INTRODUCTORY 3 



are worth, but you must understand that I fully 

 appreciate my fallibility and power of making 

 mistakes. Doctors differ, and the shining lights 

 of the hunting world often disagree on important 

 questions, so that I can hardly expect to wade into 

 these disputed waters without stirring up some 

 mud and laying myself open to hostile criticism. 



When man first entered into partnership with 

 the dog to pursue other animals will never now 

 be accurately known, but there is no doubt that 

 our prehistoric ancestors hunted something in 

 their own peculiar fashion. Coming down to a 

 more recent date, we read of Xenophon hunting 

 the hare, but this ancient history is neither enter- 

 taining nor instructive. In 178 1, Peter Beckford 

 published his Thoughts on Huntings and that book 

 remains a standard work to this day. Before 

 Beckford, Somerville wrote a poem called 'The 

 Chase,' and there were a few other treatises on 

 hunting prior to that time, but they contain 

 nothing which is applicable to the sport as it is 

 known to-day. Those who wish to learn some- 

 thing of the art of hunting will find Beckford 

 a most delightful book, which every sportsman 

 should have in his library. 



