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PHE88 or James Bowes & Sons, Halifax, Nova Scotia. / •^^J" .'>^ JOHN JAMES STEWART COLLECTION i to .1 • J5e g m r^r Llksry Fsc Cfily. \; (^o aE0PPR&Y Pft0RR0W, Esq.. ds ibis small Bool^ dedicated, not only in bis official capacity of President of tbe Wanderers' 0tbletic gjub. but also to bim personally, tbe interest be taijes in Britisb Sports bein^ so well l^nown. ^MB 0UTH0R. Cambridge House, Halifax. y^' Y »•*, '^ Gs'Bo ^^fuH^uyai f " REFACE 'D A very distinguished writer on " Sports," who lived in the last century, said, Delectando pariterque monendo should be the design in sending a book into circulation. It is to be feared that real success falls to very few. Of late the competition among writers on English Sports has been so great that they have fully equalled the wants of the public; hence the greater difficulty in such a volume as this of even equalling those books that have gone before. The writer does not wish to contend with such, but only trusts the few practical remarks contained herein may both be interesting and of service to the rising generation. /i \:f / ,\ 1 \ BRITISH SPORTS |PORTSMEN and lovers of sport are plentiful in Halifax. In the series of ; articles to be written under the head of " British Sports," I would, before commencing on any one subject, place before my readers one or two reasons for writing at all. In the first place, I believe that a boy or a man who goes in cox amore for sport, and becomes a " sportsman " in the real meaning of the word, will be able to fill his place in the world for a longer period, and to greater advantage than he v/ho " moons about " with no definite aim in life. Do not let me be misunderstood. I do not uphold the Sportsman vs. the Reading Man. Far from it, but I contend that if the latter could combine some sport with his reading, he would be in a better condition physically to gain high honors in the literary world. Having arrived at the fact that athletics or sport of some kind is desirable, then I say that each one who undertakes any one branch should use his best endeavors to excel in it ; for have we not read " That which is worth doing is worth doing well." Convinced of the truth of these general maxims, my chief aim in these articles will be to be of service to beginners in each branch of sport and render what assist- ance I can to those who are not too far advanced to accept hints, and at the same time to inter- sperse anecdotes in connection with each chapter. 2 British Spoitn. SHOOTING. The Gun. Small Bores. Witli this briff introductioM I will CDinmenco with shootiiif'. There is no doubt tliat in shooting the gun is tlie first essential, yet how few people take this into consideration when buyiri<(. One hears a man say " I s^ave £50 for this f:;un and I can't hit a hay-stack." There is a simple reason for this; the gun does not fit him; Rnd this may arise from numerous contingencies — long oi short stock, bend of stock, thickness of grip, etc. Should the gun not come up to the eye properly at first, it is of no earthly use trying to fit the eye to the gun ; therefore, senci it — the gun, not the eye — to the maKer, and either have a new one, or have the old one altered. Thi.? can be done by any good gunsmith at a trifling cost. In choosing your gun be careful as to weight, and liow that weitrht is balanced; and when I say this I mean there should not be, when at the shoulder, any inclina- tion for the muzzle to dip, or rise, apart from your wants or use. As regards the weight of the piece, if it is a 12 bore, anything between 6^ lb., and 7i lb., would suit, though you will be apt to find that the lighter the gun the higher the price. For shooting in this country, I should wish for noth- ing better than a good 12 bore, a little heavier in the ))reach than ordinary, so to withstand any extra charge one m'ght want for " wild fowl." In England at the present time most of the best shots use 20 bore guns, with loads of 2 drs. to 2{ drs, of powder, and f to |- oz. shot. Of course if we compare this charge of shot to the 1^ to 1^ — say two baccy pipes of shot to one of powder, used in other guns, it does seem to handicap his shooting powers, but we must not British imports. 8 I forget tliere is such a thin«^ as penetration ; you not only want to hit your game, but, what is of far greater consequence, to " bag it," and bag it, too, with the least amount of trouble. What is more annoying than to know you have mortally wounded the bird or animal and then not be able to gather it ? Therefore when buying ' a gun you should not only see that it " fits " you but also what its capabilities are as regards carriage and penetration. This is to be done, as Penetration. any practical gunsmith will show you, by placing 40 yards off an ordinary copy book which will contain the space occupied by an ordinarily large bird. Suppose we use No. (] shot; then there are in an ordinary charge for a 12 bore gun 270 pellets (a smaller bore will do with smaller pellets and vice versa); then if you can show a penetrat- y,y pattern of GO you have a fairly good barrel ; — when I say barrel I mean it; do not think that because one barrel shoots in a certain man^^r the other is bound to act the same, for if you do, you will be grievously mistaken ; you must try both. As regards the charge put into the cartridges, all young sportsmen fancy that the more powder used the greater the distance covered. This is a mistake, for some guns will burn far more powder Waste of Ponder. than others. This is easily to be proved ; — let the shooter put a little more powder in his cart- ridge than ordinarily and fire along a layer of snow, or if that is not handy have some paper laid down for 10 yards from the muzzle of his gun, and he will find the grains which have not ignited left whole on the surface. This will prove to him that he has wasted the " raw material." Novices complain, " oh, my gun kicks." Do they 4 Kick. One-eyed Shot. British Sports. ever think why ? Nine times out of ten it is because the gun does not fit their shoulders prop- erly, being too short in the stock, and then the maker is brought to task. He, who very likely has pointed this out when the purchase was made, it. far too alive to business to say boldly " I told you so," but simply says — "ah, yes I seo " and either supplies another gun or puts a heel on the stock which remedies the defect. Should this kicking result from any other cause, it is most likely from using too heavy a charge in a light gun. Consequently the objection ist is on the horns of a dilemma. Do not think from this that I am a gun-maker or writing in their inter- ests. They are just as liable to mistakes as any other human being, but it is so easy to lay the missing of an easy shot, oi any other " ^' .a shootist (American) is heir to,'' to that " ass " the maker. I now take it you have a weapon to suit you. Well, steady yourself ; do not think the mere fact of putting the gun up, shutting one ey3 and pulling the trigger, is going to fill your bag. This is not so. I quite agree with putting the gun up, and pulling the trigger, but not so much with the shutting of one eye. That may be very well in rifle shooting, or a " pot " shot nt a Nova Scotian partridge on a tree, but it will hardly work with that same bird on the wing, let alone a cock or a snipe. In support of this I cannot do better than quote the words of Dr. Carver, the best wing sliot the world ever saw, who, when shooting pigeons out of a trap in England — tha hardest shooting there is — was asked, " Doctor, do you shut one eye v/hen yo shoot." " Shut one British S}iorts. jQu it is irs prop- hen the •y likely ise was oldly " I ee " and I on the lid this is most a light on the am this ir inter- > as any lay the "'' .a ,ss "the Liit you. e mere 3y3 and ur bag. ing the much 36 very a Nova hardly t alone cannot ver, the , when d— the ;tor, do lut one eye," he replied, " it takes me all my time to kill even with two, and if I had been lucky enough to have been born with 40, 1 guess I would keep them all open." The real fact then is, that the hand and eyes work together, and it may be ' taken for granted that all shut both eyes on the discharge. (Really good shots may find fault with me here, as they know intuitively whether they have killed or not. I have in my mind's eye, one in this towi.; if he differs, let him prove : me wrong.) I will put this in a practical form for young sportsmen as regards sundry birds in my next article ; my intention in the present one is more to show shooting from a tlieoretical point of view, and I would wind up with one or two standard rules a? regards the management of guns, which may well be taken to heart by older gunners : 1. Never point the gun — whether loaded or Rnles. not — or allow it to be pointed, at yourself, or any living object, except the game you are in pursuit of, especially when you are cocking or uncocking, as the cock is liable to slip from your hands. 