Chapter XXVI: Part 26

The hunting season commences on Holyrood day, the 25th of September, and continues every Tuesday and Saturday till the first week in May; with the exception of Christmas and Easter weeks, when they hunt three times in each. Holyrood day and Easter Monday, are two grand days of the year for company, when the field is extremely numerous. His majesty has also a pack of harriers, which are kept at the Little Park Lodge, near Windsor, and these he hunts constantly in Windsor Great Park, and the surrounding neighbourhood; they are, however, a private concern of his majesty’s, and not included in the regular Crown establishment.

KING’S PLATE, _s._

Those called king’s-plates are a free gift from his majesty, of 100 guineas each; and, it is believed, were originally granted as a means of exciting such a degree of emulation, as would probably tend to national advantage (by an additional influx of company) to such cities and towns as enjoy the royal favour. Newmarket, as the superior spot of sporting celebrity, is particularly honoured, having two in the first Spring, and one in the first October meetings.

King’s-plates are also given at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Guildford, Winchester, Ipswich, Burford, Chelmsford, Nottingham, Lewes, Edinburgh, York, Canterbury, Warwick, Lichfield, Richmond (Yorkshire), Lincoln, Salisbury, Ayr, Carlisle, and Ascot Heath; the whole of which, except the last, are run for by horses or mares of different ages, carrying such weights as shall be appointed by the master of the horse, or whoever he may delegate for that purpose.

The king’s-plate, of 100 guineas, given at Ascot, and always run for on the first day, (invariably Whit Tuesday fortnight) is only for horses which have regularly hunted with his majesty’s stag-hounds the preceding season, and must have been well up with the hounds, at their running up to, taking, or killing, ten deer, as an indispensable qualification, without having which they cannot be permitted to start. At the conclusion of the chase, when the deer is secured, those who intend to qualify for the plate, apply to the huntsman, and a ticket is delivered to the rider, bearing the arms of the master of the stag-hounds, and the seal of the royal hunt; when which ten tickets are obtained the horse has secured his qualification, may then be withdrawn from the field, and is not obliged to appear again till the day of entrance at Sunning Hill Wells, where the tickets must be produced, in confirmation of his being duly qualified to start. For the accommodation of the sporting world at large, horses of all ages are permitted to run, carrying the following weights:—four years’ old, 11st. 2lb.; five years’ old, 11st. 9lb.; six years’ old, 11st. 12lb.; and aged, 12st. Mares allowed 4lb. The best of three four-mile heats.—_Vide_ RACING.

The following rules are, by his majesty’s command, to be strictly observed by the owners and riders of all such horses, mares, or geldings, as shall run for his majesty’s plates at Newmarket:—

KING’S-PLATE ARTICLES.

Every person that putteth in a horse, mare, or gelding, for the
said plate, is to show such horse, mare, or gelding, with the
marks, name, and name of the owner, to be entered at the king’s
stables in Newmarket, the day before they run, and shall then
produce a certificate under the hand of the breeder, specifying
his exact age the grass before.

Every horse, mare, or gelding, that runneth, is to start between
the hours of one and four in the afternoon; and to be allowed
half an hour between each heat to rub.

Every horse, mare, or gelding, that runneth on the wrong side
the posts or flags, or is distanced in any of the heats, shall
have no share of the said plate, nor be suffered to start again.

The horse, mare, or gelding, that winneth any two heats, winneth
the plate; but if three several horses, mares, or geldings, win
each of them a heat, then those three, and only they, to run a
fourth; and the horse, mare, or gelding, that winneth the fourth
heat, shall have the plate.

And each horse, mare, or gelding’s place, as he or they come in
by the ending post each heat, as first, second, or third, &c.,
shall be determined by such judges as shall be appointed for
that purpose by the Master of the Horse. And in case any horse,
mare, or gelding, shall be then, or after prove to be, above the
age certified the grass before, the owner or owners of such
horse, mare, or gelding, shall be rendered incapable of ever
running for any of the king’s plates hereafter.

As many of the riders as shall cross, jostle, or strike, or use
any other foul play, as shall be judged by such person or
persons as shall be appointed by the Master of the Horse, such
rider shall be made incapable of ever riding any horse, mare, or
gelding, for any of his majesty’s plates hereafter; and such
owners shall have no benefit of that plate; but such owners may
be permitted to run any horse, mare, or gelding, for any other
of his majesty’s free plates in future.

Every rider shall, immediately after each heat is run, be
obliged to come to the ending post with his horse, mare, or
gelding, then and there to alight, and not before, and there to
weigh to the satisfaction of the judges appointed for that
purpose.

And in case of neglect or refusal thereof, such winners and
riders shall be immediately declared incapable of running or
riding any more for this or any of his majesty’s plates in
future.

And should any difference arise relating to their ages, or in
their running, or to these his majesty’s orders, the same to be
determined by such person or persons as shall be appointed by
the Master of the Horse. And these articles are to continue in
force, unless altered by command of his majesty.

For the better and more certain prevention of any fraud or
misapplication, the winner of a king’s plate is to receive from
the clerk of the course, a certificate signed by the steward of
the race where such plate is won, counter-signed by himself
also, which being presented to the lord lieutenant of the
county, it obtains his signature likewise: when thus sanctioned,
it becomes payable at sight to bearer (if properly endorsed by
the winner,) at the office of the clerk of his majesty’s
stables, in the King’s Mews, London. The lord lieutenant of a
county being out of the kingdom, the signature of any person
regularly deputed by him is sufficient. The certificate of
winning the plate at Ascot requires only the signature of the
master of his majesty’s stag hounds, instead of the lord
lieutenant of the county.

