SPORTING. 
cies trained to deception : they lead them 
into narrow passages, netted in a secure 
manner, near which a man is completely 
hidden, but who, showing himself suddenly, 
causes the deluded followers to remain in 
captivity, while the decoy birds all retreat, 
and escape the fatal issue. 
We shall close what relates to the fea- 
thered game with the following glossary of 
technical terms; many are now obsolete, 
but as they may atford the means of arriv- 
ing at the meaning of old authors, we give 
them a place. 
A sesre of herons, and of bitterns ; an 
herd of swans, of cranes, and of curlews ; 
a dropping of shelldrakes ; a spring of teals ; 
a covert of coots ; a gaggle of geese ; a ba- 
delynge of ducks ; a sord, or sute, of mal- - 
lards ; a muster of peacocks ; a nye of 
pheasants ; a covey of partridges ; a bevy 
of quails ; a congregation of plovers ; a 
flight of doves ; a dule of turkies ; a walk 
of snipes; a fall of woodcocks; a brood of 
hens ; a building of ro,oks , a murmurration 
of starlings ; an exaltation of larks ; a flight 
of swallows ; a host of sparrows ; a watch 
of nightingales ; and a charm of goldfinches. 
Some of the above are no doubt very 
applicable ; but, in general, they are rather 
'quaint than appropriate. The language of 
fowlers, like that of the turf, abounds with 
cant, on the exact application of which 
many pride themselves greatly. 
Coursing is generally confined to the pur- 
suit of hares, in which great amusement is 
atforded to those who are not sufficiently 
active to join in fox-hunting. Formerly 
deer and foxes were coursed, but at this 
date we have no instances of such chaces, 
except in the Highlands of Scotland, and in 
some parts of Ireland, where many braces 
of grey-hounds are occasionally posted in 
various directions, as relays to such as may 
first be slipped after the roe-buck. The 
laws of coursing were established by the 
Duke of Norfolk, in Queen Elizabeth’s 
reign, and were agreed to by the nobility, 
who then followed the diversion : they have 
been held authentic ever since, and are as 
follow. 
1. The feuterer, or person that lets loose 
the dogs, was to receive those into his 
leash that were matched to run together ; 
with these he was to follow the hare-finder, 
until he should come to the form : no per- 
son else being allowed to be on either side, 
or less than forty yards in the rear of the 
dogs. 2. A hare was not to be, coursed with 
more than a brac« of greyhound*. 3. The 
hare-finder was to give the hare three “ So- 
ho’s,” before he put her from her form, that 
the attention of the dogs might be rouzed. 
4. The hare was to have twelve score 
yards law before the dogs were loosed; 
unless the proximity of any cover should 
render such indulgence a prejudice to the 
chace. 5. The dog that gave the first turn 
during the course, if there was neither cote, 
slip, nor wrench, was the winner : a cote is 
where a greyhound goes endways by his 
fellow', and gives the hare a turn. 6. A 
cote was reckoned as twd turns, and two 
trippings, orjerkings, made a cote: if the 
hare did not turn quite about, she made 
only a wrench ; tw'o of which stood ftr a 
turn. 7. If no cotes were made, buf that 
one served the other at turning, then he that , 
gave the hare most turns was the winner : 
but if the turns were equal, the dog that 
bore tke hare won. 8. If one dog turned, 
and the other bore the hare, the latter won. 
9. A go by, or bearing the hare, was equi- 
valent to two turns. 10. If neither dog 
turned the hare, he that last led to cover 
won. 11. If one dog turned the hare, 
served, and turned her again, it was as 
much as a cote ; for a cote was equal to 
two turns. 12. If all the coursb was equal, 
the dog that bore the hare won. 13. If 
the hare was not borne, the course was ad- 
judged dead. 14. If a dog fell in coursing, 
and yet performed his part, he might chal- 
lenge a turn more than he gave. 15. If a dog 
turned the hare, served himself, and gave 
divers cotes, and yet, in the end, stood still 
in the field ; the other dog, if he ran the 
hare to cover, though he gave no turn, was 
adjudged the winner. In fact, no dog that 
gave up could win. 16. If by any acci- 
dent a dog was rode over in his course, or 
improperly baulked, the course was void, 
and he who did the mischief was to make 
due reparation. 17. If a dog gave the first 
and last turn, and there was no other ad- 
vantage, or reckoning, between them, he 
that gave the odd turn won. (Here, we 
beg leave to observe, is an opening for 
much misconception). 18. He that came 
in first at the death took up the hare, saved 
her from being torn, cherished the dogs, 
and cleared their mouths from the wool, 
was adjudged to have the hare, as the re- 
ward of his spirit and assiduity. 19. The 
judges of the course were to decide all 
points before they quitted the field. 20. 
No person could claim any prize or privi- 
lege, but under sanction of the judges of 
tli6 field. 
