lieve, another species, which it never was my fortune to meet with.

The birds shot on this day were of the first class-much larger than ours, with long pointed, light-brown feathers upon the breast; on rising they appeared as large as hen-pheasants. In the rushy belt near the Ganges, I flushed no less than nineteen wild peafowl in the course of ten minntes, but was only fortunate enough to bag a young hen. During the day we had capital sport with a civet cat, which one of the dogs put up under a bush. We baited it for half an hour; and it not only bit the dogs severely, but almost perfumed them into fits with its musky stench. It fell at last a victim to the intrepidity of the

setter.

After a very hard day's worknot so much from the heat of the sun (which is my element) as from the inaccessible nature of the jungle thorns, which interlace each other as if on purpose to oppose sportsmen-I reached the river's bank at sunset, and, even then, had to wait for some time before the tardy budjrows made their

appearance.

S soon joined me, and we got on board, when the boats moored for the night, wondering why the other party did not arrive. We speedily were made acquainted with the reason; but, to make it more intelligible, I must commence the day's campaign with them.

They were all three cavalry-men -and two of them as gallant foxhunters as ever topped a fence with the Duke or Colonel Berkley; but shooting was not their forte; and they wandered over the face of the earth till night, popping away at cranes, paddy-birds, crows, or whatever else came in their way, with the most ruthless

perseverance; and for some hours skirted the deep jungles at the foot of the hills, without taking the trouble to beat them; till at length T-r, ashamed of having killed so little, hired a native to guide him into a labyrinth of the forest-his comrades declining to follow.

In a few minutes they were surprised to see T-r scamper back out of the woods, blowing and puffing at a great rate, and swearing by the immortal gods, Oriental and Occidental, that there was a tiger not forty yards off!

"Nonsense!" cried P-y; "if there had been he would not have let you off so easily."

"By Jove! I'll swear to the truth of it!" said T-r; "I saw his fawn-coloured hide as plainly as I see you! he rolled his great eyes at me, cocked up his tail, and dashed into the jungles with a loud roar!

The native corroborated T-r's account of some large animal lurking in the bushes; he did not himself see it, but he heard the roar: and the whole party was about to retreat with speed, when a fine bull calf bolted out of the wood, and ran across the plain towards a cottage, roaring and cocking up his tail in the most terrible, not to say frightful, manner!!

T-r never heard the last of it. Their adventures were not yet concluded; for, as they were wading through the tall grass near the river, P―y saw a buffalo quietly lying down, and chewing the cud, amongst it. For a bit of a lark, without considering whether it was a wild or tame one, he let fly a charge of shot at the animal's rump-resolved to make up for his want of sport by bagging something substantial, as he termed it, at once. Up jumped the wild buffalo (for such it was), and off

ran the two fox-hunters-with such speed that they were at the water's edge in a minute; but poor T-r, being very deaf, and not quick of apprehension, was puzzled to conceive what all this turmoil was about; and the enraged buffalo was in full career against him, before he understood the unpleasantness of his situation. Before this evening I would have betted any money that Nature never intended T-r's legs to be of active service to him; I imagined them to be, like bedposts, mere passive instruments of support: but, when I saw from our budjrow the incredible speed with which they flew over the ground, I could scarcely believe my eyes, and thought that miracles would never cease!

narrow

T-r, though, had a escape; the savage buffalo chased him like a devil, and must have overtaken him before he reached the river, had not most of us been eye-witnesses of his agility in distress, and with one accord fired a volley on the intruder's broad forehead, with whatever charge our guns happened to contain.

Startled at this mingled discharge of dust, partridge-shot, slugs, and bullets-though apparently unhurt the buffalo tossed her head in the air, bellowed forth her displeasure, and stopped short, and, before we could reload, trotted sturdily back into the tassel-grass; whilst the poor dragoon spluttered through the water, threw himself head-foremost into the nearest budjrow, and cried in a lamentable novel-like tone, "Is she gone?"

Tuesday, 2nd.-Several of the party showed symptoms of yesterday's excursion, by transient fits of aguish shivering, or the low rapid pulse of incipient fever.

My servant, before mentioned, was amongst this number; and,

although perfectly well on the preceding night, by the afternoon the fever (caught by wading after me through noisome woods and deep streams) had mounted to an alarming height. At 1 p.m. he brought in tiffin, or luncheon: I observed him stagger as he was placing a dish of curry on the table, and had I not caught him he would have fallen to the ground. My conscience told me that I was the cause of this poor fellow's illness; so I laid him on the best chintz sofa in the apartment, and sent for the doctor. But life was ebbing fast; and, although he had awoke in the morning with only a slight headache, before the sunset he had ceased to breathe.