KITE, _s._ A bird of prey that infests the farms, and steals the
chickens; a fictitious bird made of paper.

This bird is easily distinguished from the buzzard by its forked tail, which is its peculiar and distinguishing feature. Its length is about two feet; its bill is of a horn colour, furnished with bristles at the base; its eyes and cere are yellow; the feathers on the head and neck are long and narrow, of a hoary colour, streaked with brown down the middle of each; those on the body are of a reddish brown colour, the margin of each feather pale; the quills are dark brown, the legs yellow, and the claws black. It is common in England, where it continues the whole year. It is found in various parts of Europe, in very northern latitudes, whence it retires towards Egypt before winter, in great numbers; it is said to breed there, and return in April to Europe, where it breeds a second time, contrary to the nature of rapacious birds in general. The female lays two or three eggs of a whitish colour, spotted with pale yellow, and of a roundish form. Though the kite weighs somewhat less than three pounds, the extent of its wings is more than five feet; its flight is rapid, and it soars very high in the air, frequently beyond the reach of our sight; yet, at this distance, it perceives its food distinctly, and descends upon its prey with irresistible force: its attacks are confined to small animals and birds; it is particularly fond of young chickens, but the fury of their mother is generally sufficient to drive away the robber.—_Bewick._

KITTEN, _s._ a young cat.

KITTEN, _v._ To bring forth young cats.

KNEE, _s._ The joint of the leg where the leg is joined to the
thigh; a knee is a piece of timber growing crooked, and so cut
that the trunk and branch make an angle.

_Knee of a Horse_ is the central joint of the leg, where the fore thigh is united to the shank bone. Its formation is of such strength, that a lameness, by twist, distortion, or any other injury, is hardly ever sustained in this part, but by the accident of falling, which frequently happens, and, if attended with a blemish, very much reduces the previous value of the horse. Prominences in a pavement, or rolling stones upon a road, are sometimes the occasion of such misfortunes, even to those who are in general exceedingly sure-footed, and of the most valuable description. Custom has, however, introduced of late years such an unprecedented degree of precaution in an examination of the knees, that the slightest touch cannot be expected to pass unnoticed amidst so much scrutinising inspection; and if once appearances are sufficient to justify a doubt, the object immediately sinks in estimation, however superior he may be in other respects and qualifications. This being so great a disadvantage when a horse is to be sold, it evidently points out the absolute necessity of a minute examination before he is bought, as a want of it may produce considerable loss and serious reflection. Loss of hair upon the knees, when not too seriously affected, may sometimes be restored by a daily application of very strong camphorated liniment.

* * * * *

The knee of the horse corresponds with the human wrist. Like the joints generally, it should be large, by which the surface of muscular and ligamentous contact becomes increased, and the stability of the limb in proportion augmented; by this form also the tendinous insertions are further removed from the centre of motion, and thereby their power is increased. The knee should be carefully examined, to see whether the skin has been broken by falls; and great caution is necessary in this, for the hair sometimes grows so well over the scar as to leave it hardly discernible. Horse dealers likewise hide the blemish by blackening the part. It does not, however, follow that a mark or scar always indicates a stumbler; and persons are too apt to forget that the safest horse may by an unavoidable accident fall; but which circumstance will never influence his future manner of going, unless the cicatrix should be of such extent as to interfere with the motion of the joint; if, therefore, the arm and fore-arm be strong, the fore-hand high, and the horse show good action, he should not be rejected wholly for an accidental blemish.—_Blaine._

KNOT, _s._ A complication of a cord or string not easily to be
disentangled; a hard part in a piece of wood; a confederacy, an
association, a small band; intricacy; a cluster, a collection; a
fen bird. Knot is the division of the log-line answering to half
a minute as a mile does to an hour.

These birds, like others of the same genus, differ considerably from each other in their appearance in different seasons of the year, as well as from age and sex. The specimen from which the above drawing was taken measured from the point of the bill to the tip of the tail eight inches and a half; the extended wings about fifteen; and it weighed two ounces eight drachms. The bill is one inch and three-eighths long, black at the tip, and dusky, fading into orange towards the base; tongue of nearly the same length, sharp, and horny at the point: sides of the head, neck, and breast, cinereous, edged with ash-coloured grey; the chin white, and a stroke of the same colour passed over each eye. All the upper parts of the plumage were darkish-brown, but more deep and glossy on the crown of the head, back, and scapulars, and each feather was edged with ash or grey; the under parts were a cream-coloured white, streaked or spotted with brown on the sides and vent; the greater coverts of the wings tipped with white, which formed a bar across them when extended; the legs reddish yellow and short, not measuring more than two inches and one-eighth from the middle toe nail to the knee; the thighs feathered very nearly to the knee; toes divided without any connecting membrane.

This bird is caught in Lincolnshire and the other fenny counties in great numbers by nets, into which it is decoyed by carved wooden figures painted to represent itself, and placed within them, much in the same way as the ruff. It is also fattened for sale, and esteemed by many equal to the ruff in the delicacy of the flavour. The season for taking it is from August to November, after which the frost compels it to disappear.

