188 GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL. 



mire the magnificent panoramic view that here 

 suddenly bursts upon the sight. The dark hang- 

 ing woods of Lavington clothed the steep hills on 

 one side, while on the other their natural forms 

 were varied by smaller clumps of beech and 

 juniper. Below me lay the long and picturesque 

 valley of the Rother, extending from the borders 

 of Hampshire as far as the eye could reach, and 

 varied with wild, heathery commons, evergreen 

 woods, brown copses, and cultivated fields. Im- 

 mediately opposite was the elevated range of the 

 lower green sandstone formation which forms the 

 southern boundary of the weald of West Sussex ; 

 beyond which again, in the distance, might be 

 seen the blue outline of the Surrey downs as they 

 stretched far away into the eastern horizon. I 

 had not gazed long upon this magnificent scene 

 before a deep hollow booming, or protracted con- 

 cussion for it was rather felt than heard shook 

 the earth for some seconds. At the same moment 

 a pheasant in an adjoining copse announced his 

 consciousness of the shock by a sudden crowing, 

 which had hardly ceased before a second explo- 

 sion, succeeded after another interval by a third 

 the loudest of all induced every cock pheasant 

 in the woods of Lavington to sound his note of 

 alarm. As to myself, I confess I was puzzled 

 how to account for the phenomenon. It was 



