Home › V › Vol (II Attacks on the sword can be)

Vol (II Attacks on the sword can be)

II Attacks on the sword can be used after changes of engagement or double engagements. For instance, if in quarte, the opponent keeping his point too low, and seeming to be ready to straighten his arm with the intention of snatching a hit the moment you move, change the engagement, placing the fort of your blade on the feeble of his, and make a scrape, &c.

P How to deceive or avoid Attacks on the Sword. The pressure, the beat, and the scrape are deceived by disengaging into the other line. The twist disarmament from quarte to seconde is deceived by a disengage into the upper line. The twist disarmament from tierce to septime is deceived by yielding the blade at the beginning of the movement, and disengaging into the outside line.

The twist and thrust being both an attack on the sword and the body, should not be eluded, as it would occasion a simultaneous hit, but the finale should be parried thus:

From the engagement in quarte, yield the blade completely until the point is quite to the left, lower the hand on the right side of the other blade, raising the point, and take the position of quarte with opposition to the left.

From septime: yield the blade at the beginning and parry tierce at the finish. Principal Attacks to deceive the most Important Parries. - When engaged in quarte, if the opponent keeps the inside line open (that is if the straight thrust can be attempted) to deceive the parry of quarte, feint a straight thrust, or make a beat or a pressure, and disengage or cut-over.

When in tierce, the parry of tierce is deceived with the same attacks, in the reverse way. The same for septime and seconde, excepting the cut-over, which should not be made in the low lines.

From the Engagement in Quarte. To deceive the parry of seconde: disengage in the upper line.

To deceive the tierce parry: (1) Feint a disengage in the upper line and a disengage in the inside line. This attack is called one-two, and can be done also with the feint in the lower line and the finale in the inside line, or with the feint in the upper line and the finale in the outside line. (2) Change the engagement with a pressure, a beat, or a scrape, and disengage. To deceive septime: simulate a one-two and counter-disengage into the outside line; or beat and counter-disengage.

From the Engagement in Tierce.-To deceive the seconde parry: one-two into the upper line, making the feint in the outside line.

To deceive the quarte parry: one-two in the upper line, the feint either in quarte or in outside line. Or change the engagement with a beat, or a pressure, and disengage.

To deceive the parry of septime: feint a disengage in the inside line, and counterdisengage into the outside line. This is called a double disengagement, or by abbre- [FENCING viation a double. Or change the engagement with a beat and counter-disengage. When engaged in quarte, to deceive counter-quarte: (1) Feint a disengage in the upper line and counter-disengage into the upper line.

This is called a double disengagement (or simply double) in the upper line. (2) Feint a disengage in the upper line and counter-disengage into the lower line (double in the lower line). In this last attack the feint must be made with the thumb uppermost and the finale with the finger nails turned downwards and the hand low.

When engaged in tierce to deceive counter tierce: double into the inside line.

In the low lines the counter parries are deceived by double disengagements also.

There are several other ways of deceiving counter-parries, specially from the engagement in quarte, but they are a useless complication. From quarte, to deceive the opposite counter (in tierce) : simulate a one-two and counter-disengage, or beat and counterdisengage.

From tierce, to deceive the opposite counter (in quarte): simulate a one-two and counter-disengage in the upper line; or a beat or a scrape and counter-disengage in the upper line. If the parry is made with the hand high, let the finale of the attack be made in the lower line with the finger nails turned downwards, the same as in the double in the lower line to deceive counterquarte.

From quarte to deceive tierce and quarte: feint a disengage in tierce, a disengage in quarte, and disengage and thrust in tierce.

This is called one-two-three.

From tierce to deceive quarte and tierce: reverse the same attack.

Every parry can be deceived, therefore the number of attacks is unlimited. Those above mentioned are the most important ones, and with them a fencer can find the others by himself. To do so he has to add a disengage to the feints he has already made to deceive a supplementary transversal parry, or a counter-disengage to deceive another counter parry. But here time and stop thrusts may come in to put an end to such protracted attacks.

How to protect Oneself against the Attacks above-mentioned. - The feint straight thrust and disengage, the beat or pressure and disengage are parried in the same manner as the simple disengage, either by a simple parry or by a counter.

From tierce engagement the scrape and disengage is parried by quarte.

FENCING] From quarte, against a one-two into quarte, parry tierce and quarte, or quarte only at the finale, or parry septime, or, if the feint is made in the upper line, parry seconde at once so as to meet the blade before it comes back in quarte.

Against a change with a pressure, a beat, or a scrape and disengage: parry quarte at the finale, or parry seconde.

Against a one-two and counter-disengage only go half way in the counter-quarte in order to meet in time the other blade with septime.

When engaged in quarte, against one-twothree in the upper line: parry tierce and the reverse counter (in quarte); or better, parry simply tierce at the finale or counter-quarte; but for this good judgment is required, as the attack must have been foreseen.

When engaged in tierce, against one-two- or a beat and counter-disengage: parry septime and seconde, or parry septime and counter-septime.

From the tierce engagement, against a one-two, or against a change with a beat or a pressure and disengage into tierce: parry quarte and tierce, or tierce at the finale, or the reverse counter (quarte and counterquarte in one movement). From tierce against a double, or a change with a beat and counter-disengage: parry septime and seconde, or septime and counter-septime.

From the engagement in quarte, against a double in the upper line: parry counterquarte and tierce, or parry counter-quarte twice, which is called double counter-quarte.

Against a double in the lower line: parry counter-quarte and seconde, or counterquarte and septime, but then the point must three in the inside line: parry quarte and septime or parry quarte and seconde, or parry septime at the finale only. one-two When in quarte, against a counter-disengage to the inside line, or beat and counter-disengage into the inside line: parry the opposite counter and quarte, or the opposite counter and septime. a If When in tierce, against a one-two counter disengage to the upper line, or a beat or a scrape and counter-disengage to the upper line: parry the opposite counter and tierce; or the double reverse counter. these attacks are directed in the lower line: parry the opposite counter and seconde, or parry the reverse counter and septime, the point stopping half way in the reverse counter to be able to meet the other blade in time with septime.

Every attack can be parried, just as every P2 parry can be deceived. If the parries above mentioned are deceived, add a supplementary one, and so on until the opponent's blade is met. But the best method is not to follow the antagonist's blade in all his feints, but wait for the finale.

The Riposte. The riposte is a thrust delivered after a parry.

The neatness of a riposte depends on the precision and smartness of the parry. Contraction of the muscles and too much force in the parry renders the riposte slow and heavy; but if the parry is well made, with the fingers, the riposte is the safest stroke.

Immediately after the parry, the fingers must be slightly loosened, and the direction must be given to the point by a pressure of the thumb. The arm must not be straightened with a jerk, but more or less extended with suppleness according to distance.

Ripostes are of three kinds; direct, with a change of line or feints, and with a pause (in French-à temps perdu).

The direct riposte is delivered in the same line in which the parry has been effected.

There are two kinds of direct ripostes: the riposte quitting the blade, which is the best and the quickest; and the riposte by opposition or without quitting the blade (riposte d'opposition).

The direct riposte should reach the opponent while he is on the lunge; for that reason the right foot must not move forward, and sometimes the antagonist is so close that a complete extension of the arm is not needed.

