64 
graham’s magazine. 
a word or question, down charged at the report, the busy 
little babblers are couched silent in the soft, succulent 
young grass. Loaded once more, “Hie! fetch!” and 
what a race of emulation—mouthing their birds gently, yet 
rapturously, to inhale best the delicate aroma, not biting 
them, each cocker has brought in his bird, and they and 
you, gentle reader, if you be the happy sportsman who 
possesses such a brace of beauties, are rewarded ade¬ 
quately and enough. 
For the rest, a short, wide-bored, double-barrel, an 
ounce of No. 8 shot, and an equal measure of Brough’s 
diamond-grain, will do the business of friend microptera, 
as effectually, at this season, as a huge, long, old fashioned 
nine-pounder, with its two ounce charge; and it will give 
you this advantage, that it shall weigh less by three pounds, 
and enable you to dispense with a superfluous weight of 
shot, which, on a hot July day, especially if you be at all 
inclined to what our friend Willis calls pinguitude, will of 
a necessity produce much exudation, and some lassitude. 
By the time these lucubrations shall be in thy hands, 
kind and gentle sportsman, the dog-days will be, and July 
cock-shooting; and that, where thou sbootest soever, thou 
mayest find the woodcock lying as thick and as lazy as 
in the cut above, is the worst wish in thy behalf, of thy 
friend and servant at command, 
Frank Forester. 
\ 
V 
justly ascribe some very 'estimable and admirable qualities. 
In the first place, he is tnte great controversialist of the 
watery world. “ If he cannot always convince,” as some 
one said of a renowned American orator, “ he never failed 
to silence his opponent;” and Husain the tactics of dispu¬ 
tation, is almost as grand an achievement as convincing 
itself. We read that Tycho Brahe hhd his nose bitten off 
in a controversy with another distinguished mathematician. 
But, although the shark—provided as he is with a jaw as 
effective as a broad-axe—is well qualified to “ chop 
logic,” we doubt if he would be satisfied with such a 
paltry exploit as that which has been accredited to Tycho’s 
snappish adversary; and, indeed, we see no use in minc¬ 
ing the matter when it becomes necessary to “ use up” an 
opponent. The best advice we can give in such a case, is 
to “go the whole hog” at once. But it is not with tliv 
Of all marine animals (excep/midshipmen and second- 
lieutenants in the navy) the ^Jfark is, perhaps, one of the 
most unpopular. In genendf it is difficult to give reason 
for the unpopularity or popularity of any thing, but with 
reference to the shark, tffere is much reason to suppose 
that he has, by cruelymisrepresentation, been exposed to 
unmerited dislike./ Had he been altogether bad, it is 
most likely that id would have found a zealous advocate 
long ago; wheu/as, we arc the first, we believe, who ever 
undertook taPsay a word in his defense. As a shark is 
thought by* nave many counterparts among the human 
species,yp^e must be extremely careful how we launch 
our inyectives at him, lest by direct implication we should 
abuse some of our most respectable fellow-citizens. But, 
without affectation, we have always felt a high degree of 
respect for this inhabitant of the deep, to whom we may 
