reside at a town called Greyfield, where he possessed a comfortable house, and there pass the remainder of his days. The permission was given, and they went, and in a few months the old man too died, leaving Mary comfortably off, but alone in the world with her child. NOTES FOR JANUARY. BY WANDERER. "To thy lov'd haunt return, my happy Muse: Close crowds the shining atmosphere, and binds THOMSON. We enter 1865 under the sign of Aquarius, with the month of January, which derives its name from the old Roman divinity Janus, who was supposed to preside over the beginning of all business, on account of which the present month, when added by Numa to the Roman calendar, 713 B.C., was placed at the beginning of the year. Our own legal year, which had previously begun on March 25th, was ordered in 1751 to commence on the first of January, which is more observed as a feast day in France and Scotland than in England, where Christmas is the noted period of festivity. The origin of New Year's Gifts among the Romans is referred by Nonius Marcellus to Titus Tatius, King of the Sabines, who having considered some branches cut in a wood consecrated to Strenia, the Goddess of Strength, which he received on the first day of the new year, as a good omen, he authorised the custom afterwards, terming these gifts stren-747 B.C. The Emperor Augustus was in the habit of receiving new year's gifts from the senators, gentry, and people. The sixth of the present month is another marked day, being not only the church festival of the Epiphany, but also, under the title of Twelfth Day, connected with juvenile parties, Twelfth Night characters, and plum cake, of which many like ourselves have frequently partaken, without inquiring into the origin of a custom, for which, like so many others, we are indebted to the Romans. It appears to have been a custom with both the Greeks and Romans, on the Tabernacle or Christmas festivals, to draw lots for kings, by putting a piece of money in the middle of a cake, the finder of the money in his slice being saluted king. We have a vivid recollection of the delight we experienced one special Twelfth Night, in the happy time of childhood, when drawing king we were presented with a beautiful velvet crown, which we wore throughout the evening, dancing with our fair partner, whose brow was encircled with a vandyked crown of beads and satin. The present month affords an ample field for recreation to the sportsman, who, with the exception of grouse, may still pursue the various animals mentioned in the game list, while pheasant and partridge shooting terminates in Ireland on the 10th of the present month. The wild-fowler may now prosecute his favourite avocation to advantage on the sea coast, in which neighbourhood, near open springs, in places protected from the severity of frost, woodcocks will be found. January is a month pre-eminently suited to battue shooting, a very attractive sport where covers are well stocked with pheasants, to a party of visitors to the old family mansion, or various country seats so thickly studded over the counties of Britain, and where, especially at this season of the year, the sports of the field engross the attention of the sterner sex, cheered in the evening by conversation and sweet music discoursed by the lips of youth and beauty. We know of nothing more delightful than a visit at the present scason to the mansion of an affluent country squire, whose hospitality is commensurate with his means, and who is an ardent lover of field sports. How pleasant is a day's shooting under a keen frost and a bright sun, bracing the whole system, and cheering the spirits, as the gaudy longtails rise from the covert or hedgerow, bespangled with icicles, or the woodcock is flushed from some yet unfrozen spring, with the occasional variety of widgeon, teal, or mallard sprung from some rushy swamp, to say nothing of the abundance of hares and rabbits that are rolled over in the battue! This mode of shooting, although suited in one sense of the word to a large party, is in another a safer and more comfortable proceeding where the number of guns do not exceed four or five, and even then it is impossible to exercise too much care and caution, while the employment of twice the number already named cannot but bring danger with them, especially if one or more of the party be of a nervous and excitable temperament. The great point to observe is to keep both sportsmen and beaters in line, that there may be no stragglers lost to sight in places where in fact they have no business to be. On the discharge of a gun the entire party should halt till the words "all right" proclaim that the operation of loading is fully completed, and that a fresh advance may be made. Another important point is to carry the gun with the muzzle pointing upwards, so that in case of an accidental explosion the destruction of some twigs or overhanging branches may be the only catastrophe, instead of the loss of life or shattered limb. Were the points to which we have adverted constantly and rigidly adhered to, numbers of the accidents which occur would be prevented. Yet there is another danger in battue shooting to which we have ourselves been exposed on more than one occasion, viz., when placed like a sentry outside a thick covert, a small portion of which was at the same time being beaten by the party within. On such occasions we have obtained many shots at hares and rabbits, as well as at cock pheasants which have run out of cover unobserved by the beaters before taking wing. So far the stationary situation was all pleasant enough, but at the words "mark cock," followed by a little volley of fire-arms, some shot would whistle about our leggings, or in close proximity to our head, in a way to prove that there are drawbacks to all positions in life. This arose from the simple fact of "the firing party" not properly