June 23. 1855.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



491 



possible that the cat may be named in the Hebrew 

 Scriptures, for there are still many unexplained 

 words in its zoology. The antipathy of tlie Jews 

 to doj::3 and cats is well known, and originated 

 probably from their being objects of idolatrous 

 •worship in " the house of bondage." * 



T. J. BUCKTON. 



Lichfield. 



"handicap" and "hkat." 



(Vol. xi., pp. 384. 434.) 



Your correspondent C. G. M. does not explain 

 the etymology or derivation of the term handicap 

 by referring to a rule in the Racing Calendar, 

 which affords no information on the point beyond 

 that which every one, knowing anything of sport- 

 ing matters, already possesses. The handicap, or 

 " hand i' the cap," was originally played by three 

 persons in the following manner: — A. wishes to 

 obtain some article belonging to B., say a horse ; 

 and offers to "challenge" his watch against it. 

 A. agrees ; and C. is chosen to " make the award ;" 

 that is, to name the sum that the owner of the 

 article of lesser value shall give with it in exchange 

 for the more valuable thing. The three parties 

 then put down a certain stake, and the arbitrator 

 makes his award. If A. and B. are both satisfied 

 with the award, the exchange is made between the 

 horse and the watch, and the arbitrator takes Tip 

 the stakes. Or, if neither be satisfied with the 

 award, the arbitrator also takes the stakes ; but if 

 A. be satisfied, and B. not, or vice versa, the party 

 who declares himself satisfied gets the stakes. It 

 is therefore the object of the arbitrator to make 

 such award as will cause the challenger and the 

 challenged to be of the same mind ; and consider- 

 able dexterity is required for this. The challenge 

 having been made as stated between A.'s horse 

 and B.'s watch, each party holding a piece of 

 money puts his hand into a cap or hat (or into his 

 pocket), while C. makes the award. After re- 

 capitulating the various excellences, and expa- 

 tiating on the value of the articles, he makes his 

 award in as rapid and complex a manner as pos- 

 sible : thus, he might say the owner of the " supe- 

 rior gold lever watch shall give to the owner of 

 the beautiful thoroughbred grey horse, called 

 ' Seagull,' the watch and fifteen half-crowns — 

 seven crowns — eighteen half-guineas — -one hun- 

 dred and forty groats — thirteen pounds — seven- 

 teen shillings and twenty-five farthings. Draw, 

 gentlemen !" A. and B. must instantly draw out, 



* The modern Egyptians (Lane, i. 393.) still pay great 

 respect to cats; the Ckadee feeds houseless cats at his 

 own expense. A sultan bequeathed a garden {gheyf. el- 

 ckooetah= garden of the cat) for their special benefit. The 

 CM(lee is the Egyptian Lord Chancellor quoad the guar- 

 dianship of all charitable and pious legacies. 



and open their hands. If money appears in both, 

 the award is made ; if money be in neither hand, 

 or only in one, the award is off, and the stakes go 

 as I have described. Very frequently, neither A. 

 nor B. are sufficiently quick in their mental calcu- 

 lations to follow the arbitrator ; and not knowing 

 on the instant the total of the various sums in the 

 award, prefer being " off," and therefore draw 

 " no money." This is the true handicap. The 

 application of the term to horse-racing has arisen 

 from one or more persons being chosen to make 

 the award between parties who put down equal 

 sums of money on entering horses for a race. 



The term heat, in racing phraseology, is suffi- 

 ciently obvious, as C. G. M. observes : the effect 

 upon the animal having, by the metonymy of the 

 turf, been put for the bout or turn of the race. 



J. S. COTNE. 



PHOTOGRAPHIC COREE8PONDENCE. 



3fr. Li/te's Process. — Having been requested by 

 several friends to give a complete description of the col- 

 lodion process, as I employ it, I again take advantage of 

 your usual kindness to ask you to give it publication for 

 me. The process naturally divides itself into three heads. 



First. The production of a sensitive surface of collodion ; 

 (A.) by the ordinary process, (B.) by the instantaneous 

 process, (C.) by the pieservative process. 



Second. The exposure and development of the latent 

 image, with the fixing, varnishing, &c. &c. 



Third. The formation of the positive picture ; (A.) on 

 ordinary paper, (B.) on albumen, (C.) on albumenized. 



Fourth. Sundry practical hints, and a glance at the 

 chemistry of the above processes. 



The first of these parts will be a mere dry description 

 of the process in the fewest possible words ; and the fourth 

 will contain any remarks and explanations of the nature 

 of the substances employed. If I mention the methods 

 given by others for certain preparations, I hope it will not 

 be thought that I wish to claim them as my own, but 

 only that, finding them good, I adopt them. 



To make Collodion. — Take equal parts of nitric and 

 hydrated sulphuric acids of the greatest concentration, 

 w"iiich ought to be of sp. gr. I'oO (or 48° Beaume) and 

 1-80 (66° Beaume) respectively; mix these together in 

 a capsule of porcelain, and having plunged a thermometer 

 in the mixture, add water till the temperature rises to 

 140° Fahr. ; then, with a couple of glass rods to assist 

 you, plunge, separately and leaf by leaf, some fine Swedish 

 filtering-paper, or, what is the same thing, some finely- 

 combed flax, into the mixture, and sink it below the sur- 

 face with the glass rods : see that each piece is well 

 immersed before adding another. When as much paper 

 has been put in as the acids can cover, turn all the leaves 

 over in the liquid with the glass rods, and seeing them 

 again well immersed, cover the capsule with a piece of 

 glass. The operation is terminated at the end of an 

 hour, if the temperature and other conditions are at- 

 tended to ; any how, after not less than that time of their 

 standing together, take the capsule, pour oflF the excess of 

 acid, and throw the whole into a bucket of water, and 

 wash it well, repeatedly changing the water ; and last of 

 all, wash it a long time in a running stream to remove the 

 last traces of acid, which may be detected by the taste of 

 the drops which fall from the paper, or better by trying 

 them with a slip of blue litmus paper. Separate the 



