Related article: straight for twenty-five yards and with his head up. Special prizes were given and all fell to the winners of the three prizes in the stakes. Thus Sir Henry 29 404 BAILY S MAGAZINE. [DECEMm Smith's prize for the best work- ing dog belonging to a member of the Retriever Society was given to Mr. C. C. Eley's Berg- holt Dale the second prize winner, as was also that given by Mr. G. R. Davies to the best-looking dog, as well as that for the best puppy, which was given by the judges, Mr. W. Arkwright and Mr. Warwick ; the latter of whom had provided the shooting for the trials to take place on. Abbott's Rust, first prize winner, had the prize also as the best broken dog in the stake. I think that most people who have seen retriever trials will agree with the remarks made by Mr. W. Arkwright, in response to the toast of the Judges' health. He believes that they are not only possible but necessary ; in order that the fancy animal may be driven out of the dog shows, and that his place may be sup- plied by others who will be free to have as many curls in their sterns as they can get themselves born with, provided only they can find the game. There is no doubt that, if retriever trials succeed in showing us which animals, out of the vast numbers bred, have most retained the qualifications of useful dogs, that breeders, and especially shooting breeders, will very soon make good use d the knowledge ; and when two good ones ' come together by design, instead of as now by chance (that is if they ever do come together now), we may ex- pect to see recovered Buy Stavudine Online a good deal of that quickness of getting birds into the bag that is not quite, or not often, synonymous with a merry style of hunting. There is one curious omission in the Rules. In stating what points are to be tried nothing is said of *' courage." Curiously it happens that most of the flat- coated retrievers are said to be wanting in courage ; the Com- mittee, who are mostly admirers of the breed, may think the quality covered by an insistance on ** dash " and perseverance: but these are distinct qualities and can certainly exist with or with- out courage enough to face a gorse bush or a bramble bed. Nothing is said either about water, and as that was a minus quantity at Compton, where Mr. Warwick's champagne was more in demand, perhaps a trial on wild fowl was best left un- suggested by the Rules. G. T. Teasdale-Buckell. J900.] 405 Reminiscences of Oxford Life and Sport. HI. It was only natural that these College " Grinds " excited the sporting talent of the University, and led to much talk on the sub- ject of bygone days. Connected with "cross country events," Aylesbury was looked upon as the head-quarters of this kind -of sport, and an informal committee was formed to try and revive the Aylesbury meeting. The difficulty was that the University authori- ties, though they tacitly acknow- ledged the annual Grinds, " put their foot down " as to under- graduates riding races of any sort at public meetings. At that time the celebrated White Hart Hotel at Aylesbury was kept by that genial and thorough good sportsman, Mr. J. K. Fowler, who, it is pleasant to think, is still hale and hearty. Mr. Fowler and his brother, Mr. R. Fowler of Droughton, were interviewed, and threw their hearts and souls into the idea. Mr. Lepper, too, the popu- lar veterinary surgeon, lent his valuable assistance. ** Charley " Symonds, and all the horsy con- tingent at Oxford, jumped at the idea, and the preliminaries were soon settled. The first meeting was adver- tised to be held on Thursday, April 3rd, 1862, and was called ** The Aristocratic Steeplechases," to start and finish on Mr. J. K. Fowler's Prebendal farm, Ayles- bury. The stewards were the Earl of Coventry, Sir F. John- stone, J. " Mountain," Esq., Hon. A. "Ganmore," and H. ** Goldey," Esq., with Mr. G. Lepper as clerk of the course. With the eyes of the University authorities upon us, it was thought advisable that all undergraduates engaged in the undertaking should use fictitious names, so that Henry Brassey appeared as *' Mr.Goldey," John Hill as " Mr. Mountain," W. H. P. Jenkins as Mr. ** Mer- ton," Hicks Beach as Mr. ** Shore," Hampson Jones as ** Mr. Brown," Harry Bull" as "Mr. Henry," Charles Symonds, jun., as '' Mr. Frederics," Charles Forster (now Sir Charles) as ** Mr. Forrester," Charles Ashtonas *• Mr. Oakton," Fitzwilliam as *' Mr. Wentworth," Lord Carrington as ** Mr. Kar- rington," and Henry Wood as " Mr. Forrester " may be given as examples. All entries were to be made to " Mr. Smith," King's Arms, Bicester, who would for- ward all letters to the committee. Mr. Smith was, of course, also a fictitious personage; but the entries came in satisfactorily, and a capital meeting was the result, consisting of an Undergraduates' race, which was a steeplechase of 3 so vs. each p.p., with at least 100 added, for horses bond fide the pro- perty of undergraduates, for one month previous to the date of meeting; horses to be ridden by undergraduates ; over three miles of fair hunting country ; list. 71b. each. Second horse to receive his stake. No horse to start that has ever been entered for a public steeplechase. Five horses to start, or the money will not be added. The winner to pay 10 sovs. to- wards expenses. This was followed by " a Farmers' race," " a Veteran race" for past or present' members of Oxford University, an '* Open Handicap," and •* The Hack Stakes." Cambridge University was in those days, and perhaps is still