88 UNASKED ADVICE. 



never calculated to give a " sensation ^^ one way or the 

 other. Nor are half-frozen sparrows lively-looking 

 figures; and the robin himself, a sporting little bird, 

 whose sympathies are ever with hunting weather, at most 

 only sets the example of making the best of a bad bar- 

 gain, as, sitting on the top of the frozen pump, with 

 feathers puJBfed out to their full extent, he '^favours the 

 company '^ with his sweet but plaintive little song. 

 Arrived at the stable, we seat ourselves on the corn-bin, 

 and give ourselves over to tobacco smoke and meditation 

 — the latter not of the merriest description. Our seat 

 itself reminds us of the price of forage — an unpleasant 

 recollection, which carries the mind onward to thoughts 

 of the blacksmith^s bill, then the saddler^s, then again 

 the weekly nuisance of helper's wages ; and heterodox 

 thoughts are usually likely to creep into even the well 

 regulated mind, to the effect of whether a similar outlay 

 might not afford amusement equal in quality to foxhunt- 

 ing, and less dependent on weather ; and this train of 

 thought leads to " crabbing '' the noble science itself. 



The ^^deterioration of our saddle horses'' here occupies 

 our mind for a space. We of course consider our present 

 stud to be as useful a lot as other people's, but too well 

 we know their shortcomings, and have only too lively a 

 recollection of the trouble and cost involved in getting 

 them together ; also of the number of brutes we first 

 bought, and then had almost to give away, before our 

 present moderate establishment was complete — for this is 

 supposed to be one in which no cats are tolerated who 

 neglect the capture of mice. And the more we think on 

 the subject, the more are we convinced that this deterio- 

 ration is an accomplished fact. Where are the short- 

 legged, weight-carrying hunters of former days, who 