remembering our whererabouts; or perhaps, according to the old adage, "out of sight out of mind," forgetting our existence altogether. While we are too fond of the trigger to refuse an invitation to a battue, we have no hesitation in saying that both on the ground of safety and of real sport it must yield the palm to a day's covert shooting with a friend over a team of well-trained spaniels, and the all important adjunct of a retriever. Under these circumstances a day's shooting in January is a truly delightful occupation. Every season of the year brings its sources of enjoyment as well as its troubles, and while no shooting can perhaps come up to that of grouse in August, on the heather-clad moors of Scotland, to be followed by partridges in the open. stubbles and turnips, yet there is a charm about cover-shooting which we may term peculiar to itself; besides which, it is in its prime when that of muir-fowl has ceased, and all open shooting may be termed at an end, in consequeuce of the general loss of cover caused by the various agricultural operations. We may here remark regarding the woodcock that while in the south of England they arrive generally during the month of October, the large flocks do not come till about December, again approaching the coasts from the beginning to the end of March, and even the middle of April preparing to take their departure with the first favourable wind. On leaving us for their northern quarters, the flights of these birds are longer, while their stoppages are less frequent than on their journey to us in the autumn months. In the one instance they are driven from their native country by scarcity of food, which they are compelled to seek wherever it offers itself; whereas at the vernal period they leave us wellfed and strengthened, and prompted also to make an expeditious transit with their selected mates, for the important purpose of breeding. A strong light proves a great attraction to woodcocks when making their flights, and numerous instances are recorded in which those attached to lighthouses have proved the cause of their destruction. A remarkable instance of this is related as happening at the lighthouse on the Hill of Howth, when so great was the force with which a woodcock flew against the windows, that a piece of plate glass, above three-eighths of an inch in thickness, was fractured by it. The man who attended the lighthouse had known frequent instances of birds killing themselves by flying against the windows, but never with sufficient force to fracture the glass. On this occasion he found the woodcock in the balcony surrounding the light, with his head, bill, wings, and breastbone broken. While it is an established fact that some woodcocks breed in this country, up to the northern parts of Scotland, yet the instances each season are but very scarce. For woodcock shooting, especially in large and thickly-tangled covers, good cockers will be found the most serviceable dogs; in addition to which delightful and sportsmanlike mode of pursuing these delicious birds, traps and snares have been brought into requisition; while Markham, writing upwards of two hundred years ago, gives a description of a stalking horse, which proved efficient in pursuing woodcocks. The sportsman, during the present month, is by no means tied to the fowling-piece for amusement: the fox-hounds invite him, in the absence of frost, to the covert side; to be followed perhaps, on the morrow, by a gallop with the harriers, or to be present at a coursing meeting if he takes an interest in the greyhound's doings. The meetings during the present month are sufficiently numerous and diversified throughout the kingdom to afford opportunities to residents in most localities of paying one or other of them a visit. Amongst the number we may mention the Altcar Club, the Whitehaven, the Spelthorne, the Amicable Club, the Southport, the Cirencester, the Kenilworth, the Barton-upon-Humber, the Brough and Catterick, the Wigtonshire Club, the Hampten, the County Louth Club, and the Cork Southern Club coursing meetings, &c., &c. Owners of race-horses will, during the present month, take care to make their entries for races and steeplechases to take place during the spring. The angler's operations during the present month will be chiefly confined to pike, which, if the weather be open, will frequently run well, and even with a margin of ice along the bank the voracious tyrant will take a bait if in a hungry humour; while the absence of that great obstacle, weeds, which are rotten at this season of the year, is a great desideratum. Those having access to a grayling stream will find that fine winter fish in excellent condition, and willing to rise to the fly during mild weather. Should a severe but healthy and invigorating frost set in, the skater, the curler, and the sledger are provided with amusement. In the event of a continuance of frosty days, particularly if attended with snow, the fowling-piece may be brought into operation against wild geese in the neighbourhood of the sea-shore, and by partially-frozen streams; while at high tide exciting amusement may be derived from shooting curlews from a boat, the gunner carefully concealing himself till within range of the birds. MARKET-DAY. ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY A. COOPER, R.A. "Good morning, Miss Margery! morning, as a good girl ought to be. you came along?" Up and about by times this You did not meet the hounds as And Miss Margery did not, but "father's expecting them, and won't you look in as you pass by, sir?" is her hospitable answer, as off she goes again in that peculiar market-day amble, neither a walk nor quite a trot, which Mr. Cooper has caught at so happily in the action of the chesnut. Market-day is not what it was when Tam o'Shanter got so glorious. butter and eggs, and even agriculturists, are shot in by the early |