THE VIRGINIA DEER 125 



deer these clubs have wild turkeys, woodcock, part- 

 ridges, doves, snipe, and wild-fowl. 



Mr. W. G. Van Tassel Sutphen, who wrote the story 

 of these clubs, says : " We have had two days among 

 the birds, with an incidental battue in honor of the 

 doves (and, by the way, a swiftly quartering dove is no 

 bad wing-practice), and this morning are to try our 

 luck with hound and horn. A telephone message to 

 the Pineland Club the night before has brought us a 

 couple of recruits, and the drivers are to meet us a 

 mile below on the Parachicola road. There is some 

 discussion over the respective merits of ' Three Bone ' 

 stand on Cyprus run and the ' Sisters ' stand on Blue 

 run, but as we are only five guns strong the decision is 

 finally for one of the smaller stands. It is a glorious 

 morning, with all the balmy softness of a perfect May 

 day, the deep-blue sky over our heads and the brown 

 sedge crackling musically beneath our horses' feet. 

 Truly it is good to be alive and astride a horse's back 

 on such a day as this. 



" We amble along two and two, with Mr. Warren 

 Lawton, who is officiating as master of the hounds, 

 bringing up the rear and keeping a watchful eye upon 

 his dogs. ' White Rouser ' and ' Reb ' are young and 

 impetuous and inclined to range widely, but we are 

 still in the open country, and they are too anxious to 

 be in the chase to disregard the occasional admoni- 

 tion of the master's lustily winded horn. They are 

 fine, deep-chested animals, these black-and-tan native 

 hounds, and evidently built for both speed and bottom. 

 Several attempts have been made to introduce English 

 strains, but the imported dog has not shown himself 



