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Amme;" "Ma Mie," called "Mammy;" "Filho da puta" generally curtailed to "Filo;" and certainly the last word might properly be omitted, as it gave rise to "Fille de joie" and other objectionable "social evil" appellations: "Noisette," called "Noisy;" "La Stimata," called "Stimmater;"" Chaos," pronounced "Chay'orse;" "Fiery Oaks," turned to "Fired Hocks ;" "Aristides," called "Harry Stides;" and "Aristotle," Harry Stottle;" "Ben-y-ghlo," converted into "Ben ugly;" "Chapeau d'Espagne," pronounced as unlike the French words as those used by the foreigner, when he asked for a "bifstek" and a glass of " portare." "St. Jean D'Acre," changed to "Jenny Daker," and "Chapeau de Paille" passed muster as "Chapo pale." In short, pages might be filled with instances of names, which have been and are unintelligible to the million. I once possessed a chesnut horse by " Hampden," to which the appropriate name of “Roundhead" was given. After winning a race for me at Hampton, he was claimed by a trainer of the name of Coleman, of St. Albans. I saw the animal afterwards at Guildford, where he won a plate, and was not a little surprised to find that he ran under a new title “Guildford” late "Roundhead." "Why did you change his name?" I enquired. "Because I considered it a shame," reponded Coleman, "to call him round head; for no horse I ever saw ever had a handsomer head." The Roundheads and the patriot Hampden were unknown to the new owner. Many of our distinguished turfites have selected a peculiar style of names for their horses; the late general Grosvenor adopted the jocose style, and named an animal "Beetroot," because he beat a colt by "Potoo000000's;" Lord George Cavendish too, named a flying roan horse, the "Rapid Rhone."

Among some of the cleverest "hits" may be mentioned a horse belonging to Lord George Bentinck, "The Ugly Buck" by "Venison" out of "Monstrosity," another equally good, was "The Singing Mouse," by "Mus," out of "Malibran." Lord Oxford called a colt "Boots," brother to "Barmaid," and I strongly advised a friend who had a colt by "Whalebone," out of "Tears," to call him the inelegant, but not inappropriate name of "Blubber."

The late Marquis of Exeter was very happy in his names, all the horses by "Sultan" being very appropriate; "Scutari," "Abydos," "Varna."

The old Duke of Grafton, grandfather to the present head of the Fitzroy family, gave names beginning with the letter "P" to twenty colts and fillies, the produce of two celebrated Euston mares, Prunella and Parasol-viz., Penelope, Parasol, Pelisse, Podargus, Pioneer, Pope, Pledge, Pawn, Pope Joan, Piquet, Prudence, Parachute, Promise, Partizan, Picaroon, Pindaric, Polygar, Pastille, Paraphine, Paramour. His Grace named the stock of Penelope, twelve in number, with the initial letter "W"-after the sire, instead of the dam. Among the above were Whalebone, Web, and Whisper. Mr. Sadler's horses, out of compliment to his horse Defence, began with the letter "D;" and among them were Delights, Designs, Deceits, Dangers, Darts, Defences, &c. Mr. Bowes delights in high-sounding namessuch as The Ladye of Silverfield Well, The Goblin of Gopely, The Witch of Worley Hill. His "Greculus Esuricus" (Hungry Greek) uzzled many of the betting fraternity:

"When Greek meets Greek then comes the tug of war."

The Earl of Stamford selects classical and most appropriate names (it would be strange if they were not, as his lordship is an excellent scholar).

There is one thing which ought to be carefully guarded against, and that is giving a colt a certain name when there is another horse of about the same date bearing it. While the animal is in training the evil is bad enough, but when turned over to the stud it becomes-especially with regard to mares-infinitely worse. I could here furnish a long list of brood mares whose appellations were the same some fiveand-twenty years ago, but I will content myself with a few instances: There were 7 Eleanors, 7 Emmas, 7 Harriets, 8 Carolines, 8 Mar. garets, 9 Fairys, 9 Gipseys, 9 Brunettes, 19 Elizas, and a large number of Agnesos, Lauras, Marias, Matildas, Susans, &c. If after per using the above list, which we have no doubt is equally applicable to the present time, any owner of racehorses is desirous of paying a compliment to a lady by naming one of his pet fillies after her, it is to be hoped that he will not select one of the above ordinary names; or, if he does, that he will add the surname, which will not only increase the value of his "pretty little attention," but be duly appreciated by his fellow turfites. While upon this subject, I will remark that in 1843 there were two brood mares-one the dam of Rasalind, bred by and the property of Mr. Coombe, the other bred by Mr. Shard; one foaled in 1826, the other in 1827; both called Harmony, and both got by Reveller. And here I must offer a few remarks upon the practice of changing the name of a horse after having once appeared with it, unless there be some very stringent reason for the alteration, such as finding it an appellation of an objectionable character. The system complained of is open to much fraud, and I could write many instances in which the public have been gulled by it. During the occupation of France by the Allies in 1816, garrison races were got up at Cambray, the head-quarters of the Duke of Wellington, and at Valenciennes. About a month previous to the first meeting a horse arrived from England, belonging to a Mr. Stewart, which was entered under the name of Confederacy (Conspiracy would have been a more appropriate title), and the services of the late Colonel Horace Churchill, one of the best amateur jockeys of that day, was retained to ride the new importation.

