64 HUNTING 



of the fun, when mounted on a stout Exmoor pony. 

 These ponies are marvels of endurance, and as sure- 

 footed as goats. Besides, they are on their native 

 heath. Curiously enough, they have generally proved 

 disappointing when translated to fox-hunting countries. 



In a book intended to be of practical utility, an 

 historical retrospect is out of place, but we cannot 

 refrain from calling attention to the fact that long 

 before the Brocklesby, Burton, Blankney, or Eufford 

 packs were thought of, the Earls of Lincoln hunted 

 the stag over the ground now devoted to fox-hunting, 

 while the green plush worn to-day by the hunt 

 servants of the Badminton and Heythrop Hunts is a 

 relic of the days when the Dukes of Beaufort hunted 

 the stag. But wild woodlands and moorlands have 

 disappeared beneath the ploughshare, and stag-hunting 

 in cultivated districts had either to disappear or to be 

 carried on artificially. When a stag is roused, a 

 run is sure, or nearly always sure, to follow, a truth 

 in which lies the popularity of stag-hunting to-day. 

 So the latter alternative was chosen, and the quarry was 

 taken to the place of meeting in a cart. The deer- 

 cart was probably first used about 1775 ; but we read 

 that in 1715 one of the Houghton deer was 

 " let go." 



The deer-cart was described by Tom Hood, as 

 differing only from a hearse in that it contains the 

 " deer alive, and not the dear deceased." Others have 

 described it as a bridal chariot out of which the deer 

 proudly steps like a bridegroom. However, whatever 

 may be its outward appearance, it is sufficiently 

 comfortable inside, resembling more than anything 

 else a luxurious loose box on wheels. Indeed, in every 

 detail connected with this branch of hunting, there is 