After the parry in quarte, to deliver the direct riposte quitting blades (this riposte is called in French with happy onomatopœia, riposte du tac-au-tac): immediately after the click of the parry, bring the point down, in the direction of the opponent's body, with a pressure of the thumb on the hilt, turning the finger nails upwards, and straighten the arm more or less according th to the distance and size of the fencer. In this riposte the point must describe a slight curve on the right so as to avoid the antagonist's hand. It is a great mistake to raise the hand higher than the shoulder while riposting, as some masters teach it, because the opponent being on the lunge, has his body low and slanted, and the raising of the hand makes the fencer who is riposting miss his aim. After the parry in 1 A thrust or prod is not called riposte when delivered after the parry has been eluded; it is only so named when the parry has been effective and has cast off the antagonist's point. 2 When parrying quarte or tierce, as has been said before, the point must be on a level with the eye and sometimes still higher. [FENCING quarte, if the adversary presses on the blade, so that the blades cannot quit each other lower the point and turn the finger nails upwards simultaneously, and advance the hand slightly higher than in the previous riposte, keeping a good opposition to the left.

After the parry in tierce, to deliver the direct riposte quitting blades: lower the point with a pressure of the thumb, turning the finger nails upwards, and extend the arm. In this riposte the hand must be slightly higher than in the riposte after quarte, as the stroke passes over the antagonist's arm or blade. The riposte, without quitting blades (by opposition), is made in the same manner, only with stronger opposition to the right. a After the parry in seconde, to give the direct riposte, quitting blades or by opposition: loosen the three last fingers so as to bring the point into the direction of the opponent's body as if your blade sprang off his, keeping a strong opposition to the right. as After the parry in septime, to riposte in the direct line: drop the point immediately, if your blade sprang off the other (loosening the fingers slightly) in order to clear the opponent's hand, and direct the point to his body, with a delicate pressure of all the fingers bringing the blade horizontal; if necessary, the hand must be slightly lowered, but never lower than the point.

How to protect Oneself against the above Ripostes. - When parrying a riposte the attacker should recover the guard.

Unless he intends to give a counter-riposte (which will be described further on), to do this in most cases he may remain on the lunge, simply drawing his body slightly backward (retraite de corps) to help the parry.

Against the direct riposte, quitting blades after quarte : when remaining on the lunge, parry quarte with the hand higher than when on guard, the point very high, the blade almost vertical, and the arm half bent.

When recovering the guard, parry quarte in the usual manner.

Against the riposte, without quitting blades after quarte: if the adversary presses heavily on the blade, trying to force the riposte in, notwithstanding the parry, raise the point quickly, the blade vertical, and bring the hand nearer to the body, bending the arm, and parry quarte with the fort of the blade against the feeble of his. Sometimes, when a fencer has parried with much force and weighs heavily on the blade when riposting, the best method is to yield completely, so as to give no support whatever FENCING] to his blade; then the riposte is sure to miss the body, passing away from it.

Against the direct riposte after tierce; raise the point, bring the hand near the shoulder, bending the arm, and parry tierce; or parry the reverse counter in quarte while recovering. The last is rather slow, and with a quick fencer may not meet the blade in time to parry.

Against the direct riposte after seconde; very numerous, but the principal ones are: with a disengage, a cut-over, a twist-andthrust, a one-two, a cut-over and disengage or a double. There are as many composed ripostes as there are composed attacks, but those above named are the only practical ones, the others being dangerous. When delivering a riposte with a feint, the arm must not be extended with the feint, as when attacking, because the opponent is on yield the point completely to the left, lower the hand on the right side of the opponent's blade, raising the point, and take the position of quarte with opposition to the left. This parry is the same as the one against the twist and thrust (flanconnade) from the engagement in quarte.

Against the direct riposte from septime: parry septime or seconde while recovering, or parry quarte with the hand rather lower than in the usual quarte parry.

Ripostes changing Lines or with Feints, and how to Protect Oneself against them. These ripostes are used to elude or deceive one or more parries; judgment is required to make them with success, because the fencer must foresee the parry his antagonist intends making.

Ripostes changing lines or with feints are the lunge and therefore very close, and it would be impossible to pass the point properly under or over his hand. Sometimes, when the attacker recovers to make his parry, a half lunge is necessary, with the finale of the riposte, to be able to reach him.

After the parry in quarte: to deceive quarte made with the hand high, riposte with a disengage into the lower line, the finger-nails turned upwards, without raising the hand at all. This riposte is very much like the direct riposte quitting blades, and is almost as rapid.

Against this riposte: parry septime or seconde, or to prevent it from being made, parry quarte with the hand lower.

To deceive the parry in quarte, made with the hand neither high nor low, disengage into the upper line. This requires good finger play, and must be done in the following manner: immediately after the parry, loosen the fingers (but keep them touching the hilt), and turn the finger-nails upwards.

While this is being done, the point must pass under the opponent's hand or forearm.

Then raise the point into the upper line with a light pressure of all the fingers, the upper part of the wrist slightly convexed.

While passing the point from quarte to the upper line, great care must be taken not to raise or advance the hand, and the arm must be extended only when the point is in the upper line, and opposition taken on the right.

To elude quarte made with the hand very low, riposte with a cut-over thus. Raise the point on the left, the hand slightly backwards towards the left breast, loosening the last three fingers so as to be able to pass your blade over the antagonist's point.

Then lower your point into the upper line with a pressure of all the fingers, mostly of the thumb, finger-nails turned upwards.

Against ripostes with a disengage or a cut-over into the upper line: parry quarte and tierce, or parry counter-quarte, or, if the riposte has been foreseen, parry simply tierce.

To deceive septime quickly done, riposte with a counter-disengage.

Against this riposte, parry septime and seconde.

When the opponent takes a marked opposition to his left while attacking, or when, immediately the parry in quarte is made, he presses strongly on your blade to avoid a direct riposte, the riposte with a twist and thrust can be successfully made. But while delivering this riposte the hand must be kept on the left, and not on the right as when attacking, for the following reason.

When attacking with a twist and thrust, the opponent's point is in front of you, and it is necessary to push it away with an opposition to the right so as not to lunge against it. When riposting with a twist and thrust, the opponent is on the lunge, and his point has been warded off to the left by the parry in quarte, therefore the opposition to the right would bring the point on the fencer's body.

Against this riposte yield the blade, turn the finger nails downwards, and take opposition in seconde. To deceive tierce, riposte with a one-two, taking care not to move the hand forward or backwards with the feint.

Against this riposte, parry quarte on the finale. After the parry in tierce, to deceive [FENCING tierce, riposte with a disengagement either into the inside or quarte line, or into the outside line. The latter is very successful against fencers who try to avoid the direct riposte by turning their body sideways and stooping forwards. It must then be directed at the ribs behind the elbow, but close to it, with the hand placed rather low and to the left, with the thumb uppermost.

Against the riposte with a disengage into the inside line, parry quarte; into the outside line, parry seconde or septime. To deceive quarte or seconde, riposte with a one-two.

Against this riposte, parry quarte, and tierce, or tierce only on the finale or the opposite counter.

After the parry in seconde, to deceive the quarte parry (as described against the direct riposte in seconde), riposte with a disengage into tierce line, turning the finger nails upwards; for this disengagement, the movement of the point must be a little wider, in order to pass round the opponent's arm without drawing your hand back. Against this riposte parry tierce.

After the Parry in Septime. When the opponent has attacked with his hand rather low, riposte with a twist and thrust, named in French septime enveloppée. To deliver this riposte, after the parry in septime, pass the point over the opponent's arm, without quitting blades into the upper line, keeping the hand high and on the right, finger nails turned upwards. It is a very telling riposte.

