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SIR,

Come, tell us, old Duttoo, what khuber to day?
"A sounder of hog in the grass cover stray,
One huge bristly monster, of others a score."
Then hurrah, my brave boys, for the death of the boar.

Chorus, &c.

The beaters all ready, we ride to the ground,
The arrangements are good, so the hog are soon found,
Then, away-hark! away-off we go like a shot,
Over nullahs and holes, who the devil cares what?
Some keep to the plain, others take to the hills,
Each sticks to his hog, which he very soon kills,
Then returns to the cover, for still there is one
Must be killed ere we say that our duty we've done.
Chorus, &c.

Out he starts, a huge beast, and looks fiercely around,
Half inclined to go back, he examines the ground,
Not a word now is spoken, all as mutes we remain,
See! see! he breaks out and takes off for the plain;
He's soon brought to bay, though we see by his eye
He's determined to give us some sport ere he die;
Now he tries us all round, though he charges in vain,
Till he adds still one more to the list of the slain.

Chorus, &c.

Now, our sport being o'er, to our tents we return,
And sit down to a meal that no monarch would spurn,
Whilst a hearty good cheer our exertions repay,
And true social fellowship closes the day.
When old age creeps on, which it must do at last,
Oh, then shall we think of the days that are past,
And freely acknowledge all pleasures must yield
To the joys that we've known, in the sports of the field.

CHORUS.

Then join me in chorus, and shout to the sky,
And cry up the pleasures of sporting on high;
Come, fill up your glasses, and drink to the day
When the next bristly boar in the jungle we slay.

"

G.

ANSWER TO LAWRY TODD.
To the Editor of the Oriental Sporting Magazine.

In perusing the last November number of your Magazine, I find a correspondent who subscribes himself Lawry Todd" calling upon some of your Khandeish correspondents, and upon Nimrod in particular, to give the measure

VOL. II.

ment of a large tiger killed in Khandeish, that he might satisfy his curiosity by knowing whether tigers are larger in that part of India than they are in his own hunting country, the Southern Mahratta.

Now, Mr. Editor, I have good

T

me

reason to believe that Nimrod is on the eve of leaving this country to enjoy his "Otium cum dignitate in England, and his time must therefore be fully employed in getting the culinary apparatus, &c., &c., so well described by Silledar, snugly stowed in his own cabin, on board some homeward bound vessel, whose commander's table is celebrated for soup à la Carmelite and Destournal claret. This, together with the fact of his having been shown in up your November number by H. W. R. makes at Hunmuntgaum, doubt whether he would not answer to that high sounding title of Nimrod in the East. Under this supposition, and being able to count some 30 or 40 tigers, whose deaths I have been present at and assisted in, both in Khandeish and elsewhere, I have taken up my pen to try and satisfy your correspondent Lawry Todd in the way he has asked for, and I hope to show, by the accompanying measurement, that the Kandeish tigers are of a much larger size than those which he describes as being killed in the Southern Mahratta country.

The skin of the largest tiger I ever saw, and which was killed by Captain O. and myself at Ranjingaum in Khandeish in 1829, measured, when dried and stretched, 12ft. 2in. from the nose to the end of the tail; the following are the exact measurements

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I beg to assure Lawry Todd that in Khandeish, or in the Adjunta country, any tiger under 10ft. 9in. long would be called small. Tigresses killed there measure from 9ft. to 9ft. 8in. I killed a panther at Kirmar in the Deccan, which measured upwards of 9ft., and a more savage and fearless animal I never saw. He charged

and struck down a villager who was close to me, and held him down until I killed the brute upon him. The unfortunate man, although dreadfully torn and shaken, as a dog would do a rat, is still alive, but with the loss of

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WOODCOCKS IN INDIA?

One of the four gentlemen of the Sholapoor Hunt who saw the woodcock noticed in No. 12, 0. S. M., immediately after it was killed, called into Court, duly sworn, and examined.

Q. Were you one of a party at Gargaum, six miles from Purinda,

in Kurmulla, on the 26th February last?

A. I was.

Q. Do you conceive yourself to be one of the four persons implicated in No. 12, O. S. M., page 113, as having witnessed a dead woodcock; and if so, do you retain a

distinct recollection of all that transpired on that occasion? A. I do.

