158 WOLF-HUNTING. 



Why, 'twas but last Sunday morning," continued he, warming on 

 the subject, " when other folks were to church, and the keepers 

 abed for that's their regular roosting time that I got six fine 

 fellows, a bird for each bag ; and I wasn't above an hour or so 

 about the whole business." 



A few days after my interview with the old soldier, I met at a 

 friend's house a general officer, named Taylor, a Waterloo hero, 

 who for many years had commanded the loth Hussars in India and 

 elsewhere, and was himself a wood-craftsman of no ordinary ability. 

 I described this cornet-de-papier dodge, and, to my surprise, he 

 was already fully informed on the subject, having practised it ex- 

 tensively in India, but more especially in catching pigeons than 

 birds of the game tribe ; and we came to the conclusion that the 

 old soldier had doubtless gained his experience in the same country. 

 It having been decided by the chasseurs, in conclave 

 assembled, that there should be no hunting on the Thursday, a 

 party was at once organised for paying a visit to the Marine 

 Observatory, established at Concarneau by the Academy of 

 Sciences. This institution one of the first, if not the first of its 

 kind in Europe, owes its origin and support to the liberality of 

 the French Government ; and under the able superintendence of 

 M. Coste, backed by the Minister of Public Works, the habits 

 and instinct of various sea-fish are here studied, and many secrets 

 of the deep, hitherto unknown, are now daily being revealed to 

 the inquiring eye. The attainment of a better knowledge of the 

 science of Pisciculture is, of course, the ultimate object of this 

 institution ; but the business of actually breeding the fish is not 

 practised here as at Arcachon and other localities better adapted 

 for that purpose. It is strictly an observatory, not a water-farm, 

 in which stock are bred and cultivated by artificial process ; an 

 aquarium, not a nursery intended for the development of ova and 

 the care of young fish in the first stage of their existence. 



M. de Kergoorlas having kindly volunteered the use of his 