Against this riposte, raise the point very high, bend the arm, bringing the hand towards the right shoulder, and parry tierce.

To deceive the parry in quarte, riposte with a feint in the lower line and disengage into the upper line.

Against this riposte, parry quarte and tierce, or simply tierce on the finale.

To deceive the parry in septime, feint in the lower line and counter-disengage. This resembles a double disengagement.

Ripostes with a Pause. These ripostes are named in French "ripostes à temps perdu"; they are preceded by a pause, quitting blades, giving time to the opponent to begin a parry, with the intention of eluding it. Or, if the attacker has stooped forward so much that there is no place to hit with a sudden riposte, the pause enables a fencer to wait for the opponent to begin a retreat, or any other movement affording an opportunity for a riposte. If the parry made is right, the pause enables a fencer to regulate his own speed by his opponent's quickness.

If the parry has not been made neatly FENCING] enough to permit a rapid riposte, the pause allows the riposte to be made with precision. All the ripostes can be made with a pause, except those by opposition or with a twist and thrust.

A fencer must be very cautious when using ripostes with a pause, because they may draw the remise.

Counter Ripostes. - When after having delivered an attack, which has been parried, to parry his riposte more easily and deliver a counter-riposte, or a remise; or to draw a time-thrust in order to parry it, &c. It may be to make him form instinctive parries with the intention of deceiving them later on, or to try to discover what are his plans and to make him change them, and so on.

False attacks are certainly very useful, but a fencer should not make use of them too often, because then they would lose their [By kind permission of Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co. a fencer has parried the riposte and thrusts again, this last thrust is called a counterriposte.

All the ripostes named above can be made as counter-ripostes. When the first riposte has been parried while remaining on the lunge, the counter-riposte must be delivered still remaining on the lunge.

When the riposte has been parried with a recovery, the counter-riposte must be given with a second lunge.

If the opponent has retreated while parrying and is out of reach, recover the guard forwards, parry the riposte, and lunge again with the counter-riposte.

False Attacks. - A false attack is an attack made with a half-lunge, and not intended to hit. It is meant to threaten the opponent without the attacker exposing himself, to induce him to believe in a real attack, either to make him parry and riposte, so as effect entirely and perhaps turn against him.

Attacks on Preparations. Some fencers are placed on guard so that they cannot attack without making some preparatory movement. They bend their legs more, bring their body forward, or lengthen their foil by holding it by the pommel, &c. If an attack is suddenly made at this moment there are many chances for it to succeed, and then it is called an attack on preparation. after a Renewed Attacks (Reprises d'Attaque).

A renewed attack is an attack delivered immediately after a phrase: for example, if succession of thrusts, attacks, ripostes, &c., which have all been parried or avoided, both fencers have regained the guard without having been hit, and one of the two immediately makes an attack, it is called a renewed attack.

The reprise d'attaque may be either simple or composed, and very often succeeds. It requires good execution, and firmness on the legs.

Stop Thrusts (Coups d'Arrêt). A stop thrust is an attack made boldly with a full lunge as soon as the opponent moves forward to attack with an advance, stopping him before he can deliver his thrust. The least hesitation or preparation when executing a stop thrust would prevent it from succeeding, and occasion a most dangerous simultaneous hit. It is very useful against fencers who attack with a rush. a Time Thrusts. -A time thrust is almost a parry and riposte undivided. It is thrust delivered with opposition on a composed attack, barring or closing the line in which this composed attack is intended to finish.

Time thrusts require great knowledge in fencing, good judgment, and good execиtion. To make a time thrust, a fencer must have forecast the opponent's composed attack.

When engaged in quarte, to deliver the time thrust on a one-two: the instant the adversary quits the blade, making his feint in the upper line, drop your point in the outside line, as if making a counterdisengage, and thrust with a strong opposition to the right. When in tierce, to deliver the time thrust on a one-two in the upper line; the instant the opponent quits the blade, thrust straight, keeping opposition to the right.

When in tierce, to deliver the time thrust on a double in the upper line: counter disengage with opposition to the right, closing the upper line.

When in tierce, to deliver the time thrust on a double: drop your point, as if beginning a parry in septime, and thrust in the outside line with opposition to the right and the hand low. This opposition to the right, closing the outside line, prevents the opponent's blade from passing into the inside line.

For every time thrust, except for the one on a one-two, a half lunge is necessary.

The opposition must always be taken to the right in time thrusts: i.e., in the outside line against composed attacks ending in the inside (quarte) line or outside (seconde or octave) line, and in the upper line against composed attacks ending in that line.

A fencer must be very cautious with [FENCING time thrusts, and should not try them too often.

Parries against Time Thrusts. If you have forecast a time thrust, the way to parry it is the following: when making a composed attack, in the inside or outside line, transform the finale of the attack into seconde. When making a composed attack in the upper line, transform the finale into septime rather high.

Example: Being engaged in quarte, and having forecast a time on one-two: feint a disengage in the upper, half extending the arm, and instead of disengaging back into quarte, parry seconde.

The Remise. The remise is a thrust made on a riposte. It is somewhat like a time thrust made on a riposte, changing line or composed, without recovering.

Example: If the opponent has parried your attack in quarte and ripostes with a disengage in the upper line, the remise consists in thrusting again in the same line with opposition to the right, intercepting the upper line.

The remise can also be made on ripostes with a pause, during the pause, and must be delivered the instant the opponent quits the blade.

The remise is also a very good stroke against fencers who draw their hand back when riposting.

When the riposte hits, the remise is wrong; it is wrong even when the riposte misses the body from want of skill.

The Assault. The assault is a sham fight. It is the application of what has been described above and learnt with a master; it is impossible to learn fencing by one's self only with the help of a book. A master is required, and it is with his leave and with him that the first assaults must be made.

The master must then moderate his quickness and not abuse his skill; he must allow the pupil to succeed with many of his strokes, and help him in every way.

Great care must be taken to follow the right principles, especially when beginning, because bad habits are very quickly acquired, and it is very hard to get rid of them. A fencer must always continue taking lessons, for that is the only way to improve. He could no more neglect to take lessons than a pianist could abandon practising scales and exercises.

A fencer should not be too anxious to hit his opponent, and should never try to hit anyhow; if a fencer wishes to make continual progress, he must consider a hit he gives as a reward for a stroke well executed and well combined.

FERRETS] The junction of the blades is a great help, it warns you when the opponent begins a movement, &c. If the opponent avoids joining blades, you must then not keep your blade too quiet in front of him, because it would favour his fencing. You must make use of false attacks, feints, &c., to draw an attack or find out his plans. If, on the contrary, the opponent has a heavy hand and FERRETS. - Certain writers of works on natural history and books on the management of ferrets tell us that this animal is a native of Africa, but they do not indicate any part of that continent in which it may be found wild. There can be no doubt that the assertion is untenable, and the better opinion is that the ferret is nothing more than a domesticated variety of the polecat, THE PARAPHERNALIA OF FENCING. weighs on the blade, then avoid joining blades and oppose lightness to his force, so as to give it no support.

One must vary strokes, and change plans, according to the opponent to be dealt with; successful fencing depends on intellectual as well as on physical qualities, therefore it is not possible to give advice against every method or way of fencing.

