298 



The Country Gentleman s Magazine 



day, where, in addition to thousands of pedes- 

 trians, almost every kind of equipage, from 

 the four-in-hand coach, down to the humblest 

 vehicle that industrial art can supply, may be 

 seen on the race-ground, while the spectators 

 axe of eveiy rank of society, from royalty to 

 the lowest grade of human existence. The 

 last of the tliree is the Doncaster meeting, 

 held in autumn, at which the St Leger stakes 

 form the great attraction. 



In shooting, the national propensity to sport 

 also shews itself; and, indeed, throughout the 

 world, wherever wild animals are killed for 

 the sake of sport, it is mostly by Englishmen. 

 The training of the dogs for this purpose is 

 also not excelled in any other country, and 

 it has reached such a point of excellence that 

 shooting pointers almost display reasoning 

 powers. Lord Wilton gives us the following 

 singular account of a pig which was trained 

 as a pointer, and whose feats seem to have 

 excelled even the best trained dogs : — 



" Of this most extraodinary animal (known by the 

 name of Shit) will here be stated a short history, to the 

 veracity of which there are hundreds of living wit- 

 nesses. Slut was bred in, and was of that sort which 

 maintain themselves in the New Forest without re- 

 gular feeding, except when they have young, and 

 then but for a few weeks ; and was given when about 

 three months old to be a breeding sow by Mr Thomas 

 to Mr Richard Toomer, both at that time keepers in 

 the forest. From having no young she was not fed, 

 or taken very little notice of until about eighteen 

 months old. She was seldom observed near the lodge, 

 but chanced to be seen one day when Mr Edward 

 Toomer was there. The brothers were concerned to- 

 gether in breaking pointers and setters, some of their 

 own breeding, and others which were sent to be 

 broken by different gentlemen. Of the latter, although 

 they would stand and bark, many were so indifferent 

 that they would neither hunt nor express any satisfac- 

 tion when birds were killed and put before them. The 

 slackness in these dogs first suggested the idea that by 

 the same method any other animal might be made to 

 stand, and do as well as one of those huntless and in- 

 active pointers. At this instant the sow passed by, 

 and was remarked as being handsome. R. Toomer 

 threw her a piece or two of oatmeal roll, for which she 

 appeared gratified, and approached very near. From 

 that time they were determined to make a sporting pig 

 of her. The first step was to give her a name, and 

 that of Slut (given in consequence of soiling herself 

 in a bog) she acknowledged in the course of a day, 

 and never afterwards forgot. Within a fortnight she 

 would find and point partridges or rabbits, and her 

 training was much forwarded by the abundance of both, 



which were near the lodge. She daily improved, and 

 in a few weeks would retrieve birds that had run as 

 well the best pointer ; nay, her nose was superior to- 

 any pointer they ever possessed, and no two men in 

 England had better. They hunted her principally on 

 the moors and heaths. Slut has stood partridges, 

 l:>lackgame, pheasants, snipes, and rabbits in the same 

 day, but was never known to point a hare. She was 

 seldom taken by device more than a mile or two from 

 the lodge, but has frequently joined them when out 

 with the pointers, and continued with them several 

 hours. Slie has sometimes stood a jack snipe, when 

 all the pointers had passed by it. She would 

 back the dogs when they pointed, but the dogs re- 

 fused to back her until spoken to ; their dogs being 

 all trained to make a general halt -when the word 

 was given, whether any dog pointed or not, so that 

 she has been frequently standing in the midst of a 

 field of pointers. In consequence of the dogs not 

 liking to hunt when she was with them, for they 

 dropped their sterns and shewed symptoms of jealousy, 

 she did not very often accompany them, except for the 

 novelty, or when she accidentally joined them in the 

 forest. Her pace was mostly a trot, was seldom 

 kno\vn to gallop except when called to go out shoot- 

 ing. She would then come home off the forest at full 

 stretch, for she was never shut up but to prevent her 

 being out of the sound of call or whistle when a party 

 of gentlemen had appointed to see her out the next 

 day, and which call she obeyed as readily as a dog, 

 and be as much elated as a dog upon being shewn the 

 gun. She always expressed great pleasure when 

 game, either dead or alive, was placed before her. 

 She has frequently stood a single partridge at forty 

 yards distance, her nose in a direct line to the bird. 

 After standing some considerable time she w-ould drop 

 like a setter, still keeping her nose in an exact line, 

 and would continue in that position until the game 

 moved. If it took wing she would come up to the 

 place, and put her nose down two or three times, but 

 if a bird ran off she would get up and go to the place, 

 and draw slowly after it, and when the bird stopped 

 she would stand as before. The two Mr Toomers 

 lived apart at Rhinefield and Broomey Lodges. Slut 

 has many times gone by herself from one lodge to the 

 other, as if to court the being taken out shooting. She 

 was about five years old when her master died, and at 

 the auction of his pointers, &c., was included in the sale, 

 and bought in at lO guineas." 



In all the other sports noticed by Lord 

 Wilton, such as coursing, yachting, rowing, 

 cricket, &c., but into which our limits will 

 not allow us to follow him, we find the same 

 ceaseless energy displayed which is charac- 

 teristic of our countrymen, and which satis- 

 factorily proves the influence which our sports 

 have exerted, and are still more to exercise on 

 the national character. 



