OBJECTIONS ANSWERED 203 



littered stable in the summer must be in a fever, or 

 in a state of perspiration. Away with all such trash. 

 If this were the case, what would become of all 

 the race-horses, post-horses, coach-horses, covering 

 stallions, wagon-horses, saddle-horses, and all others 

 used in the hot months ? Take a horse from grass 

 and put him into a warm stable, and no doubt he will 

 sweat ; but not so if kept on hard meat, or with 

 occasional soiling. 



X. B. talks of lessening the quantity of a hunter's 

 food, instead of physic, to prevent plethora ; and of 

 changing the nature of it for that which is " less solid 

 and more easy of digestion." Surely here is the Old 

 Sportsman come again with his Swedish turnips 

 and mashed potatoes ! All this tender food may do 

 very well for a lady's pad, or for the lady herself ; 

 but such language, when applied to the hunter, is 

 absurd. His remarks on physic are equally unfortu- 

 nate, and the " I believe " again stares us in the face. 



I have just found out that X. B. must be an Irish- 

 man. He tells us that " when the late Colonel Mellish 

 had a stable of hunters all in high condition, he could 

 seldom have the horse he wished, as they were fre- 

 quently amiss and obliged to have physic." As this 

 gentleman paid me a handsome compliment in the 

 concluding sentence of his letter, I ought not to be 

 too hard upon him ; but in future I shall not notice 

 the observations of one who appears so little qualified 

 to offer them. 



I am sorry to observe that many of my brother 

 sportsmen are convinced of the evils of turning hunters 



