3 70 Saddle and Sirloin. 



But we have had enough beef for the present, and 

 as Lytham is so near we must be off after the grey- 

 hounds. The year of memory with modern coursers 

 goes back principally to Mr. Nightingale's rise and 

 steady reign at the head of coursing judges. In Craven 

 the young fellows take to the sport by nature. Mr. 

 Greenwood of Bank Newton, near Gargrave, was Mr. 

 Nightingale's chief instructor, and the pupil could 

 soon stand without holding, and judged his maiden 

 public course, in 183 1, at Mr. Legh of Lyme's. In due 

 time his scarlet was seen at the Waterloo, and he 

 judged there eighteen times in twenty-one years. In 

 one of the other three, he was elected, but declined 

 to give up the Roman Camp. During that period 

 Speculation was a cup winner under Mr. McGeorge, 

 and Cerito under Mr. Watson and Mr. Bennett. Mr. 

 Nightingale's jurisdiction began with Fly, and ended 

 with that " merry dog" King Lear. This was his last 

 public course, and as Sunbeam ran up, he had the 

 consolation of feeling when illness began at last to lay 

 its iron grip on his sturdy frame, that he had " left off 

 with two good ones." King Lear was the freshest, 

 and led to his hare, wrenched, and turned her. Sun- 

 beam then got in, wrenched, and killed so soon, that 

 nothing under two more good points could have 

 changed the shout from "Fawn!" to "Red /" 



There used to be sad dodging with stewards on 

 some coursing fields, and a judge could only sit on his 

 saddle and bear it. Stewards would wilfully shift the 

 beating on to plough when a " dangerous stranger" 

 had to be knocked out of time. Partisans would 

 " steady" the hare by getting, at such a crisis, between 

 her and a plantation or sough, so as to make the 



same class the next year, behind two like Skyrocket and Royal Turk, is 

 (as the disappointed candidate always observes on the hustings) " even 

 more than a victory." Prince of Prussia was sold after the Canterbury 

 Royal for 200 guineas to go to Australia. 



