266 SEPTEMBER. 



their ability to tempt them abroad ; and now that 

 their kennel door is thrown open, with what a bound 

 of joy they spring forth ! They cry, they howl, 

 they plunge and gallop to and fro in the wildness 

 of their exultation ; and the best trained are for a 

 time incapable of preserving decorum. Perhaps 

 there are no men who follow their pursuits with 

 such gusto as sportsmen. All the stimulating influ- 

 ence of chase and achievement, of discovery and 

 possession, are theirs : 



And oh ! what a soul of delight is there 

 As they rush in the strength of the desert air ! 

 In the bounding limb, in the glorying flow 

 Of spirits in healthful hearts that glow ! 



And to these we may add, the influence of the 

 scenes into which their object carries them, 



For there is transport in the chase ; 



And there is joyance in the sport 

 Of field and forest, and each place 



Where the wild game-broods make resort, 

 The sedgy stream and bowery spring. 



Perhaps to many it may appear apocryphal that 

 the sportsman is sensible of such refined influences, 

 but on this head I am positive. The philosophical 

 inquirer is aware how many causes are combined 

 in the production of our most ordinary pleasures, 

 and, among the numerous sources of a sportsman's 

 enjoyment, the influence of natural beauty is one 

 of the most efficient. It may not be very apparent ; 