2. In walking, always keep the gun so that, should it by accident go off, you will only hurt Mother Earth or the celestial beings. This rule more especially applies to inconsiderate mortals, who will, whichever way you may turn, have the muzzle of their gun on a level with one's diaphragm. 8. When not shooting, always remove the cart- ridges from the gun, more especially when getting into a v/agon. Before commencing, as to the charges of powder and shot required to bring your game G British Sports. Pall of Trigger. to bag, I should like to be perfectly certain that you have a gun which will allow you to do this, I say "allow" advisedly, for should the defects pointed out in my last article exist, you most assuredly will only hit by chance, and may still go on being, as your dearest friend will point out, "an awful shot." This may be not your own fault as regards shoot- ing powers, but simply through want of knowl- edge in choosing your weapon. Having rid yourself of the defects mentioned, there is still one feature to be attended to, viz : the trigger — or rather the pull of the trigger, i. e., the amount of pressure or weight which is required to dis- charge the gun. This to the tyro seems a very small thing, but it is not, for sundry reasons. 1st — It stands to common sense that, assuming the gun, when put up, to be on the bird, then the easier the pull of the trigger the better, for the slighter the pressure exerted the less likely one is to " pull off" the bird. By " pulling off" I mean that, having a really easy shot, when plenty of time is given to take a steady aim — time enough even for the one-eyed shot — one will, if the trig- ger requires extra pressure, be sure to jerk the gun more or less to the right. Now if it be more, the bird is missed altogether ; and if less, it only receives the scattering pellets on the left hand side of the charge, which, it is needless to say, have not the same penetrating power as those in the centre. To illustrate my idea : Suppose you fire at a mark 40 )'ards distant with a gun having barrels of an ordinary length — say 30 inches — and having properly covered 3'our target, you find on ex£.mination a very small proportion of British Sports. certain you to should 3 exist, chance, dearest This shoot- cnowl- 3g rid is still ?ger^ mount ;o dis- a very iasons. uminsf en the 3r the y one mean ty of lough trior- c the more, only hand say, ie in you ving eo — you 1 of 1 the charge of shot recorded, and the pellets that have left their names of not too penetrating a character ; do not at once throw down the gun and say " no one shall shoot with it again." Far better pick it up, apologize, if it is possible to do so to an inanimate thing, and try to find a reason for your non-success. Nine times out of ten the reason is that the pull of the trigger is too heavy, which in discharging makes the gun go more or less to the right. Again, in pulling the trigger, a man who shoots quickly, and there- fore with two eyes» — if he has two — open, really does not know or care which part of his finger causes the explosion ; but to the young gunner I would give a gentle hint, more especially if he is inclined to overload his cartridges — not to put his finger too far through the triggerguard, for how- ever little recoil there may be, the guard, which is fairly sharp, will catch his second finger just above the second joint, and he will be able to demonstrate to his friends one more of the pseudo pleasures of shooting. As regards this " pulling off," suppose that, in spite of your being a good shot, the send-oflT of the trigger really does not suit you, and the muzzle is in consequence devi- ated a quarter of an inch from the dead straight aim you have taken ; have you ever thought how far the killing part of your charge will be from your game, say at 30 yard; ? Well, it would be 5| inches, or even more. This then proves, as I have said before, that the target fired at does not receive the most penetrating part of the charge. This means that the central part of the charge would not strike any bird smaller than a goose, British Sjyorts even if the gun were actually pointed at the middle of its body. Now in writing, as I am, chiefly in the interests of the beginner, it is difficult for me to put on paper what amount of pressure ought to be brought to bear to cause the gun to go off. I know that for an old gunner, one who has mixed and shot with his brother sportsmen, a " hair- Hair-Trigger, trigger" is the one to be used to make a "bag," but I do most emphatically say that such an one ought not to be used by any young hand. To the uninitiated I may explain that a " hair- trigger" is one that makes the gun discharge at the very slightest provocation, and indeed, after ' some use, it has been known to do so without any assignable cause. Therefore in choosing your gun you have to choose the happy medium, be- tween too hard a pull, which will take the gun off the bird, and too light a one, which will allow the discharge before the gun is on the bird at all. Carrying the Gun. Above I made use of the phrase " old gunnf^rs," but if you will notice I put an addendum to this, viz : " who have mixed and shot with their brother sportsmen." Now I do this because in my shooting trips in this country I have been so struck with the fact that the greater portion of the sportsmen " away back in the woods ! " are — well, more than a certain age. This being so, one would have thought that they had come to " years of discretion " as regards the carrying of those antiquated pieces of artillery which they are pleased to call guns. (Do not think for one moment that I under-rate the shooting powers of these heirlooms of better days) — but no ! age has not had the desired effect. The British Sports. average of these old sportsmen has shot by him- self all his life, taking particular notice to keep the muzzle of the apparatus away from himself, holding it in such a position that the unwary stranger, if endued with extra good eyesight, can almost see of what number shot the charge consists ; or carefully arranging so that in case of accident the full charge would lodge under one's belt. Really sportsman-like habits are only to be acquired by shooting in company with others and always considering their safety before the bag. I trust by this time you are satisfied with your gun : the question now arises what to put in it. Given then a 12-bore gun of 7^ lbs. weight for an ordinary shooting trip, I do not think you can do better than tell your gunsmith to fill your cartridges with 3 J drs. powder, and 1^ ozs. shot, ^'^®*^J*®*' the size of the shot depending of course upon the birds you expect to shoot, and also on the dis- tance the birds are likely to be from you. If you expect the birds to be wild, you will require, to use larger shot. A real gunner, w^ho not only can shoot, but also knows the habits of birds, having been on the outlook for partridges, and having fair sized shot in his gun, would, upon coming to a likely place for woodcock or snipe, replace these cartridges with others containing ' No. 8 or No. 10 shot. Above I said : get your gunsmith to fill your Loading cartridges. This I mean especially for you young ones. On the score of safety you should do so, and of cleanliness also ; and as regards price I do not think that with the ordinary number you use you will appreciate the difference. But if 9 Cartridges. lO British Sports, you must load your own cartdridges I shall be- only doing my duty in giving the following hints — viz : Provide yourself with the best powder to be obtained, and to prove if it is good place a small quantity in the palm of your hand and rub it liard, — it ought to leave no dirty mark. Remember the danger attached to powder : never load except in the day time, and never forget to put what powder you have left back in. its proper place, out of reach of small children. Be careful not to get your measures mixed^ and so use the powder measure for the shot and \ vice versa. V It is not necessary to ram the powder too hard, but the wad should be so pressed on the shot that on shaking the cartridge you cannot hear the pellets rattle. Before leaving the subject of cartridge-loading,. I must add one other caution. The powder used should be perfectly dry, as it will be if bought from a respectable practical gunsmith. But sup- pose that, from some cause or other, this is not the case, do not be tempted to put your powder \ in the oven to dry; this is a very risky experi- ment and may end in serious damage to the kitchen. No, in place of this put it in a perfectly air-tight tin can, and plunge into boiling water; this will not only dry the powder, but even raise its strength one or two degrees, as may be proved by the epreuvette steam guage. jOnd «J Powder. I cannot conclude this article without one word as to the kind of powder to be used. There is no doubt but that the day of our old familiar friend,, black powder, has come, or is coming to an end. w British Sports. 