318 THE HUNTING FIELD 



exhibited quite a spring-like appearance primroses, 

 violets (sweet-scented), cowslips, anemones, and many - 

 of the flowers which in mild seasons usually bloom in 

 the month of February being seen in profusion. The 

 fine weather extended throughout the country. 



The northern papers of the end of January spoke 

 of the mildness of the atmosphere producing a pre- 

 mature effect on vegetation, and said that the thrushes 

 were warbling forth their " wood notes wild " to 

 welcome the return of spring, and altogether it was a 

 most unusually open season. 



The absence of frost was one of its striking 

 characteristics, and with the absence of frost may be 

 noticed the almost total absence of accidents. We 

 never remember a season with so few no necks, no 

 limbs, scarcely a collar-bone broken. This shows 

 that hunting is not a dangerous amusement if people 

 will only follow it rationally. It makes all the differ- 

 ence in the world whether a man falls on the flags 

 or on a feather bed. It is of no use contending 

 with the adverse elements, nor is there any pleasure 

 in trying to force a season unnaturally into the spring. 

 That man is the best sportsman who knows when 

 to leave off. But to the close of the season, for 

 we are no advocates for the family slaughtering of 

 " May foxes." 



Winter slipped away beautifully, to the delight of 

 foxhunters and the Wenham Lake Ice Company, and 

 the dismay of "native industry" among the con- 

 fectioners and salmon picklers. But for the " wood- 

 cocks," peculiar to Christmas, we should never have 

 known it had been here. We are not unreasonable 

 in our desires,, and if we get the year fairly hunted 

 out, and a few days for the boys at Christmas, we 

 never grumble at a fortnight's frost or so ; but this 

 year the weather was kinder than we even desired 

 January was open from end to end whole thirty-one 

 days a bumper month. There might be a sprinkling 



