810 GAM 
Hares may be killed all the year, under 
the restric tion, as to the hours of the day, in 
10 Geo. III. c. 19. 
Heath-fowl, or black game, from August 
20 to December 20. 
Partridges, from September 1 to February 
12. 
Pheasants, from October 1 to February 1. 
Widgeons, wild ducks, wild geese, wild 
fowls, at any time but in June, July, August, 
and September. 
Summar >/ proceedings . — From and after 
March 1, 1785,. in all cases where the penal- 
tv by this act does not exceed 20/. a justice 
of peace shall, upon information or com- 
plaint, summon the party and witnesses to 
appear, and proceed to hear and determine 
the matter in a summary way; and upon due 
proof by confession, or upon the oath of one 
witness, give judgment for the forfeiture, 
and issue his warrant for levying the same on 
the offender’s goods, and to sell them, if not 
redeemed within six days, rendering to the 
party the overplus ; and if his goods are in- 
sufficient to answer the penalty, shall com- 
mit the offender to prison, there to be for six 
calendar months, unless the penalty is sooner 
paid ; and if the party is aggrieved by the 
judgment, he may, upon giving security 
amounting to the value of the forfeitures, 
with the costs of the affirmance, appeal to 
the next general quarter-sessions, when it is 
to be heard and finally determined; and in 
case the judgment is affirmed, the sessions 
may award such costs, incurred by the ap- 
peal, as to themselves shall seem meet. 25 
Geo. III. sess. 2. 
Witnesses neglecting or refusing to ap- 
pear, without reasonable excuse to be allow- 
ed of by the justice, shall respectively forfeit 
for every offence 10/. to be levied and paid 
as other penalties by this act. Id. 
Justice to cause conviction to be made out 
to the effect of the form set forth in the act. 
Id. 
Justice may mitigate penalties as he thinks 
fit, so that reasonable costs and charges of 
the officers and informers for discovery and 
prosecution be always allowed, over and 
above mitigation, and so as the same does 
not reduce the penalties to less than a moiety, 
over and above the costs and charges, any 
thing, therein contained to the contrary not- 
withstanding; and no such conviction shall 
be removable by certiorari into any court 
whatsoever. 
No offender against this act to be impri- 
soned more than three months. Id. 
The duties to be paid to the receiver-gene- 
ral of the stamp-duties, and by him paid into 
the exchequer. Id. 
Swans . — It is felony to take any swans 
that are lawfully marked, though they should 
be at large; and so it is unmarked swans, if 
they are domestical or tame, so long as they 
keep within a man’s manor, or within his 
private river, or if they happen to escape 
from them, and are pursued and taken, and 
brought back again ; but if they are abroad, 
and attain their natural liberty, then the pro- 
perty of them is lost, and so long felony can- 
not be committed by taking them. Burn’s 
Just. tit. Game. 
Wild fowl . — Same laws against shooting 
wild-fowl as for shooting hares, by 1 Jac. I. 
c. 27. 
Game-cock, a fighting-cock, or one kept 
GAM 
for sport, in the choice of which four things 
are chiefly to be regarded, viz. shape, co- 
lour, courage, and sharp heel. 
1 . As to shape, a game-cock must not be 
chosen either too large or too small: the 
first being generally unwieldy and inactive; 
the otffer weak and tedious in lighting. The 
middle-sized cock is therefore most proper 
for this purpose, as being strong, nimble, and 
easily matched ; his head ought to be small, 
with a quick large eye, and a strong beak, 
which should be crooked, and in colour suit- 
able to the plume of his feathers ; the beam 
of his leg should be strong, and of the colour 
of his plume ; his spurs should be rough, 
long, and sharp, a little bending, and point- 
ing inward. 2. l ire best colour for a 
game-cock is either grey, yellow, or red: 
the pyed pile may pass indifferently; but 
the white and dun are rarely known to be 
good for any thing. If his neck is invested 
with a scarlet complexion, it is a sign of his 
being strong, lusty, and courageous ; where- 
as a pale and wan complexion denotes him 
faint and unhealthy. 3. His courage may 
be known by his proud, upright standing, 
and stately tread in walking ; and if he crows 
frequently in the pen, it is a proof of spirit. 
4. His sharpness of heel is known only from 
observations in fighting: that is, when at 
every rising he hits so that he draws blood 
from his adversary ; gilding his spurs conti- 
nually, and at every blow threatening him 
with immediate death. 
To prepare a cock to fight: 1. With a 
pair of fine shears cut all his mane off, close 
to his head, from the head to the setting of 
the shoulders. 2. Clip off all the feathers 
from the tail close to his rump, and the red- 
der it appears, the better is the cock in con- 
dition. 3. Spread his wings by the length 
of the first rising feather; and cut off the rest 
slopewise, with sharp points, that in his ris- 
ing he may therewith endanger an eye of his 
adversary. 4. See that there be no feathers 
on the crown of his head for his opponent to 
take hold of ; and moisten his head all over 
with your spittle. 
