make use of it. They manage to circumvent the fish, however, by the following clever piscatorial device (oopía vopo@npun): they cover a hook with purple wool, and upon this they fasten two feathers of a waxy colour, which grow underneath a cock's wattles; they have a reed six feet long, and a fishing-line of about the same length; they drop this bait upon the water, and the fish being attracted by the colour, becomes extremely excited (olorpoúμevos), and proceeds to meet it, anticipating from its beautiful appearance a most delicious repast; but as, with extended mouth, it seizes the prey, it is held by the hook, and, being captured, meets with a very sorry entertain ment.' The spotted fish here spoken of are doubtless of the salmon family, and very probably trout. It is a pity Ælian did not remember the Macedonian name. Such is the earliest account of the art of fly-fishing, which, from Ælian's words, it is clear was not generally practised by Greek sportsmen of his age. It is no part of our subject to speak of ancient poachers, or we could tell how certain unworthy marauders used to fill their baskets with the victims of the poisoner's trade; how various intoxicating preparations of cyclamen, aristolochia, and lime used to be thrown into the water, and the poor drugged inhabitants of river, pond, and sea, became an easy prey. Of the various modes of catching birds by means of nets, birdlime, decoys, and other implements of the ancient fowler, we have not space to speak; but there is one interesting question connected with the subject which must not be passed over without a few remarks. Did the ancient sportsmen of Greece and Rome pursue the exciting art of falconry? The earliest Greek writer who apparently mentions the employment of birds of prey by the fowler is Aristotle, who thus speaks of it :- In the city of Thrace, formerly called Cedropolis, men are assisted by hawks in pursuing birds in the marshes. They strike the reeds and wood with sticks, in order that the birds may fly up, and the hawks appearing above pursue them: the birds then fall to the earth through fear, when the men strike them with their sticks, and take them and divide the prey with the hawks; for they throw away some of the birds, and the hawks come and take them.'† There is no proof, however, to be found in this passage that the people of Thrace employed a tame or trained falcon; it would rather seem that the hawks which are described as assisting the bird-catchers were wild, and that they had learnt to know, from observing a number of beaters amongst the bushes, that the sport was one in which they might profitably join. But from a passage in a treatise Hist. Anim.' ix. 24. 4. which *Nat. Animal.' xv. 1. 2 K 2 which has been by some authors ascribed to Aristotle, it would appear that the Thracian fowlers did employ trained hawks, for the writer says that the bird-catchers call the hawks by their names.' Elian speaks of hawks and eagles as being, of all birds, the tamest and fondest of man, and gives the same story about the Thracian mode of employing them, only adding that nets were used, into which the terrified birds were driven. Antigonus and Pliny relate nearly the same story. Although these writers distinctly mention the employment of falcons, whether wild or trained, in the capture of other birds, we strongly suspect that something of the kind was known even as early as Homer, if we do not mistake his meaning in the following passage: “ οἱ δ ̓, ὥστ ̓ αἰγυπιοι γαμψώνυχες, ἀγκυλοχεῖλαι Why should the men rejoice at the prey killed by the crookedclawed vultures, unless they got a share of it? Beckmann conjectures that the Greeks received from India and Thrace the first information respecting the method of fowling with birds of prey, and says there is no evidence to show that this practice was introduced among them at a very early period. The Romans were certainly acquainted with the art of falconry. Martial calls the hawk the fowler's servant in the following epigram: 'Prædo fuit volucrum, famulus nunc aucupis; idem 'It cannot be said,' Beckmann remarks, that this art was ever forgotten; but like other inventions, though at first much admired, it was afterwards neglected, so that it remained a long time without improvement. It is, however, certain that it was at length brought to the utmost degree of perfection. It is mentioned in the Roman laws, and in writings of the fourth and fifth centuries.' We must now proceed to notice another favourite sport of the Ancients, which excelled all others in importance and in the pleasure and excitement which it afforded-we mean Horse and Chariot Races. It is probable that the earliest manner of testing the speed of competing horses was by the chariot race, the riding race coming into vogue at a later period. The 'Grand National races took place on the occasion of the great games or public festivals, and it is to these that our attention must be principally directed; but it would be unpardonable were we to pass by * Od. xxii. 302-306. † Ep. xiv. 216. unnoticed unnoticed the animated description of a chariot race as sung by the immortal Homer. The race-course is nearly a level plain, but with irregularities of surface here and there, caused in some places by rain-torrents. The race is round a certain landmark, conspicuous in the distance by two white stones leaning against it-which the charioteers were to leave on the left hand, returning to the place from which they had started: we are not told what was the length of the course. The spectators, no doubt, chose the most exalted natural spot the better to see the race, for there is no mention of a grand stand in the Homeric poem. Five charioteers sprang up to contend-Eumelus, Diomedes, Menelaus, Antilochus, and Meriones-and as there were five prizes, all five must be gainers, though not victors. The chariots were drawn by two horses, which were driven by their respective owners. The choice of position was decided by lot, the chariots starting in a line. At the goal or turning-point an umpire was stationed by Achilles to see that all was fair, and to make his report. The difficulties and dangers of the race were greatest at the goal, the turning of which was a very critical point, and required great skill. The charioteers are encouraged and exhorted by their different backers. Antilochus is a splendid driver, and can turn the goal to a hair's-breadth; but his horses are the