immediately in requisition, and upon coming near enough to observe him more fully he is discovered to be a large jackass. -Riding a pig singlehanded, you make your spear and a part of him "where wound was never mortal" acquainted with one another; the bamboo breaks short off, and the consequence is that your friend, elated by the external flow of gore, as well as the internal twitch of the cold steel, legs it like a four-year-old; you luckily fall in with a beater with a spare spear, but before you can get another drive at him he is lost in the jungle. Making your début in the field, a fine fellow is sent to the shades below, being the first wild hog you have ever seen. You commence examining him from tail to snout, making sundry griffinish remarks, and asking divers green questions, such as, What are those long yellow-looking curly things sticking out on each side of his mouth? What frightful animals they are! Where do they sleep at night? What do they live upon ? These questions are only answered by a titter from the older hands, one of whom dismounts, and calls out, Who's got a knife? Upon hearing this question your mouth begins to extend itself; your bridle drops from your hand, and you are all anxiety and attention. A large clasp-knife is at length produced, and handed to the man who dismounted; he immediately commences making sundry large incisions, not a great way from the tail of the animal. You say to yourself, What the devil can he be at ? and draw closer to the operator, who apparently handles his knife with great dexterity. Here you remain as it were riveted to the spot, until your olfactory nerves warn you to retire. This you cannot prevail upon yourself to do, seeing your companions take it so coolly, who in fact almost seem to enjoy it. While in this teasing, or pleasing, suspense, you every now and then lean over, to observe the process that is going on; at length you behold something of a round flabby appearance in the hand of the operator, and before you can ask the question, what's that? find yourself nearly deprived of one of your daylights by the said circular missile. Without waiting to wipe away the glutinous substance from your peeper, you dismount for an explanation; but being told that it is the Dustoor, and that all new hands are served in the same way, you are with difficulty compelled to join in the laugh, and content yourself with vowing vengeance against the first unlucky Griff who may have the misfortune to be of the same party with you, on a similar occasion.-A favourite horse just on the point of going out, not a phleam or lancet within twenty miles, you commence hacking with a blunt penknife, and have the mortification of cutting a hole something less than an inch in diameter, previous to touching the vein.-Riding a violent horse, and breaking your curb chain. -Your pig takes up a steep hill; as a matter of course you follow, but before you are half up find yourself slipping over the rump, saddle and all. I have now given you, Mr. Editor, a very small portion of the miseries which befall all those, more or less, who are partakers of the sport in question; should they be acceptable, I purpose sending you a few more for No. 12. Of the pleasures of hog hunting I shall say nothing, "inpinentia docet." It would be superfluous in me to attempt to explain the sensations of the huntsman at the burst of the pig, after the feeling and sportsmanlike description of Nimrod in the Eastsuffice it to say it is the King of Sports. From the first start, until the pig is killed, it brings into action all the mental and bodily faculties of which man is possessed for instance, after the day's work is over, you hear many keen hands asking who that was that rode so infernally hard against them. Perhaps at times they were abreast of one another, SIR, : but their minds were so filled with I am, Sir, yours, &c., &c., January 17th, 1831. X. TO THE EDITOR. To the Editor of the Oriental Sporting Magazine. The importance of the table of dimensions, given by S. Y. S. in your 9th number, must be apparent to every sportsman. It is evident, however, that your valuable correspondent, in framing it, had merely considered the ex 1 length of a line drawn from point of 1234567880 knee to point of heel. 9 The angles formed by the declensions from the perpendicular of the first and third above-named lines, and the angles formed at the junction of line 3 4-9 and 10, and also of 1-6 and 7. The following points, also of importance, ought not to be omitted in a table, viz. : knee to point of hock. to the dimensions of the fetlock, The depth and breath of chanade, as being of importance to the true courage of the head, ought also to be given. Many of S. Y. S. measurements should also be taken, and perhaps good judges may fix on on others Height of withers above the upper point equally important. of the shoulder blade and hip. Depth from point of hock. elbow. knee. The framing of any table of dimensions is, in my opinion, a point of so much importance as to call for attention at every race Attention might also be turned meeting, and I think, with a CHAMOIS HUNTING. It is impossible to describe the fascination which the Chasse aux Chamois seems to possess for the inhabitants of Switzerland and the Tyrol. It is well known that the braver spirits amongst them sacrifice to it much of their time, their money, and very often their