• Observe that he is furnished with a bitt proper for him, and by no means too heavy, which may incline him to carry low, or to reft upon the hand when he grows weary, which horsemen call, making use of his fifth leg.

The mouth of the bitt fhould rest upon his bars about half a finger's breadth from his tufhes, fo as not to make him frumble his lips; the curb fhould rest in the hollow of his beard a little above the chin; and if it gall him, you must defend the place with a piece of buff, or other foft leather.

Take notice that the faddle do not reft upon his withers, reins, or back-bone, and that one part of it do not prefs his back more than another.

• Some riders gall a horfe's fides below the faddle with their ftirrup-leathers, especially if he be lean; to hinder it, you fhould fix a leather-ftrap between the points of the fore and hind bows of the faddle, and make the firrup-leather pass over them.

Begin your journey with fhort marches, especially if your horfe has not been exercised for a long time; fuffer him to itale as often as you find him inclined, and not only fo, but invite him to it; but do not excite your mares to ftale, because their vigour will be thereby diminished.

It is adviseable to ride very foftly, for a quarter or half an hour before you arrive at the inn, that the horse not being too warm, nor out of breath, when put into the ftable, you may unbridle him; but if your bufinefs obliges you to put on fharply, you must then (the weather being warm) let him be walked in a man's hand, that he may cool by degrees; otherwise if it be very cold, let him be covered with cloths, and walked up and down in fome place free from wind; but in case you have not the conveniency of a fheltered walk, ftable him. forthwith, and let his whole body be rubbed and dried with straw.

Although fome people will have their horfe's legs rubbed down with ftraw as foon as they are brought into the ftable, thinking to fupple them by that means; yet it is one of the greatest errors that can be committed, and produces no other effects than to draw down into the legs thofe humours that are always firred up by the fatigue of the journey: not that the rubbing of horses legs is to be difallowed, on the contrary, we highly approve of it, only would not have it done at their first arrival, but when they are perfectly cooled.

Being come to your inn, as foon as your horfe is partly dried, and ceafes to beat in the flanks, let him be unbridled, his bitt washed, cleanfed, and wiped, and let him eat his hay at pleasure.

If your horfe be very dry, and you have not given him water on the road, give him oats wathed in good mild ale,

The duft and fand will fometimes fo dry the tongues and mouths of horses, that they lofe their appetites: in fuch cafe give them bran well moistened with water, to cool and refresh their

mouths;

mouths; or wafh their mouths and tongues with a wet fpunge, to oblige them to eat.

The foregoing directions are to be obferved after moderate riding, but if you have rid exceffive hard, unfaddle your horfe, and fcrape off the sweat with a fweating-knife, or fcraper, holding it with both hands, and going always with the hair; then rub his head and ears with a large hair-cloth, wipe him alfo' between the fore-legs and hind-legs; in the mean while, his body should be rubbed all over with ftraw, especially under his belly and beneath the faddle, till he is thoroughly dry.

That done, fet on the faddle again, cover him, and if you have a warm place, let him be gently led up and down in it, for a quarter of an hour, but if not, let him dry where he ftands.

Or you may unfaddle him immediately; fcrape off the fweat; let the oftler take a little vinegar in his mouth and squirt it into the horses; then rub his head, between the fore and hind legs, and his whole body, till he is pretty dry; let him not drink till thoroughly cool and has eat a few oats; for many, by drinking too foon have been spoiled. Set the faddle in the fun or by a fire in order to dry the pannels.

• When horfes are arrived in an inn, a man fhould, before they are unbridled, lift up their feet, to fee whether they want any of their fhoes, or if those they have do not rest upon their fides, afterwards he should pick and clear them of the earth and gravel, which may be got betwixt their shoes and foles.