11 A^ present it may well be said that the " Schultz," "E. C", and other powders of this description, are too expensive for ordinary use. Out here this may be the case, but take my advice, and when the time comes that they come as regards price within a reasonable distance of black powder, choose one of the new fangled com- positions, without inquiring " what is it made of?" etc., etc. It is more cleanly, shoots as well, if not better, and above all is smokeless; con- sequently on a damp day you are able to get your second barrel in, where shooting with black powder you would be unable to do so. In support of this argument it is only necessary for me to say that all the best pigeon shots in England,, and those who go to Monaco to shoot for money, use one of those white powders, and these are men that of ten-times have £1,000 at stake on a single shot — I do not say for themselves alone, but combined with out.^ide betters. Let us now fancy it is the first of November, A day's Shooting and that we are leaving one of the prettiest little villages on the Shannon, 15 miles from Limerick, with which it is connected by a railway, the original line of which the market- woman remarked, " I haven't time to go to town by train this morning, so must just hurry up and walk," Let us fancy also that we have had a good breakfast, which, by the bye, my brother sportsmen will conduce most materially to your chance of bringing back a good bag, and have neither forgotten gun, cartridges or other requisites ; all which things have been forgotten at times, even in enlight- ened Halifax, let alone in the poor old " disth- in Ireland. 12 Britiah Sports. Snipe. reHti'ul " country. We first strike tor tliat little withy bed across the bridge. Now, young ones, has it entered your head with what you are likely to meet, and therefore what cartridges to have in your gun ? This ought to be your first thought when loading, and having put cart- ridges into your gun, remember what size shot is in each barrel, and do not be like a certain young Englishman in India, who, on starting out after snipe was warned to be sure and keep a ball in one barrel, in case of coming across any wild animrds, and who, when a snipe got up, unfortu- nately discharged the barrel containing the ball first, leaving only a charge of No. 10 shot to withstand the attack of a wandering panther. A friend who identified the collar and boots at the coroner's inquest, when the coroner com- mented on the terrible result of such a mistake, was heard to murmur " ah, but he killed the snipe anyway." History deponeth not if the re- mains of the snipe were as large as those of the individual who caused its death. Mais revenons A Nos MOUTONS : — Snipe is the bird we expect now. We have No. 10 shot in the first and eight or six in the second barrel. If you can see this little piece of ground by the river just as I have it now in my mind's eye, you will know that when the first bird gets up, it is a case of now or never ; so let drive, and do your best to kill. In a case like this there is no time to ponder, for apart from having to shoot through the willow trees, you have also to con- tend against the natural instinct of the bird, which teaches it to do all it knows to get out of the way of the shot. Now, a snipe is not, British Sports. 13 «p for a yoim^jf sportsman, the easiest bird to Itriiig to bag ; for its very s([ueak, or whistle, or wluit- ever the sound it nmkes, is caleulated t<3 upset his nerves and so prevent his killing the bird at wliat I, personally, consider the easiest time, that is just as he rises ; and, tliat time having flown — and the bird with it — it becomes a difficult iuestion when to shoot, for this bird has a knack of executing a greater ntiml)er of gyrations in a given space than any mathemati- cian could calculate. This being so, it is need- less to tell the young sportsman that having missed the golden o})portunity, and wasted his charge on the air, it is best for him to wait till the bird has finished its mad gyrations, and pauses a second before commencing its legiti- mate flight: the diffiiculty then lies in judging whether it is still within range or not. To be a judge of distance is a SINE QUA NON to a good Judging Distance. sportsman. I say sportsman, because it would be only a " pot-hunter," who would deliberately let drive into a number of birds on the off chance of briiiging one to bag, and the certainty of wounding some. A gim-carrier of this kind (jught to be interviewed by our respected friend Mr. Nay lor, on behalf of' the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. To judge of distance, let the " shootist," tire at any object that may strike him on the edge of water, when he will be able to see a fairly good pattern of the charge, and will also l)e able to measure the distance. I trust my readers will forgive me this long digression from our starting point — "A day's shooting " — but I am sure you who are fathers 14 Solitary Snipe. Duck. British Sport i^. at any rate will not grudge any space I may take up, firstly in teaching the young idea the value of safety in the carrying of the gun, and secondly in increasing the chances of his bringing you home a respectable bag. But to return to business, "Jack," our keeper, shouts " Mark ! Mark ! " " What is it, Jack ? " " Big snipe, yer honor, and by jabers if you don't kill it its the worst look I'll give you." We go on and get the snipe, a big one, as Jack said ; this meaning a solitary snipe (Uallinago Major) which is nearly twice as large as an ordinary one, and by a shooting man ia considered as great a prize as a " Gillerou " trout to a fishing man. (I will not stake my existence as to the right spelling of this word.) " Mark ! hush ! " — it is very easy to put the latter word on paper, but it certainly does not convey the meaning that an excited Irishman would wish — " Down, look, ducks !" Yes, there they are, about four hundred yards from us, with heads up, evidently frightened by our shot. Now, the way to get at them ? All fiat country, no chance of creeping on them. Ah, happy thought, " Jack, how long will it take me to get up to the Lough (Derg) ? " " Quarter of an hour, sir." " Right, give me that, and two min- utes more to make sure, and then let the dog go up the river." It has come off as wished for ; we were at our station in time to have two barrels into the seven ducks that came sailing up the middle of the stream. Did we get them all ? No as it happened we only got two, one with each barrel ; this by not shooting into the " brown," a practice which brings so many otherwise good shots to grief. I hear someone saying : Why British Sjjortti. 11^ did he tell his man to send his do^; along the river, and not tell the man to go himself ? " Simply, my inquiring friend, I may tell you the wild duck is a wily bird — very much so — and had that man shown himself at all, they would have been up and away altogether, whereas with a dog coming along, they simply get up and sail (juietly up the nuddle of the stream. I have not space here, but I hope to be able at some future time to show you what an amount of good a well trained dog can do you, as a decoy for duck. I am warned that I have come to the end of my tether as regards space, so resume our day's sport in next article. " Now Jack, where to ? Do you think there's a chance of a grouse if we skimmed the side of the mountain and then took a boat ])ack to the Clare shore ? " " Now, yer honor, wouki ye bo after leading a poor man asthray afther grouse in November? Ach, now, the tlask will niver hould out ! " " Never mind, Jack, its all in the day's work," and having consoled him thus far we set off for the mountain side. We had not got farther than the edge of the first covert — and I may point out to those who do not know, that there are really good coverts, in blocks, on the sides of all Irish mountains — when Jack in his best Irish whisper blurted out, " Look ! " I did look, and saw that by certain signs well known to real sportsmen, — men as I have said who not only go out shooting, but also study the habits of birds — there were, or had been, woodcock about. Now, you who go out and make these wonder- ful bags of " cock," and, it ^.as been returned to Brag- 10 British Si)ort8. me, never miss a shot, " dress up ' and let's have n jjfood look at you. You are the sort of men that I*. T. Barnum should show up as natural curiosities — for indeed you are, tlujunh you do not know it. Now, you who talk like this, how would you like a man to C(junt yiHU- cartrid<(i!S in tlie mornin^^, ^o with you throu<,di the day. return and count both what are left iitu\ the proceeds of cartridfjes shot ottV This trial is of course fair enouf,di for cock shooting, where you do not very often kill MOUE than one bird at a shot; and you will find your inj^enuity pretty well taxed to make the two accounts tally. Mark Twain would, I think, call this "sarcism;" but, my readers, my conscience will not allow me to let the fanciful tales promult^ated by these sports- men <,^o unchallenged. A boy may go out for the first time, and being of a nervous disposition, nearly afraid to pull the trigger, he may hit or miss as the case may be ; but it is our " swagger man " who on missing a shot says " too far ; ought not to have shot ! " — And in this way he accounts for his wasted cartridges. Take it from me, and if not satisfied