The Feast of Wit; or, Sportfman's Hall.

perfonage and his chere amie, the faid, "Oh, never mind; all that is of little confequence, A conteft between thefe parties is al ways likely to end in a drawn battle."

270

The Feast of Wit; or, Sportsman's Hall.

in the lift of new peerages: "You would not furely," faid another," have the gallant ad miral confounded with the new peers: why, fir, he is peerless."

In the late naval engagement a brave, but œconomical feaman on board the Royal Charlotte, had his leg feparated from his thigh by a cannon-ball, juft at the knee, fome of his fhipmates had taken up Jack's leg, and were going to throw it overboard, when he called out, 66 Dll my eyes, you may do what you pleafe with the leg, but give me the filver buckle out of the fhoe."

An attorney lately fent a bill in to his client, in which, amongst feveral other Items, he charged him three guineas for reading an illegible piece of writing.

Voltaire, who knew his countrymen very well, does not fcruple to affert that-The French "are all monkeys or tygers." If this obfervation be just, it must be the monkeys that emigrated, and the tygers that went fighting to Flanders. It is not, therefore, furprising the Prince of Cobourg is lefs fuccefsful in this than he was in the war against the Porte; for the fame man who could mafter a Turk may be a very bad match for a Tyger.

ANECDOTE.

A drummer, who, according to military cuftom, was ordered to flog a foldier, in execution of the sentence of a court martial, pofitively refused to do fo, alledging that the office did not belong to him, as he could prove by the articles of war. The military code was confequently brought, and the drummer turned with an air of triumph to the particular article, which declared that all perfons guilty of the of fence in queftion should receive corporal punishment." You fee (faid he) that it is the corporal's duty, and not mine.

MEDICAL ANECDOTE. When the late Dr. Graham (of celeftial memory) was practifing in Cumberland, one of his patients bargaining with the Doctor for health and long life, would gladly have ftipulated for a daily allowance of Nantz, or gin and bitters, in which he had been accustomed to indulge himfelf pretty freely, and thought it had a pleafing effect in warming his ftomach. The Doctor was peremptory for a total abftinence from the

fiery fluid," the "liquor of hell," and fo forth :-The patient, finding this eminent dif penfer of thefe ineftimable bleffings was inflexible to his entreaties, ventured to afk "if he might not just make ufe of his prefent ftock, and then leave off?" What stock have you?" faid the Doctor. "Only about three gallons," replied the man. Only three gallons! (exclaimed the Doctor) you have enough for the remainder of your life, and to fupply your funeral very decently at the end of it."

A RE

Remarkable Inftance of the Fidelity of a Dog

REMARKABLE INSTANCE of the FIDELITY of a DOG, as related by M. HUET, Bishop of Ava.

RANCHES.

271

OBSERVATIONS on the LEECH WORM, by a Gentleman who kept! one feveral Years, for the purpofe of a Weather-glafse

PHIAL water, containe

Na village fituated between A ing a leech, I kept on the

IN

Caen and Vire, on the borders of the district called The Grove, there dwelt a peafant of furly untoward temper, who frequently beat and abufed his wife, infomuch that the neighbours were frequently obliged by her outeries to interfere, in order to prevent further mischief. Being at length weary of living always with one whom he hated, he refolved to make away with her. He pretended to be reconciled, altered his conduct, and on holidays invited her to walk out with him into the fields, for pleasure and

}

on

frame of my lower fath chamber window, so that when I looked in the morning, I could: know what would be the weather the following day.

If the weather fhould prove ferene and beautiful, the leech lies motionless at the bottom of the glafs, and rolled together in a fpiral form.