If you water them abroad, upon their return from the river, cause their feet to be stopped with cow-dung, which will ease the pain therein; and if it be in the evening, let the dung continue in their feet all night, to keep them foft and in good condition; but if your horfe have brittle feet, it will be requifite to anoint the fore-feet, at the on-ferting of the hoofs, with butter, oil, or hog's-greafe, before you water him in the morning, and in dry weather they fhould be alfo greafed at

noon.

Many horfes, as foon as unbridled, inftead of eating lay themselves down to reft, by reafon of the great pain they have in their feet, fo that a man is apt to think them fick, but if he looks to their eyes, he will fee they are lively and good, and if he offers them meat as they are lying, they will eat it very willingly; yet if he handles their feet, he will find them extremely hot, which discovers their foffering in that part.

You must therefore fee if their fhoes do not reft upon their foles, which is fomewhat difficult to be certainly known, without unfhoeing them, but if you take off their fhoes, then look to the infide of them, and you may perceive that thofe parts which reft upon the foles, are more fmooth and fhining than the others: in this cafe you are to pare their feet in those parts,

and

and fix on their fhoes again, anointing the hoofs, and ftopping the foles, with fcalding hot black pitch or tar.

After a long day's journey, at night feel your horfe's back, if it be pinched, galled, or fwelled, (if you do not immediately difcover it, perhaps you may after fupper) there is nothing bet ter than to rub it with good brandy and the white of an egg. If the galls are between the legs, ufe the fame remedy; but if the oftler rubs him weli between the legs he will feldom be galled in that part.

In order to preferve horses after travel, take these few useful inftructions. When you are arrived from a journey, imme. diately draw the two heel nails of the fore-feet; and, if it be large fhoe, then four: two or three days after you may blood him in the neck, and feed him for ten or twelve days only with wet bran, without giving him any oats; but keep him well littered.

The reafon why you are to draw the heel-nails, is because the heels are apt to fwell, and if they are not thus eased, the fhoes would prefs and freighten them too much: 'tis also adviseable to flop them with cow-dung for a while, but do not take the fhoes off, nor pare the feet, because the humours are drawn down by that means.

The following bath will be very ferviceable for preserving your horfe's legs, Take the dung of a cow or ox, and make it thin with vinegar, fo as to be of the confiftence of thick broth, and having added a handful of small falt, rub his fore-legs from the knees, and the hind-legs from the gambrels, chafing them well with and against the hair, that the remedy may fink in and ftick to thofe parts, that they may be all covered over with it. Thus leave the horse till morning, not wetting his legs, but giving him his water that evening in a pail: next morning lead him to the river, or wafh his legs in well-water, which is very good, and will keep them from fwelling.'

The hunting the hart or ftag is very fully described, and affords an entertaining article; but the chace of the hare, and that of the fox, are lefs skillfully treated, especially the latter, which is the more to be regretted, that it is the favourite amufement of modern fportfmen.

Under the head, hunting-horfe, we meet with abundance of useful hints, though the treatment in general is old.

Those who delight in racing and cocking, will also find here a number of articles for their purpose.

Under the word Terms, we are prefented with the technical terms and phrafes ufed by huntfmen and falconers. Under thofe of Rabbits, Pigeons, and Poultry, the notable houfe wife, we believe, will be gratified with useful information.

Birds likewife form the fubject of a number of articles; as a fpecimen of which we shall lay before our readers that on the nightingale.

• The nightingale has the fuperiority above all other birds, in refpect to her finging with fo much variety, the sweetest and most melodiously of all others.

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Nightingales appear in England, about the beginning of April, none as yet knowing where their habitations is [are] during the winter feafon; and they usually make their nefts about a foot and a half, or two feet above ground, either in thick quick-fet hedges, or in beds of nettles where old quick-fet hedges have been thrown together, and nettles grown through and make them of fuch materials as the place affords: but fome have found their nefts upon the ground, at the bottom of hedges, and amongst wafte grounds; and fome upon banks that have been raised, and then overgrown with thick grafs. As for the number of their eggs, it is uncertain, fome having three or four, and fome five, according to the ftrength of their bodies; and those that make their nests in the fummer, have fometimes feven or eight but they have young ones commonly in the beginning of May.

