of his acquaintance, who was a man | this spreads, the greater is the value of strict veracity, assured him he set upon them; but, when this luxuriant flesh round the eye is thick and broad, it denotes the carrier to be a good breeder, and one that will rear very fine young ones. The gentlemen of the fancy are unanimous in their opinion, in giving the bird the title of " the king of the pigeons," on account of its graceful appearance and uncommon sagacity. Extraordinary attention was forAl-merly paid to the training of these pigeons, in order to be sent from governors in a besieged city to generals that were coming to succour it or from princes to their subjects with the news of some important transaction. In this country these aërial messengers have been made use of for a very singular purpose, being let loose at places of execution, at the moment the fatal cart was drawn away, to notify to distant friends the exit of the unhappy criminal; like as, when some hero was to be interred, it was a custom among the ancient Romans to let fly an eagle with the funeral pile, to make his apotheosis complete. Of all the varieties of the pigeon, the CARRIER, perhaps, is the most extraordinary, from the wonderful faculty it possesses of winging its way, however distant, to the appointed destination. This bird is rather larger than most of the common sized pigeons, some of them measuring from the apex of the beak to the end of the tail fifteen inches, and weigh nineteen or twenty ounces; their feathers lie very close, even, and smooth, their flesh is firm, and their necks long and straight, so that when they stand upright on their legs, they show an elegant gentility of shape, far exceeding most other pigeons, who cringe themselves up in an uncouth man ner. In order to train a pigeon for this purpose, take a strong full-fledged, young carrier, and convey it in a basket or bag about half a mile from home, and there turn it loose; having repeated this two or three times, then take it two, four, eight, From the lower part of the ten, or twenty miles, and so on till head, to the middle of the lower they will return from the remote chap, there grows out a white, na-parts of the kingdom. For, if they ked, fungous flesh, which is called are not practised when young, the the wattle, and is generally met by best of them will fly but insecurely, two small protuberances of the same and stand a chance of being lost; luxuriant flesh, rising on each side be careful that the pigeon, intended of the under chap; this flesh is to be sent with the letter, is kept in always most valued when of a black-the dark, and without food, for about ish colour. The circle round the black pupil of the eyes, is commonly of a red brick-dust colour, though they are more esteemed when of a fiery red; these are also encompassed with the same sort of naked fungous matter, which is very thin, generally of the breadth of a shilling, and the broader eight hours before it is let loose, when it will immediately rise, and, turning round, as is their custom, will continue on the wing till it has reached its home. To the many well-authenticated instances of the rapidity of flight of this little winged traveller, may be added the Antwerp match of July 1830-the pigeons, 110 in number, | fully killing, wounding, or taking any house-dove or pigeon, under such circumstances as do not amount to larceny at common law, shall forfeit over and above the value of the bird any sum not exceeding forty shil were despatched from London at three quarters past eight in the morning, with a pretty strong W. S. W. breeze. At eighteen minutes past two, the gold medal was gained; the second pigeon arrived thirty se-lings. Occupiers of lands may lawconds later; by twenty-three mi- fully kill pigeons destroying corn. nutes past two, six had arrived; PIGEON SHOOTING. and all the prizes, eighteen in num- SHOOTING. ber, were gained by five o'clock. Thus the swiftest pigeons flew to Antwerp in five hours and a half: the distance, in a straight line, is sixty-two common leagues. Having thus noticed the carrier, and its properties, we shall wind up our account by giving the best method for preventing pigeons from leaving their habitations. There is nothing superior to the true and genuine SALT CAT, if made as follows. Take sifted gravel, brick-maker's earth, and the rubbish of an old wall; a peck of earth, or, if you use lime instead of rubbish, half the quantity will do; add to this a pound and a half of cummin-seed, a quarter of a pound of bay salt or salt-petre: let these ingredients be well mixed together, with as much stale urine as will make a stiff cement. Let it be put into old tin pots, kettles, or stone jars, with holes in the sides for them to peck at it, only let the cement be covered at the top to prevent their dunging it. See PIKE (Esox lucius), LUCE, or JACK. Is a fish of enormous size, and of the greatest voracity, so much so as to be called the fresh water shark. The account of their having been brought to England, first, in the reign of Henry VIII. is fabulous, although at that time they were esteemed great rarities. They shed their spawn about March, and usually in very shallow waters. The finest pike are those which feed in clear rivers, those of the fens being of very inferior quality. In the latter places, however, they grow to a vast size, and feed principally on frogs and such like nu triment. The pike for longevity is the most remarkable of all fresh water fish; is solitary and melancholy in his habits, commonly swimming alone, and remaining in his haunt till compelled to roam in quest of food. Gesner, in his letter to the Emperor Ferdinand, as a sort of preface to his book De Piscibus, Pigeons are remarkably fond of salt, nor is there a cure for scarcely any of the disorders to which they are subject, without the assistance of this ingredient; which proves the instinct that the wise Creator bestows on animals, for the necessary preservation of their welfare; and accounts for the extraordinary fond-relates, that near Haileburne, in ness pigeons have for the mortar that is found in old walls, which contains a salt little inferior to the common salt-petre; for which reason some place cakes of salt candied against the walls of their pigeonhouses. Germany, a pike was taken up in 1497, with the following curious inscription on a brass collar attached to his neck, "Ego sum ille piscis huic stagno omnium primum impositus per mundi rectoris Frederici Secundi manus 5 Octobris anno 1230." According to the 7 and 8 Geo. A high wind or dark cloudy day IV. ch. 29, sect. 33, persons unlaw-commonly affords the best sport in angling for this fish, as their appetite is keener at those times. In angling for a pike, the tackle should be very strong. He will strike at all baits except the fly; but he bites most eagerly early in the morning, from the middle of summer to the latter end of au tumn. When they are in high season their colours are very fine, being green, spotted