TURr LIFE IN THE COLONIES. 11 



Some bookmakers, to their credit be it said, have 

 a strong objection to bet with women; and I know 

 more than one man in the ring who declines to wager 

 with them. Others are not so scrupulous, and accept 

 money, no matter from what quarter it comes. 



On many occasions I have seen these women, 

 when the race is being run, sitting on a seat in a 

 quiet part of the course, waiting for the winner's 

 number to be hoisted, and taking no interest in the 

 race itself. All they think about is winning money, 

 and for the sport itself they care very little. 



There are thousands of ladies, however, at Fleming- 

 ton and Eandwick, on Derby and Cup days, who visit 

 the racecourse out of pure love of the sport, combined 

 with a natural feminine desire to be seen and to see 

 others. 



The women punters, however, are a nuisance on 

 the turf, and it is not an edifying sight to see them 

 losing caste in the whirlpool of the betting-ring. 



After considerable experience, I have found that 

 once a woman takes to gambling, it absorbs her whole 

 thoughts, and gambling leads to other things, such 

 as champagne and its attendant consequences. 



To the credit of the racecourse secretaries and 

 officials, be it said, that they use every endeavour to 

 keep loose women off their courses^ and in this they 

 succeed admirably. 



It is a genuine cosmopolitan crowd on an Austra- 