go back 40 years, which will take you beyond my own personal prejudices, and you will find that even then a man was dubbed an ass if he made any excuse at all in shooting. I grant you he may be right, and he may prove it to his own satisfaction, but the odds are very much against his convincing others. This is an old adage. " The proof of the pudding is in the eating." Without appearing rude I shouM like to ask why, if all these birds are killed about here, we do not see more on the tables ? Do the messes take them all ? If so, its just our British S/nri'tK. 17 ounts and take lyou ed an ove it very is an in the 1 like about I Do 3t our luck, and wo have to be content with the one a week we can secure by sliot uncoined, nut that this sport of fishing gave ri.so to tlie saying. Vet it seetns hard to give such a harsh name to the fairy tales the wily fisherman brings us home. The.se .same tales do any amount of service — they tend to expand tin; iuiagination. Why, I have known in my own experience a tish to be 2] lbs — "a real nice Msh, old chap, don't cher know" — at eifiht o'clock at night, whilst at 12 it has been "well, old man, I don't mind tell- ing you. because you know 1 wotdtln't tell you a cram, it vvas a real beauty, 4], and then not (juite fit; don't go telling where I was." Again, it makes men have a wonderful comiuand over their features; it is no good a man telling a story of this kind without looking as sober as a judge, antl looking, too, as if he really believed it himself; whilst on the other hand it would be too rude and ungentlemanly for the listener to express by even the twinkle of an eye any doubt as to the veracity of his entertainer. Why, to do away with the.se "tales" on returning from a day's fishing, would be like going totheacademy tosee "Hamlet," with the character of Hamlet cut out. It may well be said as regards fi.shing, if "the brave deserve the fair ' then in the weather we have had lately the plucky ti.sherman ought to fare well. Taking into consideration the amount of water there is in Nova Scotia, giving to the great . number of enthusiasts in tishins: such facilities . .1 jfor pursuing the sport, I feel 1 am taking upon [myself a very great responsibility by even giving s 46 British Spfkvts. III a hint; J can assure your critics I woiild not do so if it were not that I am writing for the benefit of the young, and not for the seasoned fisherman. Trout. In connection with fishing in Nova. Scotia, ■ there is no doubt that the trout are not so highly educated here as they are at home, the size of the bags brought home fully proving this. Here a man will bring back more from one day's ish- ing than just as good a fisherman at home would catch in a month. Yet there are plenty of fish, but they are so worried by the continual endeavours to catch them, that they become just as artful as the man who is after them. There is no doubt that even here the best fisherman will in the long run secure the greatest catches, but at the same time the mere tyro will get good " bags," when in England he would not catch a fish in a week. Of course this to a very great extent is accounted for by the fact that in all preserved waters — and ir. the old country there is very little free — the use of bait is strictly forbidden. It is needless for me to say that minnow is allowed in the Thames, for the trout in this river, ranging from 3| lbs to 10 lbs., and even larger, will not look at a fly. Trout fishing in Nova Scotia is far more like that in Ireland than any we have in England. Throwing- the Fly. I piopo.se in this article to give a few hints as to fly fishing, and tackle required for the same. To proceed then to a description that may be of use to the young hand. The rod should be light enough to be managed easily with one hand, and should be chosen for him by some old fisherman ; for with a rod, just the same as with a gun or cricket bat, it is not the a d( fa '*%/■ [ not do } benefit iherman. . Scotia, 3 highly } size of 3. Here j,y's ish- le would 'fish, but deavours artful as 10 doubt .1 in the , but at d " bags," fish in a extent is 3reserved is very orbidden. innow is his river, in larger, in Nova than any ew hints for the Hon that The rod ?d easily for him , just the not the British Sports. actual weight that is of so much importance, but the distribution of it. Draw off from your reel from 15 to 18 feet of line, throw out to its ex- tent, and fish in towards you. Different men adopt different ways of throwing the fly, but it really does not matter which is followed, so that one has entire control of his rod and line, and can do what he likes with the flies. It is really of no use to try to give theoretical lessons in throwing the fly, for nothing but practice will ever give proficiency ; let the beginner rather spend two or three days in watching a good man ; then come home and practice in the back garden, putting down some object to cast at. Do not be discouraged if, the first few days you go fishing, you see other men catching fish with the same fly and in the same water you have been unsuccessful in , remember, Rome was not built in one day, and his success has been only gained by hard practice, whereby he is able to let his flies pitch naturally upon the water ; neither ought you to take it hardly that ho should have a self-satisfied smile on his countenance whilst doing so, for rivalry is the great zest in all sports, and the fish taken by an expert out of water which has been flogged out of all shape l)y the beginner, are sweet indeed. Although, as I have said above, practice is requir- ed more than anything else in throwing the fly, it may be well to give a hint or two on it, trying to point out where lie the dangers to the young hand. In watching all beginners it will be found that two or three feet of line drop on the water before the fly ; this is fatal. The fly should fall as nearly like the original as possible, without 4S Striking. Freserration of Trout. British Sports. any of the line itself touching the water. To make the throw, say from the left shoulder, with a rod of 11 feet, take the cast in the left hand sa that the tly is clear of the ground, with the rod pointing forward and to the left ; then on loosing the cast, by a half side m.ovement of the arm, sweep the line in a gentle curve till it is well behind you. It is here that a disaster may occur, for if the tly is jerked, it may be snapped right oif. Having escaped this catastrophe, the line is brouoht from behind the head to the front of the body, when it is allowed to go forward to the full length of the arm, making the flies pitch on the water gently. This being done it is required to manipulate them to look as much like the real article as possible. As in all sports, the watch- word of the young angler should be " Patience." Remember that in striking a fish it is not necessary to put in all the force of arm and shoulder, but it only requires a sharp turn of the wrist just to fix the hook in the fish. This may seem unnecessary advice, but it will be found that the tyro jerks as if he were shark fishing. Before proceeding to talk of salmon fishing, I will try to prove that some day there will have to be, even in Nova Scotia — full of fish as its waters are — better preservation for trout, or there w^ill be the same cry as to the scarcity of fish that there is at present in England. I know I shall be laughed at by many of those who go fishing even now and brinir home their dozens in a day, but I am sure that those sportemen who go oat for the day's sport, and who make a study of the subject, will give me some credit for my warning voice. The more the country gets ■Ssf M British Sports. 49' jr. To r, with land sa the rod loosing le arm, is well Y occur, \ right J line is t of the the full on the tired to the real watch - lence." is not fra and ti of the lis may i found fishinfj, shing, I ill have h as its or there of fish know I w^ho go ■ dozens ortemen make a :edit for try gets Over- opened up and populated, — and there is every reason to believe that it will become more so every year — the more fishermen there will be, and naturally the more fish will be taken. I have been told that there is a law milking it illegal to net trout? if this is so, vrhat is the meaning of the sight that presents itself to our view in the market every Saturday morning ? There is hardly a fish over H pounds sold that does not bear unmistakoably the sign of the net; Xettinj?. and yet they are exposed for sale openly. Whose du<-y is it to take cognizance of this ? Have these laws, that seem to be dormant, been made because our legislators, having nothing much on hand, thought it as well to frame something so as to appear to be busy. As rejjards the decrease of trout in some streams — especially the smaller ones — in England I am sure that this has been brought about to some extent by over-preservation, paradoxical as this may seem. There is every reason to believe that there is more disease now than formerly, for nature provided means in the shape of otters, Birds of Prey. herons, etc., (which the keepers now kill off • indiscriminately) to rid the streams of those fish which might otherwise propagate disease ; for it is a well known fact, that animals and birds of prey find it far easier to catch the fish weakened by disease, and therefore do so. It has been proved over and over again on the Scotch grouse moors that it is far better to let the hawks remain to kill diseased and weakly birds, and to put up with the loss of the few healthy birds they may capture, than to kill them off, and so Preservation. 