Still a trio 'mong the gazers his winning chance deride : Says Billy Oates—"I can't tell why, I don't just like his stride." “ This time of year, fresh young-’uns here in Cup-luck know no bounds," John Day declares ; while Topham swears, “He can't give nineteen pounds." Now Marlow finds, to his dismay, his temper's not too sweet As if there coursed throughout his veins a prescience of defeat. Like Kirby's “ Lazy Lanercost,” the young-'un coolly lags, And never cares to budge an inch till “Down go both the flags.” “ Hats off ! hats off !” The Dutchman leads. My conscience ! he's just flying; While Voltigeur pulls double, and some six lengths off is lying. Why, all the way from 'Mericay 'tis well nigh worth a trip, Without a penny on the race-by Jove! there goes Nat's whip! (4) Their prime “ quick movement” o'er the flat does many a keen eye follow. The crack leads still, and skims the hill as blithely as a swallow, “Ten to one upon The Dutchman!” He need never hope to catch him : He'll distance him to certainty. What horse on earth can match him? They're whizzing o'er the T.Y.C., and either scorns to flinch ; They've passed the Champage Starting Post, and neither gains an inch. " The Dutchman in a canter! Nat can't get up. No wait ; He's bringing out the young-’un.” They're past the Intack Gate ! “ He's catching him !--the young-un wins !” now strikes on Marlow's ear ; The Blacklock stride he dared deride is thundering in his rearHe's at his girths-he's reached his head-he wins! The Dutchman's done! They've passed the chair. For young Voltaire up goes a welcome “1." The Ring stands pale. Forth speeds the tale, which many a doubt inspires ; From east to west, from north to south, it glances o'er the wires : From Richmond unto Middleham this message quickly passed " Your conqueror of conquerors has bowed his head at last." Ye backers of young Voltigeur, boast not too much his strength. Though Flying Dutchman “ burst himself,” 'twas barely half a length. Doubt as ye will, his heart is still as game as Spanish steel; And o'er Knavesmire 'gainst that verdict he will enter an appeal. (1) Lord Adolphus Fitzclarence. (2) Lord George Bentinck's expression when he first saw The Dutchman run. (3) The Turf Tavern, the intended scenc of Surplice's harem. Oddly enougli, these three horses stood there on that day. (4) I believe Nat lost his whip as he passed the stand in the first round. WINTER SHOOTING.-DECEMBER. BY RAMROD. Old winter, with its frost and snow, is upon us; and with the season appear the different sorts of wild fowl and migratory birds which only visit us in severe weather. There is no shooting in any part of the season to be compared to winter shooting—it is so wild and exciting, and so totally different to any other sport of the gun, all of which it throws into the shade. At this period of the year our nerves feel braced, which makes the enjoyment greater ; and as we trudge merrily along with our guns, we envy not the greatest noble in the land. Let us have but health, and sufficient to keep us from want, and the sportsman will never be found a grumbler; and if any one is more likely to enjoy that great blessing, health, than another, it is he. Well say the following lines : “ Better in fields to seek for health unbought Than fee the doctor for a nauscous draught," I have already expressed my opinion that migratory game is on the decrease; and every disciple of the gun is, I believe, of the same way of thinking. Such being the case, winter shooting is not what it was; but though the light of other days is faded," I will not say “all its glories are past:" sufficient remains to make me look forward to that period of the year when woodcocks, snipes, and ducks are the particular objects of pursuit, and it is with thrilling anxiety that I conimence the winter shooting, which gives more pleasure to the true sportsman than the best partridge or pheasant-shooting in September and October, Well am I aware this assertion will be ridiculed by some, and treated with contempt by others; but as I am aware there will be such as dress for taking the field after the pictures they see in the tailors' windows, who, for fear of soiling their delicate hands, cover them with the finest straw-coloured kids from Hubijant's or Hills, who have their guns loaded for them, and, I think I may add, hardly know which end of the piece they should put to the shoulder, I treat their criticism with contempt. How astonished such worthies would be were they obliged to crawl for hours in the mud, or lie wait for wild fowl on cold nights, after the manner of that prince of sportsmen, Colonel Hawker-whose admirable work, by the way, on shooting, I see advertised as being now in the eighteenth edition, At this I am not surprised; for I will defy any one who is a loyer of the gun to peruse his pages without deriving amusement and instruction, for he discourses so eloquently, and in a manner so totally different from any other writer, on all matters relating