s 
Git 
took up Mr. Daniel’s work. But alittle 
refiection gave our thoughts a different 
turn, We considered that a fondness 
for rural sports, though it certainly does 
not indicate a very studious mind, is by 
no means incompatible with much moral 
worth; that it is not every one who 
can make the closet the centre of his 
existence by a sedentary life ;”” and that 
a man may follow the hounds or carry a 
gun, and yet be a conscientious parish 
priest, be a pattern to his flock of pub- 
lic and private virtue, and have a heart 
warm as melting charity to the afflicted 
poor of his neighbourhood. A certain 
monitor within, also whispered,in good 
time, that some of us grave and sober 
critics, who havé the same Aandle to our 
names,* are not alwaysactually engaged 
in the express business of our profession. 
We do not pretend to assert that we are 
composing a sermon when we are writ- 
img¢ a review on a book of rural sports. 
We are conscious that we have often 
been seen peeping into a hedge bottom, 
not indeed in search of a hare, but of a 
rare plant; and that in the prosecution 
of our favourite pursuits, we have climb- 
ed the steeps of Snowden, and traversed 
the rocks of Staffa, with as great a trans- 
port as can be produced by the most 
brilliant fox chace, which old Tom Noel 
’ or Meynel himself ever knew. 
» All these sagacious reflections might 
have been spared, if we had recollected 
a little sooner that our business Is not 
with the author but with his work. We 
are not sorry, however, that we have 
been induced to review the temper of 
our minds, before we pass a judgment 
on the performance of another man : 
for in consequence of this self discipline, 
We trust that we are better prepared to 
form a fair and impartial estimate of its . 
merits,and entertain a hope that we may, 
im some measure, remove or lessen the 
scruples of our more serious readers. 
Mr. Daniel has accustomed himself 
to read and think, as well as to pursue 
the diversions of the field. In the course 
of his work he manifests so much chear- 
fal good humour, sterling good sense 
and unaffected honesty, that we can 
readily believe him a favourite member 
of the Essex hunt; and do not doubt 
that he often checks by his presence 
‘the indecency and profaneness which 
NATURAL HISTORY. 
o 
: 
would otherwise escape from the lips of 
many a rough country squire, when the : 
declining sun has: warned the party to 
retire from the open air fnto the dining- 
roam, and to exchange the noisy and ac- 
tive sports of Diana for the equaliy 
noisy but less active joys of Bacchus. 
A reflecting mind will give an air of 
science to its amusements, as well as to 
its graver occupations. There are sports- 
men whose superiority to a fox or a hare 
is founded almost entirely on the dis- 
tinction between the pursuer and the 
pursued ; and who differ from the 
hounds, their companions in thechace, 
in having only two legs and riding eom- 
paratively at ease on the back of a horsey. 
while their hounds have four and run 
on foot. Our author is not one of these. 
He is not satisfied with merely catching 
his game; but is animated with the 
laudable ambition of forming anacquaint- 
ance with its character and habits ; and 
of knowing all that has been said of it-by 
writers on natural history. The know- 
ledge which he has acquired, he has be- 
nevolently wished to communicate ; and 
has added to the information obtained 
from others, so many observations of 
his own, that he will ‘be deservedly 
quoted in future systematic works as an 
original authority. On this account we 
do not scruple to allow him a respectable 
situation in this department of our Re- 
view. He does not indeed arrogate to 
himself the high and mighty character of 
author ; but modestly presents himself 
to the public under the humble appel- 
lation ot compiler. He frankly acknow- 
ledges that a large portion of the con- 
tents of his volumés has been collected 
from various publications ; but at the 
same time asserts, and truly asserts, that 
“ the fresh matter is considerable: and’ 
that the whole is arranged in a novel 
and distinct system.” 
Rural sports may be distributed into, 
three grand classes, hunting, fishing, and 
shooting. These accordingly constitute: 
the several parts of the work. et. 
Hunting, again, may be divided intel 
fox-hunting, stag-hunting, hare-hunting,~ 
coursing, and the less noble pursuit of 
those animals which go under the general 
denomination of vermin. 
The treatise on hunting ts mtroduced 
by a panegyric on the dog and a general 
* It isa favourite observation of one of our brave naval commanders, that the ehief diffe- 
rence of ravk among British subjects consists in some men having handles to their names 
and others not, 