slowest of all, and so his gallant old father Nestor gives him some excellent advice before the start, though he confesses the youth required it not. As the goal is safely passed by all, and the horses are making their run in, the excitement amongst the spectators becomes roused to the highest pitch. Eumelus is first round the goal, but followed closely by Diomedes, whose Trojan steeds seemed to leap upon his car.' Eumelus feels on his shoulders the warm breath of the panting horses, and the trial of skill and speed is at its height. But, alas! Diomedes drops his whip, and Eumelus gets well in front. But a more disastrous accident befalls the unhappy Eumelus. The chariot-yoke breaks in two, the horses separate, the pole falls to the ground, and the unlucky charioteer gets a frightful fall. The fortune of the race is turned, and Diomedes well ahead, followed by Menelaus, who again is followed by Antilochus, that splendid whip,' with his bad team. Antilochus is running hard for a second, knowing that his old horses are no match for Diomedes' swift pair, who are evidently going to win the race if no accident happens. But he will not be beaten by Menelaus if he can help it; so he incites his horses to use their utmost speed. There was a rough bit of ground in front, caused by a winter torrent; this Antilochus had his eye upon, thinking that if he could could be well up with Menelaus at this point his superior driving would soon put him in the front. Gently over the stones,' thought Menelaus; but 'madlier drove Antilochus, Plying the goad;' and to no purpose did the angry Menelaus chide the son of Nestor : 'Antilochus, thou most perverse of men! Beshrew thy heart! we Greeks are much deceiv'd The spectators were greatly excited, and the anger of some stirred up. Idomeneus, who had a capital position from which to see the race, observed that a different chariot from that which was first as the goal was turned was now in front, and acquainted his companions. But Ajax tells him he knows nothing about the matter, and insists that Eumelus is still first. Idomeneus replies in not very courteous language, and offers to bet a tripod or a caldron that he is right. Ajax is up again, and probably these two noble chieftains would have shortly come to blows had not Achilles stopped the unseemly quarrel. The race is now over: Diomedes an easy first, Antilochus second, followed closely by Menelaus. Had the course been twenty yards further the position of the two last chariots would have been reversed, so uncommonly well did that beautiful animal of Agamemnon's behave-the swift_Aethe. Meriones comes in fourth, and, last of all the unlucky Eumelus, 'dragging his broken car.' The decision of Achilles and the other judges relative to the prizes is peculiar. Antilochus was second, but the second prize is adjudged to the charioteer who came in last of all! Noble Nestor's son very naturally objects to this proceeding, but Achilles promises to give another prize to Eumelus, and that dispute is at an end. But Menelaus is by no means pleased; he feels sure he has been 'jockeyed' out of the second place by Antilochus, and refers the matter to the other Greeks. Will the son of Nestor take his oath that he has beaten Menelaus by fair driving? Antilochus acknowledges the vehemence of youth, his quick temper, and weak judgment; he would not for a moment think of offending the illustrious King, and begs he will take the prizemare, and if there is any little property of his that Menelaus would like to have, by all means let him say so, and he is quite welcome to it. All this extreme kindness has the effect of softening the heart of the illustrious chieftain; he won't take the prize, but but bids Antilochus be less 'tricky' in future. And thus the incidents of this celebrated chariot-race, told in such minute and vivid detail by the author of the 'Iliad,' come to an end. We may look in vain amongst the records of antiquity for a more graphic description of an ancient chariot-race. The Grand National Horse and Chariot Races of the ancient Greeks took place, as we have already observed, on the occasions of the great Festivals,-the Olympic, Pythian, Nemean, and Isthmian. The first of these Pan-Hellenic games being the most important, we shall confine our remarks on ancient horseracing to the contests exhibited at that one. The Olympic festival took place after an interval of every four years, and was celebrated at Olympia in Elis in the Attic month Hecatombæon, answering to the latter end of our July. It lasted, after all the contests had been introduced, five days. The numbers of people who, in the later Olympiads, flocked from all quarters, from the distant colonies in Asia and Africa, and from the whole of Greece, were very great, and added to the importance of the occasion. Of the various gymnastic games that took place it is no part of our subject to speak; chariot-racing does not appear to have been introduced before the twenty-fifth Olympiad, when the chariot-race with four full-grown horses was instituted; the horse-race was introduced in the thirty-third Olympiad. Other races—such as the chariot mule-race (ảπývŋ), the horse-race with mares (xάλ), the horse-race with foals (πwλos Kéλns), a horserace in which boys were the riders, chariot-race with four foals, &c.-were introduced in different Olympiads, some superseding others. The Olympic course was known by the name of Hippodromus ; it was bounded on one side by a hill, and on the other by an artificial embankment, which Colonel Leake conjectures was formed for the purpose of keeping the water off the course when the river Alpheus overflowed its banks. The distance from the starting place to the goal around which the horses ran, is considered to have been 2 stadia, or about 400 yards, but we have no precise information upon this point. The general form of the hippodrome was an oblong, with a semi-circular end; at the opposite end was the starting place, which was in the form of the prow of a ship, with the apex directed towards the course, and each of its sides more than 400 feet long. Along both these sides were the stalls for the horses and chariots. The front of each stall had a cord drawn across it, and the necessary arrangements were made for letting these cords fall at the right moments. On the signal being given for the race to begin, the cords in front of the two extreme stalls were let fall simultaneously, and the |