Q. Then state for the information of the Court, with all the perspicuity you are master of, the particulars of that disgraceful transaction, observing the exact order in which they occurred.

A. On the 26th Feb. two of our party returned from shooting, bringing with them the body of a bird which they maintained to be a woodcock. It was minutely scrutinized by every person present, and declared to be a floriken by one, a curlew by another, and a genuine woodcock by a third. So great indeed was the diversity of opinion, that it was resolved to eat him with a view to determine the point by the absence or existence of a trail!-and in communication with mother Glasse, it was roasted and served up on a toast accordingly.

Q. Monstrous! and what was the result?

A. We discovered something resembling a trail, but tough, unpalatable, and covered with soft down.

Q. Recollect that you are upon oath, will you swear positively that you partook of this tough, unpalatable, hairy substance which you have just particularized to the no small disgust of your audience?

A. No; many did, the person who shot the bird more especially; but I confess I could not divest myself of the idea that it resembled the undigested skin of a mouse, or some such abomination. I tasted the flesh, however, which, like that of every other bird in this country, was dry and destitute of flavour.

Q. There were present five or six persons styling themselves sportsmen, I believe? Did no one oppose this atrocious act of gluttony, or was every better feeling

alike absorbed to pamper your ungodly guts?

A. It was certainly suggested by one or two that the bird should be stuffed and preserved; but the lovers of the pot having carried the contrary by acclamation, it

was handed over to the cook as already described.

Q. State all you recollect of the conformation and general appearance of the bird.

A. I do not pretend to preserve a very distinct recollection of an English woodcock, but I think the bird in question resembled one in size and plumage; the bill, however, was short and somewhat incurvated, and the hinder toe of the foot was unusually long.

Q. You are clearly a naturalist, and have probably taken the precaution of preserving the wings, legs, head, or at all events a portion of the feathers; or did you venture to anticipate public credence without any such corroboration of your opinions?

A. We had each a feather in our caps (laughter) when we left our ground next morning, but I cannot take upon myself to say what became of them, and no one thought of preserving any part of the bird.

Q. Do you not think that this neglect carries with it the appearance of a conviction, in the minds of the party, that the bird was not a woodcock, and therefore not worth preserving?

A. I must beg to decline answering that question.

Q. Then you will swear positively that the bird was a woodcock?

A. I decline that also.

Very well; since we appear to be in possession of all you are disposed to reveal of this most mysterious affair, you are at liberty to withdraw. (Witness withdraws.)

Antonio Xavier da Silva, commonly appellated Antone, cook to the party, called into Court and examined upon oath.

Q. Be good enough, Sir, to let us have your unbiassed opinion of the shikar you dressed for these gentleman in February last at Gargaum.

A. "Shikar! who call him Shikar ? Burra Khoorab janwur! Ooloo, owl, bad bird;-I

MR. EDITOR,

tell all people so ;-too much like child in face, crooked beak, sharp claws, large eyes, catch rats and mice, eat everything. Go to saf kurro his inside, my master fly in passion-Buttrel give abuse, curse, swear, and use plenty bad language. Never mind galli, that's black man's custom, send him up with toasted bread, and gentlemen eat him up guts and all. That burra Khoorab business I never see my life."

MEERUT RACES.

To the Editor of the Oriental Sporting Magazine.

When I sent you an account of the Meerut Races, I sent you what I believed to be, and still believe to be, a correct one, and you will be surprised when I inform you that the Secretary, previous to my leaving Meerut, applied to me for the timing of the various races, but unfortunately being a military man, I was obliged to join my regiment at muster, and had not time to comply with his request. Your correspondent "A Bit of Caustic" disputes the correctness of my statement; he evidently goes by the account that was published in the Bengal Hurkaru of the Meerut Races; and to prove to you at once what reliance can be placed on that account, I will merely bring forward the race between Stanley, Charley, and Leek, for the 50 G. M. Handicap Purse, heats R. C. and a distance, being 11⁄2 miles and 301 yards, which he (A Bit of Caustic) states to have been won in 3m. 11s. and 3m. 10s. I have attended the Meerut Races for the last three years, and the best going I have ever seen round the Course was B. C. B. horse "Remembrancer," carrying 9st. 2lbs., beating G. C. B. filly "Francisca," 7st. 1lb., in 3m.