This bird is said to have been a favourite dish with Canute, King of England; and Camden observes that its name is derived from his—Knute or Knoute, as he was called, which in process of time has been changed to Knot.—_Bewick._

KNOT, _v._ To complicate in knots; to entangle, to perplex; to
unite.

KNOTTY, _a._ Full of knots; hard, rugged; intricate, perplexed.

KNUCKLE, _s._ The joints of the fingers, protuberant when the
fingers close; the joint of a calf; the articulation or joint of
a plant.

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LACE, _s._ A string, a cord; a snare, a gin.

LACERATION, _s._ The act of tearing or rending; the breach made by
tearing.

LAIR, _s._ The couch of a boar, or wild beast; the place where deer
harbour by day.

LAKE, _s._ A large diffusion of inland water; a small plash of
water; a middle colour betwixt ultramarine and vermilion.

LAME, _a._ Crippled, disabled in the limbs.

LAMENESS, _s._ The state of a cripple, loss or inability of limbs;
imperfection, weakness.

_Lameness in Horses._—Proceeds from a variety of causes, and requires much patient investigation to ascertain, to a certainty, the exact seat of injury; for want of which judicious precaution, mischief frequently follows. Horses are sometimes persecuted, blistered, and fired for a lameness in one part, which ultimately proves to be in another, and this alone sufficiently points out the absolute necessity of a deliberate discrimination. As lameness proceeds from different causes, so it is of different kinds, and requires various modes of treatment, equally opposite to each other. This cannot be more forcibly elucidated, than by adverting to the difference between a lameness originating in a relaxation of the sinews, and a ligamentary injury sustained by a sudden turn, twist, or distortion, of some particular joint. These require a very different mode of treatment; and yet it is too much, and too unthinkingly the custom to treat every kind of lameness in the same way. From either a want of patience in the owner, or a want of prudence in the practitioner, the favourite operation of blistering is thought applicable to every case without exception; and being often resorted to before the inflammation of the part has sufficiently subsided, occasions a permanent enlargement, with a thickening of the integument, and consequent stiffness, rendering the remedy equally injurious with the original defect.

In all lamenesses occasioned by a relaxation of the tendons, blistering, and even firing, are admitted to have a forcible effect, provided they are brought into use at a proper time; but not before the inflammation (which is generally attendant upon such case) has previously subsided. In all ligamentary injuries blistering is seldom, if ever, known to be productive of permanent advantage; and is, perhaps, upon most occasions, so immediately adopted, because a single application is of so much less personal trouble, than a daily persevering hour bestowed in a hot fomentation, and stimulative embrocations.

Upon the subject of lameness in general, it is necessary to remark, that injuries sustained in tendons (commonly called the back sinews) are more frequently relieved, and a lasting cure obtained, than in a lameness of the joints; where, after patient and persevering medical applications, and a corresponding portion of rest, a renewal of work has almost immediately produced a relapse.

* * * * *

Lameness, from whatever cause arising, is unsoundness. However temporary it may be, or however obscure, it lessens the utility of the horse, and renders him unsound for the time. How far his soundness may be afterwards affected, must depend on the circumstances of the case. A lame horse is for a time an unsound one.

* * * * *

_Lameness in Dogs._—During the hunting or shooting season, dogs are very liable to sore feet: they should be frequently washed with strong brine, pot liquor, or salt and vinegar,—a handful of the former to a pint of the latter. But as it will be found easier to prevent than cure the affection, this is best done by washing their feet every day, when returning from the field, with pot-liquor or brine.—_The Horse_—_Brown._

LAMPASS, _s._ A lump of flesh, about the bigness of a nut, in the
roof of a horse’s mouth.

_Lampass._—Called also lampers, and lampards, is a spongy, elastic enlargement of the roof of a young horse’s mouth, just behind the nippers of his upper jaw, which frequently acquires such a luxuriance in growth, as to be equal with, or to exceed, the surface of the teeth, and is supposed to occasion pain to such horses in the mastication of their corn. Whenever the lampass are found so protuberant as to justify an opinion, or produce a proof that they occasion pain in mastication, it is then time enough to pass the point or edge of a sharp penknife, or lancet, transversely and longitudinally over the puffy and prominent part, so as to let it bleed in that state for a few minutes; then let it be washed with a solution of alum in water, and no further inconvenience need be apprehended.—_White._

LAMPBLACK, _s._ Is made by holding a torch under the bottom of a
basin, and as it is furred striking it with a feather into some
shell, and grinding it with gum water.

LAMPREY, _s._ A kind of eel.