50 British Sj)orts MinnoiV( Salmon. allow the whole moor to get diseased. Again, the entire abolition of the use of the minnow has done harm. Now do not think I am an admirer of the u.se of the minnow^ but there are times when it is allowable and justitiablo; for instance take a small stream that you know holds half a dozen old "warriors" aboiit four lbs. weight; you might fly fish till you were black in the face, and you would not get a rise. Now, one of these will eat more of its species in one day than you will catch in ten. Under these circumstances, is it not better for the sake of your after sport to use the minnow, with which you have some chance of catching him? I do not say that these latter causes will militate ajxainst the fishing in Nova Scotia : but I do say that however plentiful the trout may be, netting ought to be stopped at once, in common fairness to those who fish honestly. I suppose that the height of ambition of every fisherman, from the urchin, with his stick, cotton, and bent pin, fishing for stickle-l)acks, to the man who lias caught his 2 lb. or 8-lb. trout, is to catch a salmon. Unfortunately, I have noticed that to whatever country you may go to attain this desirable end, it is rather an expensive luxury ; it is, apart from the sport, a good deal cheaper to buy than to catch, and therefore is like unto one of its concomitants, which is also cheaper to buy than to grow. In the first place you want a good " Greenheart " rod, of from 16 to 20 feet in length; spliced, I would say, for choice, as this gives nicer play than any other arrangement. It should balance about evenly wdiere the upper hand grasps it above the reel, which is placed about 10 inches from the butt. British Sport>>. 51 Tlie lino sliould not be less than 80 yards loni^^ ; and should tiiper down to nearly half its oriirinal size where the cast is tied on ; which cast, be it remembered, must be of salmon gut, a o-rcat deal thicker than that used for trout. To assist the youncr fisherman in his first attempt to catch a salmon, I would strougly advise his getting some one who lives near to, and has often fished, the water he is going to try, to aid him in his select- ion of flies, and point out the different parts inhabited at various times by salmon ; he will be able to go by himself another day ; that is if the water remains about the same height, but if it should be-higher or lower to any extent, let him apply for additional aid. As a rule, the larger the body of water, the larger the fly required, the size of the fly depends also to a certain ex- tent on the color of the water. This beino- a two-handed rod, it requires both more strength and practice to become proficient in casting, than with the trout rod. I would advise to cast from the left shoulder backwards, then bring slowly and steadily over the right, then keep on acceler- ating the speed till you deliver the fly upon the water. When the tyro can throw out 25 yards of line like this, to within a reasonable distance of the spot desired, he may rest on his laurels for a time : 35 yards for good fishermen is about the average throw, but tall and strong men will throw several yards further. The fly should be worked diflt;rently tlian Wording the Fly. when fishing for trout, being immersed suflic- "' iently not to cause a ripple, but yet not to be out of sight. Again, in striking, the young salmon striking. fisher should not strike ((uickly as for trout, but Throwing the Fly. 52 Brifis/i. Sjxti'f.^. "Giving the Butt." should al)Solutely WhA tlio tisli first, which really means that the fish has hooked himself. It often liappens as with trout, tliat the fish will rise and have a smell, look at the fly and turn away disj^usted. The only remedy for this is to keep on changini^' the liy till you find one that they will take. In reference to this I once heard an anecdote told. Three friends went salmon fishing — twoof wliom were reallv o'oodand enthu.siastic fishermen, whilst the third merely took a rod for decency's sake, thinkinj^ of the lunch and the outinij rather than of the number of fish that would be cau((ht. They experienced the very luck I iiave described, having rise after rise, but never even pricking a fish, much less catching one. It was not an exactly happy family that on returning entered the hospitable doors of one of the part}^ nor were two of the trio made any happier by the following conversation. Lady of the house — " W(dl, Mr. S., I am so sorry you have come all this way and had no sport ; my husband and brother are generally so lucky," "Oh, don't mention it, I really enjoyed myself im- mensely, lovely day, good uncheon, cigars, etc., etc., you know, go a long way to make a man appreciate life." " But, still, even tliese surely could not compensate you for n(jt getting any fish, when they were rising, too ! " " No, perhaps not, but when tlie fish would not take, tlie ' lovely flow of language ' that emanated from your husband and brother made up for all ! " The great thing after hooking your fish is to give him the butt — that is, get the point of the rod well up with the butt towards the fish — as much as you think tl\e tackle will bear, being -^- British Sj'iortfi. 58 ever ready to give him line if he make a sudden plunge or performs any gj^rations in the air. For the rest, the lauding or losing of one fish will really give more real instruction than yards of printed advice. It may be interesting to some of my readers Size oZ Salmon, to give a few notes on tin; size this ' king of fish," arrives at. Mr. Yarrel in his book reports a fish being in a London fishmonger's in 1821, which weighed 88 pounds. There are several over 70 pounds on record, one of 7H pounds being taken in the Blackwater, Ireland, in 1877. It is a remarkal)le fact that in the spawning season the male fish has a large hook growing upwards from the lower Jaw, which he uses in battle for the female fish, and which disappears directly the spawning season is over. The salmon is one of the most voracious of fish, but so quickly does it digest its food that when opened its stomach is generally 'found empty. There is no doubt but that their growth increases with the (juan- tity of food they can get, for when they get to the sea their growtli is marvellous. To prove this the Duke of Athol had some caught and marked on their wav down to the sea, and on their re- turn five weeks and two days afterwards one was again caught which had gained 10 pounds in that short time. The size of salmon does not depend so much on age as on the river, and the circumstances under which they are bred and reared. This is not the case with the pike — other- Pike. wise called the fresh-water shark — which in .some waters in England and Ireland attains a very old age and does not gain weight proportionately. A pike grows verj' quicklj' for three years, but 54 British Sports. Hiiinauencss of Sport. if you catch one 30 pounds weight you may calculate it at from 25 to 30 years of age. One was caught in Loch Neagh in Ireland, with a brass tag on, giving date when put in, which proved it was 70 years of age. The largest salmon on record as being taken with the rod was, according to Yarrel, G9| lbs., caught by Earl of Home, on the Tweed in Scotland. In concluding my remarks on this most pleasant sport, I would impress upon my young readers the necessity of going about it in a business and sportsmanlike manner, if they wish to excel ; and should they have bad luck in getting a bag legiti- mately, let it not be said of them that they des- cended in order to fill it to means unworthy of a true sportsman. Here my articles on sport proper would have come to an end, but for the receipt of the follow- in X letter : — Halifax, May 28. Mr. Walter Leigh : Dear Sir : — I have read with much interest, from a literary standpoint, your articles on hunting and lishing, that have lately appeared in tlie Mail. Much, however, as I have thus enjoyed them, in a spirit of no unfriendliness, but in one that I trust is inculcated by, and follows the teachings of our Great Master, I am tempted to ask : Why should you strive to render the unnecessary slaughter of his iniiocent creatures a science in which man -vill rejoice, rather than a cruelty which he will abominate 1 True it is necessary to supply our bodies with food, but it is not necessary by the slaughter of God's harmless creatures to supply with food that spirit of cruelty which is born in every man. Sincerely hoping that your articles will not have this effect, I remain, " A Friend op the Harmless." British Sports. 