One morning the attention of some of the officers quartered at Cambray was called to a splendid-looking thorough-bred chesnut horse, who was taking his gallop on the racecourse, and which proved to be Confederacy. "I think," said a sporting Guardsman, "I have seen that horse before at Newmarket; "he is very like one of Lord Foley's." Inquiries were made through letters written to England, and it turned out that the "flyer" called Confederaey was no other than Lord Foley's Monkey, who had won several races in England. It also appeared that the horse was bought by a joint-stock company, of which the head director was Mr. Stewart. The horse ran and won, but afterwards was so heavily weighted in handicaps that the speculation failed, and the confederacy broke up. Another example may be found in the "Book Calendar " for 1810:

"WARWICK RACES.

"HIS MAJESTY'S PLATE of 100 gs. ; for four years old 10st. 4lbs., five years old 11st. 6lbs., six years old 12st., and aged 12st. 2lbs. ; four mile heats.

(We give the weights and distance to show what horses were wont to do in bygone days.)

Mr. Cave Brown's b. g. by Worthy, four years
Mr. Fletcher's b. c. Bay Malton (broke down)
Mr. Douglas's b. h. Delusion, five years

6 to 4 on Delusion.

311

1 3 dist.

2 2 dr.

"The same horse, by the description of Trusty, by Worthy, four years old,' or of a 'b. g. by Worthy, four years old,' has also started at Newton, Lancaster, Preston, Ormskirk, and Litchfield, in the pre

sent year.

"We are authorised to declare that he was at no time the property of Lord Rancliffe, and that his lordship's name was made use of without permission.

"N.B. Just as this part of our volume was going to press, we received notice from the Clerk of the Stables that the Master of the Horse had ordered this plate to be divided between Mr. Douglas and Mr. Fletcher."

On an investigation before the Jockey Club at Newmarket of certain circumstances relating to the above plate, it was ascertained that the horse entered for it by the description of a "b. g. by Worthy, four years old," was in fact the bay gelding Hylas, six years old. This was unquestionably a very deep-laid plan, and but for the quick eye of Sam Chifney, who rode Delusion, might never have been discovered. This celebrated jockey recognized Hylas at once from his hind-leg action, which was very peculiar, and at once proclaimed the fraud. Of course the owner indignantly denied it, but Chifney persevered, and the result was as we have stated. The horse was originally the property of Lord Lowther, the present Earl of Lonsdale; he was purchased, taken from Newmarket into a distant county, was transmogrified, having his tail cut short, and was entered at Lancaster, Preston, and Ormskirk as "Lord Rancliffe's Trusty, four years old." No wonder that he came off victorious running as a four-year-old though a six; and, had the owner kept him for "plating" at small rural meetings, the artful dodge might have been long carried on with impunity. Many other instances might be quoted, but I confine myself to those which have been officially proved.

As an example of the great confusion which may arise from chang ing names, I give the following: In 1839, a gelding ran for the Manor Plate at Hertford as Mr. Smith's Fisherman, by Merman, dam by Claude Loraine (half-bred). In the September following, a Mr. Drew's Young Forester, by Merman, half-bred (this is the entry as it appears in the "Calendar ") won the Maiden Plate at Southampton; and the next week, as Mr. Stevens's Young Forester, ran second for the Bearwood Stakes at Abingdon. A year-and-a-half after this Messrs. Weatherby informed the public in a note to the "Book Calendar" of 1840, that Mr. Smith's Fisherman and Mr. Drew's, or Mr. Stevens's Young Forester were one and the same horse.

A few remarks upon fly-fishing and angling may not be here out of place:

