i6l4 chase of the wild RED DEER 



childhood, should be participated in by all who love 

 the chase, whose hearts thrill at the sound of a 

 * challenge,' and whose pulses beat quicker as they 

 take their horses by the head to strive for superiorit)' 

 over : 



I h : bjected that the time of year at 



which stag-hunting takes place must render the sport 

 ~ from the excessive heat and consequent 

 V. : : and that the fatiofue to which a Ions: 



.isi s-DJect a horse must be extreme, especially 

 c'. - lime of year when horses are generally fat and 

 weak. There is htde ground for the first objection. 

 The climate of the moor, borderingr as it does 

 close upon the sea, is damp and moist. The 

 rain-falls even in the early autumn are frequently 

 hea\'y. and it is rare indeed that absence of scent 

 prevents the hounds from running, or occasions 

 disappointment to the field. The late Mr Willough- 

 by Stawell of Anstey, an enthusiastic stag-hunter, 

 and as good a sportsman as e\er buckled on a 

 spur, used to say that no huntsman should ever 

 give up his deer so long as daylight lasted. In this 

 view I quite agree, provided the game afoot is a 

 •warrantable stag ; for if the chase is after a three, or 

 four-year-old deer, it is imp)Ossible to say when you 

 will run him up. ' The hartes which are of a lively 