to the sport he is so partial to, and about which he is the first authority. His graphical description of mud-launching on the marshes of Hampshire leads me to long for such sport (though that, like everything else, has under. gone a change), and despise every other mode of killing wildfowl. There is something so wild and exciting in the sport, as he describes it! Imagine the excitement of creeping up to thousands of wild fowl of every sort, your generalship being brought into play, for without it little can be done either in the battle-field or the sporting field. We will endeavour to picture the scene, though not so vividly as I could wish. To do so, I must possess the pen of a Hawkera pen which requires no mending, but which deponent says belongs not to him. The moon is just rising. Fleecy clouds obscure its light at periods, but not completely : sufficient is left for the gunner to observe the myriads of birds before him, the whereabouts of which he ascertained before commencing action, having reconnoitred from an eminence the coast. The birds have, from a distance, every appearance of a mud-bank; but the practised eye of their pursuer recognizes them, and accordingly he proceeds to approach them-first, like a good general, laying his plans in proper training. Silently, and on his knees, he pushes before him his punt, in which is fixed his gun, which is constructed to carry a very heavy charge for a long distance. As he approaches the enemy, any doubts he might have entertained of their being living creatures are dispelled, for he can hear that peculiar sound which ducks make whilst feeding, and which resembles the murmuring of distant running waters. They are no doubt enjoying what to them is turtle and venison; and it is almost à pity to interrupt their repast. As soon as the gunner arrives within shot, he lifts his arm cautiously till he feels the trigger of his gün, which he has brought to bear on his game, and pulls it, dealing death and destruction around. He now seizes his double-barrelled gun, which is ready prepared for such birds as may be wounded, or rise within shot. During the whole of the above proceedings, his retriever has been crouching on the spot where his master left him, and, being well trained, has not moved from the place; now, however, he approaches at speed, having received the signal for which he has been watching, his assistance being required to secure the wounded, and fetch such as are killed. These he brings one after the other to his master, never once injuring a feather or drawing blood. No, he is too tender-mouthed for that; and a young rabbit or a fresh egg would be safe with him. Without a good retriever, little can be done in wild-fowl shooting; but if your dog is not well trained, he will do you more harm than good. Those who have not had much experience in this sort of shooting would be surprised to see how difficult it is to capture a wounded däck, which will cunningly hide in the reeds and rushes, dive close to the side, and then remain quiet till perhaps you leave the spot. It is then best to return after some little time, when the bird will most likely have moved, and your dog may then find it. If not, should the water be a running stream, go down it some distance, and try up, as the duck most likely will have dropped down with the stream. And now we will return to our hero of the mud, who is anxiously inspecting his spoils. And how varied it is ! Dacks, widgeon, teal, eurlews, coots - each is examined in turn, and a criticism passed on all. Some are pronounced fat and in good order; some are thin, and hardly worth the shot; some are old birds; others are young and tender. As soon as all are collected, the gunner moves off to another spot, and the same scene is acted over again. There is a most excellent picture in the Sporting Magazine for Ja. nuary, 1849, illustrative of this sport. It is entitled “The Moon for Mischief,” and is by Beckwith. The following lines are attached to it: “ With dog and gun the old boat's manned ; With cautious zeal she's punted out; That mischief means, beyond all doubt. I would your danger that you knew! He'll soon make ducks and geese of you." “ But,” says the exquisite, when he reads my description of wildfowl shooting, “it must be very disagreeable to crawl on the mud, especially at night;" and hereupon he looks down with evident satisfaction at his well-strapped trousers and polished boots, which are hardly soiled by his stroll down Bond-street or to the club. “ Chacun à son goût," says your humble servant; and the subject drops. Exquisite is certainly uot a "knight of the trigger," though he does favour the Honourable Mr. Somebody with his presence every season, when the said Honourable shoots his covers; but that is an autre chose, and is very different to mud-launching. Besides, the honourable has a good cook-a fact worthy of notice; and Exquisite is a good fellow at six o'clock. To him I can imagine nothing more disagreeable than