The trout, so common to all parts of Europe, is, next to the salmon, the great exciting object of the British fisherman, in pursuit of which he is led to visit the most beautiful spots in England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. Whether he takes his course to the romantic lakes of Westmoreland, Cumberland, and the Highlands; to the sequestered and classical streams of Derbyshire, immortalized by Walton and Cotton; to the brawling Trent; to the sparkling Leith rill; to the gushing waters of the Clun; to the picturesque Wye; to the placid lakes of Llanberris; to the flowing stream of the Usk; to the pellucid Llugwy; to the clear Irish lakes and rivers, Lough Corril, Lough Mask, Lough Cown, Loch Melven, the Nore, the Moy, the Blackwater, and the Shannon, in search of salmon or trout, he alike enjoys health, exercise, and unrivalled scenery. The trout season is spring, when Nature appears in her loveliest form, the air redolent with the fragrance of wild violets and cowslips, the meadows clad in verdure, the hedgerows bursting forth into foliage, and the nightingale, thrush, and blackbird carolling their "wood notes wild" under a bright blue sunny sky. Few fish vary so much in size, form, colour, and flavour as the trout; some streams will produce well-fed fish of a yellowish pink colour and of delicious flavour, while others will only yield tasteless and insipid fish fit only to feed the feline race with. The Driffield river in Yorkshire is said to produce the largest trout in England, averaging from three to eight pounds, and one was taken in 1832 in this river measuring 31 inches in length, 21 in girth, and weighing 17 pounds. Yarrell tells us that on the 21st of March, 1835, a male trout of fifteen pounds was caught in the Thames, the length of which was 30 inches. The trout spawn in October and November, and are then out of season till April; nor can they be said to be in perfection till the months of May and June. In some parts of Wales, and in Cumberland and Westmoreland, fly-fishing commences in March, whereas in the various trout streams within a reasonable distance from London few anglers think of comencing operations until the latter end of April or beginning of May. The trout is fond of swift, clear streams, running over chalky, limestone, or gravelly bottoms; but he is more frequently to be found in the eddies by the side of the stream than in the midst of it. He delights in weirs, hollow banks, and the junction of little rapids formed by water passing round an obstruction in the midst of the general current. The trout, though a fish of prey and a voracious feeder, is very shy and cautious; great care must then be taken not to alarm it, and this alone can be accomplished by the follower of old Izaak keeping out of sight of the fish-if once seen, no bait will tempt a trout to take it. The winds most favourable for the enjoyment of the sport are south, south-east, south-west, and north-west; but in March and April the last-mentioned wind is generally too cold. A fresh breeze, which causes a ripple on the water is favourable for trout fishing, as it prevents the sharp-sighted trout from discovering the artful device of the artificial fly.

The pike, or fresh-water shark is a strong, bold, and greedy fish, and will battle stoutly with the angler; but even if he succeed in breaking his hold, he will generally retake the bait the instant it is again offered

him. Their extreme voracity has been attested by many writers, and it is well known that they will seize upon young ducks and goslings. Gesner relates that a pike in the Rhone, seized on the lips of a mule that a man brought to the water, and hung so fast that the mule drew him out of the river. We give the story as told by the great naturalist without vouching for its truth. It has also been stated upon competent authority that in the large water in the Earl of Jersey's park at Osterley, a pike, which proved to be upwards of forty pounds weight, seized a swan, and, in endeavouring to gorge the head and neck of the noble bird, their mutual struggles effected the death of both. De Plot mentions a similar circumstance, that happened at Trentham, in Staffordshire, the seat of the Gower family. The "tyrant of the waters" is a long-lived fish; Pennant mentions one that was ninety years old, and Gesner declares that in the year 1497 a pike was taken at Halibran, in Suabia, with a brazen ring attached to it, on which were the following words in Greek characters: "I am the fish which was first of all put into this lake by the hands of the Governor of the Universe, Frederick II., the 5th of October, 1230." This fish was, therefore, two hundred and sixty-seven years old, and was said to have weighed three hundred and fifty pounds. Whether Gesner was celebrated for the use of the long-bow, we know not; but it is hard to swallow the pike story. The pike is a solitary fish, and frequents still places in a river, beside beds of weeds, deep pools, wiers, and flood-gates; but his favourite haunt is near long-ranges of sedges and bullrushes. Jesse, in his "Angler's Rambles," describes a day's fishing at Cleveland Hall, Staffordshire, where he took a pike weighing twenty-eight pounds. Yarrell gives the following account of pike fishing in Norfolk : "Among the various localities in England remarkable for the quality as well as the quantity of their pike, Hornsea Mare and Heigham Sounds-two large pieces of water in the county of Norfolk, a few miles north of Yarmouth-have long been celebrated." Camden, in his "Britannia," first printed in 1586, quaintly writes: "Hornsea pike, none like." Nobbs, who has been called the father of the art of trolling, gives the following receipt for dressing a pike: "Take your pike and open him; rub him within with salt and claret wine; cut him in two or three pieces, and put him in when the water boils, put in him sweet marjoram, savory thyme, or fennel, with a good handful of salt; let them boil nearly half-an-hour. For the sauce, take sweet butter, anchovies, horse-radish, claret wine, of each a good quantity; a little shalot or garlic, and lemon sliced: beat them well together, and serve him up.' Before we conclude this subject, Nobb's advice to a tyro may prove of service to all young beginners, nay, even to some old lovers of the gentle craft. He thus describes the delights of a fisherman: "The truth is," he writes, "if sport be quick, scarcely anything can vex or discompose him, for he is then so attentive to his pleasure, that he takes little notice of those inconveniences which otherwise might be trouble and vexation; he then regards neither wind nor weather, and disdains those slight perturbations of cold, thirst, or hunger. He hath then gotten the philosopher's stone, which sweetens all his other crosses, and turns all disasters into gold. His sport is a cordial for all distempers, and the pike, like a good water physician, cures him of all diseases. If weary, bis sport refreshes him; if cold,

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