36 



pretty but slow hunting — all left to themselves, passing Kirk- 

 lands on to Barrochan, where they lost him, owing to there 

 being no scent. It was a treat to see the hounds hunting it 

 out all in a body, and, as a good judge remarked, the Colonel's 

 hounds can burst him up with a scent, and hunt him with 

 none ! Found again at once in Corslie Hill gorse, where he 

 ran a great risk of losing his life, on account of there being 

 riders in every possible position than the right one. How- 

 ever, as luck would have it, he got away down towards Bar- 

 rochan. Being headed at the road, he turned back towards 

 Olives, which covert he did not enter, but went over the cream 

 of the Renfrewshire country to ground at Elphinstone. A 

 rather amusing incident occurred during the day. 



" Dismounting, said one, at a gate which was fast, 

 The crowd pushing by knocked me down as they passed ; 

 My horse seized that moment to take his own fling ; 

 Oh ! who'll again doubt hunting a good-natured thing. " 



Warbu7i07i. 



A rough-and-ready party, from the middle of Renfrewshire, 

 caught the above gentleman's horse, who at once tipped him 

 a shilling. "Hoots, man," says he, rejecting the proffered 

 "bob," "d'ye no ken I'm ane o' your ainsels" — highly in- 

 dignant at beiog mistaken for anyone but an Al man with 

 the L. and R. pack. On the way home I met with the usual 

 number of men with plenty of excuses for not being there or 

 thereabouts; and to quote Warburton again: — 



" How trifling a cause will oft lose us a run, 

 From the find to the finish how few see the fun ; 

 A mischance it is called when we come to a halt — 

 Did you e'er hear of one who confessed it a fault?" 



A DAY'S HAWKING WITH MR. EWEN OF 

 EWENFIELD. 



Falconry, or what in olden times was called hawking, is of 

 very ancient origin, and has been traced back, as an Eastern 