We have described the principal movements and explained how to execute them; we have given advice on the most favourable positions; prudence, presence of mind, observation, and experience must do the CAMILLE PREVOST. rest. with which it is frequently crossed for the purpose of improving the breed. There are positively no cranial, dental, or other structural characters by which they can be distinguished, and the brown variety of the ferret is so like a polecat that it might well be mistaken for one. Experience, moreover, has proved that they breed freely with one another.

Appearance and Weight. The appearance of the ferret is too well known to require any detailed description, and a crossbred animal between a female brown ferret and a male wild polecat so closely resembles the latter as to be almost indistinguishable.

With most wild animals the result of domestication is to increase their size and [For glossary of terms, see under BROAD- weight. With the ferret it is otherwise. SWORD.] The average weight of a male polecat is 23/4 lb., and of a female 13/4 lb.; no such weights have ever been recorded for ferrets.

The reason for this, no doubt, is to be found in the different conditions of existence to which the two animals are subjected; confinement, want of fresh air, insufficient exercise, and want of warm animal food operate in the case of the ferret to produce an undersized, weakly, and spiritless progeny.

Treatment. The more the treatment of ferrets approximates to the natural conditions of life, the hardier and better they will be, and this is the secret of success in their management. Instead of keeping them in an outhouse in a small box with a bedding of musty straw, saturated with wet and dirt (so productive of footrot," sweat," and other diseases), with a small 66 FERRETS. 66 saucer of sour milk and a piece of tainted meat, on which to live or starve, they should be kept, at all events for the greater part of the year, as much as possible in the open air.

Ferret Courts. A writer who has been most successful in keeping ferrets in good health and working condition, thus describes his mode of treatment:-An enclosure is made with planks sufficiently high to restrain the ferrets, and sufficiently low to be stepped over by the owner. In these are put some well-made, warmly constructed hutches, so placed as to be off the damp ground, and with small openings for the animals to go in and out, so that they are comfortable and warm during the night.

They are thus enabled, during the whole of the summer, to gallop about the enclosure, bask in the sun, and breathe pure air, the result being that they are always lively and vigorous and altogether free from disease.

Another excellent plan has been thus described by R. A. Muntz:-"My court is about 12 ft. by 6 ft. in area, and several inches deep in turf and peat moss, the whole being thoroughly drained by placing tiles [FERRETS across one another so as to leave a passage for the water, which runs off at the lower end. This system allows of the sluicing of the entire court with 'sanitas, or some other disinfectant. The sleeping hutch consists of a barrel cut in half longitudinally and placed on a plain wooden floor raised from the ground on a layer of bricks.

The barrel can be lifted bodily up, and the sleeping place thoroughly cleaned with perfect ease, new bedding of fine deal shavings being substituted for the old."

Ferret Hutches. Where conditions like those above described are unattainable, and space for the accommodation of ferrets is limited, a roomy hutch must be contrived, and one of the most sensibly devised is that described by Capt. Darwin in his Game- Preserver's Manual. This hutch is made as follows:-The full inside length is 4 ft., the width 18 in., and the depth 22 in. The first partition is put in at 18 in. from the end, the second 18 in. also, thus leaving the third 12 in. The box itself is made of deal, 7/8 in. thick; the partitions are 1/2 in. thick, and slide down into their places between thin strips of wood. About 5 in. from the bottom of each a round hole is cut, about 3 in. in diameter, to allow of the ferrets passing through, and each hole has a door working on a screw, with a piece of iron wire 1/4 in. thick attached. These wires appear through the sides of the box in front, and are finished off with a ring to lay hold of. In the large division at the end of the box is a tray made of wood and lined with lead. The sides are 5 in. high, and the tray has two handles with which to lift it in and out. Each compartment has separate coil. The two end lids, and also the sides of the compartments which they cover, are bored in a good many places with holes about 3/4 in. in diameter; the centre compartment with four holes only, which must be in the lid and not in the sides. The tray must have about 1/2 in. deep of dry sand or sawdust in it, which should be changed every day, and the tray washed out. This compartment is for the ferrets to retire to for a necessary purpose. The centre is for their sleeping place, and it should be filled three parts full of clean straw, and not be changed unless required.

The third compartment is for a feeding place. The use of the separated lids and wires will be obvious. By drawing out the particular wire required, the ferrets can be confined in their sleeping place when it is necessary to clean or feed them. a Food. The staple food of ferrets should be bread and milk, or porridge, not too liquid, and occasionally fresh meat in the FERRETS] shape of small birds, mice, young rats, or a piece of freshly killed and warm rabbit.

This should be tied by a bit of string to a staple, in order to prevent the ferrets from dragging it into their sleeping place and thus soiling their bedding.

They should never be fed in the morning of the day they are to be used, but on being brought home should have a good supper as soon as possible, and allowed to go to sleep.

Transport. The mode of carrying ferrets about is almost as important as the method of housing them. Nothing can be more objectionable than the timehonoured bag which most keepers and warreners use to save themselves trouble.

Carried in this, a ferret is never at rest, and is so cramped and worried as to lose half its energy for work. Should the bag get wet, as is often the case, either from a downpour of rain or from being laid down on wet grass, the ferret is made thoroughly miserable, and will take an early opportunity of "laying up" in the first comfortable burrow it enters. A box should be used containing a little dry hay or some willow shavings.

Breeding. Ferrets are often kept and bred under conditions which are entirely opposed to sanitary laws, with the result that they not only become weakly and diseased, but produce young which in course of time are practically worthless. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, to select healthy stock in the first instance, and to maintain them in a healthy condition as above indicated.

The tyro who, for want of experience, is no judge of "points," may be satisfied to get his stock in the first place from a good breeder. The sexes are distinguished as "hob" or "dog" and "jill," and should be kept apart except at pairing time, when they may run together for a day or two. Ferrets breed twice a year. The period of gestation lasts six weeks: and the young, usually six or seven in number, are born blind and do not open their eyes for a month. Within a week of their being expected, the sleeping compartment of the mother should be closed, after making up a fresh bed, and not be reopened for the next five or six weeks; for, if disturbed before then, the mother will probably destroy them. When they first show themselves outside their sleeping box and begin to feed with the jill," they will require careful attention, and must be fed three or four times a day.

When about ten weeks old, if looking strong and well, they may be put in another hutch. “ Crossing. As above stated, the ferret THE TATE LIBRARY, BRIXTON, 219 will breed readily with the wild polecat, and there can be no doubt that a cross with the latter improves the breed materially, for the young are stronger in constitution and work quicker and longer than ordinary ferrets, which after two years get slow and lazy.

The half-bred progeny, while growing up, require more handling and more work than ordinary ferrets do, or they get shy of being picked up.

The second cross is perhaps the best for general purposes, although the first cross produces capital ratworkers round stacks, where agility is indispensable.

Diseases and Remedies. The chief point to be attended to in keeping ferrets is cleanliness. If this be neglected they become a source of anxiety to their owner PUTTING IN THE FERRET. and a misery to themselves; for diseases are thereby engendered that are troublesome to get rid of, and become both infectious and contagious. دو The disease in ferrets that answers to "distemper in dogs is known as sweat.