The sight of a large square slab of white marble at a trifling distance from the main road on this mountain, excited my curiosity some days ago. It contained a modern Latin inscription of great length, which for its singularity I would send you, but I wish to save postage. The traveller is desired to pause, in order to behold an ocular demonstration of the cruelty and impiety of the ancient pagans, exhibited in the fish-ponds of A. Pollio, Esq. who, says the marble, was particularly fond of lampreys fed with _human blood_; and who to gratify this inhuman sort of gluttony, had these ponds built at an immense expense, and caused the wretched victims of his corrupt palate to be thrown into them. Accepting the pious invitation, I entered the farm pointed out by the inscription, and actually found the farm-house to consist of some modern masonry engrafted upon a solid stock of ancient reticulated architecture. At the back of the building a small door opened into the ponds, which even now appeared to be abundantly supplied with water, rising to the height of about eight or ten feet, from the door downwards, and covered by an arched vault nearly as high from the top of the door: the sides were lined with a stucco, as hard, if not harder than stone. The whole fabric was in perfect preservation, and well worth the attention of an antiquary; but my conductor was unable to add anything to the information given by the inscription, which, I confess, appeared to me very problematical. The neat and impenetrable covering of stucco, would rather induce me to take it for a reservoir, or large cistern for water, than a pond for lampreys: and supposing it to have been the latter, where is the evidence of human bodies having supplied their food; and supposing the Roman laws to have been lax enough to allow such a diabolical practice, what stomach could relish such a dainty?—_Letters from the Campagna Felice._

LAMPRON, _s._ A kind of sea-fish, a long eel.

LANCE, _v._ To pierce, to cut; to open chirurgically, to cut in
order to a cure.

LANCET, _s._ A small pointed chirurgical instrument.

LAND, _v._ To set on shore; to secure a fish.

LANDMARK, _s._ Anything set up to preserve boundaries.

LANDRAIL, or DAKER HEN, CORNCRAKE, (_Rallus crex_, LINN.; _Le Rale
de Genet_, BUFF.) _s._ A bird.

Length rather more than nine inches; the bill is light brown; the eyes hazel; all the feathers on the upper parts of the plumage are of a dark brown, edged with pale rust colour; both wing coverts and quills are of a deep chestnut; the fore part of the neck and the breast are of a pale ash colour; a streak of the same colour extends over each eye from the bill to the side of the neck; the belly is of a yellowish white; the sides, thighs, and vent, are marked with faint rusty coloured bars; the legs are of a pale flesh colour.

We have ventured to remove this bird from the usual place assigned to it among those to whom it seems to have little or no analogy, and have placed it among others to which in most respects it bears a strong affinity.

It makes its appearance about the same time as the quail, and frequents the same places, whence it is called in some counties the king of the quails. Its well known cry is first heard as soon as the grass becomes long enough to shelter it, and continues till the grass is cut; but the bird is seldom seen, for it constantly skulks among the thickest part of the herbage, and runs so nimbly through it, winding and doubling in every direction, that it is difficult to come near it; when hard pushed by the dog, it sometimes stops short and squats down, by which means its too eager pursuer overshoots the spot, and loses the trace. It seldom springs but when driven to extremity, and generally flies with its legs hanging down, but never to a great distance; as soon as it alights it runs off, and before the fowler has reached the spot, the bird is at a considerable distance.

The corncrake leaves the island before the winter, and repairs to other countries in search of its food, which consists principally of slugs, of which it destroys prodigious numbers; it likewise feeds on worms and insects, as well as on seeds of various kinds. It is very common in Ireland, and is seen in great numbers in the Island of Anglesea on its passage to that country. On its first arrival in England, it is so lean as to weigh less than six ounces, from which one would conclude that it must have come from distant parts; before its departure, however, it has been known to exceed eight ounces, and is then very delicious eating.

The female lays ten or twelve eggs on a nest made of a little moss or dry grass, carelessly put together; they are of a pale ash-colour, marked with rust-coloured spots. The young crakes are covered with black down; they soon find the use of their legs, for they follow the mother immediately after they have burst the shell.

* * * * *

This is deemed a bird of passage by all the writers: yet from its formation seems to be poorly qualified for migration; for its wings are short, and placed so forward, and out of the centre of gravity, that it flies in a very heavy and embarrassed manner, with its legs hanging down; and can hardly be sprung a second time, as it runs very fast, and seems to depend more on the swiftness of its feet than on its flying.

When we came to draw it, we found the entrails so soft and tender, that in appearance they might have been dressed like the ropes of a woodcock. The craw or crop was small and lank, containing a mucus; the gizzard thick and strong, and filled with small shell snails, some whole, and many ground to pieces through the attrition which is occasioned by the muscular force and motion of that intestine. We saw no gravels among the food: perhaps the shell snails might perform the function of gravels or pebbles, and might grind one another.

* * * * *

That it is a bird of passage there can be little doubt, though one would think it poorly qualified for migration, on account of the wings being short, and not placed in the exact centre of gravity: how that may be I cannot say, but I know that its heavy sluggish flight is not owing to its inability of flying faster, for I have seen it fly very swiftly, although in general its actions are sluggish. Its unwillingness to rise proceeds, I imagine, from its sluggish disposition, and its great timidity, for it will sometimes squat so close to the ground as to suffer itself to be taken up by the hand, rather than rise; and yet it will at times run very fast.

What Mr. White remarks respecting the small shell snails found in its gizzard, confirms my opinion, that it frequents corn fields, seed clover, and brakes or fern, more for the sake of snails, slugs, and other insects which abound in such places, than for the grain or seeds; and that it is entirely an insectivorous bird.—_Bewick_—_White’s Selborne_—_Wood._

LANERET, _s._ A little hawk.

LANIGEROUS, _a._ Bearing wood.