The nightingale that is beft to be kept, fhould be of the earliest birds in the fpring, they becoming more perfect in their fongs, and also hardier, for the old one has more time to fing over, or continue longer in finging than thofe that are later bred, and you may have better hopes of their living. The young ones must not be taken out of their nefts till they are indifferently well feathered, not too little nor too much, for if the laft, they will be fullen, and in the other cafe they are apt to die, and at the best they are as much longer in bringing up.

• Their meat may be made of lean beef, theep's heart, or bullock's heart, the fat skin whereof that covers it, must first be pulled off, and the finews taken out as clean as poffibly; then foak a quantity of white bread in water, and chop it small, as it were for minced meat, then with a stick take up the quantity of a grey pea, and give every one three or four fuch gobbles in an hour's time, as long as they shall endure to abide in their nefts.

When they begin to grow strong, and ready to fly out, put them into the cage with feveral perches for them to fit upon, lined with fome green baize, for they are at first subject to the cramp; and put fome fine mofs or hay at the bottom of the cage, for them to fit on when they please, always obferving to keep them as clean as may be, for if they are brought up naftily, they, as well as all other birds, will always be fo; fome fuffer no day-light to come to them only on one fide; others, more curious, line their cages on three fides with green baize.

For the diseases incident to this delightful bird; as nightingales grow extraordinary fat, both abroad in fields, as well as

in

in houfes where they are caged up, you are to obferve, it is very dangerous when it begins to abate, if they do not fing, therefore they must be kept very warm upon the falling of their fat, and must have fome faffron given them in their meat and water: but when they are perceived to grow fat, they must be purged two or three times a week with fome worms that are Laken out of pigeon-houfes, for four or five weeks together; and give them two or three fpeckled fpiders a-day, as long as they laft, which fpiders are found in Auguft. If they grow melancholy, put into their water or drinking-pot, fome white fugar-candy, with a flice or two of liquorice; and if they ftill complain, put into their pot fix or eight chives of faffron, continuing to give them sheep's heart and paste, alfo three or four mealworms a day, and a few ants and their eggs: farther boil a newJaid egg very hard, mince it fmall, and ftrew it amongst the ants and their eggs.

Nightingales that have been kept two or three years in a cage are very fubject to the gout, in that cafe you must take them out and anoint their feet with fresh butter or capon's grease three or four days together, which is a certain care.

The chief thing that causes most of the diseases, is for want of keeping them clean and neat, whereby their feet become clogged, and their claws rot off, which brings the gout and cramp upon them: be fure twice a week to let them have gravel about the bottom of the cage, which must be very dry when it is put in, as it will not then be fubject to clog.

These birds are alfo fubject to apofthumes and breakings out above their eyes and nebs, for which you are alfo to use butter and capon's greafe. To raife nightingales when they are very bare, give them new eggs chopt very fmall, amongit their sheep's heart and paste, or hard eggs, and when they are recovered, bring them to ordinary diet again, that you may continue to maintain them in their former plight; but as foon as you perceive them growing fat, give them no more eggs.

There is another difeafe incident to thofe birds, called the ftreightness, or ftrangling in the breaft; which proceeds very often for want of care in preparing their food, by mixing fat meat therewith; and may be perceived by the beating pain they were not accuftomed to, which abides in this part, and by his often gaping and opening his bill; it may also be occafioned by fome finew or thread of the fheep's heart (fer want of shreding with a fharp knife) that hangs in his throat, or that many times clings about his tongue, whsch makes him forfake his meat and grow poor in a very fhort time, especially in the fpring, and when he is in the fong-note: as foon as you perceive the fymptoms, take him gently out of his cage, open his bill with a quill or pin, and unloofen any ftring or loose piece of fleth that may hang about his tongue or throat, and when you have taken it away, give him fome white fugar-candy in his

waler,