CURLING.--Is a Game played upon the ice, by sliding stones, made for the purpose, from one point to another. In some respects it resembles Bowling, but with these differences, that the stones are slidden upon the ice, not rolled--neither are they made like Bowls, to curve on their passage; the points, also, to which the stones are played are stationary, whereas in Bowling the Jack is moveable; and in Curling, the ice in the path of the stone may be polished by sweeping--and thus the players may compensate for the want of force with which a stone may have been thrown. Pennant, in his "Tour through Scotland" gives the following rough description of the Game:--"Of all the sports in those parts, that of Curling is the favorite. It is an amusement of the winter, and played upon the ice, by sliding from one mark to another, great stones of 40 to 70 lbs. weight, of a hemispherical form, with a wooden or iron handle at top. The object of the player is to lay his stone as near the mark as possible, to guard that of his partner which has been well laid before, or to strike off that of his antagonist." Such is a brief outline of that Game, a fuller description of which is attempted in the following pages. * * * * * STONES.--These are made of granite, or of any other stone which is hard, free from sand, and not liable to break. They are cut into a spherical form, flattened at top and bottom, and the angles rounded off and polished, particularly that at the sole. The handle is inserted in the top. Though they must all be made circular, the proportion of the diameter to the thickness varies in different districts; some being made more and some less than twice as wide as they are thick. The Grand Caledonian Curling Club has lately suggested the following scale--the first attempt that has been made to regulate the proportions of Curling Stones--and which for the sake of uniformity, it is hoped, will be adopted, viz:-- "When the weight is under 35 lbs. imp., the height not to be more than 4-1/4 inches. 38 lbs. 4-1/2 inches. 41 lbs. 4-3/4 inches. 44 lbs. 5 inches. 47 lbs. 5-1/4 inches. 50 lbs. 5-1/2 inches. "Whatever be the diameter or weight, the height ought never to exceed 6-1/8 inches, nor be less than 4-1/4 inches--None ought to be allowed in a set game of greater diameter than 12 inches, nor of a greater weight than 50 lbs. imperial." Stones are sometimes so finished as to slide on either of the flattened surfaces, one of which in such cases, is made slightly concave, and on this side the stone is played when the ice is hard and keen; the other, a little convex, being used when the ice is soft and dull.