396 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



village ; the sheep-bells tinkle in the folds in the 

 valley, and the day is gone. 



Rabbit-shooting is a sport by no means to be 

 despised. On the contrary, the humble cony can 

 afford as much real sport as any other description 

 of game. As the late Sir John Astley remarks in 

 his ' Memoirs,' ' A bunny in a hurry takes a deal of 

 hitting.' Where should we be without our wild 

 rabbits ? Nine times out of ten, half the bag is 

 made up of them. Such jolly, happy little beggars 

 as they are, too, it almost seems a shame to kill 

 them ; and yet they are so terribly tempting as 

 they skip across the tussocks of grass or bolt 

 through the ferns. I think that the so-called 

 (miscalled) sport of rabbit-coursing, as practised 

 in some parts of the country, cannot be too 

 strongly condemned. It is gross cruelty to 

 confine a number of wretched animals in boxes 

 or cages solely for the purpose of running them 

 down with terriers. The rabbits are cramped, 

 weakly from want of food and proper air, and are 

 unable to run sufficiently well to have a chance of 

 saving their lives. I could wish that this and 

 every sport of a similar character were rendered 

 illegal ; nor can I find it in me to make excuse 

 for any sport which necessitates the capture of 

 any wild animal or bird solely for the purpose of 

 hunting it to death or shooting it. Such a pro- 

 ceeding is cruel, and therefore un-English. 



Of all sport with the gun, it may, I think, 

 be conceded that snipe - shooting is able to 