LANIUS (LINN.), _s._ Shrike, a genus thus characterised:—

Bill of middle size, strong, much compressed; the upper mandible strongly curved towards the point, where it forms a hook; the base without a cere, but furnished with coarse hairs directed forward; nostrils at the side of the base, almost round, half shut by a vaulted membrane, often in part concealed by the hairs; feet with the shank longer than the middle toe; three toes before and one behind, quite divided; wings, the first quill of middle length, the second a little shorter than the third and fourth, which are the longest in the wing.—_Montagu._

LANNER, (_Falco lanarius_, LINN.; _Le Lanier_, BUFF.) _s._ A species
of hawk.

This bird is somewhat less than the buzzard. Its bill is blue; cere inclining to green; eyes yellow: the feathers on the upper part of the body are brown, with pale edges; above each eye there is a white line, which runs towards the hinder part of the head, and beneath it is a black streak pointing downwards towards the neck; the throat is white; the breast of a dull yellow, marked with brown spots; thighs and vents the same; the quill feathers are dusky, marked on the inner webs with oval spots of rust colour; the tail is spotted in the same manner; the legs are short and strong, and of a bluish colour.

The lanner is not common in England; it breeds in Ireland, and is found in various parts of Europe. It derives its name from its mode of tearing its prey into small pieces with its bill.—_White._

LANSQUENET, _s._ A common foot-soldier; a game at cards.

This game may be played by almost any number of people, although only one pack of cards is used at a time, during each deal. The dealer, who has rather an advantage, begins by shuffling the cards, and having them cut by any other person of the party; after which he deals out two cards on his left hand, turning them up; then one for himself and a fourth, which he places in the middle of the table for the company, called the _rejouissance_ card. Upon this card any, or all of the company, except the dealer, may put their money, either a limited or unlimited sum, as may be agreed on, which the dealer is obliged to answer, by staking a sum equal to the whole that is put upon it by different persons. He continues dealing, and turning the cards upwards, one by one, till two of a sort appear; for instance two aces, two deuces, &c., which, in order to separate, and that no person may mistake for single cards, he places on each side of his own card; and as often as two, three, or the fourth card of a sort come up, he always places them in the same manner, on each side of his own. Any single card the company has a right to take and put money upon, unless the dealer’s own card happens to be double, which often occurs by this card being the same as one of the two cards which he first of all dealt out on his left-hand. Thus he continues dealing till he brings either their cards, or his own. As long as his own card remains undrawn he wins; and whichever card comes up first loses. If he draw or deal out the two cards on his left, which are called the hand-cards, before his own, he is entitled to deal again; the advantage of which is merely his being exempted from losing when he draws a similar card to his own immediately after he has turned up one for himself.

This game is often played more simply without the _rejouissance_ card, giving every person round the table a card to put money upon. Sometimes it is played by dealing only two cards, one for the dealer and another for the company.—_Hoyle._

LANTERN, _s._ A transparent case for a candle; a lighthouse; a light
hung out to guide ships.

LAP, _v._ To wrap or twist round anything; to involve in anything.

LAPDOG, _s._ A little dog, fondled by ladies in the lap; generally a
common nuisance.

In one of the ships of the fleet, that sailed lately from Falmouth, for the West Indies, went passengers, a lady and her seven lap-dogs, for the passage of each of which she paid thirty pounds, on the express condition, that they were to dine at the cabin-table, and lap their wine afterwards. Yet these happy dogs do not engross the whole of their good lady’s affection; she has also, in Jamaica, forty cats and a husband.—_Country Newspaper._

LAPWING, BASTARD PLOVER, or PEE WIT, (_Tringa vanellus_, LINN.; _Le
Vanneau_, BUFF.) _s._ A clamorous bird with long wings.

This bird is about the size of a pigeon. Its bill is black; eyes large and hazel; the top of the head is black, glossed with green; a tuft of long, narrow feathers issues from the back part of the head, and turns upwards at the end; some of them are four inches in length; the sides of the head and neck are white, which is interrupted with a blackish streak above and below the eye; and the back part of the neck is a very pale brown; the forepart, as far as the breast, is black; the back and the wing coverts are of a dark green, glossed with purple and blue reflections; the quills are black, the first four tipped with white; the breast and belly are of a pure white; the upper-tail coverts and vent pale chestnut; the tail is white at the base, and the rest of it is black, with pale tips; the outer feathers almost wholly white, the legs are red; claws black; hind-claw very short.

This bird is a constant inhabitant of this country; but as it subsists chiefly on worms, it is forced to change its place in quest of food, and is frequently seen in great numbers by the sea-shore, where it finds an abundant supply. It is everywhere well known by its loud and incessant cries, which it repeats without intermission whilst on the wing, and from which, in most languages, a name has been given it, imitative of the sound. The peewit is a lively, active bird, almost continually in motion; it sports and frolics in the air in all directions, and assumes a variety of attitudes; it remains long upon the wing, and sometimes rises to a considerable height; it runs along the ground very nimbly, and springs and bounds from spot to spot with great agility. The female lays four eggs of a dirty olive, spotted with black: she makes no nest, but deposits them upon a little dry grass hastily scraped together: the young birds run very soon after they are hatched: during this period the old ones are very assiduous in their attention to their charge; on the approach of any person to the place of their deposit they flutter round his head with cries of the greatest inquietude, which increase as he draws nearer to the spot where the brood are squatted; in case of extremity, and as a last resource, they run along the ground as if lame, in order to draw off the attention of the fowler from any farther pursuit. The young lapwings are first covered with a blackish down, interspersed with long white hairs, which they gradually lose, and about the latter end of July, they acquire their beautiful plumage. At this time they assemble in flocks, which hover in the air, saunter in the meadows, and after rain disperse among the ploughed fields. In October the lapwings are very fat, and are then said to be excellent eating. Their eggs are considered as a great delicacy, and are sold in London at three shillings a dozen.

