In the running long jump anything over 18 ft. was once considered good, while Peter O’Connor’s world’s record (1901) is 24 ft. 1134 in. The jump is made, after a short fast run on a cinder path, from a joist sunk into the ground flush with the path, the jumper landing in a pit filled with loose earth, its level a few inches below that of the path. The joist, called the “take-off,” is painted white, and all jumps are measured from its edge to the nearest mark made by any part of the jumper’s person in landing.
In the standing long jump, well spiked shoes should be worn, for it is in reality nothing but a push against the ground, and a perfect purchase is of the greatest importance. Weights held in the hands of course greatly aid the jumper. Without weights J. Darby (professional) jumped 12 ft. 112 in. and R. C. Ewry (American amateur) 11 ft. 478 in. With weights J. Darby covered 14 ft. 9 in. at Liverpool in 1890, while the amateur record is 12 ft. 912 in., made by J. Chandler and G. L. Hellwig (U.S.A.). The standing two, three, five and ten jumps are merely repetitions of the single jump, care being taken to land with the proper balance to begin the next leap. The record for two jumps without weights is 22 ft. 212 in., made by H. M. Johnson (U.S.A.); for three jumps without weights, R. C. Ewry, 35 ft. 714 in.; with weights J. Darby, 41 ft. 7 in.
The hop step and jump is popular in Ireland and often included in the programmes of minor meetings, and so is the two hops and a jump. The record for the first, made by W. McManus, is 49 ft. 212 in. with a run and without weights; for the latter, also with a run and without weights, 49 ft. 12 in., made by J. B. Conolly.
In the running high jump also the standard has improved. In 1864 a jump of 5 ft. 6 in. was considered excellent. The Scotch professional Donald Dinnie, on hearing that M. J. Brooks of Oxford had jumped 6 ft. 212 in. in 1876, wrote to the newspapers to show that upon a priori grounds such an achievement was impossible. Since then many jumpers who can clear over 6 ft. have appeared. In 1895 M. F. Sweeney of New York accomplished a jump of 6 ft. 558 in. Ireland has produced many first-class high jumpers, nearly all tall men, P. Leahy winning the British amateur record in Dublin in 1898 with a jump of 6 ft. 434 in. The American A. Bird Page, however, although only 5 ft. 634 in. in height, jumped 6 ft. 4 in. High jumping is done over a light staff or lath resting upon pins fixed in two uprights upon which a scale is marked. The “take-off,” or ground immediately in front of the uprights from which the spring is made, is usually grass in Great Britain and cinders in America. Some jumpers run straight at the bar and clear it with body facing forward, the knees being drawn up almost to the chin as the body clears the bar; others run and spring sideways, the feet being thrown upwards and over the bar first, to act as a kind of lever in getting the body over. There should be a shallow pit of loose earth or a mattress to break the fall.
The standing high jump is rarely seen in regular athletic meetings. The jumper stands sideways to the bar with his arms extended upwards. He then swings his arms down slowly, bending his knees at the same time, and, giving his arms a violent upward swing, springs from the ground. As the body rises the arms are brought down, one leg is thrown over the bar, and the other pulled, almost jerked, after it. The record for the standing high jump without weights is 6 ft., by J. Darby in 1892.
By the use of a spring-board many extraordinary jumps have been made, but this kind of leaping is done only by circus gymnasts and is not recognized by athletic authorities.
For pole-jumping see Pole-vaulting.
See Encyclopaedia of Sport; M. W. Ford, “Running High Jump,” Outing, vol. xviii.; “Running Broad Jump,” Outing, vol. xix.; “Standing Jumping,” Outing, vol. xix.; “Miscellaneous Jumping,” Outing, vol. xx. Also Sporting and Athletic Register (annual).
