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the lungs, producing a cough, running at the nofe, defluxions, catarrha, inflammatory, and other fevers. The fame will happen from riding them till they are hot, and letting them ftand in the cold air; or from leading them through deep ponds while they are hot; or by putting them in cold, damp ftables; or by not rubbing them well, and wiping off the fweat carefully when they come off a journey, for if the fweat be fuffered to dry on, it will obftruct the pores of the fkin and hinder perfpiration.. Sometimes epidemical colds appear in the fpring, from the vapour that the heat of the fun draws from the earth likewife, in autumn and winter, when after a warm fouth wind a cold north wind fucceeds, and produces the effects above-mentioned.

The firft fymptoms of a cold are a coughing, heavinefs and dulnefs, which is more or lefs perceivable according to its de. gree. When this happens, it will be beft to feel between the jaws and behind the ears, to know whether he has any fwelling in thofe parts, for thefe are figns of this diforder. Sometimes the eyes will be moift and watery and when it is very violent, he will be feverish, and fall off his appetite, with a working at his flanks.

With regard to the prognoftics, when the cough is ftrong, and the horse does not refufe fcalded bran nor warm water, at the fame time pricking up his ears, and moving briskly in his stall, it is a good fign; as alfo when he dungs and ftales freely without pain: it is likewife a good fign when his fkin feels as it did when he was in health, and when his mouth is moift without being clammy. But when his coat ftares, it is a bad omen; when his mouth is

hot, dry, and parched, and his belly tucked up, there is danger of a fever when a horse feels hotter than ordinary, with a working at his flanks: when he will not eat his meat, and refuses water; when his eyes are very moift, his mouth flimy, his ears and feet cold, there is danger of a malignant fever.

Young horfes are more subject to colds than those that are full aged; efpecially when they are breeding their teeth, they fometimes have a cough and a flight fever, particularly before they cut their tufhes. Some young horfes are troubled with a cough in the beginning of the fummer, from worms and bots.

If a horfe has got a cold, with a fnorting, and his appetite is pretty good, and attended only with a flight cough, you need only bleed him moderately, keep him warm, and exercise him, and diet with bran mashes (in which flour of brimftone may be mixed) and plenty of warm water, and adminifter the following drink every night, viz.

Take of Spanish liquorice, honey, and fresh anifeeds bruised, each two ounces, and one diam of faffron; pour thereon a pint and a half of boiling water, foft. ened with bran; when cold, ftrain off the liquor.

If the faffron is thought too expenfive, it may be omitted, and the quantity of liquorice increafed. If the cold does not fubmit to this treatment in about eight or nine days, I would then recommend a little more blood to be taken away; and, inftead of the foregoing infufion, take of nitre finely purified, two ounces, mix it into a ball with a fufficient quantity of honey, and give it twice or thrice a day, with a horn or two of water gruel or hyffop

tea

JAVING, in my laft, fell

into a chapter of accidents, I will, with your leave, previous to continuing my subject, just relate another which happened to me fome time fince on croffing a river, to draw a cover, on the other fide of it. The river Stower frequently overflows its banks, and is alfo very rapid, and very dangerous. The flood, that morning, though fudden, was extenfive. The neighbouring meadows were all laid under water, and only the tops of the hedges appeared. There were pofts to direct us to the bridge, but we had a great length of water to pass, before we could get at it; it was, befides, fo deep,

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that our horfes almoft fwam ; and the fhorteft legged horfes, and longeft legged riders, were worst off-The hounds dashed in as ufual; and were immediate. ly carried, by the rapidity of the current, a long way down the ftream. The huntfman was far behind them; and, as he could advance but flowly, he was conftrained to fee his hounds wear themselves out in an useless contention with the current, from their efforts to get to him, was a fhocking fcene! many of the hounds, when they reached the fhore, had entirely lost the ufe of their limbs; for it froze, and the cold was intolerable. Some lay as if they were dead, and others reeled, as if they had been drinking wine.

It

Our ill luck was not yet com. plete; the weakest hounds, or fuch as were most affected by the cold, we now faw entangled in the tops of the hedges, and heard their lamentations. Well-known tongues! and such as I had never before heard without pleasure. It was painful to fee their diftress, and not know how to relieve it. A number of people, by this time, were affembled near the river fide, but there was not one amongst them that would venture in. However, a guinea, at last, tempted one man to fetch out a hound that was entangled in a bufh, and would otherwife have perished. Two hounds remained upon a hedge all night, and tho' at a confiderable distance from each other, when we left them, yet they got together afterwards; and the next morning, when the flood abated, they were found clofely clafping each other : without doubt, it was the friendly warmth they afforded each other, that kept both alive. We lost but one hound by this unlucky

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expedition, but could not fave | any of our terriers. They were feen to fink, their ftrength not being fufficient to refift the two enemies they had to encounter, powerful, when combined,-the feverity of the cold, and the rapidity of the stream.

It is my opinion, that no good country should be hunted after February; nor fhould there be any hunting at all after March. Spring hunting is fad deftruction of foxes: in one week you may destroy as many as would have fhewn you fport for a whole feafon. We killed a bitch fox, one morning, with seven young ones, which were all alive: Ĭ can affure you we miffed them very much the next year, and had many blank days, which we needed not to have had, but through our own fault. I fhould tell you, this notable feat was performed, literally, on the first of April. If you will hunt late in the feafon, you fhould, at leaft, leave your terriers behind you. I hate to kill any animal out of season.

A hen pheafant, with egg, I have heard, is famous eating; yet I can affure you, I never mean to tafte it and the hunting a bitch-fox, big with young, appears to me cruel and unnatural. A gentleman of my acquaintance, who killed most of his foxes at this feafon, was humourously called midwife to the foxes.

foxes that, another day, perhaps, the earths well stopped, might have run hours, and died gallantly at laft. I remember, myfelf, to have feen a pack of hounds kill three in one day; and though the laft ran to ground, and the hounds had killed two before, therefore, could not be fuppofed to be in want of blood, the fox was digged out, and killed upon the earth.~ However, it anfwered one purpofe you would little expect, -t put a clergyman prefent in n.ind that he had a corpfe to bury, which otherwife had been forgotten.

I fhould have lefs objection to the number of foxes' heads that are to be feen against every kennel door, did it afcertain with more precifion, the goodness of the hounds; which may, more juftly, be known from the few foxes they lofe, than from the number that they kill. When you enquire after a pack of foxhounds, whether they be good or not, and are told they feldom mifs a fox, your mind is perfect. ly fatisfied about them, and you enquire no further it is not always fo, when you are told the number of foxes they have killed. If you ask a Frenchman what age he is of, he will tell you that he is in good health. In like manner, when I am afked, how many brace of foxes my hounds have killed, I feel myfelf inclined to fay, the hounds are good; an anfwer which, in my opinion, goes more immediately to the fpirit of the queftion, than any other that I could give; fince the number of foxes' heads is, at beft, but a prefumptive proof of the goodness of the hounds. In a country neighbouring to mine, foxes are difficult to be killed, and not eafy to be found; and the gentlemen who hunt that coun

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