The Athletes and Athletic Sports of Scotland

66 ATHLETIC SPORTS OF SCOTLAND. of the competitors was put down andheld down by the other in spite of all his efforts to get up. Now, the stylehe introduced did not carry out his own ideal. In such acontest as he aimed at there ought o have been no fixed method of taking hold, and no fixed time to keep an opponent down. To keepuppermost for 30 sees, was no proof that the onewho didso was the better man, andable tokeep uppermost. A man might be undermost not only for 30 sees., but for 300 ormore sees., andyet get up­ permost and show his ability to remain so. OBJECTIONS TO THIS STYLE.— But there areother objections to the Donald Dinnie style of wrestling which are making it lose ground every year. In almost all recognised styles ofwrestling the twocompetitors are standing at the commencement, and the object of each is to try and put the other down first. What is regarded as " down " differs in different styles. In Cumberland losing hold withoutbeing downat all is held equivalent to being down ; in Lancashire two shoulders on the groundis down ; so also in Graeco-Roman, French, and German styles ; in Cornwall and Devon two shoulders and one hip, or two hips and one shoulder. But all agree that once aman is down in a certain position he has losta fall. To continuethe struggle after one of the competitors is fairly down, is to introduce a second contest of a different nature, calculatedto rouse the fighting instincts, and to engender bad feeling. To see a couple ofmen rollingon the ground, in all sorts ofungainly and contorted positions, their faces showing the anger in their hearts, and continuing this till one orother lies completely exhausted, is to seeone ofthe finest of athletic exercises converted into ahuman dog-fight; and it is surprising that the gentlemen who patronise such Highland gatherings as Luss and Crieff, should have countenanced such a degrading, brutalising style. In Australia, where it was in­ troduced by its originator, it does notseem likely tobe retained. In a match between D. Dinnie aud D. C. Ross, at Sydney, in June, 1891, the Sydney Referee, commenting on the boutin what is called the Scotch style, said:—"This style is as nearly