When form, and properly made. thus prepared, a handle is inserted into the upper surface, generally of iron, sometimes of wood, and sometimes also of wood screwed into an iron standard fixed in the stone. They are from thirty to sixty pounds avoirdupois weight, according to the strength of the person who uses them. The rink (i. e. course or race,) is that portion of the ice which is allotted for conducting the game. The chief thing to be attended to in choosing a rink, is, that the ice be level, smooth, and free from cracks, particularly such as are in a longitudinal or oblique direction. If it be not level, the stones naturally deviate from their proper course, and the game becomes in a great measure a game of chance. The place for the rink being chosen, a mark is made at each end, called a tee, toesee, or neitter. It is a small hole made in the ice, round which two circles of different diameters are drawn, that the relative distances of the stones from the tee may be calculated at sight, as actual measurement is not permitted till the playing at each end be finished. These circles, in the technical language of the game, are called the broughs. A score is then drawn across the rink at each end, distant from the tee about a sixth part of the length of the rink. This is called the hogscore, and those stones which do not pass that line are, as it were, distanced, and thrown aside as useless. It is frequently made waving, to distinguish it from any accidental scratch. The length of the rink varies from thirty to fifty yards, according to the intensity of the frost, and the smoothness of the ice. The breadth is about ten or twelve feet. When the ice is covered with snow it must be cleared to that extent, and also ten or twelve feet beyond the tee, at each end, that those stones which are impelled with too much force, may have room to get far enough not to be of any use. Formerly, that the players might be able to stand firm, when they threw the stones, they used to wear crampits, which are flat pieces of iron, with four sharp spikes below. They are bound to the sole of the shoe with a strap and buckle. But as the use of crampits is now very much laid aside, a longitudinal hollow is made to support the foot, close by the tee, and at right angles with a line drawn from the one end of the rink to the other. This is called a hack, or hatch. Its situation is such, that, when discharging his stone, the player lifts it up and makes it pass over the tee. There are generally sixteen stones on a rink, each party having eight. At Duddingston, and the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, each player uses two stones, so that there are eight players on each rink, four against four. But in most other parts of the country the curlers have only one stone each; in which case there are sixteen on a rink, eight against eight. There may be one or more rinks, according to the numbers of curlers. In some great matches, in which different parishes contend with one another, no less than six rinks have been engaged at once. The game may also be conducted by one person against another, by two against two, or three against three, each using one or more stones, as may be agreed upon. He who is reckoned the best curler, has generally the power of arranging the order of the game; and whoever is last in order gives directions to all the rest of his party. He is called the driver, and the first the lead. The origin of which appellations is sufficiently obvious. It is necessary, too, that each curler be provided with a broom, in order to sweep away any thing on the ice that may impede the progress of the stone. At first the game is remarkably simple. The lead endeavours to lay his stone as near the tee as possible. If it be a little short of it, upon the middle of the rink, it is reckoned to be fully better laid than if it touched it. The object of the next in order is nearly the same as that of the lead. When he attempts to strike away the stone of his antagonist, if he miss his aim, his stone will pass by, and be completely useless. But if he place his stone near the tee, without minding that of his antagonist, it has a chance of remaining there, and gaining a shot to his party. The object of the next in order is to guard the stone of his partner, or to strike off that of his antagonist. The one who follows, if a stone belonging to his own party be nearest the tee, attempts to guard it; if one of the opposite party, to strike it off, or to make the stone rest as near the tee as possible, if no stone be near the tee. From many concurring circumstances, there is a very strong probability that the game of curling was introduced into this country by the Flemings, in the fifteenth, or about the beginning of the sixteenth century. It is well known, that in the reigns of Henry V. and VI. of England, and James I. of Scotland, many of them came over to this country, and settled as mechanics and manufacturers in our towns and villages, which had been much depopulated during the destructive wars betwixt the two kingdoms. Then, however, it must have been in a very imperfect state, and probably had a nearer resemblance to the game of quoits. Curling is said to have been carried into Ireland by the Scottish colonies who were planted there, so As the game advances it becomes early as the reign of James I. of always more intricate. Sometimes England. In that country, however, the stone nearest the tee, which is it seems now to be completely uncalled the winner, is so guarded that known. It has made its appearance there is no possibility of getting at in some of the northern counties of it directly. It then becomes neces- England; and, within these few sary, in order to get it removed, to years, has even found its way to the strike another stone lying at the capital of the British empire. There, side, in an oblique direction. This the first essay was made upon the is one of the nicest parts of the New River; but the crowd of specgame. But when the winner cannot tators, attracted by such a novel be reached, even in this way, the last spectacle, becoming very great, the in order but one or two must then ice threatened to give way, and the endeavour to remove the opposing curlers were, with reluctance, comstones, by striking them with great pelled to desist. It has not been force. If each curler use two stones, confined within the boundaries of the driver may clear the ice with his Europe; but has been carried over first stone, in order to get at the the Atlantic, and established in the winner with his last. Sometimes colder regions of North America.