Game-keepers. See Game. 
GAMELION, in antient chronology, was 
the eighth month of the Athenian year, con- 
taining 29 days, and answering to the latter 
part of our January and beginning of Febru- 
ary. It was thus called, as being, in the opi- 
nion of the Athenians, the most proper sea- 
son of the year for marriage. 
GAMING, the art of playing or practis- 
ing any game, particularly those of hazard, 
as cards, dice, tables, &c. 
It appears that by the antient common law 
all games were lawful. But so early as the 
reign of Bichard II. the legislature found it 
necessary to interfere, and to make several 
games illegal. This was levelled at labour- 
ers and artificers. The next statute was the 
2nd Hen. IV. which inflicted six days im- 
prisonment on those who offended against 
the act of Richard II. The 17th Edw. IV. 
imposes a penalty of two years imprisonment 
and a fine against various games there enu- 
merated; and by the 1 1th lien. VII. labour- 
ers and artificers are prohibited from playing 
at unlawful games, but in Christmas only. 
The principal object of these early statutes 
was, to encourage archery, and to make that 
the only lawful sport for the lower ranks of 
the people. But the earliest act against 
GAM 
gaming now in force is the 33d Henry VIIT, 
which gives justices of peace and head offi- 
cers in corporations a power to enter all 
houses suspected of unlawful games, and to 
arrest the gamesters till they give security 
not to play tor the future. Persons keeping 
anv unlawful gaming-house, are fined 40 a-, 
and the gamesters 6s. 8 cl. a time. If any per- 
son by fraud, deceit, or unlawful device, in 
playing either at cards or dice, tables, bowls, 
cock-fighting, horse-races, foot-races, &c. or 
bearing a share in the stakes or betting, shall . 
win any money or valuable tiling of another, 
he shall forfeit treble the value thereof: like- 
wise if any person shall play at any of the 
said games upon tick, and not for ready mo- 
ney', and lose the sum of 100/. on credit, at 
one meeting, if the money is not paid down, 
his security taken for it shall be void, and the 
winner becomes liable to a forfeiture of treble 
value of such money won. 16 Car. II. c. 7. 
Not only all notes, bills, bonds, mortgages, 
or other securities given for money won at 
gaming, are declared void; but also where 
lands are granted, they shall go to the next 
person intitled, after the decease of the per- 
son so incumbering the same. Persons losing 
by gaming at one time 10/. may recover the 
money lost from the winner, by an action of 
debt brought within three months; and on 
the loser’s not prosecuting, any other person 
may lawfully do it, and recover treble the 
value, with costs. 9 Anne, c. 14. Those 
who cheat at cards, dice. See. besides then- 
forfeitures, have indicted on them such in- 
famy and corporal punishment, as in cases of 
perjury ; and beating, or challenging any 
other person to light, on account of money 
won by gaming, shall forfeit all their goods, 
and be imprisoned twp years: and where 
persons play that have no visible estates, and 
do not make it appear that the principal part 
of their maintenance is got by other means 
than gaming, they may be bound to their 
good behaviour by two justices of the peace. 
See. Stat. ibid. "See 2 Geo. II. c. 28. The 
ace of hearts, pharaoh, basset, &c. are judged 
to be lotteries by cards or dice ; and persons 
who set up those games, are subject to 200/. 
penalty. And every adventurer, who shall 
play, stake, or punt at them, forfeits 50/. 
Also any sales of houses, goods, plate. Sec. in 
such a way, are void, and the things forfeited 
to any who will sue for the same. 12 Geo. 
II. c. 28. See Disney’s Laws of Gaming, 
Wagers, &c. 
Gaming, laws of. These are founded on 
the doctrine of chances. See Chance. 
Mr. de Moivre, in a treatise De Mensura 
Sortis, has computed the variety of chances in 
several cases that occur in gaming-, the laws of 
which may be understood by what follows. 
Suppose p the number of cases in which an 
event may happen, and q the number of cases 
wherein it may not happen, both sides have the 
degree of probability, which is to each other as 
p to q. 
If two gamesters, A and B, engage on this 
footing, that if the cases p_ happen, A shall win ; 
but if q happen, B shall win, and the stake be a 
te chance of A will be - — , — , and that of B 
P +7 
— — ; consequently, if they sell the expectan- 
r 9 
ies, they should have that for them respectively. 
If A and B play with a single die, on this con- 
ition, that if A throw two or more aces at 
ght throws, he shall win ; otherwise B shall 
