12 



the greatest credit is due both to Babbage the hunts- 

 man, and Arthur the whip, for the command which 

 they have over their hounds, and likewise for the 

 manner of hunting them. Indeed it is a sight worth 

 riding miles to witness ; and in conclusion T wish them 

 health and strength, with plenty of deer, and support 

 for many years to come. 



I certainly differ from some who fancy the red deer 

 must soon be exterminated, for I believe if the landed 

 proprietors in Devon and Somerset would unite and 

 fence off certain portions of waste land, together with 

 sufficient quantities of woodland and plantations, where 

 the deer may be harboured, and not disturbed by sheep- 

 dogs or poachers, that there may be always plenty of deer. 



The farmers also in these counties ought to consider, 

 where hunting is practised, that it not only gives a 

 stimulus for rearing and breeding good horses, but also 

 if I may be allowed the expression, will be the means 

 of bringing " grist to the mill." 



That the deer are not generally such close feeders 

 as some have represented, I think, will appear from 

 the small space of ground the one I had was kept in, 

 though in their wild and free state, they have a much 

 larger space to roam over, and feed at their will. 



Dated, Lynton, July, 1866. 



A. P. WOOD, PKINTEB, HIGH-STKEET, BARN'>TArLE. 