— the stones are situated in such a This information was communicated critical manner, that the driver, to by a gentleman who was himself enavoid the risk of losing any shots gaged in curling at Quebec. There, which his party may have gained, on account of the length and sevethrows away his stone without at-rity of the winter, it bids fair to tempting any thing. attain a degree of celebrity unexampled in the milder climate of Scotland. When the stones on both sides have been all played, the one nearest the tee counts one; and if the second, third, fourth, &c. belong to the same side, all these count so many shots; thirty-one of which, for each side, is the number usually played for. Pennant, in his Tour in Scotland, in 1792, thus describes the game :-"Of all the sports of these parts, that of curling is a favourite, and one unknown in England. It is an amusement of the winter, and played on the ice, by sliding from one mark | tion to business; it brings men togeto another great stones of 40lbs. to ther in social intercourse; it enlarges 70lbs. weight, of an hemispherical and strengthens the ties of friendform, with an iron or wooden handle ship, and enlivens the dreary hours at top. The object of the player is of winter with festivity and happito lay his stone as near the mark as possible, to guard that of his partner which had been well laid before, or to strike off that of his antagonist." Curling has never been universal in Scotland. But in some places where it once was, it is now no more; while in others, it is flourish ing as much as it ever did at any former period. And, in many parishes, the number of players is double of what it was half a century ago. When the nobility resided upon their estates in auld Scotia, it was one of their favourite amusements. A challenge was sent from one baron to another, to engage in a match with their respective tenants. The gentry still partake of this interesting amusement. Matches are made up in a great variety of ways. One parish challenges another to contend with them upon some pond, or lake, or river, in the neighbourhood. And when the same parishes contend more than once, the conquerors in the last contest have generally the privilege of choosing the place where they are to play next. Sometimes one part of a parish challenges another, or the married men those who are unmarried. Some districts, too, have long been distinguished for their dexterity in the art, and at present, perhaps, none more so than the upper and middle wards of Lanarkshire, and certain parts of Dumfries-shire. There are few amusements which excite more interest than the game of curling. In the severest weather, a good curler, while engaged in his favourite amusement, feels no cold. It must, therefore, be highly conducive to health; and being performed at a time when the labours of the field are at a stand, and when several mechanical employments cannot be carried on, it gives little interrup ness. Το CURRY-COMB. An iron instrument used in the dressing of horses, consisting of several parallel ridges, indented with small teeth. horses with fine coats the application of the curry-comb is particularly annoying; to such, a brush or wisp is far preferable. CURWEN'S BAY BARB was a present from Muly Ishmael, king of Morocco, to Lewis XIVth, and was brought into England by Mr. Curwen, who procured two Barbs (from Counts Byram and Thoulouse, two natural sons of Lewis XIV.), both of which proved excellent stallions, and are well known as Curwen's Bay Barb and the Thoulouse Barb. Curwen's Bay Barb was sire of Mixbury and Tantivy; the first was only thirteen hands two inches high, and yet not more than two horses of his day could beat him; Brocklesby, Little George, two Mixburys, full brothers to the first Mixbury; Brocklesby Betty, considered by many to be the best mare that ever was in England; her dam was called the Hobby mare, bred by Mr. Leedes; her sire was the Lister or Stradling Turk, brought to this country, by the Duke of Berwick, from the siege of Buda, in 1686, in the reign of James II. Curwen's Ray Barb was sire also of Long Meg and Creeping Molly, extraordinary high formed mares; Whiteneck, Mistake, Sparkler, and Lightfoot, very good mares. He got two full sisters to Mixbury, one of which bred Partner, Little Scar, Soreheels, and the dam of Crab: the other was the dam of Quiet, Silver Eye, and Hazard. The Thoulouse Barb became afterwards the property of Sir J. Parsons, and was the sire of Bagpiper, Blacklegs, Mr. Panton's Molly, and the dam of Cinnamon. CUTTING, or INTERFERING. A horse is said to cut when he strikes their legs, particularly the hinder the inner and lower part of the fet-ones. The speedy cut often arises lock joint, in travelling, with his hoof; and not with the edge of the shoe, as smiths generally suppose. "I think owners of horses," says Nimrod, "troubled with this great fault are not sufficiently aware that striking one leg against the other is often a defect of the upper, as well as the lower extremity of the leg. In choice of young horses, I have carefully avoided those which hit DABCHICK. See GREBE. DACE, DART, or DARE, is a very active and cautious fish. They rise to a fly, but in angling for them it is needful to remain in concealment as much as possible. They are gregarious, but never attain