Such are the mishaps attendant upon Indian sporting! But, however, to give the devil due, it must be owned that this season happened to be a remarkably unhealthy one in Bengal: for I should say that India, generally speaking, has by no means a bad climate for a hot one, were it not for that fatal epidemic the cholera morbus, which makes its annual rounds from province to province, like a judge on circuit, cutting off all evil-doers, and not unfrequently righteous persons also.

Towards the decline of day I landed at a village near the woods ; and after beating some likely grass, plains, and jungles till nightfall, returned to the budjrow with a few brown partridges and junglefowl, besides a young doe of the gazelle species, which was quietly feeding with a herd in the plain of long grass when I crept up for a mile, fakir-like, on my belly, and lamed her with a bullet in the near shoulder. I wished to preserve this beautiful little antelope alive, but she was too much hurt, and I was obliged to cut her throat.

The jungle-fowl, to be found everywhere in the heavy woods,

are completely our red blackbreasted game cocks in miniature, and the source from which our breed probably sprung, and was afterwards mixed with the coarser fowls of Malay and Chittagong. Before daybreak their pert bantam-like crow may repeatedly be heard as we travel through the wooded districts of India; but they do not venture far from the jungles, and are therefore difficult

to come at.

Wednesday, 3rd.-Having a very lame foot, from the joint effects of a gall and mosquito-bite, I did nothing in the way of shooting but fire a few shots at alligators, as they floated lazily down the river, with their eyes and jagged tails an inch above water. Amused myself also with stuffing ornithological specimens, of which I found myself in possession of several new ones-viz. 1. The Beebird, of a most beautiful green, with two long feathers in its tail, like the celebrated Boatswain or Tropic bird; short legs, of the most delicate proportions, and scarcely bigger than the large South American humming-bird, which it resembles in its shape as well as habits, being constantly on the wing to catch insects, and hovering about the crested surput and wild-flowers with the playfulness of a zephyr.-2. The JungleCrow, a bird of the pie genus, with a black head, neck, and breast, and reddish back, wings, and tail. On first landing in India, I saw a jungle-crow seated on a branch at some distance, and made certain that it was a pheasant-and indeed the first glance of this bird, when stationary, might well deceive a griff-though it is not much larger than a magpie.-3. The Mitala, a kind of river gull, white, with a black patch or two, red beak and legs, long pointed wings, and forked tail; about the size of a

small dove is seen constantly hovering above the Ganges, and feeds on fish, and I fear, notwithstanding its elegant shape, the floating bodies of dead men also.

Perhaps one of the most curious zoological productions of Bengal is the Flying-fox-as a large kind of bat is called. It equals an owl in size and the length of its black leathern wings, whilst its body is covered with reddish-brown hair, and its head is the very picture of a varmint little terrier's, with black sparkling eyes, prick-ears, and most formidable teeth. We often amused ourselves in the great avenue of Fort William, at twilight, by watching the continual combats between the bats, the crows, and the argeelas; the former coming regularly every evening to try and eject these peaceable occupants vi et armis ; and a battle royal always ensued, when the victory was generally conceded to the overwhelming forces of the crows and argeelas, which combined against the attacks of this small but fierce band of marauders. We took part with the bats, having perhaps a fellowfeeling with their predatory habits and thirst for pillage.

Thursday, 4th.-Leg worse— very ill all the preceding nighttook up my gun after breakfast, but found it wouldn't do-moralized upon the folly of imprudence and the frailty of the human body -tried out of pure friendship to dissuade S from going ashore, but he got into the attendant dingy (canoe) and paddled away. Managed to hobble out and take a melancholy stroll at eve; squatted down upon a bank, and whistled "All that's bright must fade!"

Friday, 5th.-Unable to leave the sofa-watched our manjee catching fish all the morning. He was a dexterous fellow at this sport which is, I believe, peculiar to the

East Indian fisherman. In the first place, the manjee took up a long bamboo lance, pointed with several spikes, and jumped into the water without undressing-for alas! he must have skinned himself had he done so, as the lower orders of Hindostan think clothes quite superfluons articles-the offspring of pomp, vanity, and vexation. I believe they are about right. What miseries do we not endure daily in the shape of tight boots, tight breeches, tight cravats, and all the tight et ceteras of European costume?

Shoals of small fish had been swimming about us all the morning, with their noses above water; and with great, skill the manjee darted his lance at them and generally transfixed several at each throw. They made no bad addition to our evening's meal.

