232 THE RED DEER OF EXMOOR. 



the most beautiful and gracious language that he 



can." 



Twici or Twety, huntsman to Edward II., who 

 wrote a short treatise on hunting in Norman French, 

 gives some instances of hound language, among 

 which we find " Oyez a Beaumont, oyez assemble a 

 Beaumont," and also a more elaborate cheer, " Oyez 

 a Beaumont que il quite trouver le coward a la courte 



cou." 



We also come across the familiar tally ho ! dis- 

 guised in A^arious forms. In Hardouin de Fontaines 

 (1394) it appears as " ta ho! ta ho!" The 

 Seneschal of Normandy used " ty hautlau ! " Du 

 Fouilloux says " ty a hillaut" signifies a " view\" 

 Under whatever form it is clearly the halloa used by 

 huntsman and harbourer in addition to the note and 

 recheat when the harboured stag is roused and 

 viewed, and the " finders " are being uncoupled. 



Much more importance was attached to the art of 

 sounding the horn correctly. 



In the Middle Ages everyone who went hunting 

 carried a horn and was supposed to be able to blow 

 it. In early times the horn was an ordinary, curved 

 cow's horn. The head or mouth is recommended to 

 be as wide as possible, and the horn cut or driven 

 as thin as possible, nearly to the "fleu" or mouth- 

 piece. Horns were bound round with thread in 

 places, and a covering of green wax was held vastly 

 improving to the tone. 



Horns of this kind were only capable of a high 