5s., both good horses, and I would trouble either of them to have done the remaining 240 yards in 6 seconds! I am sorry, Mr. Editor, that my statement should be disputed, because if I had had a doubt on the subject I certainly would not have sent it you at all, for I agree with "A Bit of Caustic" that "nothing deserves to be more deprecated than giving to the public incorrect timing of races." Being a rider myself, I was unable to time several of the races; however, three friends of mine with separate watches timed the various races and did not differ one second in either. I again say that Marmion, carrying 8st. 10lbs. 8oz., won the Give and Take, heats R. C., in 3m. 9s. and 3m. 81s., by the watches of my three friends. That Bustard was beaten for the Civilians' Cup, 8st. 7lbs., each heat two miles, the first heat in 4m. 14s., and won the second and third heats in 4m. 12s. and 4m. 13s. That King Cole beat Cossack in the match for 50 G. M., 10 stone each, R. C., in 3m. 18s., and that the Baron won the race of 11 stone each, heats R. C., 3m. 19s. and 3m. 13s. I think it is a good proof that I am correct with regard to the timing of King Cole and Cossack more especially, because,

if the timing of the Give and Take was such as "A Bit of Caustic" states, viz. 3m. 13s. and 3m. 16s., Cossack, carrying 8st. 6lbs., ran fourth both heats in that race, and I should think it very improbable that a horse being beaten by three others in a timed race of 3m. 13s. carrying only 8st. 6lbs., could with 10st. run another horse the same distance so close as to make him do it in 3m. 11s. I leave the sporting community to judge from this whether my statement or that of "A Bit of Caustic" be correct. I again agree with him that "humanity should have prompted his owner to have withdrawn Marmion from the contest at Kurnaul," but I cannot agree with him in the character he gives of the "little horse." Mr. O'Keefe said, when he heard of his performances, "Marmion is a trump," and I fancy he is much more versed in the affairs of the Turf than "A Bit of Caustic" who by-the-by appears to me to no other than Ned Pepper in disguise. I have, as I have before stated, attended the Meerut races for the last three years, and during that time the best going I have seen R. C. was B. C. B. horse Remembrancer, with 9st. 2lbs., beating G. C. B. filly Francisca, 7st. 1lb., in 3m. 5s. Second, G. A. Candidate, 8st. 7lbs., beat G. A. Lancer and G. A. Kuzzilbash for the 100 G. M. Sweepstakes in 3m. 7s. Third, G. A. Pelham beat G. A. Clem, 8st. 7lbs. each, in 3m. 9s. Fourth, G. A. Marmion, 8st. 10lbs. 8oz., beat the Baron and others, heats in 3m. 9s. and 3m. 84s. The best going I have seen for three miles during that time was G. A. Champion, carrying 8st. 7lbs., beating G. A

Barefoot, C. A. Creeper, and G. A. Bombardier in 6m. 15s. The second, G. A. Marmion, 8st. 7lbs., beating G. A. Lancer, 8st. 2lbs., and C. A. Creeper, 8st. 7lbs., in 6m. 22s.-This is the second best timing for the three miles I have seen during the three years I have attended the Meerut races, and I should imagine a horse that could do that in inferior hands would in good certainly do much better. Has your correspondent "A Bit of Caustic" any documents by him to prove what he asserts with regard to the timing of the races he disputes? I have, Mr. Editor, documents that were written at the time, and the remarks thereon also, for the last three years. It is a most extraordinary thing that the timing of the three mile race should not be disputed as well as the rest, for the same watches that timed that race timed the whole of those that "A Bit of Caustic asserts I have given incorrectly. I fancy he has been stargazing and must be mistaken; should such be the case, I would advise him to be careful how he stargazes, again. I really am sorry, Mr. Editor, that there should be any dispute on the subject, but I could not allow the letter signed "A Bit of Caustic" to pass without comment, for it would have been admitting his statement to be correct. We shall see, as he says, when the match between Marmion and Lancer is run, whether my opinion or his is right, with regard to the nag. You will have, I expect, a splendid meeting at Poonah this year from the account you have given in your last No., and may the "best horse win" is the sincere wish of yours,

FAIR PLAY.

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