The following anecdote communicated by the late Rev. J. Carlyle, is worthy of notice, as it shows the domestic nature of this bird, as well as the art with which it conciliates the regard of animals differing from itself in nature, and generally considered as hostile to every species of the feathered tribe. Two of these birds, given to Mr. Carlyle, were put into a garden, where one of them soon died; the other continued to pick up such food as the place afforded, till winter deprived it of its usual supply: necessity soon compelled it to draw nearer the house, by which it gradually became familiarised to occasional interruptions from the family. At length one of the servants, when she had occasion to go into the back-kitchen with a light, observed that the lapwing always uttered his cry ‘pee wit’ to obtain admittance. He soon grew more familiar; as the winter advanced he approached as far as the kitchen, but with much caution, as that part of the house was generally occupied by a dog and a cat, whose friendship the lapwing at length conciliated so entirely, that it was his regular custom to resort to the fireside as soon as it drew dark, and spend the evening and night with his two associates, sitting close by them, and partaking of the comfort of a warm fireside. As soon as spring appeared, he left off coming to the house, and betook himself to the garden; but on the approach of winter he had recourse to his old shelter and his old friends, who received him very cordially. Security was productive of insolence; what was at first obtained with caution, was afterwards taken without reserve: he frequently amused himself with washing in the bowl which was set for the dog to drink out of, and while he was thus employed, he showed marks of the greatest indignation if either of his companions presumed to interrupt him. He died in the asylum he had chosen, being choked with something he had picked up from the floor. During his confinement, crumbs of wheaten bread were his principal food, which he preferred to any thing else.

LARD, _s._ The grease of swine; the chief ingredient in composing
ointments.

LARK, _s._ A small singing bird.

From the peculiar construction of the hinder claws, which are very long and straight, larks generally rest upon the ground; those which frequent trees perch only on the larger branches. They all build their nests upon the ground, which exposes them to the depredations of the smaller kinds of voracious animals, such as the weasel, stoat, &c., which destroy great numbers of them. The cuckoo, likewise, which makes no nest of its own, frequently substitutes its eggs in the place of theirs. The general characters of this species are thus described:—

The bill is straight and slender, bending a little towards the end, which is sharp pointed; the nostrils are covered with feathers and bristles: the tongue is cloven at the end; tail somewhat forked; the toes divided to the origin; claw of the hinder toe very long, and almost straight; the fore claws very short, and slightly curved.

_Twirling for larks_ is a species of amusement peculiar to the French, and is thus described:—

These birds are attracted to any given spot in great numbers, by a singular contrivance, called a mirror.

This is a small machine, made of a piece of mahogany, shaped like a chapeau bras, and highly polished, or else it is made of common wood, inlaid with small bits of looking-glass, so as to reflect the sun’s rays upwards; it is fixed on the top of a thin iron rod, on an upright spindle, dropped through an iron loop, or ring, attached to a piece of wood to drive into the ground. By pulling a string, fastened to the spindle, the mirror twirls, and the reflected light unaccountably attracts the larks, who hover over it, and become a mark for the sportsman. In this way, says an old sportsman, I have had capital sport. A friend of mine actually shot six dozen before breakfast; while he sat on the ground he pulled the twirler himself, and his dogs fetched the birds as they dropped. However, I go on in the common way, and employ a boy to work the twirler. Ladies often partake of the amusement, on a cold dry morning, not by shooting, but by watching the sport: so many as ten or a dozen parties are sometimes out together, firing at a distance of five or six hundred yards, and in this way the larks are constantly kept on the wing. The most favourable mornings are when there is a gentle light frost, with little or no wind, and a clear sky; for when there are clouds, the larks will not approach. One would think the birds themselves enjoyed their destruction, for the fascination of the twirler is so strong, as to rob them of the usual fruits of experience; after being fired at several times, they return to the twirler, and form again into groups, above it; some of them even fly down, and settle upon the ground within a yard or two of the astonishing instrument, looking at it this way and that way, and all ways together, as if nothing had happened.—_Sporting Anecdotes._—_Bewick._

LARVA, _s._ The enica or caterpillar.

LARUS (_Auctores_), _s._ Gull, a genus thus characterised.

Bill long or middle sized, strong, hard, compressed, cutting, curved towards the point, the under mandible forming a saliant angle. Nostrils at the sides, in the middle of the bill, slit lengthwise, straight, pierced from part to part. Legs slender, naked to the knee; shank long; three toes before, wholly webbed; the hind toe free, short, and jointed high upon the shank. Tail with the feathers of equal length; wings long, the first quill almost of equal length with the second.—_Montagu._

LASH, _s._ A stroke with anything pliant and tough; the thong or
point of the whip; a leash, or string in which an animal is
held.

LAUDANUM, _s._ A soporific tincture; liquid opium.

