CHASE OF THE WILD RED DEER 163 



England, at least south of the Humber, in which a 

 wild stag can be seen save in the north of Devon 

 and western part of Somerset. The space over 

 which they can roam undisturbed in the West is, 

 however, becoming more and more limited — the 

 ploughshare creaks where but a few years ago 

 the bittern boomed, the heron screamed, and the 

 plo\-er whistled in the sedgy morass — the long-drawn 

 furrow and the busy measuring chain predict further 

 enclosure, and renewed encroachment on the habita- 

 tions of the dun deer ; and I fear that I am a true 

 prophet in foretelling that there are sportsmen now 

 alive, who. in their old aore. will tell of stacr-huntinsf 

 as of a thing that was — as a sport which thev 

 remember, but which has passed away. If my 

 feeble efforts to excite an interest in the minds of 

 those who are able to retard the extermination of 

 the animal, by a sketch of the history of the sport, 

 can prolong the existence of the herd for even a few 

 years, I shall think that I have not written in vain ; 

 and I shall also feel it a matter for congratulation. 

 if the perusal of these pages should have the effect 

 of inducing any real lover of sport to witness a stag- 

 chase over Exmoor when he may. I should be 

 selfish, indeed, did I not desire that an amusement, 

 which has interested me beyond all others since my 