lives; particularly where the mountains are dangerous, as, for instance, the Glärnisch; it is a fact that few chasseurs die in their beds. I own I cannot feel much surprised at this infatuation, if such it be; for Dowlander as I am, I have felt, deeply felt, a portion at least of the same enthusiasm. One of the earliest books that I can remember to have made an impression upon my youthful imagination contained a description of this very sport. I have entirely forgotten the title of the work, but can only remember that it told of hairbreadth escapes and adventures wonderful; "of ontres vast and deserts wild; rough quarries, rocks, and hills whose heads touch heaven; of the coolness and intrepidity with which the hunter sprang across the yawning chasm, and of the unerring certainty of his rifle." My mind was even then fired by the account, but I little I thought I should ever myself become an actor in such scenes. have now been out nearly fifty times chamois hunting, and can bear my personal testimony to its being the most spirit-stirring sport with which I am acquainted. If I could but convey to the reader even a small part of the enjoyment I have derived from it, I should not despair of powerfully exciting his interest; but so much of the pleasure depends, above all, upon the wildness and magnificence of the scenery in which alone this sport can be pursued, that a much more experienced pen than mine would find it difficult to convey a just idea of its fascination and delights. At any rate, however, the attempt to retrace adventures that are past cannot fail of gladdening my own memory with some faint reflection of the enjoyment they once gave me, and may possibly be of use to those who shall hereafter be smitten with the love of that most perilous, but most alluring, of all diversions. I had passed the summer of 1821 in making the common tour of Switzerland without having seen a chamois, except on the table; and, two years after, wishing to see something of the more hidden beauties of that delightful country, I agreed with a friend to explore the Grisons. None of the Zurich guides who were at home, liked to accompany us; in fact, none of them knew anything at all about that interesting district of their native land. We therefore determined upon making Coire our head-quarters, and providing ourselves with the best guide to be procured upon the spot. We had made an excursion to the extraordinary and very romantic Baths of Pleffers; had accomplished the dangerous but highly interesting passage to the source; and, after partaking of the wretched accommodation" of the hospitable monks, had, on the following day, returned to Coire over the summit of the Calanda Berg, which is about 9000 feet high, and commands one of the grandest panoramic views of mountains to be seen in Switzerland. It had been a stiff day's walk; and, after dinner, we were leisurely strolling outside the town, to enjoy a fragrant cigar and a most lovely sunset, when a man overtook us, whose quick, springy step told he was a mountaineer, and was making for a distant home. He had his pipe in his mouth, his rifle slung at his back, and a pouch of undressed chamois skin at his side. Having entered into conversation with him, we soon found that he was a chamois hunter, that he had been out that very morning and had seen a chamois, but from an injury to the lock of his gun had not been able to get a shot. To repair this he had come down into Coire, and was then on his return home. Being much pleased with the man, as well as warmed with his description of the sport, we eventually engaged him to accompany us on our tour. name was Franz Joseph Hoderas, of Domleschg; and although, perhaps, Switzerland may boast better VOL. II. His chasseurs, I will here say that she cannot produce one more honest, more obliging, or bettertempered-and withal, no temptible Gäms-jäger. con We took him up the next day at Domleschg, on our way through the Via Mala to Splugen. It is not my intention to attempt a description of Switzerland, or I could not pass off the splendid scenery of this day's journey without offering a tribute to its "beautiful horrors." There is a tolerably good inn at Splugen; but after examining the celebrated road over this pass of the Alps, we went on to Nufemen, where the hostess did not seem so much accustomed to receive strangers. The next morning we proceeded with Hoderas to the village of Hinterrhein, situated about one hour and a half above Nufemen. Here we found three chasseurs; and having arranged a partie de chasse for the next day, with the best of them, named Christian Loritz, we returned by a considerable détour through the mountains that enclose the valley of the Rhine, with some faint hopes of finding a chamois. were most agreeably surprised by meeting with one; but he perceived us before we saw him, of which he gave us notice by a peculiar shrill whistle. It being the heat of the day, he was lying on the shady side of a very lofty and precipitous rock. As he did not appear disposed to quit his stony couch, unless alarmed by the nearer approach of danger, Hoderas and I made a circuit under a range of cliffs, so as to arrive unperceived within shot. Leaving my friend in full sight, to occupy his attention, I reached a rock within 120 yards of him; but, but, although I knew exactly where he was, I could not distinguish him until he jumped up H |