TOUTS AND TIPSTERS. 137 



such means flocks of fresli gulls are obtained and 

 the purses of the tipsters tilled. But b}^ several of 

 the circular men subscribers are dealt with in an 

 honest spirit, and really receive something like value 

 for the two guineas, wliich is the cost of the sub- 

 scription. Besides those which have been alluded 

 to, there is a perfect host of miscellaneous and ' fancy' 

 tipsters, always at work struggling to earn ' an honest 

 penny ' throughout the racing year. 



There are still a few of this class living who 

 occasionally resort to these old-fashioned methods of 

 bleeding the credulous ; but the average backer of 

 horses is too wide awake to fall readily into such 

 meshes. As has already been hinted, the daily news- 

 papers and the journals specially devoted to the turf, 

 with their prophecies of the winners of races to come, 

 their full reports of races past, and their columns of 

 training intelligence, keep those persons who back 

 horses fully up to the mark as to what is doing. They 

 at least provide backers with the means of forming 

 their own opinions ; whilst, as has been stated, some 

 • backers keep a tout of their own, or, at any rate, 

 receive special reports from a tout, so determined are 

 they to make money at the game, which all who have 

 tried it will confess to be a rather difficult task. Two 

 or three of the fraternity indicated above, who stuck to 

 one horse only, were rather successful in their pro- 

 phecies. Nor did they follow the money. ' A country 

 gentleman in temporary ditliculties ' sent Kingcraft 

 for the Derby of 1870, and Favonius in the year 

 following. In the year 18G2, one of the advertizing 

 tipsters gave Caractacus as the dream of his little girl, 