It is in the nature of a fever, which manifests itself by a dull listless manner, hot nose, high temperature, thirst, running from the nose and eyes, and loss of appetite followed by wasting. The malady being infectious, the animal affected should be isolated at once, and placed in a clean, dry hutch, free from draught. It should then be bathed in lukewarm water tinctured with Condy's fluid, rubbed dry, and replaced in the hutch in a warm bed. If the discharge from nose and eyes has become purulent, this must be carefully removed by washing, and the animal, in regard to diet, should be treated like a human patient in a fever, that is to say, kept for a time upon fresh, warm milk, arrowroot, and broth. As it improves, more solid food may be given, but not too much at a time. A good thing is a freshly killed sparrow or other small bird, given a limb at a time sprinkled with milk of sulphur. For ferrets this is much better than the ordinary sub-limed sulphur, as it is much milder. The dose, to be given once in twenty-four hours, should be as much as will lie on a threepenny bit. This treatment should be continued for a week, then discontinued for three or four days, when another week's treatment will complete the cure. It is not a bad plan, after washing the nose and eyes, to anoint them lightly with vaseline, and a vaseline pill given three times a day has been found to be very efficacious.

Foot-rot is a common complaint with ferrets, and generally arises from their being kept in a dirty condition or in a damp situation. An approved specific is spirit of tar, or creosote. This is a good application, too, when the hair comes off, and should be brushed on lightly with a feather. Perhaps the best treatment for "foot-rot" is to dress the feet once a day with nitrate of mercury ointment, one part ung. hydr. nit. to seven parts lard, without salt. This is better than the mild mercurial ointment, ung. hydr. mitius, which is apt to salivate. The other never does.

Red mange, or eczema, to which ferrets are liable, especially after distemper, is often troublesome to cure. Here, again, the necessity for cleanliness in the hutches is manifest. After washing with luke-warm water and Condy's fluid, and thoroughly drying, the affected parts should be treated with zinc lotion, or, in bad cases, dilute nitrate of silver. Ferrets will often set up an irritation of the skin by biting and scratching themselves to get rid of parasites.

The remedy is washing in a solution of quassia chips. It is a good plan to examine the animals from time to time to free them from these insect pests, and to remove the ticks to which they are subject, and which cause them much annoyance.

To get rid of worms, a dose of powdered areca nut, preceded and followed by a dose of castor oil, will be found as efficacious with ferrets as it is with dogs.

While curing ferrets of these complaints, they should always be put in a fresh hutch, and the old one should be well scalded and dried before they are returned to it.

Muzzling and Working. - Much difference of opinion prevails on the subject of muzzling and coping, and various patterns of both these methods of restraint have been recommended and advertised. In the opinion of the writer, a ferret should never be muzzled, and it is doubtful whether coping ought not also to be dispensed with, [FERRETS as it clearly should be when hunting rats.

A coped ferret cannot kill a rabbit, but will scratch and worry it in the attempt to do SO. a A rabbit will bolt much sooner from ferret that is free. If the ferret be worked on a line, care should be taken that there are no roots of trees or rocks underground, or the line will soon get fast and occasion much trouble. ،، It will not do to handle ferrets while they are quite young, or the old one will very likely destroy them. It will be time enough to handle them when half-grown, and it should then be done boldly, without snatching the hand away, or it will provoke them to bite. As already remarked under the head of Transport," they should be carried about in a box, and not in a bag, by which means they will get rest, keep dry, and be much more lively. On coming home, they should always have their feet washed. In "entering" young ferrets it is a good plan to let them run with the mother, who will soon initiate them in working a rabbit-burrow. If they are slow to follow her down a hole, she can be used with a line, and pulled back from time to time to entice them forward. It is important to give a young ferret its first chance in a burrow where it will be sure to find a rabbit, as in a short, sandy hole, and to reward it with a kill. Nor should it be worked too long at first, but be allowed an occasional rabbit is bolted and shot, it should be pegged down outside the hole, so that the ferret on coming out may find it at once and be rewarded. Should a ferret "lay up," or remain a long time in a hole, another ferret on a line should be run in, and the truant dug out; hence the desirability of choosing an easy place to begin with when entering young ferrets. A rabbit will sometimes decline to bolt, and will be killed in the burrow; the ferret then will have a gorge and "lay up." In that case the plan is to leave a boy to watch the burrow, or to set a hutch-trap just outside and visit it next morning. Strange to say, an old ferret that has been used constantly in the same neighbourhood will learn to find its way home like a dog. Instances of this homing instinct," as it has been called, have been frequently commented upon and reported. rest. If ،، a When rats form the " quarry" instead of rabbits, a ferret should never be muzzled or coped, or it will be unable to defend itself from the savage bites of a cornered rat, and may be badly injured. Should it get bitten, it is as well to attend to the wound as soon as possible, and, after washing in warm water, to dress it with an ointment made FERRETS] of carbolic acid and vaseline. In all cases where it becomes necessary to apply a remedy, the patient should be temporarily isolated from its fellows.

J. E. HARTING.

FIRST AID. There is a measure of risk in most of our national sports, and some of the finest of them largely owe their popularity to the call they make on the pluck which the sportsman is proud to consider his characteristic. Doubtless, to the element of danger is due much of the value of sport in the training and development of the special senses-for hand, eye, and ear soon become quick to detect and to respond to its presence, but it is well that sportsmen should have some knowledge of the treatment of injury. HÆMORRHAGE is a subject of such importance as to merit first place in the description of accidents. A broken limb can wait a surgeon's coming, but bleeding must be stopped at once.

The blood courses through the body in arteries, veins, and capillaries. The oozing which takes place from scratches, grazes, cuts, and small wounds generally, is from capillary vessels. Such bleeding is easily stopped by first washing the wound with cold water, and then tying it up with a pad and extemporised bandage. If an artery or vein be divided in the wound, the blood will flow more freely. From the artery it will come in a bright red pulsating jet, and from the vein in a steady stream of darker colour.

Serious venous bleeding may be met with in the accidental wounding or rupture of a varicose vein of the leg. The blood may well out with such rapidity as to endanger life. But it is fortunately easily checked if the sufferer be laid on the ground and the bleeding leg raised in the air. This simple manœuvre may alone be sufficient to stop the hæmorrhage. But the spot whence the blood comes should be found, a pad laid on it, and fixed by a couple of turns of a folded handkerchief round the limb.

The coats of the little blood tubes are elastic and will contract, in the case of a small severed artery, sufficiently almost to close the end of the vessel. The blood will then clot inside it and close it entirely. This is inadequate if a big artery be involved.

Should the finger be placed on the point whence the blood is coming, a very little pressure will suffice to stop it; or the artery may be compressed at a spot between the wound and the heart, either digitally or by means of a tourniquet. The former method requires anatomical knowledge. The latter can be applied by anyone after a little practice.

The simplest and best form of tourniquet consists of a strong elastic band, stretched and wrapped once or twice tightly round the limb above the wound and fastened. Such an arrangement may sometimes be improvised from a brace or belt, if it be sufficiently elastic. Another kind of tourniquet, and one which may be made from materials which are always to hand, is the "Garrot."

A handkerchief or neckcloth, preferably of silk, is taken, folded into cravat form, and DIGITAL PRESSURE ON ARTERY, AND IMPROVISED TOURNIQUET. knotted quite loosely round the limb, the knot being on the outer side. A stick is then inserted between the two parts of the knot and twisted round. The handkerchief is thus tightened round the limb to any required extent. When sufficient force has been employed to stop the bleeding, the stick is fastened to the limb and prevented from untwisting by a second folded handkerchief.

