276 THOUGHTS ON HUNTING 



This gentleman's singular method of hunting rabbits 

 with a lobster, reminds me of a method that Harlequin 1 

 has of killing hares (not less ingenious) with Spanish 

 snuff. Brighella tells him, that the hares eat up 

 all his master's green wheat, and that he knows not 

 how to kill them. " Nothing more easy," replies 

 Harlequin — " I will engage to kill them all with two- 

 pennyworth of snuff. They come in the night, you 

 say, to feed on the green wheat : strew a little snuff 

 over the field before they come : it will set them all a- 

 sneezing : nobody will be by to say God bless you ! 

 and, of course, they will all die." 



I believe that, during our present correspondence, I 

 have twice quoted the Encyclopedic with some degree 

 of ridicule : I must, notwithstanding, beg leave to say, 

 in justice to myself, that I have great esteem for that 

 valuable work. 



On opening a very large book, called the Gentle- 

 mans Recreation, I met with the following remarkable 

 passage : " Many have written of this subject, as well 

 the ancients as moderns, yet but few of our country- 

 men to any purpose ; and had one all the authors on 

 this subject (as indeed on any other), there would be 

 more trouble to pass by than to retain ; most books 

 being fuller of words than matter, and of that which 

 is, for the most part, very erroneous." All who 

 have written on the subject of hunting, seem to 

 agree in this at least — to speak indifferently of one 

 another. 



1 The Harlequin of the Italian theatre, whose tongue is at liberty, as 

 well as his heels. 