LAUGHING GULL (_Larus ridibundus_, LEISLER), _s._

Length fifteen, breadth thirty-seven inches; weight ten ounces. Bill and feet rich vermilion; irides hazel; round the eyes a few white feathers; lower part of the neck, tail, and belly white; the back and wings grey; primores white, the first with the outer margin black; the second tipped with black, and marked with a black spot on the inner web. In winter the head is white, with a black patch on the ear, and another in front of the eyes; under the wing blackish grey. Female similar. Nest, according to Wilson, in meadows and islands in fresh water lakes. Eggs three, olive, with dusky blotches. It leaves Scotland in winter, but is a permanent resident in England.

These birds appear to be subject to great variety, either from age or from change of season, and in those changes they have been described as different species. The red-legged gull of authors is only this bird before it is arrived at maturity; and there seems no doubt but the old birds lose the black on the head in the winter, and do not assume it again till the breeding season; but there is generally a little black about the ears; the bill and legs also lose their bright colour.

We have seen hundreds of these birds together in the winter, but have never seen one with a black head at that season. They appear in great abundance in the autumn, on the coast of Caermarthen and Glamorganshire, particularly about the mouths of rivers. At that time the head is white, in some mottled with brown, with a dusky spot behind the ear; the back and wing coverts in young birds are mottled with brown and white; the tail crossed with a dusky bar at the end; the bill and legs scarcely tinged with red. Towards spring the back begins to assume the ash-colour; then the wing coverts, and the bill and legs, obtain their proper colour; the black behind the ears spreads and meets behind, and on lifting up the feathers of the crown about the month of March, the stubs of the black feathers are to be observed. At this time also some few black feathers appear on the throat; but the perfect black head is not assumed during their stay in those parts. In Devonshire we have seen them complete in feather later in the spring, but never remember to have observed the same appearance in winter.

The laughing gull is said to breed in Lincolnshire in the fens, and in other parts of England, upon the borders of rivers.

* * * * *

Dr. Plott assures us, in his History of Staffordshire, that in his time these birds annually visited a pool in Staffordshire. He also assures us that they would not breed on any other land than that of the proprietor of the before-mentioned place; and that on the death of the owner, they deserted the pool for three years, but only retired to another estate belonging to the next heir.

The young birds were accounted good eating, and were taken by driving them into nets before they could fly; that fifty dozen were taken at a driving, and that five shillings per dozen was the usual price.

The young were kept alive and fattened on offal. It is also added that three drivings were generally made in a season; and that anciently as many were taken as produced a profit of fifty or sixty pounds.

No author mentions their being seen in winter, having at that time been made a distinct species under various denominations.

* * * * *

It makes a nest on the ground with rushes, dead grass, and such like materials, and lays three eggs, of an olivaceous brown, marked with rusty brown blotches.—_Montagu._

LAUNCEFISH, or SANDLANCE, _s._ A sea fish which buries itself, on
the recess of the tide, more than a foot deep in the sand. It is
much used for baits.

LAUNCH, _v._ To force into the sea; to rove at large.

LAUREL, _s._ A tree, called also the cherry bay.

LAVARET, _s._ A bird; a lake fish.

Lavaret is a fish known in England by the name of shelley or fresh water herring, in Wales by that of gwinniad; in Ireland by that of pollan; and in Scotland by that of vangis. In colour it is most like a grayling, but with broader and larger scales; it is common in the large lakes of most Alpine countries, and is known at Geneva by the name of ferra; and I believe that the salmo ceruleus, or wartmann of Bloch, or the gang-fisch of the Lake of Constance, from a comparison that I made of it with the ferra, is a variety of the same fish. It sometimes is as large as two pounds, and when quite fresh, and well fried or boiled, is an exceedingly good fish, and carves like grayling. The lavaret of different lakes has appeared to me to vary in the number of the spines in the fins. One brought me from the Lake of Zurich, thirteen inches long and eight inches in girth, had twelve spines in the dorsal fin, fifteen in the pectoral fins, eleven in the ventral, thirteen in the anal, and eighteen in the caudal. The gang-fisch, from the Lake of Constance, which was of a bluer colour, but I think decidedly only a variety of the same fish, was seven inches and three-quarters long, and four in girth, had twelve spines in the dorsal fin, fifteen in the pectoral, eleven in the ventral, twelve in the anal, and eighteen in the caudal. A lavaret from the Traun See had twelve spines in the dorsal fin, seventeen in the pectoral, thirteen in the ventral fin, twelve in the anal fin, and twenty-four in the caudal fin. One from the Hallstadt See was a larger and broader fish, but did not differ from the lavaret of the Traun See, except in having two spines less in the tail. It is only taken with nets. It feeds on vegetables, and in the stomachs of those I have opened I have never found either flies or small fishes.—_Salmonia._

LAWN, _s._ An open space between woods; fine linen.

LAXATIVE, _s._ Medicines that open the bowels moderately, without
stimulating them so much as to increase their secretions. They
consist of castor, olive, or linseed oils; the neutral salts,
common salt, and small doses of aloes, as in the following
formula:—

LAXATIVE DRENCH.

1. Castor oil 1 pint.

2. Sweet oil, or linseed, or
rape oil 1 pint.

3. Epsom salt 6 to 12 oz.
Whey or gruel 1 quart.
Castor oil 6 to 12 oz.—Mix.

4. Powdered aloes 2 to 3 dr.
Carbonate of potash 2 dr.

5. Water 8 oz.
Castor oil 8 oz.—Mix.

BALL.

Aloes 3 to 4 dr.
Soap 3 to 4 dr.
Syrup enough to form a ball.