A tourniquet should only be used to stop bleeding after other means have failed. It is often unnecessarily and quite inefficiently applied by amateurs. If too loosely applied, it actually increases bleeding by checking the return of the blood to the heart through the veins without checking the pumping of the blood into the wound from the arteries.

To sum up the treatment:- First, the patient should be laid flat on the ground, because this position is best in case of faintness, and faintness is likely to occur from loss of blood. Then, if the wounded part be a limb, it should be raised as high as possible in the air, for thus the circulation is lessened. The clothing should be cut away from the wound and the latter examined. It may be found full of blood clot which has stopped the bleeding. In this A PAD IN THE FOLD OF THE ELBOW TO STOP BLEEDING FROM WRIST. case the clot is by no means to be disturbed, but, if the bleeding be going on briskly, the thumb should at once be pressed on the spot whence the blood comes, so as to check it, while pads, bandages, &c., are prepared.

To make these, handkerchiefs, towels, or other available materials may be used.

A strip from a garment of linen or cotton makes an excellent bandage in emergency. A good firm pad is now pressed on the wound and kept in position by tight bandages encircling it and the limb. Lastly, if these measures do not suffice to stop the bleeding, a tourniquet must be put on round the limb, between the wound and the trunk. This is best applied outside the clothing, and is tightened just [FIRST AID sufficiently to check the blood-flow and no more. It is a dangerous practice to give brandy or other stimulant to a person who is bleeding, for the hæmorrhage is thereby increased. Stimulants in such cases are generally best avoided altogether, and certainly must never be given until the bleeding has been completely stopped.

Bleeding from the Nose. This commonly follows comparatively slight injuries, and may, as a rule, be easily stopped. But nose bleeding coming on after a severe coming head injury may be of grave indication and demands early medical attention. Position is the most important point in treatment.

The patient must on no account be allowed to hang down his head or to blow his nose. constantly. He must be seated with his head thrown back, and his clothes loosened round his neck. Ice, or, failing this, a cold wet cloth, should be applied to the bridge of the nose and the back of the neck.

Bleeding from a Scalp Wound. There is hardly any accidental injury more likely to occur than a wound in this situation.

Thus a skating tumble often results in a scalp wound of the back of the head, or in a wound of the forehead above the eye.

The blood vessels of the scalp are, however, easily closed by pressure against the skull, and all that is necessary to stop the most furious hæmorrhage is to put a thick hard pad on the wound and press it there by a bandage round the head. If the wound is on the top of the head the bandage should go under the chin, and may with advantage be crossed to prevent slipping.

Bleeding from the Hand or Wrist.- This is often difficult to stop. If the wound is in the palm, put a tightly rolled handkerchief therein and bandage the fingers over it. In any case of difficulty, put a pad in the fold of the elbow, and, bending the fore-arm up to the arm, tie it there by an encircling bandage. This serves two purposes: it ensures that the bleeding point is well raised, and by the pressure of the pad, it checks the flow of blood through the main artery of the arm.

WOUNDS.-Treatment of wounds may be summed up in two words: "Be clean."

Unless the wound is trivial, a surgeon must attend to it as soon as possible, and all that is necessary in the meanwhile is to cleanse it and to keep it from contamination. The commonest wound is a "lacerated" one, with ragged torn edges, and more or less bruising or contusion of the soft tissues surrounding it. More rarely it will be a clean cut "incised" wound, such as is inflicted by a sharp knife. A "punctured" FIRST AID] wound, caused by the piercing of a thin narrow weapon, may show but a trifling external opening, but, penetrating deeply, perhaps dangerously, may injure important internal structures or organs.

The treatment is the same in all caseswash the wound thoroughly with perfectly clean water, and thus remove as far as possible all grit and particles of foreign matter. If pure water cannot be obtained, it is better not to wash the wound at all, and soiled clothing must never be used for sponging purposes. The edges of the wound should be brought approximately together, and the whole covered with a moist compress made of clean linen wrung out of cold water.

Paper, where it has not been written upon, crumpled up and softened by moisture, makes an efficient and fairly clean dressing in the absence of better material. Never use sticking plaster to close a wound bigger than a trifling domestic cut. It merely brings the skin edges together, and, leaving the deeper parts gaping, causes much delay in healing. Curious materials, such as tobacco, salt, cobwebs, onion leaves, and herbs of various sorts, are often applied to wounds, and are popularly supposed to help healing or stop bleeding. Avoid them all.

Friar's balsam is also a thing not to be used except for very small cuts.

Dog Bites, and wounds in general inflicted by the teeth of animals, have no special danger if the animal is healthy. The wound is of the lacerated kind, and if washed, kept clean, and treated on the general principles before described, will usually heal readily. Dog bites are often cauterised with the erroneous idea that there is poison in the dog's tooth which must be destroyed. This proceeding is wholly unnecessary and even harmful, since a cauterised wound takes long to heal and leaves much scar. If the animal be mad, special precautions must be taken, and in this case far more than a superficial cauterisation of the wound is needful.

In the course of big game shooting abroad very severe injuries are occasionally met with from the teeth of animals. An extensive lacerated wound may be complicated by crunching of the bone, and amputation may be necessary to save life. The first aid treatment should be directed to the arrest of arterial bleeding, which may be considerable.

Snake Bites are treated like the bites of rabid animals, but, in addition to local measures, stimulants should be given freely to counteract the depression which invariably follows. Moisten a few crystals of permanganate of potash and rub into wound until it can be injected hypodermically around the wound.

Bruises, or " contusions," are best treated by cold water, which should be applied as soon as possible. The effect of cold is to contract the small vessels and so lessen the amount of blood poured out under the skin.

This effused blood is the cause not only of the discolouration of a bruise, but of the swelling and pain also. Ice, if it can be obtained, or, failing this, a cold water pad, frequently changed, should be applied to the part. It is still better to mix with the water for damping the pad some spirit, such as eau de Cologne, brandy, or methylated spirit, because by evaporation it increases cold. After a day or so, gentle rubbing may be substituted for the cold water with advantage. The injured part should be kept at rest and raised, in a sling or otherwise, as far as possible. 66 FRACTURES. - Broken bones are unfortunately common enough, and there is no form of accident in which a knowledge of what is best to be done on the spot is more really useful. Fractures are of two principal kinds, "simple" and compound." A simple fracture is one in which there is no communication between the broken bone ends and the outer air. In a compound fracture, on the other hand, there is a wound of the skin which leads down to the fracture or through which even a jagged end of bone may protrude. This form of injury involves many risks from which a simple fracture is free, and is therefore very much more serious.

A broken limb must always be moved with the greatest caution lest the sharp bone ends be forced through the skin and a simple fracture converted into a compound one. The risk is very great in the case of the shin bone, which lies just under the skin, and a fracture in this situation demands especial care in handling.

To find out whether an injured limb is really broken or not it must be examined for the signs of fracture." These are (I) shortening; (2) deformity; (3) unnatural mobility of the limb; (4) crepitus, or grating, felt when the broken bone ends are rubbed together. Of these facts the first three are determined by careful comparison of the injured limb with the sound one of the other side. The last one, if obtained, is proof positive of a fracture. But it is not wise to undertake any very elaborate investigations. Much harm may be done by the injudicious handling of a fractured member, and it is best to be content with enough evidence for suspicion of fracture, and then to treat the injury as such.

To begin, the sufferer must be kept lying down. If he tries to stand on a broken leg, for example, he may do himself great harm.