65 I I think the only fair way for nie is to criticise this letter in the first place, and then defend myself, if any defence is necessary, on broader grounds. To start with, I thank my anonymous friend for his appreciation of the articles on fishing and hunting, but at the same time I can assure him that those same articles were written for better ends than he seems to imagine. For boys, to encourage their studies of natural history ; for men, to try and stimulate them with an idea of honor between man and beast, the same as between man and man. I am glad my unknown corres- pondent is " writing in no spirit of unfriendli- ness ;" this assurance seems to justify me in criticizing his arguments — if they can be so called — without any reserve. After all, the boy fisherman who strings a dead worm on a hook is only taking time by the forelock and revenging himself on the creepy animals, which will in time feed upon his mortal remain.s. " In- nocent creatures," forsooth. The (]Uostion arises, ARE salmon and trout so innocent as their ap- pearance on the dinner table may lead one to think? Verily, no! They are just as blood- thirst}" in their ideas of gaining food as we poor mortals who consume them, feeding ever on their own species ; whilst I am sure my correspondent caniiot with all his desires charge me with an act of cannibalism, tho' I have often thought, when seeing people eat sucking pig, that " baby " would be just as palateable. This worthy gentleman objects to the killing of human food being brought down to science. Now, I maintain that all hu- man food consists, to a very lai-ge extent, of i 56 British Sjiorf!' animal life: — if he does not believe in this, let him bo a vegetarian, and in eating his humble cabbage swallow myriads of God's creatures — as he has been pleased to put it — and fatten on them, and see the " mote in my eye," while he fails to see the " beam in his own." My pseudo-friend owns that there must be a supply of food for his body : I can only say that tlie same hand that gave him this instinct for food endowed me also with the hunting instinct. If I have done wrong from a moral or religious standpoint, in writing as I have done, then my articles are unworthy tht reading or support of any right thinking men , but by the law of God as taught in the Old Testament, the killing of game was permitted, and we are distinctly told that all beasts are given for the good of man. Therefore we may deduce, that if this following and killing of game gives pleasure and training to man, being at the same time not forbidden by the Almighty, the life of the animal has not been wantonly taken. A deer stands in the same category as a partridge — game; and what was right for Esau to kill and present to his father, is just as right morally at the present day for you or me. If we examine carefully tlie laws of nature, we find that all things feed upon each other, and after all it is very hj'percritical to decide why one animal should live and another be made food for us "lords of creation." There is no doubt but that all field sports are a cloak for lots of abuses, but what is there that is not ? and it has been my aim to purge away the foul abuses and retain what is only true to nature. ft lirii'iHli iSporfs. 57 Is there any doiil.t whatever but tliat field sports, wliotlier dangerous or otherwise, conduce to promoting health and courage :* At the pre- sent time, when there is such a demand for " learnefl labor," we find men like the Prince of Wales, Judge Hawkins, Sir (Charles Russell, Sir Henry James, Mr. Eriekson, Sir W. Gull, the Grand Old Man and Lord Salisbur}', all at the top of their professions, taking their recreation in sport, and in the very sports 1 have mentioned in these articles. It has been said that Waterloo " was won on the cricket fields of Eton and Harrow," and the spirit of the remark applies just as much to shooting and fishing as to cricket. Let it be understood when I say sport should be used, not abused : and do not allow the abuse of it to be urjjfed anjainst its use. Then shall be developed the full amount of good of which this element in our social life is capable; and then may the sportsman, who after all is the legislator on sport, lie down after his day's work with an easy conscience and a full convic- tion that he has had a share in one of tho.se insti- tutions of his country of which he may well be proud. In conclusion, while thanking my anony- mous friend for his letter, I can assure him that he will have to 'ise far stronger arguments to persuade me that I ain doing wrong l»y attempt- ing to encourage manly British sports. Br it ink K'oovts. CRICKET. 0= Orifriii. French Cricket. BEFORE ^'iviiuj the few liint.s on this tinie- lionoureil game, I feel it will not be out of place to write a few wortls as to its origin. Surely a game that drew from Wellington the now historical " Waterloo was won on the Cricket HeMs of Eton and Harrow" deserves this! Enthusiasts vie with each other in tracing this game to a very early date : none have yet gone as far back as Adam, t)\ough some have gone so far as to interpret certain passages in the Bible to uphold their theory as to its age. We do know that the ancient Greeks j)layed " ball " — no, not base-ball — ball, pure and simple, then called ourun la, which consisted of throwing "Skiers" for one another to catch. Although many other games of "ball" were played by the ancients as well as by modern countries, we fail to find the faintest analogy to our •' noble game," in as much as no mention is ever made of the ball being hit by anything but the hvi 1. On these grounds we claim cricket as essentially an English game, — English in its character, English in its origin : — This beins: granted, it may well be asked why the English people possess the only field gatne of a truly scientific character. The answer is simple! Patricians and Plebtuians have played together, with an absolute and joy- ous oblivion, for the time, of all social distinctions, which has rendered the game amenable to refin- ing influences. It may be mentioned that even France has claimed the honour of its nationalitv, it havino; been said by a French writer to be but a variety cu| Kt (If plr thi on^ British Sjwrtn. of tlie old Frencli game " j(3U do meul." A weicr\\ty argument against this theory is that at the present time the Frencli mind soems hope- lessly bewildered in the attempt to distinguish between the sense, sound, and pronunciation of " cricket " and " wicket "—both of break-jaw diffi- culty in utterance to Frenchmen. A Frenchman, M. Kervigan, in his work entitled "L'Anglais a J'aris" (18GG), thus describes cricket: — "Two (or more) players armed with bats like Harle(|uins, but three or four centimetres thick, stand opposite one another at a distance of from fifty to seventy paces, more or less according to their skill. Be- hind them are planted two stakes, three feet high. Two little sticks, appeles wicket, are placed across the top of the stakes. Finally, there is a wooden ball covered with leather, about the size of a large orange ; and the skill consists in hurling the ball by means of the bat, so that it may strike the stakes of the adversary ; which one is assured of having done when one sees the wicket fall." This description surely will convince even the most sceptical that cricket is -not a French game. The scientific development of cricket is refer- Development. able in a great degree to the countenance and support of the English public schools and univer- sities. While many of the old games show signs of decadence, Cricket every year gains in strength, not only in the Unite so essential in order to become first class. Let us view cricket as a mode of warfare, then cricketers should be the bravest of the brave, magnanimous to offenders, and forgetful of social differences in the feeling that cricket is an Enirlish game, and such a game that all others having any claim to nationality must be dimmed, if not totally eclipsed, in comparison with it. In my love for the game I fear I have strayed from my text ; to return then to its origin. We And the dissyllable " cricket " first used in the time of Elizabeth, but of the game to which it referred no account is given. Little is heard of it in the 17th century, but on the opening of the 18th the clouds sheer off, and a sunbeam, which seems to have lost its way, once more illuminates the pages of the history of the game. It is worthy of note that up to this time the game had not travelled beyond a radius of forty miles from London. It is pretty generally conceded that cricket was first regularly played at Guildford in Surrey, for there is still in existence a document referring to a piece of land in that town— a" dispute arose as to its occupation by one John Parrishe. British Sjwrtn. 