The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-03-17
WORKMEN'S GAMES.
WAYS IN WHICH BRITISH LABORERS
AMuSE THEMSELVES.
Coursing, Rat Killing and Bird Singing
Matches-Most tho North Countryman
Loves Vigorous Sports and Those In
Which Dog Is Principal.

Matches-Most tho North Conntryman
Loves Vigorous Sports and Those in
Which Dog Is Principal.
A cynical Frenchman who claimed to
have closely studied the subject once an
bounced his conclusion that the British
workman's chief sport and almost sole
amusement was beating his wife. His die
tum has been widely accepted, until it has
come to be almost an axiom But il does
the British workman injustice Not all of
his class are bad, us this would make out,
while the majority are fertile In amuse-
lnent resources. Taking them as whole,
II Is likely that no similar class in any other
country has such varied resources of sport
or is so jealous in its pursuit as the Brit
ish workman.
Perhaps it is In the colliery districts that
sport, i'll all its peculiar FORMS most -four
ishes, for coliicrs usually have more spare
time than other rough manual workers, and
used to have much more money. Here some
event" or another may be seen any day of
the week, Sunday especially, in which llsll-
ally the collcr's dog, his chief instrument
OF entertainment, is the principal figure.
Rabbit coursing one of his principal
amusements, has Il recognized place among
the standard sports of Britain, and receives
great attention in the sporting press. Dog
racing is another favorite sport In the
north, The course is usually about 200
yards long, and the races, in handcaps, are
run of in heats. The dogs are trained to
race at highest speed and exert themselves,
without rider or other inducement, as
much as does race horse. The owner of
each animal plants himself in the course
iIttst net th..G G,.f. Ii
animal on with shouts, imprecations and
wild gesticulations. The animals are slip
ped at one end and tear down the course at
hottest speed between the throngs of ex-
cited spectators, allowing nothing to divert
them from the effort to be first past the
post Hog racing handicaps are regular
attractions on Lancashire racing grounds
and the stakes run from Sl00 to 500, or
even $500.
Rat coursing is another popular pastime
Advertisements in newspapers and posted
on billbQards and fences may regularly be
seen, announcing that some public house
keeper will give E5 to he coursed for at
rats by all classes of terriers, fighting dogs
barred" A sweepstalic is made with the
stake offered and the entry fees and the
whole affair conducted with much formal
ity and solcmnty. The referee and the
rats are furnished by professional rat
catcher. A dollar dozen Is the average
price for rats. a long stretch of green turf
is inclosed and boarded up foot or two in
height for course. The rat catcher has the
rats all together in a sack, and he deftly
snatches ono out with his bare hand and
tosses it into the incosure Two dogs are
slipped in after the rat has had a short
start, and the first to kill wins The rats
are usually very nimble, and the dogs need
to be clever as well as swift.
Plain rat killing divides high honors with
rat coursing as well patronized game
among northern British sports A match
usually arises out of II discussion over the
merits of two dogs, but gate money is
charged, betting books are opened and
when the event is called ii has deveopuu
into an affair as exciting as II horse race 4
match Is usually for 2b rats a side The
rats are starved so as to make them wiry
ard fierce. The whole 20 are turned into
the pit Mt one time, are made to run around
for few minutes, then the first dog is
turned in, the referee touches his stop
watch, and the sport" !" watched by hun
dreds Of human eyes begins, The dogs ais
trained to their part, and often 20 rats are
killed in less than 70 seconds The other
dog is turned in with the remaining %
rata, and the victory is dependent on com.
parison of the respective times occupied by
each dog in killing its quota
Trail hunting by dogs is another popular
sport. 1t is conducted on the a.nie general
plaa as are the anise bag hunts by our fash
ionuble fox hunting clubs, except that only
the dogs take part in the hunt, and the first
dogin at the death gets the ligHrative brush.
a hilly stretch OF country is chosen and a
swift runner trails an anise bag oyera diff
cnlt route, up hill and down dale through
hedges and over high stone fences. ending
III long, stnked out homestreteh The
dogs are let loose and they follow the trail
at full speed, persistently and ardpnIly, un-
til they come in II yelping squirt over the
homestfctch to the finish. This is an at
traetige sport, and good trail hunt is worth
seeing.
Bird singing matches are another promi-
nent amusement. 1t is not an exciting
sport to the uninitiated, but 10 tho north
ern British workman, with his money up,
1t is intensely exciting The birds, in cages
covered with screen of cloth, are placed
side by side on Il table or hung together on
the wall of a room. AT Il given signal the
cloths are removed and the contest begins
Not whisper is heard in the room, crowd
ell as it Ia with an excited audience First
one bird chirps or trills or bursts into
song, and then another Or perhaps one
or all remain persistently silent The CON
test is in heats Of 10 many minutes each
and is decided on n mystifying basis of
trills, chirps, wGrhcs and various oddly
named and distinguished notes. Sometimes
u TOO eager owner will chirp or otherwise
encourage his bird, which brings down n
storm of prolane eXpostulatlon and may
preciptate fight.
Brass baud contests nre u form of amuse-
ment in which the whole community may