BATTUE AT COL. ADEANE'S. 75 



you, distracted your attention from the first, and induced 

 you to fire in a hurry at the second. It requires a 

 sportsman to possess . considerable and good nerves to 

 withstand tlie excitement and confusion at the rapid 

 firing, and noise of so many pheasants rising at once. 

 ]\Iany pheasants were killed, but I think full as many 

 escaped as were shot at, when men who were steady shots 

 would seldom have missed one in the old mode of shoot- 

 ing. The head gamekeeper then came with his retriever 

 to the scene of slaughter. The dog had an excellent 

 nose, and recovered several brace of winged birds. The 

 keeper said that he should be with his retriever at day- 

 light the next morning to find some more wounded 

 birds. Colonel Adeane's pheasants were particularly 

 well fed ; two or three of them that were shot high in 

 tlie air, burst when they fell on the ground from their 

 weight. We saw few hares, and no rabbits.* Mrs. H. 

 was much gratified by the view of the battue, but could 

 not help pitying the fate of the beautiful pheasants. 



The Colonel adopted a very efficacious mode to prevent 

 the Cambridge men from sporting on his estate, which 

 was only six miles from Cambridge. He erected a 

 telegraj^h on a hill, from which they could see over his 

 estate in all directions. During the season, a man con- 

 stantly resided there during the day, in order to give 

 notice by the working of the telegraph to the head 

 keeper in what part of the estate the party were coursing 

 or shooting. The keeper, who had a pony constantly 



* At the last shooting excursion in the preserves at Versailles, the 

 Emperor Napoleon -was accompanied by Prince Napoleon, Lord Co^^'ley, 

 &c., making in all nine giuis. The day's sport commenced at 10.30, 

 and lasted till five. The result— 19 deer, 797 hares, 65 rabbits, 1081 

 pheasants, and 5o partridges, or 2017 in all. 