01 One witness " declared he knew the land in question for fifty years, for when he was at the Free School he went on it with other lads and played cricket and other plays." This enquiry arose in the fortieth year of Elizabeth's reign. — As I have before said, it was in the iSth century cricket made a decided move, for a match is recorded as having been played at Birmingham, whilst the battle of Preston was being fought against the rebels. About 1710 cricket had grown into such colos- 18th Century. sal proportions in Kent, that that county chal- lenged the whole of England, considerable 'sums of money being staked on the result, the non- payment of which ended in a law suit. The game now became an instrument for Gambling'. Sfamblinsr, and for a time found little favor either as a moral or noble pastime. To quote from the " Gentleman's Magazine " ITJ^S — " cricket is a very innocent and wholesome exercise, yet it may be abused if either great or little people make it their business ; it is grossly abused when it is made the subject of public advertisements, to draw together a great crowd of people, who ought all of them to be somew^here else. The diversion of cricket may be proper in holiday time, but upon days w^hen men ought to be busy, it is not only improper but also mischievous in a high degree." This was written nearly I'lO years ago, and I have no doubt there are many now who endorse these sentiments. The above is certainly a gloomy picture of the past, but judging from the whole production, — a part only of which I have quoted— its author had little liking for the game. British Sports. First Rules. As time wore on, the public censor asserted his power as regards gambling; the atmosphere sweet- ened, and the game grew into favor. The adjec- tives " manly and noble " were applied to it. These are proudly retained to this day. A noteworthy date in the history of cricket, is the year 1774, when a Committee met and settled the rules, as nearly as possible as they exist to- day, though in slightly different language. Cricketers' Guide. The first "Cricketers' Guide" came out in 1810, "~ """ compiled by Lambert, whose hints to young play- ers are as useful to-day as when given 80 years af^o. Round arm bowling now appeared, and there was as much talk among cricketers as to its dis- coverer, as among mathematicians to decide be- tween Leibnitz and Newton as the discoverer of " The Doctrine of Fluxions." It would take far more space than I am al- lowed, to trace the rapid advance now made by cricket; to show how it had spread we will simply state that a match was played in 1843 at Toronto, versus St. George's Club of New York : whilst in 1823, during Sir Edward Parry's second voyage in search of a north-west passage, p match was played in lattitudes above 80°. Giant strides were made about 1849 by the establishment of the "All England Eleven," which Eleven.^ travelled all over England loaving the mark of cricket behind. It is hardly possible to estimate the advantages resulting from naval and military cricket all over the world; and, indeed, how intolerable would be the life of either service, but for occasional relaxation out of doors, or ashore, such for instance as that afforded by the mimic strife of cricket. All-England Army and Navy. British Sports. Having brought the game down to well within the memory of our grandfathers, and I fancy to most of my readers a later da^.e even, I will leave it in the able hands of " Lillywhites Guide" to furnish all later inforipation. I cannot close this short history of the infancy of the game without quoting a passage from the writings of the only Frenchman who has dared to criticize cricket— M. Esquiros, in his work sneers at the moral effect with cricket is sup- posed to have on the population. He insinuates that the " predeliction for it as an instrument for education and improvement, is partly due to agreeable reminiscence of the teachers." Granted this is so, still the teacher who can enter into and enjoy games with his pupils, has a far easier task to get work from them during school hours than would otherwise be the case. In conclusion, then, let us all join in wisljing " Long may cricket nourish Great Britam and her color ies." A Few Hints to Young Bowlers. These hints art* given simply for young bowl- ers, though if they are of service to mature cricketers, I shall indeed be pleased. It has been said that " it is the pace which kills:" this is true in bowling, but my young friend must remember the pace may kill him before he kills the batsman ; therefore I would warn all young bowlers not to overtax their strength when first learning; but when their action is thoroughly settled — which action should be natural — gradually to increase the pace, which will enable them to keep entire control of the ball. es 64 British SjHrrf.s. 1^ There is a great deal of nonsense talked about such and such a ball havinj^ been a very good one : as a matter of fact, it might really have been a very bad one, but the batsman by his bad play made it into a good one. We cannot lay down a hard and fast Irne as to what is really a good ball, for what might be such to one player would perhaps be hit for four by another ; still it is safe to say that if a medium-pace bowler keeps a length of 4! yards from the wicket, he cannot be knocked about very much ; and I would have you remember, both batsman and bowler, tliat that ball, though it be not straight, is as good as one, save for bowling the man out, as if it were straight : by this I mean that a good length ball off the wicket is as hard, if not more so, to keep down, as when on the wicket. Be sure, if you are to stray from this pitch, to let it be farther up and not shorter ; for the farther you pitch up, wuthin reason, the more likely you are to get catches. Always, when practising, bowl wdth the same action, and in fact do everything- the same, as if you were in a match. Do not strive to get work or twist on the ball till you can bowl straight; pitch the ball within 4 inches of where you wish to. Variation of pace will get far more wickets than miles of twist. After all is said, en the theory of bowling there is one bald fact for the bowder to grasp ; that is, he must use his head in. discovering the weak spot in the batsman, for every batsman has one ; having found it, then comes the time to th Brififih Sjwrtf' 65 bg as to make use of his store of theoretic and of practical knowledge. Finally, my bowler in embryo, don't get cross if a man misses a catch : smile as you were wont to smile ; keep your head cool, though you may be hit for six ; try him again, but give the ball a little more elevation and shorten the length ; when virture may be rewarded, and you may be able to study with pleasure the symmetry of your opponent's back as he retires to the Pavilion. I am sure it is unnecessary to point out to Batting. cricketers that there are many wielders of the bat who cannot be called batsmen, — the former are quite content to hit the ball one time in six, while the latter lay themselves out to play the game. It is not very difficult even for an outsider to distinguish between them. For any of my readers wdio may not be quite sure, I will take the liberty of giving a few pointers. 1st. The "would be" batsman usually comes on the ground late, taking care to let everyone know he has arrived. Having satisfied the spectators of this important fact, he divests himself of his natural garments and walks into the field, of course not forgetting his cricket war-paint. He then proceeds to practice, getting some innocent soul to bowl lobs to him — so that he may make sensational hits, and elict ecstatic cheers from the iiXnorant mob. Mark on the other hand the " Cricketer," and by this 1 mean the man wdio not only understands, but plays the game : — how differently he be- haves : — no fuss or bother, — he has done his practice long ago ; he may, perhaps, hav(; half-a- GO *BrU'i>ih 82')ort8. dozen balls just to see if his eye is straight, and there is an end of it : his pads do not want ad- justing just at the last moment; he does not want a band of mu'-ic to usher hiin into the wicket ; and when asked, " How was that ? " Instead of answering, " Oh awful luck you know, old chap: ball hit on a bit of dirt, you know;" our cricketer replies grimly, " Hit my wicket down, confound it." This, young players, is rathe^ a homily to you on how to play the batsman's game theoretically ; now I will try in my poor way to throw it into practical form. Here again I repeat that these hints, as well as those on bowling, are intended for young players ; though of course I will consider it a a compliment if older men find them worth reading. To business then : — First of all, you play with too large a bat : now, don't mistake me, I do not mean too broad, but too heavy and too long in the handle. By all means use a bat with as large a surface as cricket law will allow. No boy can play cricket — though many attempt it — with a bat that weighs 2 lbs. 2 oz. at the most, and which has not had quite \ in. cut off the ordinary handle. After having selected his bat of about this weight, the corresponding thickest part being about 2|- in. from the bottom, he should then get the handle to fit his hand, so as to be able to get a good grip of it. Handles are, as a rule, made too small, a fault easily remedied by adding another layer of twine, or, if this is not suffi- cient, a coating of wash-leather; though I do not advise this for those in the habit of making centuries, as it is apt to get greasy. BrUiHli Sports. ouakt to protect -.cUot. and g» = ^^^^^^ y„„ go in to V-at, ana for the ^^^^^^^^ ^ j,„o ^^/j^;^„,i £„, your own 1 pair frou> --of ^ „ ,„> be far .nore use. Take my word loi comfortable. v«Hin(i- Ust V>efore the ~llays look at «- j'f ^"^.ul advise that innings counnences; anc ^,^^ ^^„,l>on ;"o« rboukl-.aUe y°" :^'^J,,„,_ancl not draw extra attention to yo«r-« y^^ j^.