standing, on a cold evening, waiting for wild fowl, at the time he expected to have his legs under his friend's mahogany, with an undeniably dressed whiting before him, and a glass of faultless wine by his side. But of the right sort I may say: " The labour they delight in physics pain.” Of this sort I trust there are some, though they may be as difficult to find as a fourpenuy-bit in a 'bus, and are becoming more scarce every day, like woodcocks and snipes. There are lots of sporting men, so called, and sporting gents innumerable; but defend me from such, and give me he of the olden time, whose system was fair, honest sporting, and who minded not fatigue! With every allowance for romance, it must be admitted that our ancestors were a much stronger race than their sons; therefore, it looks as if the sports they were wont to enjoy agreed with them. The million are sportsmen; for they support the sweeps (not they of soot), and, if they can, go and see the Derby run. Some of the million go further than this; for, thanks to King Hudson, they are enabled to visit some hunting quarter, where their appearance creates astonishment amongst the Nimrods. The same evening these gents walk down Regent-street with their splashed boots and red coats, to their own satisfaction, and the wondering admiration of the cockneys. The following day you would fail to recognize in the white face and the well-oiled hair of the gentleman in the white choker, who stands behind the counter, the hero of the pink of the day previous ; indeed, he hardly knows himself, and were it not that when he sits down he feels rather uncomfortable, he would say with the old woman whose petticoats were cut up to her knees, “Surely 'tis not I." Yet such consider themselves sportsmen: are they, gentle reader? Methinks they are sporting gents. But enough of such folk : let us return to true sporting and country recreations. As soon as the frost sets in, good sport may be enjoyed in the rivers and small brooks; for, when the pools are frozen, the ducks are obliged to seek such places in search of food; and here they will lie, unless disturbed, till quite late in the day, especially if the river has high banks, or is encumbered with bushes. I have at such times killed three or four couple of ducks in a morning. My plan, then, was to start before it was light, and so get to the end of my beat before daybreak. I was then ready to commence as soon as I could see; and when that was the case, I commenced beating up the stream. By this plan I secured myself from trespassers, and got better shots at the birds, as ducks always rise down stream. You may just as well fire at an elephant's hide as the back of a duck; therefore, if you have not the luck to get a shot at their breasts, or cannot break a wing, your chance of a supper is very slight. Don't be in haste to fire when they rise, otherwise you will shoot under them ; but give them a little time, and they become the easiest shots imaginable, but they take a tremendous blow before they will come down, and frequently, though hit, they will fly perhaps half-a-mile, and at last fall dead. Such birds are usually lost, though I have accidentally found them some days after. A teal, if wounded, is rarely recovered, as they dive so much. A very slight blow will bring them down. In this they resemble the woodcock and snipe, which, if hit only slightly, will immediately fall. Teal mostly are tound in parties of three, and almost always in odd numbers. They are much esteemed for the table, and are considered superior to a wild duck. The best time to seek them is in foggy weather; they will then not fly far when sprung, but will pitch soon again; consequently, repeated shots may be obtained at a Aight of tealin this so different to the wild duck, which immediately flies away when sprung. The widgeon also hangs to the stream, and is reluctant to leave it. This bird is not thought much of, as its flesh has rather a fishy taste; but still they are well worth powder and shot. I have been lately told by a knowing one that the moor-hen, if stuffed like a goose, and roasted, is excellent. I cannot vouch for the truth of this; but I intend shortly to have one done in this way, and then I shall be able to give a more decided opinion on the subject. Colonel Hawker says these birds should be skinned and soaked in milk before roasting. This, he says, makes them palatable, and without it they are not. I never knew but one man who had a fancy to preserve these birds, and he was an old gentleman who lived in Ireland. A friend of mine in the Guards went out one day shooting, accompanied by a brother-officer; and during the day, which had been a bad one for sport, they came to a place where moor-hens abounded. Bang! bang! went the guns, which were again loaded, and again did execution amongst the feathered tribe, when lo and behold ! in the midst of the fun, appeared an old gentleman, purple with rage, and who was accompanied by half-a-dozen sarving-men, |