Arrived early in the day at a large village, the neighbourhood of which appeared to promise sport; but, although better, I had made a Vow not to shoot, and refused to accompany the rest ashore.

Whoever anchors at this village I forget the name (unless it is Pointee) will never forget the two picturesque islets which rise from a little cove or a bay which the Ganges forms here; they may be, perhaps, about 500 yards each in circuit, and are composed of enormous blocks of stone, from the crevices of which trees and shrubbery of every kind, from the humble aloe to the lofty palm, shoot up and overshadow the water. They are uninhabited, except by various tribes of birds, which scream and flutter round their summits in myriads; so that, their shape being conical, they may be supposed at a distance to be two enormous beehives, plumped into the water by Gog and Magog, to the horror of

their inmates, the rustling of the birds' pinions sounding just like

the hum of bees.

In the afternoon, a shikarree, or native sportsman, came to my budjrow, and made his salaam; telling me that the country abounded with wild-hogs and jungle-fowl, and offering to conduct me to the likeliest coverts. "Oh, my vow! oh, my foot!" I groaned and, mustering all my fortitude, actually refused his offer. The shikarree perceived that the devil was making desperate attacks on my spirit of consistency, and said with a smile, "The jungle, Sahib, is close by; and your servant will be proud if you will ride his tattoo-so that your Royal Highness's foot will receive no injury." The tempter pressed me sorely; but I coolly replied, with a yawn and a lie, "Much obliged to your Majesty, but I do not wish to shoot-besides, my gun is not cleaned."

My rascally sirdar instantly presented the gun as clean and bright as flannel and hot water could make it.

In three minutes I was pummelling along the shikarree's scrubby old tattoo towards the jungles. On our way we beat a small plantation of sugar-canes with a dozen coolies, and roused an old wild sow. I blazed away at her hams with small shot, and fired a bullet at a quail, which rose at the same time-both, as it may be supposed, without much effect.

The shikarree grinned; but, being an older hand, did not even move the long matchlock from his shoulder, and said "She's gone into the rushes near the nullah; we'll beat, if the Sahib pleases, towards each other, from end to end, and then she must give a side shot to one of us." We do so; but the cunning su'or again gave us the slip, by breaking through

our line, and upsetting a coolie on my starboard quarter, who shrieked and squalled as if he had been murdered.

The sun had set; and, as a tropical twilight is too brief to go hog-hunting in, I returned to the village for the night, resolved,

if well enough, to land my Persian steed next morning, and, mustering more hands, to make a strong effort to bring home a genuine wild boar.

SHIKARREE. -From the English Sporting Magazine for April.

NEWMARKET FIRST SPRING

MEETING.

This meeting was not by any means so numerously or fashionably attended as the last, notwithstanding the most inviting appearance of the list, and the extreme beauty of the weather. The average number of races per day was eight; they certainly looked well upon paper, and were no doubt interesting to the swarm of Cantabs and country-people on the Heath each afternoon; but to betting men they were singularly unattractive, not more than three or four of the stakes presenting anything like a field. The match. between Clotilde and Lady Emily was one of the most complete floorers the "legs" have met with for a long time-the thing was certain, Lady Emily having run so badly of late, and Clotilde coming to the post with the reputation of having defeated Lucetta in the Craven week; besides, she was in the best possible condition. The calculation upon her running with Lucetta, however, was erroneous, for it was well known that the latter, like most of the horses in Pettit's stable, was not fit to run, nor, indeed, does she come out in proper time except in the October Meetings. Mr. Greville himself had so little fondness for the match, that he offered £300 forfeit in October last; this was refused,

The

and on his going abroad a few weeks back he commissioned the Duke of Portland to pay the stake (£500 p. p.); but the Duke prudently resolved, that, as it was all the money, he might as well have a run for it. Lady Emily made all the running, and won very cleverly by a length, Clotilde stopping when near home-not, however, that she appeared like a winner at any part of the race; the result was an agreeable surprise to the "Gentlemen," who alone had taken the fives, sixes, and sevens to one, so currently offered— they were somewhat vociferous in testifying their joy in having triumphed over the Clotilde party, which was almost exclusively composed of "men of business. The Two Thousand Guineas' Stakes, like the same Stakes last year, was contested by two horses only, and again carried off by Lord Exeter, who seems to farm all the good things at Newmarket. The races does not admit of description, for Augustus had the speed of his antagonist, was never caught, and won very easy by two lengths. The event leaves Augustus where he was after the Column Stakes, as far as he is to be considered with reference to Priam; it proves, however, that the Boyces had terribly overrated their horse, for Mouse, although the finest-looking Derby horse at Newmarket, is very de