LAY, _s._ Grassy ground, meadow, ground unploughed.

LEA, _s._ Ground enclosed.

LEAD, _s._ A soft heavy metal.

Many useful preparations are made from this metal; among which are the following:—

_Acetate_, or _super-acetate_ of lead, commonly called _sugar of lead_, is used in making cooling lotions and eye-washes.

_Red Lead_, or _Minium_, is a red powder, made by mixing lead in a high degree of heat. It is used in the composition of plasters and charges.

_White Lead_ is often employed in the composition of healing and softening ointment, for horses that are subject to cracked heels.

LEAD, _v._ To fit with lead in any manner; to lead lines. _Vide_
LINES.

LEADER, _s._ One that leads or conducts; commander; one who goes
first; foremost horse in a tandem or team.

LEAGUE, _s._ A measure of length, containing three miles.

LEAN, _a._ Meagre, wanting flesh; out of condition.

LEAN, _s._ The part of flesh which consists of the muscle without
the fat.

LEAP, _v._ To pass over or into by leaping.

LEAP, _s._ Bound, jump, act of leaping; space passed by leaping; an
assault of an animal of prey; embrace of animals.

LEASH, _s._ A brace and a half; a leather thong, by which a falconer
holds his hawk, or a courser leads his greyhound; a band
wherewith to tie anything in general.

Leash is a sporting term in use to imply the number three; as exceeding one, and not reaching two brace; for instance, a brace of hares, a leash of pheasants, and two brace of partridges. A brace of pointers, a leash of greyhounds, and two brace of spaniels. Custom, however, in this, as in most other things, admits of deviation and exception; in proof of which we say a brace of spaniels, a couple and a half of hounds, and two brace of pointers; a brace of snipes, a couple and a half of woodcocks, and two couple of rabbits. It is therefore consistent and sportsman-like to say a leash of birds (partridges), a leash of pheasants, a leash of hares, or any other article where two are termed a brace; but improper to call three a leash, where two of the kind are called a couple.

LEATHER, _s._ Dressed hides of animals.

LEECH, _s._ A physician, a professor of the art of healing; a kind
of small water serpent, which fastens on animals, and sucks the
blood.

LEEWARD, _a._ Under the wind, on the side opposite to that from
which the wind blows.

LEG, _s._ The limb by which animals walk, particularly that part
between the knee and the foot in men.

The part of the limb between the knee and the fetlock consists of three bones—a large one before, called the cannon or shank, and two smaller or splint bones behind. The shank-bone is rounded in front, and flattened, or even concave behind. It is the straightest of the long bones, as well as the most superficially situated, for in some parts it is covered only by the skin. The upper head is flat, with slight depressions corresponding with the lower row of the bones of the knee. The lower head is differently and curiously formed. It resembles a double pulley. There are three elevations, the principal one in the centre, and one on each side; and between them are two slight grooves; and these so precisely correspond with deep depressions and slight prominences in the upper head of the larger pastern, and are so enclosed and guarded by the elevated edges of that bone, that when the shank-bone and the pastern are fitted to each other, they form a perfect hinge: they admit of the bending and extension of the limb, but of no lateral or side motion; which is a circumstance of very great importance in a joint so situated, and having the whole weight of the horse thrown upon it.

The smaller bones are placed behind the larger on either side; a slight projection only of the head of each can be seen in front. The heads of these bones are enlarged, and receive part of the weight conveyed by the lower row of the bones of the knee. They are united to the larger bone by the same kind of substance which is found in the colt between the bone of the elbow and the main bone of the arm; and which is designed, like that, by its great elasticity, to lessen the concussion or jar when the weight of the animal is thrown on them.

LENITIVE, _a._ Anything applied to ease pain; a palliative.

LEPIDOPTERA, _s._ An order of insects which have their wings
imbricated with scales, as moths, butterflies, &c. &c.

LEPORINE, _a._ Belonging to a hare, having the nature of a hare.

LEPROSY, _s._ A loathsome distemper, which covers the body with a
kind of white scales.

LETHARGY, _s._ A morbid drowsiness, a sleep from which one cannot be
kept awake.

LEVEL, _v._ To aim at, to bring the gun and arrow to the same
direction with the mark.

LEVERET, _s._ A young hare.

LICK, _v._ To pass over with the tongue; to lap, to take in by the
tongue.

LIGAMENT, _s._ A strong compact substance which unites the bones in
articulation; anything which connects the parts of the body;
bond, chain.

LIGATURE, _s._ Anything bound on; bandage; the act of binding; the
state of being bound.

LIGHTS, _s._ The lungs, the organs of breathing.

LIMB, _s._ A member, a jointed or articulated part of animals.

LIME, _s._ A viscous substance drawn over twigs, which catches and
entangles the wings of birds that light upon it; matter of which
mortar is made; the linden tree; a species of lemon.

LIMEWATER, _s._ Is made by pouring water upon quicklime.

Lime-water is recommended in diabetes. It is made by mixing lime with a large proportion of boiling water, stirring the mixture for some time, and afterwards pouring off the transparent liquor, which is to be carefully excluded from the air.

LIMPIT, _s._ A kind of shell-fish.

LINCHPIN, _s._ An iron pin that keeps the wheel on the axletree.

LINE, _s._ Longitudinal extension; a slender string used in angling.