Yet to get him on his feet is generally the first wish of injudicious bystanders. If a doctor can be summoned soon, nothing more need be done till he comes than to steady the limb where the patient lies. But very often it is necessary to convey the patient to a distance, and to do this safely, measures must be taken to fix the limb so that no harm will come to the fracture in transit, and then some comfortable means of carriage must be found.

To fix a broken limb, extempore splints [FIRST AID wound of a compound fracture, or for any other reason, the clothing is to be slit up, it must be cut away carefully and never dragged from the limb. When the splints are ready, they must be arranged round the injured part in such position as will give the greatest support to the broken bones, going beyond the joint above and below the fracture. Sufficient padding of soft material, such as hay or clothing, should be inserted under the splints to keep any painful pressure from the point of injury. Then, while an assistant pulls gently on the injured member below the fracture, pulling always in the direction of the limb, the splints must be rapidly fixed. Straps, borrowed from stirrups or skates, are useful for this pur- SPLINTS APPLIED TO A BROKEN LEG. must be applied, and these will have to be manufactured from such materials as are to hand. Splints should always be strong and yet as light as possible, and long enough, whenever it can be managed, to fix the joint above and below the injury, as well as the fracture itself. In the country it is seldom difficult to get suitable lengths of wood.

Straight ash or hazel branches, bundles of osiers or reeds, strips of bark or pieces of fence wood serve excellently. Or use may be made of walking sticks, hunting crops, fishing rod lengths, or gun barrels, though the latter are rather heavy. In cases of fractured thigh, the entire gun may be utilised, with the stock in the armpit and the limb bandaged to the barrels.

As a general rule, if there is no bleeding, the fracture is a simple one, and the clothing need not be removed. If left, it makes good padding, and helps also to stiffen and support the limb. If, in order to get at the pose, or simple cravat bandages may be tied firmly round. Finally, in the case of the leg, it should be bandaged to its sound fellow, which thus assists in its support.

Before the patient is moved it must be seen that the fracture is really efficiently fixed, and that the splints cause no unnecessary discomfort from pressure.

If the arm be the broken part, all that is now necessary is to put it in a sling, and the patient may safely get on his legs again.

But if the leg be injured a safe means of transport must be devised. This question will be considered later, for it equally applies to serious injuries to the head or other parts, in which any attempt to walk is out of the question.

There are some special fractures which are not treated by splints. The following are worthy of mention :- Collar bone. This bone is more commonly broken than any other. The injury FIRST AID] results from falls on the hand or shoulder, and is often met with on the ice, in the hunting field, or at football. The symptoms are pain, loss of power of raising the arm, and BANDAGING A BROKEN ARM. unevenness, discovered by passing the finger along the bone or perhaps grating. These symptoms are very characteristic, and the treatment is simple and effective. A pad the size of one's fist is put into the armpit; the forearm is bent at a right angle and laid across the chest with the palm towards the body and thumb upwards. The elbow is placed in the middle of a broad scarf, and is raised in the sling by fastening the two ends of it together over the opposite shoulder, one end going behind and the other in front of the chest. A second scarf encircling the body and the injured limb just above the elbow makes all secure.

Broken Ribs. - Severe pain on breathing is the most characteristic symptom. The treatment is to fix the chest by a tight bandage round it over the seat of pain.

This will prevent movement of the broken bones, and so relieve pain.

Spine. This is fortunately only endangered by very severe injury. Fractured spine has, however, been met with in the hunting field from such accidents as a fall on the back across a log of wood. The fracture may be associated with injury to the delicate spinal cord, which shows itself VOL II. by paralysis of the lower and perhaps upper limbs also. It is a most grave disaster and the patient should not, if it can be avoided, be moved until a medical man arrives, lest the spinal cord, if not already injured, might be torn through.

DISLOCATIONS. - By dislocation is meant the displacement of a bone from its socket. A dislocation therefore always occurs at a joint. The signs of dislocation are markedly different from those of fracture. There is no crepitus felt, and, in place of increased mobility, there is loss of movement of the limb. There may be in different instances either shortening lengthening. or The commonest joints dislocated are the shoulder and elbow. The treatment consists in reducing or replacing the bone in its socket. This must be attempted only by a medical man. Much harm has been done by an amateur pulling at a dislocation in the vain hope of effecting reduction. Until a doctor sees it, a dislocation is to be left alone, except that the limb may be made more comfortable by support or relief of pressure of clothing.

SPRAINS are the commonest of accidents, and are met with constantly in the pursuit of sport. They may be trivial, but on the other hand they are often severe injuries, which may take long to recover from, and leave more lasting effects than HOW TO APPLY AN ARM-SLING FOR A BROKEN COLLAR-BONE. fractures. Sprains are never to be trifled with. The injury is principally to the ligaments, which bind the bones of a joint together, and these are sometimes much torn Q [FIRST AID A TIGHT BANDAGE OVER BROKEN RIBS. by the sudden wrench given them. Sprains are exceedingly painful and are often followed by much swelling and bruising of the joint, due to escape of blood from tiny torn vessels.

For treatment, rest is the first thing, and no attempt to "walk it off" must be allowed. The injured man should be moved as though he had a fracture. The joint should be raised as high as possible to lessen pain and swelling, and cold and pressure must, during the first few hours, be applied to it. Wet cloths should be wrapped round the part, and should be kept moist with spirit and water, allowing the air free access to encourage evaporation. It pays well to start the treatment of a sprain early, and if taken in hand at once serious results may often be prevented. Herein lies the advantage of intelligent first aid. HEAD INJURIES.-There are several severe injuries which may follow a fall on the head, or such an accident as a blow from a piece of falling rock on a climbing expedition. The important point is how much damage has been done to the brain.

There may be concussion, laceration, or compression of this delicate organ, accompanied or not by a fracture of the skull. From a first aid point of view they may be classed together and call for the same treatment. Whenever unconsciousness, even if it is only transient, follows a head injury, the case must be regarded as serious, and other symptoms of grave indication are bleeding from the ear or nose, and twitching or paralysis of the limbs. The proper treatment is to lay the patient on his back with head a little raised and clothing loosened. If there is a scalp wound, the bleeding from this must be stopped. No attempt to raise the patient must be made, and he must be kept quiet and not be talked to or allowed to talk. Any necessary movement must be carried out with great care on a stretcher, and with as little jolting as possible. TRANSPORT OF THE INJURED.- The best way of conveying an injured person from place to place is a problem which has often to be faced. If he cannot or must not walk, he should, if possible, be carried on a stretcher. He will be far more comfortably conveyed thus than in any vehicle, except a properly equipped ambulance waggon. If a cart is used, four wheels should be chosen rather than two.

A cab, and especially a hansom, is a bad form of conveyance, for it is impossible THREE METHODS OF BANDAGING THE HEAD. to stretch the patient out flat therein. A waggon may be made fairly comfortable if the floor be first covered with plenty of FIRST AID] twigs and straw to diminish jolting, which is intolerable to one who is badly hurt. a But a stretcher is the best thing, and this may have to be extemporised. At a pinch, a hurdle or short ladder will do if well covered with soft litter. But a better stretcher can be made as follows:-Two saplings or other strong poles, such as pitchforks, oars, or boat hooks, should be obtained for the supports of the stretcher, which is completed by stretching between them empty sacks, rugs, or blankets. The sacks may have holes cut in the corners and the poles inserted in the loops thus made.

