14 THE NATURAL HISTORY 



and made a stately appearance. There is an old keeper, now 

 alive, named Adams, whose great grandfather (mentioned in a 

 perambulation taken in 1635), grandfather, father and self, en- 

 joyed the head keepership of Wolmer forest in succession for 

 more than an hundred years. This person assures me, that his 

 father has often told him, that Queen Anne, as she was journeying 

 on the Portsmouth road, did not think the forest of Wolmer beneath 

 her royal regard. For she came out of the great road at Lippock, 

 which is just by, and, reposing herself on a bank smoothed for that 

 purpose, lying about half a mile to the east of Wolmer-pond, and 

 still called Queens-bank, saw with great complacency and satis- 

 faction the whole herd of red deer brought by the keepers along 

 the vale before her, consisting then of about five hundred head. 

 A sight this worthy the attention of the greatest sovereign ! But 

 he further adds that, by means of the Waltham blacks, or, to use 

 his own expression, as soon as they began blacking, they were 

 reduced to about fifty head, and so continued decreasing till the 

 time of the late Duke of Cumberland. It is now more than thirty 

 years ago that his highness sent down an huntsman, and six 

 yeomen -prickers, in scarlet jackets laced with gold, attended by 

 the stag-hounds ; ordering them to take every deer in this forest 

 alive, and convey them in carts to Windsor. In the course of the 

 summer they caught every stag, some of which showed extraor- 

 dinary diversion : but, in the following winter, when the hinds 

 were also carried off, such fine chases were exhibited as served 

 the country people for matter of talk and wonder for years after- 

 wards. I saw myself one of the yeomen-prickers single out a stag 

 from the herd, and must confess that it was the most curious feat 

 of activity I ever beheld, superior to anything in Mr. Astleys 

 riding-school. The exertions made by the horse and deer much 

 exceeded all my expectations ; though the former greatly excelled 

 the latter in speed. When the devoted deer was separated from 

 his companions, they gave him, by their watches, law, as they 

 called it, for twenty minutes ; when, sounding their horns, the 

 stop- dogs were permitted to pursue, and a most gallant scene 

 ensued. 1 



1 [See " Hounds " in Observations on Quadrupeds.] 