JUMPING-HARE, the English equivalent of springhaas, the
Boer name of a large leaping south and east African rodent
mammal, Pedetes caffer, typifying a family by itself, the
Pedetidae. Originally classed with the jerboas, to which
it has no affinity, this remarkable rodent approximates in the
structure of its skull to the porcupine-group, near which it is
placed by some naturalists, although others consider that its
true position is with the African scaly-tailed flying squirrels
(Anomaluridae). The colour of the creature is bright rufous
fawn; the eyes are large; and the bristles round the muzzle very
long, the former having a fringe of long hairs. The front limbs
are short, and the hind ones very long; and although the fore-feet
have five toes, those of the hind-feet are reduced to four. The
bones of the lower part of the hind leg (tibia and fibula) are
united for a great part of their length. There are four pairs of
cheek-teeth in each jaw, which do not develop roots. The jumping-hare
is found in open or mountainous districts, and has habits
very like a jerboa. It is nocturnal, and dwells in composite
burrows excavated and tenanted by several families. When
feeding it progresses on all four legs, but if frightened takes
gigantic leaps on the hind-pair alone; the length of such leaps
frequently reaches twenty feet, or even more. The young are
generally three or four in number, and are born in the summer.
A second smaller species has been named. (See Rodentia.)
JUMPING-MOUSE, the name of a North American mouse-like
rodent, Zapus hudsonius, belonging to the family Jaculidae
(Dipodidae), and the other members of the same genus.
Although mouse-like in general appearance, these rodents are
distinguished by their elongated hind limbs, and, typically,
by the presence of four pairs of cheek-teeth in each jaw. There
are five toes to all the feet, but the first in the fore-feet is
rudimentary, and furnished with a flat nail. The cheeks are
provided with pouches. Jumping-mice were long supposed to
be confined to North America, but a species is now known from
N.W. China. It is noteworthy that whereas E. Coues in 1877
recognized but a single representative of this genus, ranging over
a large area in North America, A. Preble distinguishes no fewer
than twenty North American species and sub-species, in addition
to the one from Szechuen. Among these, it may be noted that
Z. insignis differs from the typical Z. hudsonius by the loss of
the premolar, and has accordingly been referred to a sub-genus
apart. Moreover, the Szechuen jumping-mouse differs from
the typical Zapus by the closer enamel-folds of the molars, the
shorter ears, and the white tail-tip, and is therefore made the
type of another sub-genus. In America these rodents inhabit
forest, pasture, cultivated fields or swamps, but are nowhere
numerous. When disturbed, they start off with enormous
bounds of eight or ten feet in length, which soon diminish to
three or four; and in leaping the feet scarcely seem to touch the
ground. The nest is placed in clefts of rocks, among timber or
in hollow trees, and there are generally three litters in a season.
(See Rodentia.)
JUMPING-SHREW, a popular name for any of the terrestrial
insectivora of the African family Macroscelididae, of which there
are a number of species ranging over the African continent,
representing the tree-shrews of Asia. They are small long-snouted
gerbil-like animals, mainly nocturnal, feeding on insects,
and characterized by the great length of the metatarsal bones,
which have been modified in accordance with their leaping mode
of progression. In some (constituting the genus Rhyncocyon)
the muzzle is so much prolonged as to resemble a proboscis,
whence the name elephant-shrews is sometimes applied to the
members of the family.
JUNAGARH, or Junagadh, a native state of India, within the Gujarat division of Bombay, extending inland from the southern coast of the peninsula of Kathiawar. Area, 3284 sq. m.; pop. (1901), 395,428, showing a decrease of 19% in the decade, owing to famine; estimated gross revenue, £174,000; tribute to the British government and the gaekwar of Baroda, £4200; a considerable sum is also received as tribute from minor states in Kathiawar. The state is traversed by a railway from Rajkot, to the seaport of Verawal. It includes the sacred mountain of Girnar and the ruined temple of Somnath, and also the forest of Gir, the only place in India where the lion survives. Junagarh ranks as a first-class state among the many chiefships of Kathiawar, and its ruler first entered into engagements with the British