^^„ ,, g,and Hl,adyBpot on ^.^^fC-^if the fates Imvet stand, then your duck s e ^^ the r«iU be far -nore v^^^ ,,^, ,. ,, „„ard wicket, take g"ard-J.tm « ^^.^^^ ;, ,l,a of „7n -et to know that your r. .^ ^ :r«i:kot,that is, that you t e .^^.^^^ ^^.^,^^„, te «1* ^^- ^^=;'"?,)one itdoes notruatter . ;f • this being ^^o"^' certain extent you wiU ue ^^^^ t,3,t ^trai„ rule of a 6«t.sma», "^f'l/ young play«'«' t1 is the vvhole secret for J > ^,^^y ,„tfer: !u ones >nay take >'^«^; ^J^^on sense mus tell yon that tue V,it your wicket. ^^^, of a boy who 'Vhis reminds -^f J.^, ..other, and l^g rather down-hea tea ^^^^^^^^ that the worst of it, ^ 67 ()cS Br'dwh, S'ports. brother had yet to go in, said " Pooh ! he don't play with a straight bat ;" upon which his fond parent remarked consolingly, " Never mind boy, I '11 buy hiin a straight one ! " Being now in position — I take it for granted you have in your mind's eye the position of the fieldsmen, — you are ready to receive the attack of your whilom enemy, the bowler — as regards whom, never mind what idiotic gyrations, or tortuous windings he may go through, re- member it is not the man you have to ploy, but the ball : — therefore you have to keep your eye on the ball, and the ball only. The ball having left the bowler's hand, it is for you to make up your mind at once how it is to be played; for should you be caught in two minds> woe betide you. Of course this is a matter of practice., but to assist you at this critical time, the following rules will be a fair guide : 1st. — Should the wicket be hard and good, play right straight out, keeping the left shoulder as well over the bat as possible, which will enable you to keep the ball along the "floor." 2nd. — The wicket being dead, i. e. slow, play back, watching carefully the break, whether it be from the ofi^ or leg, by which means you may be ready to take full advantage of that sweetest of all sweet things — a long hop. To assist you a little further, when watching the delivery of the ball your eye should practice itself to take in the bowler's wrist : should the under part turn upwards, which is the case 90 times out of a hundred, the ball will break into you ; but if the top part turns upwards, the ball will come in from the leg. As I am here talking to beginners I will not bother British Sports. 00 you with any remarks as to " placing " — this you may or may not he able to do witli, say, 10 years liard practice. We will now take it that our young batsman has been playing care- fully and has his double Hgure — I would hero advise that the Itatsman should count all his runs; it makes him play far more steadily, apart from the good done to the memory and the player's arithmetic, — he should not then think it time to go in for a smite or gallery stroke, but play the innings througli as he has commenced ; he will have plenty of opportunities of hitting bad balls without any risk, keeping in mind the fact that batsmen are put out by their own foolish- ness far oftener than by the cleverness of the bowler. Keep away from all fancy strokes, such as the " (b^aw," playing " under the leg," " cutting off the middle stump," &c., &c. : these are all very well for old hands, but sudden death to the youngster. I am afraid my young reader will say, "it's all very fine; he tells what not to-do, and does not say much about what we are to do." To this I answer, " If you follow out these few main rules as to what not to do, and if you have cricket in you, instinct w^ill most assuredly suggest what you are to do. But should you do what you ought not to do, instinct has no chance to assist you. Above I have said " if you have cricket in you." Now, if you have not, it is no more use for you to try and rise above the level of the mediocre school-boy player than for one who has no music in him to endeavor to become a Mozart. To be a good cricketer, the game must be inherited — just the same as music, painting. \y 70 Ih'itlfih SjJortH. &c. This being so, steady prartico <]oos the rest. NowjiKst one word as to running; for nothing looks so utterly feeble as to see men collide in th«> middle of the wir-ket. To avoid sucli eatastrophies, always run to your left. When called, make nn your mind at once whether you will run or stop yoHr ])artner ; if the latter, it must bo done instantane- ously, or the blame is on your shoulders. There is no reason or law against you saying "No" if you do not think you arc able to make the run. Should the point be contesteil, you may remind your partner tiiat it takes two to make a run, an«l lat the fact of his getting dov.'n to your wickut does not necessarily ensure your getting back to his. TENNIS. f^V all games, this is perhaps the hardest to ^-^ write on, as regards giving hints to young players, there are so many diff«>rent styles, all cf which are con^^idered perfection by their several admirers. Tennis proper, is a game of ancient date, one, perhaps, of the oldest of ball games now played. When I say Tennis proper, 1 do not mean Lawn Tennis, but as played in a close court, the votaries of which have all but a supreme contempt for its young offspring. There are very few courts left now; among those still standing are Hampton Court, F'ontainebleau, and one in Dublin, kept up by Sir Edward Guinness. In a book of this size it is hardly necessary for me to make any remarks on this intricate game, save to .say its greatest draw-back is the expense it entails. hritish Spor'fu. 71 In giving tliesc few following hints on this Luwii T<'iinlH. ginio, it mus^ be remembored tlioy are for th«« ~ beginner simply. Fiistly, then, strive after a :^'ooil style of play, which will Have you an iiuiuensc amount of labor afterwards. (This advice holds good with all games, more especially in Cricket and Billiards.) First, as regards ".service," never try one in a game that you have not thoroughly practict-d, and are, to a certain extent, profit iunt in ; remem- ber your great aim is to get the ball over the net, and that within a prescribed area. I would strongly advise the young player to practise so that he can place a stralj/ii service as near the boundary line as possible. When I say straight, I mean he should not try to put any cut on the ball, but be content with making the ball go just where he wishes. Fancy strokes are not for such as he. My experience teaches me that in "singles" more games arc won by volleying than by any other stroke, proving that, though it seems an easy stroke, it is the means of winning games for those who play it well. Now, as regards this stroke, the great danger the young player runs is in hitting the ball too hard, and consecpiently placing it out of court; this can be avoided by allowing the ball, to a very great extent, to play itself back again, off a fairly rigid racket, — by- the-bye, I spell this according to one of the be.st authorities, and not rac(iaet, as spelt by some. When playing the volleying game, never — young players — try to "smash," for as.suredly you will disturb the net or give your opponents a run after the ball. He must bear in mind he is not a " Renshaw," — who really invented the stroke, 72 Jirifts/i ^jwrfs. and had, too, the nerve to play it. As I have said before, it is im]K)ssihlo for ine, with the space at my disposal, to go into the minufuc. of the game, nnd moreover, for present purposes, it is not necessary: Clivun a young, active male or female, with good eyesight, this game is not a hard one in whicli to show up well ; but it must be borne in mind there is no "royal road" to excellence in this than there is anything on earth ; and, as 1 have said in regard to other sports, persevering practice, combined with good temper, will pull you through. Just one word in regard to the new powders that are now being used so extensively : I would strongly advise all young shooters to be very careful with them, and be sure to get their cartridges tilled Viy a good responsible gunsmith. The one I can recommend thoroughly is T. J. Egan, of Halifax, N. S., who not only will provide all the nece.s.saiies for shooting, but will give information to strangers where to go. Not only this, but he can show one of the finest collection of stuffed birds in the Maritime Provinces. In bidding adieu to the readers of this small book, I do so with great regret, for should they enjoy the reading of it one-half as I have done in writinij it, I am trulv satisfied.- Adrertiseiituits. 73 \ii.\TH \\0\iSt, Kelley ^ GussEy, SUGGBSSOI^S TO p. (DGliEOD ^ €0. merghanTs. ^11 (*/\ r«^ w^ X NOVA SCOTIA. 74 A clvertiseTiients. HAbirAX, NeVA SCOTIA. .^^ O E 3sr a I E S : FURHESS STEAMSHIP LINE, Between Halifax, St. John and London. Between Halifax and Glasgow. 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