4*0 ikinas of tbe Iftofc, IRffle, an& (Bun 



comprising 135,458 acres, of which 30,000 were devoted 

 to grouse alone, 50,000 partly to grouse and partly to 

 deer, whilst 52,000 acres were reserved solely for deer. 

 Here Scrope was enabled to study the " Art of Deer- 

 stalking" to perfection, and without doubt he made 

 himself a master of the art. But he always writes 

 modestly of his own exploits : 



"If my success was occasionally very considerable it 

 must be recollected that the deer were numerous and 

 that I was assisted by clever scouts. The being my 

 own stalker, also, was an advantage, that long practice 

 enabled me to profit from : no one, I think, can make 

 the best of events when his movements are controlled 

 by others and are a mystery to himself." 



The book consists partly of dialogue, partly of 

 narrative and description, interspersed with legends and 

 superstitions, stories of poachers, freebooters, and other 

 wild men of the woods. The style is lively and agreeable, 

 and even nowadays the sportsman will not only find 

 that the advice and information in Scrope's pages stand 

 the test of time and change, but that the freshness and 

 charm of the narrative are not a whit lessened by age. 



I will present the reader with some samples of William 

 Scrope as an author at his best. He tells us that deer- 

 stalking "throws all other field-sports into the back- 

 ground," and this is the graphic way in which he 

 endeavours to infect his reader with his own enthusiasm : 



" You have hitherto seen nothing but our tame deer, 

 with their palmated branches, cooped up in ornamental 

 parks ; and such are picturesque enough ; but when I 

 show you a herd of these magnificent animals with 



