148 RIDING RECOLLECTIONS. 



charming mother almost always has a charming daughter, 

 so, from its earliest foalhood, the future hunter ac- 

 quires an activity, courage, and sagacity that shall 

 hereafter become the admiration of crowded hunting- 

 fields in the land of the Saxon far, far away ! 



But whereas in many parts of Ireland improved agri- 

 culture denies space for the unrestrained vagaries of 

 these early lessons, a judicious system is adopted that 

 substitutes artificial education for that of nature. " It 

 is wonderful we don't get more falls," said one of the 

 boldest and best of lady riders, who during many 

 seasons followed the pilotage of Jem Mason, and but 

 for failing eye-sight, could sometimes have gone before 

 him, "when we consider that we all ride half-broken 

 horses," and, no doubt, on our side of the Channel, the 

 observation contained a great deal of truth. But in 

 this respect our neighbours show more wisdom. They 

 seldom bring a pupil into the hunting-field till the 

 elementary discipline has been gone through that 

 teaches him when he comes to his fence what to do 

 with it. He may be three, he may be four. I have 

 seen a sportsman in Kilkenny so unassumingly 

 equipped that instead of boots he wore wi-sps of straw 

 called, I believe, " sooghauns? go in front for a quarter 

 of an hour on a two-year old ! Whatever his age, 