Or a pole may be rolled tightly in each end of a blanket, which is fixed at the appropriate distance by nailing, or tying firmly a short distance in safety. The bearers should carry the poles in their hands and not on their shoulders, and, walking always out of step to avoid swinging the stretcher from side to side, should take short strides, never lifting their feet far from the ground.

SPORTS AND THEIR ACCIDENTS. -Having gained a general idea of the proper treatment of accidents, it will be well to consider the special dangers of individual sports. Angling. An accident which may occur is a hook catching in the flesh. If the barb is buried, it is a mistake to attempt to pull it straight out, but the point should be pushed through until it emerges from the skin. The AN IMPROVISED STRETCHER. to the pole. Even buttoned coats have been used with sleeves turned inside out and the poles inserted through them. Three at least will be required to make the stretcher long enough. Whatever material is employed, it should be stretched as tightly as possible, and this will be facilitated by binding cross-bars at each end. It is well to test an extemporised stretcher by putting the heaviest man of the party on it first.

The patient must be lifted carefully from the ground on to the stretcher laid at his side. Two persons should stand facing one another on each side of him, and, stooping down, should pass their hands one under his shoulders and the other under his hips. The hands meeting beneath the patient should be locked together, and then, while a third person takes care of the injured part, he may be raised from the ground and then lowered on to the stretcher, or even carried hook can then either be pushed right through after the thread binding the fishing gut to the shaft of the hook is removed, or the barb cut off before it is withdrawn.

Boxing. Serious accidents very seldom happen with the gloves. A black eye is, of course, common enough, and should be treated, like any other form of bruise, by the immediate application of cold to the part affected. The sooner a cold pad is applied after the injury, the less blood will escape from the vessels, and the less will be the resulting disfigurement. Raw beef steak is not a bad thing, but it is easy with ice or cold water to make a more effective and less unpleasant pack.

If a boxer gets a broken nose, he should put himself straightway in a surgeon's hands, for if the bones are not replaced in position an ugly deformity results.

A heavy blow on the lower jaw, even with Q2 a well-padded glove, may occasionally fracture the bone. The pain of the injury is very great, and is best relieved by fixing the lower jaw to the upper by means of a folded handkerchief, the centre of which is placed under the chin with the two ends METHOD OF CARRYING A WOUNDED MAN. tied over the top of the head. The upper jaw then acts as a splint, and steadies the broken bone until such time as more effective measures can be taken for setting the fracture. Injury to the brain occasionally follows a blow on the jaw from transmission of the force through the hinge of the jaw at the base of the skull. Backward falls are dangerous when the head strikes a hard floor, for this may lead to concussion of the brain.

Cricket. Such accidents as occur in cricket are due to the ball. A knock on the head is a danger to which the batsman and wicket-keeper are especially exposed.

Should insensibility follow for ever so short a time, the case should be treated as described under head injuries, with the greatest care, for fear of serious effects.

The knee-cap has sometimes been broken by a blow from a cricket ball on the bent knee, but injury more often follows a sudden muscular effort, such as is made in a violent attempt to recover lost balance while the knee is bent. Its effect is to fracture the knee-cap, which completely disables the leg. It should be temporarily treated by a splint on the back of the leg, which must reach from the ankle to the hip.

A hot catch may result in a dislocation of one of the joints of the thumb or fingers.

The deformity in such a case is very marked, the digit being bent backwards, at [FIRST AID the joint. It is important that the bones should be put back in their place as soon as possible, and if skilled help cannot be obtained, no harm can be done in attempting reduction by simply pulling steadily on the end of the thumb or the finger, as the case. may be.

The sickening pain and faintness which follow a blow on the lower part of the person are well known. The best remedy | is rest and the application of cold, which may be extemporised by a little ice in a tobacco pouch. 66 Cycling, with the introduction of the Safety," has lost much of its danger.

Accidents are now mostly due to inexperienced or careless riding, and are few in proportion to the enormous number of cyclists; but a rider thrown suddenly on to the road is liable to a variety of sprains, contusions, and lacerations. Among fractures, the most common are those of the collar-bone and of the bones of the wrist and ankle. (It may be worth remembering that the inner tube of a pneumatic tyre makes an admirable elastic band for a tourniquet.) Football, it must be admitted, leads often to accident, but seldom to loss of life. The recorded fatalities are mostly from head injuries.

A severe muscular bruise, generally of the front of the thigh, well known to football players, is treated in the ordinary way, by rest and cold applications.

There is a certain skin eruption, known as "Football Impetigo," more popularly as Scrum Pox, which is observed on the face and neck of footballers, chiefly in the ranks of Rugby forwards. This affection has been epidemic in certain of the public schools and in the universities. Though not dangerous, it is very contagious, and spreads from player to player. As soon, therefore, as it appears in a team, the member attacked should abstain from further play and put himself under medical care. Fortunately the disease soon yields to proper treatment.

Football players occasionally get damage to their ears, resulting in the formation of blood tumours, which should be taken in hand surgically, or an ugly deformity may remain.

Hunting. The accidents are chiefly those which have been already described.

The more serious are head injuries, fractures, and dislocations. Hunting is the only sport in which a fracture of the spine is likely to occur. The commonest fracture is that of the collar-bone, which results from falls on the outstretched hand. If the FIRST AID] bone does not break, the accident may lead to a dislocation of the shoulder. As this injury is not uncommon in the hunting field, its signs, namely, pain, loss of power of movement of the arm, with deformity of the shoulder, but no crepitus, should be kept in mind.

In the application of temporary splints, the straps of the harness may often come in useful, and hunting-crops will in emergency do for short splints, though more suitable lengths of wood will generally be found in hedge or fence. Again, two or three girths stretched across a wooden frame will make an admirable foundation for stretcher. a Riding men have a special injury of their own, the "Rider's Strain." It is due to a rupture of some of the fibres of the muscles on the inside of the thigh, and occurs in a violent effort to grip the saddle when the rider is slipping. It is generally seen in elderly riders or in those out of practice.

Any attempt to remain on horseback after the accident will be extremely painful and must tend to aggravate the injury.

Lawn Tennis claims the dignity of naming at least two injuries, the "tennis elbow" and the "tennis leg." They exemplify the advantage of being in training, for they are far more likely to occur in players who are out of form, and are, therefore, most common at the beginning of the season.

The precise injury is not the same in every case of "tennis elbow," but the effect is always an inflammation and swelling which prevent the use of the arm in play for a considerable time. The essential treatment is simple, namely, to rest the arm until it recovers. Tennis players should take it easy at the beginning of the season, and should especially avoid violent back-handed strokes until the muscles get trained to their work.

The "tennis leg" is due to the rupture of some of the muscle-fibres in the calf.

The player, while running, feels as if he had received a sudden violent blow on the back of the leg, and can hardly stand; sometimes he actually falls. This is an injury most common in the middle-aged, and may be met with in other sports, when the muscle has to bear a sudden and unusual strain.

Rest is the proper treatment, no attempt being made to stand on the leg until a doctor has seen it.

Mountaineering. -The skilled climber reduces the dangers to a minimum by obeying certain rules of precaution, to forego which he would consider unsportsmanlike. In this connection it is significant that accidents are proportionately fewer among the members of the English Alpine Club than among other climbers. There are, however, certain risks which no amount of human forethought can always avoid, especially those arising from falling rock and snow. Mr.