried in oblivion, I have taken the liberty of sending you an account of the circumstance for insertion in your valuable Magazine, where it may be placed for reference, and answer any inquiries that may be made on the subject at some future period, when both you and I may have run

our race, and reached the ending post of this short life. I am, yours, &c.

ALFRED HIGHFLYER.

SHOOTING NOT ALWAYS SPORTING.

SIR,

I Have been much amused with

the various accounts I have read in your interesting publication of the sport, in shooting, which some persons have had during the present and few last seasons. A few individuals seem indeed, of late years, to have taken some pains to advertize their feats, as if they thought the sport of shooting depended on the quantity of game which might be destroyed in a certain number of hours. Now I think all sportsmen will agree with me that this is not the case; for in the present mode of battue shooting, and having men to beat up the game instead of using dogs, the manly way of sporting is entirely lost. It certainly is shoot

ing, but it can scarcely be called sporting. Formerly, and indeed in many instances even now, the sportsman goes out with his brace of pointers, or his spaniels, attended by his keeper and servant, and perhaps a pony, and, trusting to his dogs for the game he may find, bags his twenty or thirty brace of birds, or his ten brace of pheasants, with hares, &c. for which he has probably fagged hardwhilst another, with numerous keepers, and attendants to fly his paper hawk, and having a doublegun always ready loaded for him, kills his hundred brace of birds with little or no fatigue but that of firing his gun. I believe it has never yet been tried to what extent this kind of sporting might

be carried.

I am very fond of sporting, and have shot for a number of years, and have no doubt there are more good shots than there used to be, for there are a great many more people who shoot; but there were many formerly, and there are a great number now, whose names never appear in print, quite equal, either at pigeons or game, with those who are so continually advertised. I subscribe to your Magazine, and I constantly read the daily papers. I may, of course, credit your accounts of sporting incidents, and theirs, where names are mentioned.

I find, on reference to your Magazines of 1825, that Sir Charles Cuyler, on the 1st of September in that year, bagged, in two hours and thirty-five minutes, one hundred and three partridges.

In your last Number, I observe that on the 1st of September 1827, Colonel Hawker bagged fifty-one brace of birds and a hare.

You do not mention, whether he used charges of cavalry. On the 17th of September, Mr. Osbaldeston killed ninety-four brace of birds, twenty-three hares, and four rabbits. The shooting of Sir Charles Cuyler throws the others quite into obscurity.

I find, on reference to Mr. Daniel (Daniel's Rural Sports)—and I may of course credit his accounts of sporting incidents-that in 1801 Mr. Coke, of Norfolk, bagged, in five days, seven hundred and twenty-six partridges; i. e. for five days, seventy-two brace and a half per day. In the year 1797, in Germany, Prince Lichtenstein and eleven other gentlemen killed in one day, being out fourteen hours, thirty-nine thousand pieces of game, chiefly hares and partridges; and in a very short space of time, the King of Naples and Sir William Hamilton, in the neighbourhood of Casarte, killed eight hundred head of game, of which six hundred and forty were partridges.

I am, Sir, yours, &c.

A SUBSCRIBER. Sevenoaks, October 3, 1827.

SIR,

FISHING NETS.

AN inquiry respecting a fishing

net appears at page 421 of your last Magazine. The best net for taking the species of fish described, is the flew net, inch-andhalf mesh, and the trammel, or walling, twelve inches, and to be hung square, not diamond-wise. The lint for a flew, twenty yards long and eight feet deep, should be sixty yards in length, and eighteen feet in depth. This proportion will admit of so much