to great size, seldom weighing a pound, or exceeding ten inches in length; the scales are smaller than those of the roach. The haunts of dace are gravelly, sandy, and clayey bottoms; deep holes that are shaded; water-lily leaves, and under the foam caused by an eddy in hot weather they are to be found on the shallow, and are then best taken with an artificial fly, grasshoppers, or gentles, as hereafter directed. Dace spawn about the latter end of March, and are in season about three weeks after; they are not very good till about Michaelmas, and are best in February. Baits for dace, other than those mentioned by Walton, are the oakworm, red-worm, brandling, gilt-tail, and indeed any worm bred on trees D from excess of action, but knocking the hind legs together is an infallible sign of weakness. Shoeing may remedy it a little; but a plain leather boot is most to be depended upon. Bracken observes, that, as a goose will always go like a goose,' so a horse that cuts so as to break the skin, will hardly ever leave off such ill faculty." or bushes, that is not too big for his mouth: almost all kinds of flies and caterpillars. Though dace are as often caught with a float as roach, yet they are not so properly float fish; for they are to be taken with an artificial gnat, or ant-fly, or indeed almost any other small fly in its season: but in the Thames, above Richmond, the largest are caught with a natural green dun grasshopper, and sometimes with gentles; with both which you are to fish, as with an artificial fly. They are not to be come at till about September, when the weeds begin to rot; but when you have found where they lie, which in a warm day is generally on the shallow, it is incredible what havock you may make. Pinch off the first joint of the grasshopper's legs, put the point of the hook in at the head, and bring it out at the tail; and in this way of fishing you will catch chub, especially if you throw under the boughs. But this can be done only in a boat, for the management of which, be provided with a staff, and a heavy stone fastened to a strong rope of four or five yards in length; fasten the rope to the head of the boat, which, whether it be a punt or a wherry, is equally fit for this purpose, and so drive down with the stream: when you come to a shal low, or other places where the fish | said hillocks, and laying a clod of are likely to lie, drop the stone, and, earth over the bottle; but if you standing in the stern, throw right would preserve them above a month, down the stream, and a little to the put them into a large runnet, which right and left: after trying about a has been first washed with water and quarter of an hour in a place, with honey on the inside, and then you the staff, push the boat about five may preserve them three months; yards down, and so throw again. but the best time to make use of Use a common fly line about ten them is when they swarm, which is yards long, with a strong single hair generally about the latter end of next the hook. July and the beginning of August. It is true, there is less certainty of catching in this way than with a float and ground bait; but to those who live near the banks of that delightful river, between Windsor and Isleworth, and who can take advantage of a still, warm, gloomy day; to such it will afford much more diversion than the ordinary inartificial method of fishing in the deeps for roach and dace. In fishing at bottom for roach and dace, use, for ground-bait, bread soaked about an hour in water, and an equal quantity of bran; knead them to a tough consistence, and make them up into balls, with a small pebble in the middle, and throw these balls in, otherwise they will draw the fish beyond the reach of your line. Fish for roach within six, and for dace within three inches near the bottom. They will bite at any fly, but especially at the stone caddis fly, or May fly, the latter end of April, and most part of May: it is an excellent bait, floating at top of the water, of which may be gathered great quantities from the reeds and sedge by the water-side, or from hawthorn bushes that grow near the bank of a shallow gravel stream, upon which they greatly delight to hang; and also at ant-flies, of which the blackest are the best, found in mole-hills, June, July, August, and September; which you may preserve for your use, by putting them alive into a glass bottle, having first put into it some of the moist earth from whence you gathered them, with some of the roots of the grass of the This sort of fish, in a warm day, rarely refuses a fly at the top of the water; but remember, when you fish under water for him, it is best to be within a hand, or sometimes more, of the ground. But if you would find dace or dare in winter, then, about All-hallow-tide, wherever you see heaths or sandy grounds ploughing up, follow the plough, and you will find a white worm with a red head, as big as the top of a man's little finger, very soft; that is nothing but the spawn of a beetle; gather these, and put them into a vessel with some of the earth from whence they were taken, and you may keep them all the winter for an excellent bait. The graining of the Mersey is thought to be of the same species as the dace. DAINTY DAVY, A bay horse, foaled 1752, bred by his grace the Duke of Cleveland, was got by Traveller (a son of Croft's Partner) out of Slighted-by-all, by Fox-cub (a son of Clumsy), grandam by Jigg, out of a mare by Makeless; Brimmer, Place's White Turk, Dodsworth, Layton's Violet Barb mare. Dainty Davy was the winner of fourteen 50l. plates; one of the value of 100l. at Stockton; three at Newcastle, of 801., 701., and 601.; he also beat Ripon in a match at Stockton, four miles, 500 gs. On the establishment of the gold cup at Richmond, in 1759, Dainty Davy bore off the prize five years in succession. He received premiums not to start at Scarborough, Stockton, and Hull. Three times only did he sustain defeat. Dainty Davy was a |