The field book; or, Sports and pastimes of the British islands, by the author of 'Wild sports of the west'. |
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allspice animal antimony appear bait ball barrel belly bill birdlime birds body boil breast breed brown BUFF calomel cards clyster cock colour common costiveness covered dark diuretic drachms dusky edged eggs emollient falconry feathers feed feet female fish five flatulent foot four frequently glanders ground hair half hare hawk head hole hook horse hounds hunting inches inflammation irides killed kind legs length light liniment LINN male mandible middle mouth neck nest opium ounces pale pheasant piece play player plumage poultice pounds powder prey quadrupeds quantity quills river scapulars scent season seldom shooting shot side skin sometimes species sport spots stomach striker strong tail taken tincture tion toes tree trout turpentine upper weight wild wings woodcock worms wound yellow young
Popular passages
Page 335 - to be well sheltered, and secure from the injuries of weather. The shell or crust of the nest is a sort of rustic-work full of knobs and protuberances on the outside ; nor is the inside of those that I have examined smoothed with any exactness at all ; but is rendered soft and
Page 347 - ruminating on the danger that lies before them, and preparing themselves for the encounter. They not only attentively view the road, but tremble and snort at the danger. Having prepared for the descent, they place their forefeet in a posture as if they were stopping themselves, they then put their hind-feet together, but a little
Page 364 - to another, frequently turn on their backs with a loud croak, and seem to be falling to the ground. When this odd gesture betides them, they are scratching themselves with one foot, and thus lose the centre of gravity. Rooks sometimes dive and tumble in a frolicsome manner; crows and daws swagger in their walk ; woodpeckers fly
Page 364 - incessu patuit." Thus kites and buzzards sail round in circles with wings expanded and motionless : and it is from their gliding manner that the former are still called in the north of England gleads, from the Saxon verb glidan, to glide. The kestrel or wind-hover has a peculiar
Page 364 - to want ballast. There is a peculiarity belonging to ravens that must draw the attention even of the most incurious—they spend all their leisure time in striking and cuffing each other on the wing in a kind of playful skirmish ; and when they move from
Page 94 - scarce or never take a male carp without a melt, or a female without a roe or spawn, and for the most part very much, and especially all the summer season. And it is observed, that they breed more naturally in ponds than in running waters, if they breed there at all ; and that those that live in
Page 526 - into deep water, he will rise to the surface by floating, and will continue there if he does not elevate his hands, and the keeping them down is essential to his safety. If he moves his hands under the water, in any way he pleases, his head will rise so high as to allow him
Page 294 - barbarously put to death at Exeter 'Change) with potatoes, which he took out of my hand. One of them, a round one, fell on the floor, just out of the reach of his proboscis. He leaned against his wooden bar, put out his trunk, and could just touch the potato, but could not pick it up. After
Page 347 - they seem to have lost all government of themselves, they follow exactly the different windings of the road, as if they had previously settled in their mind the route they were to follow, and had taken every precaution for their safety. In these journeys the
Page 427 - —The length of this bird, from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail is twelve inches, and to the end of the toes, fourteen inches