with yellow, and having the gills of a most vivid red. When out of season, the green changes to grey, and the yellow spots become pale. The teeth are very sharp, and are disposed in the upper jaw, on both sides of the lower, on the roof of the mouth, and often on the tongue. There are three ways of taking pike by the ledger, the trolling or walking bait, and the trimmer. The ledger is a bait fixed by a stick driven into the ground, or the angler's rod may be so secured; a live bait is attached to the hook, as the dace, gudgeon or roach, and on some occasions a frog is employed. A sufficient length of line is left free to allow the pike to carry the bait to his haunts. If fish are used as baits, the hook must be securely stuck through the upper lip, and the line should be from twelve to fourteen yards long. If a frog, the arming wire of the hook should be put in at the mouth and out at the side, and the hinder leg of one side should be fastened to it with strong silk. The method of trolling for pike is the most diverting way of catching them. There are several small rings affixed to the trollingrod, and on the bottom and thickest joint a reel is placed, with twenty or thirty yards of line upon it. The line, after passing through each ring of the rod, is joined to the gymp or wire to which the hook or hooks are suspended. Two large hooks, about the size adapted for perch fishing, are commonly employed, which are placed back to back. Between the two hooks hangs a little chain, at the end of which is a leaden plummet fastened in the mouth of a dead fish, the hooks being left exposed on the outside. The bait being moved about in the water so as to resemble a living fish, the pike on perceiving it immediately darts at it with all his velocity, and drags it to his hole, and in a few minutes voraciously devours it. The hooks, by this means, being fastened in his body, all that remains is for the angler to weary him out, and afterwards drag him slowly to the shore, being careful to avoid his bite, which he will not fear to attempt. The third mode by which they are caught, is by means of a wooden cylinder, called a trimmer, round which, about the middle, twenty or thirty yards of line are wound, a yard or more being suffered to hang down in the water with the bait. The trimmer is now permitted to go wherever the current tends, and the angler silently follows, until a fish has approached the bait, when he comes up and secures him. The method of taking pike by the aid of fox-hounds, was originally suggested by Col. Thornton, and has been practised with considerable success, "In order to describe this mode of fishing," he observes, “it may be necessary to say, that I make use of pieces of cork of a conical form, all differently painted, and named after favourite hounds. The mode of baiting them is, by placing a live bait, which hangs at the end of a line, of one yard and a half long, fastened only so slightly, that on the pike's striking, two or three yards more may run off to enable him to gorge his bait. If more line is used, it will prevent the sport that attends his diving and carrying under water the hound; which, being thus pursued in a boat, down wind (which they always take), affords very excellent amusement; and where pike or large perch, or even trout, are in plenty, before the hunters, if I may so term these fishers, have run down the first pike, others are seen coming towards | tinged with purple; a white line, them, with a velocity proportionable to the fish that is at them." Pike are often taken while lying asleep near the surface of the water, by a snare at the end of a pole gently passed over the head, which, by a sudden jerk, draws close and brings them to land. Whatever fish are employed in catching pike must be fresh, and preserved in a tin-kettle, which if the water be changed frequently will improve them. Pike are denominated jack till they attain the length of twenty-four inches. PINCHING. A term used to express a method of trying a horse's mettle or vigour, and of showing him off to a purchaser when the creature is on sale. Thus, when the rider is on his back he makes him stand still, and keeping him fast with the bridle hand, he applies the spurs to the hair of his sides. If the horse is impatient under this, and draws himself up, and wants to go forward, it is a sign of mettle. But the purchaser ought to try this himself on the horse's back; for the jockeys have the art of making the dullest horse seem to have mettle in these trials. The purchaser must also distinguish between the restlessness of the horse under this treatment that arises from vigour, and that which arises from the horse being ticklish, and which goes off immediately. PINNOCK, or DIRLEY. Is a species of sea trout, usually from nine to fourteen inches long, and is most frequent in Scotland. The whiting, another species, is from sixteen to twenty-four inches long. They will both rise at an artificial fly, but commonly require a more showy one than the trout. PINTAIL (Anas acuta). This elegant variety of the duck tribe is rather larger than the widgeon, but more slender in form, and its neck longer. The bill is black in the middle, blue on the sides; the head is ferruginous, the hinder part bounded by black, commences from beneath the ears, which runs some way down the neck: the hind part of the neck, the back, and sides, are neatly marked with white and dusky lines; the fore part of the neck and belly white; the scapulars striped with black and white; the coverts of the wings ash coloured; the lowest tipped with dull orange: the middle quill feathers barred with green, black, and white; the exterior feathers of the tail ash-coloured; the two middle black, and three inches longer than the others; the feet of a lead colour. The female is of a light brown, spotted with black. The pintail is seldom seen in England, except during the severity of winter. Its flesh is considered as more delicate in flavour than most other wild fowl. It weighs about a pound and half. PIP. A disease incident to young birds; it consists of a white skin or film under the tongue. PISTE (in the Manège). The tread or track that a horse makes upon the ground he goes over. PIT. See COCK-PIT. PIT-FALL. A device for catching partridges or other birds, an entire covey or a single bird. Pitfalls may be above or under ground; those made for quadrupeds are generally under. PLANTED. A horse is said to be well planted when he stands equally firm on all his legs, and not with one advanced before the other. PLAT-VEIN (in a Horse). A vein on the inside of each fore thigh, a little below the elbow. PLAY OR PAY. See RACING, Rules concerning. PLOVER, THE GREAT, (Charadrius ædicnemus.) Sometimes called the Norfolk plover, or the stone curlew; it is of a gray colour, with two of the prime wing feathers black, but white in the middle; it has a sharp bill, and ash-coloured feet, and is about the size of a crow. This bird is found in great plenty in |