If it rains, either before or after noon, it is found crept up to the top of its lodging, and there it remains till the weather is fet tled. If we are to have wind, the poor prifoner gallops through its limpid habitation with amazing

rain is to fucceed, for feme days before, it lodges almoft continually without the water, and difcovers uncommon uneafinefs, in violent throws, and convulfivelike motions.

recreation. One evening in fummer-fwiftnefs, and feldom refts till it time, after a very hot day, begins to blow hard. If a rehe carried her to cool and remarkable ftorm of thunder and' pofe herself on the borders of a fpring, in a place very fhady and folitary. He pretended to be very thirty; the clearness of the water tempted them to drink; he laid himself down on his belly, and fwilled large draughts of it, In froft, (as in clear fummer highly commending the fweetnefs weather) it lies conftantly at the of the water, and advising her to bottom; and in fnow, as in rainy refresh herself in a like manner. weather, it pitches its dwelling She believed him and complied-upon the very mouth of the as foon as he perceived her in phial. that pofture, he threw himself upon her, and plunged her head into the water, in order to drown her. She struggled hard, but could not have faved herself, had it not been for the affiftance of a dog, who used to follow, was fond of her, and never left her company, he immediately flew upon the husband, feized him by the throat, made him let go his hold, and faved the life of his miftrefs.

What reafon may be affigned for them I must leave to philofo, phers to determine; this one thing is evident, that it must be affected in the fame way with that of the mercury and fpirits: in the weather glafs, and has doubtless a very surprising sensation that the change of weather, even days before, makes a visible alteration upon its manner of living.

Perhaps it would not be amifs to note, left any of the curious fhould

2728

Death of the Hare-Sporting in Corfica:

fhould try the experiment, that the leech was kept in a common eight ounce glafs phial, about three-fourths filled with water, and covered at the mouth with a bit of Linen. In the fummer, the water fhould be changed once a week, and in winter, once a fort night.

This is a weather-glafs that may be purchased at a very trifling expence, and which will Jaft many years.

DEATH of the HARE. UR very valuable correfOUR pondent ACASTUS has, in his different communications in the courfe of our Work, expatiated with great ability on the fubject of HARE HUNTING; and although we are well convinced that the

elegant Engraving of the Death of the Hare, which we now prefent our Subfcribers with, can make no addition to his ingenious remarks, yet we think that the decoration for our prefent Number, cannot be drawn from a better fource; and we truft that we are not alone in this opinion.

Account of the ANIMALS,

IT

the Ifland of CORSICA

an account of the different animals who are hunted by the natives, we truft, will afford fatisfaction to our readers.

The forests of this ifland abound in deer: and there is here a curious animal, called a Muffoli. It resembles a ftag, but has horns like a ram, and a skin uncommonly hard. It is very wild, and lives on the highest mountains, where it can hardly be approached, it is fo nimble. It will jump from rock to rock, at the diftance of many feet: and, if hard chafed, to the extremity of a cliff, from whence it can reach no other, it will throw itfelf over, and with furprifing agility pitch upon its horns, without receiving any hurt. Yet when thefe creatures are taken young, they are very easily ta med.

M. de Marbœuf, the French commander at the time I

was in Corfiça, had then one of them: and there are now two of them at Shugborough, in Staffordshire, the feat of Mr. Anfon, who has a rich affemblage of what is curious in nature, as well as of what is elegant in art.

The Corfican animals in general appear wild to ftrangers. Polybius gives us a reason for it. All the animals in the island appear to be wild on this account, in that it is fo rude and fteep, and

fo thick fet with trees, that the T is not the provinces of the fhepherds are not able to follow EDITORS of the SPORTING their flocks. The wild boar is found here in great plenty. InMAGAZINE to trouble their readers with any remarks on the deed their fwine, which are very advantages or disadvantages that numerous, have all a mixture of may be the confequence of the the wild breed, and being fed on newly acquired KINGDOM of chefnuts, they are agreeable food. The Corficans are very fond CORSICA but as the known fpirit of enterprize which charac-of the diverfion of hunting the terifes the inhabitants of our wild boar, for which there is here, own country, may draw many a race of dogs particularly exof our fporting friends thither,cellent. They have fmooth hair,

and