116 ^'OTITIA A'EMATICA. 



to treason to allow a liouiid to cuter the cover })rior to the fifth of No- 

 vemher, for feai- of the pheasants Avhieh might he driven out hecoming a 

 prey to the Anti-Papists, who are absurdly enough permitted, without 

 let or hindrance, to range about the neighbouring lanes with their 

 guns. 



In speaking of the changes which have taken jjlace in hunting, no 

 one particular feature is more strikingly altered than the absolute man- 

 ner of handling the pack and hunting them at the present day. We 

 seldom or never now hear hounds spoken to or cheered by their names ; 

 the silent system is carried on in some establishments to such an extent, 

 both by the men and packs themselves, that you can hardly tell when 

 hounds are on the line and when they are off. In fact, some modern 

 huntsmen are actually afraid to speak to their hounds, for fear they 

 should begin to drive and fly all over the country. I never go out with 

 such a pack that it don't put me it mind of a man who once offered him- 

 self to me as a groom ; upon my inquiring of the stud-groom under 

 Avliom he had lived as to what sort of a hand he was, I was informed 

 that he was a capital servant but " could not dbear to be spoke to"— a 

 pretty fellow for a groom to a man with a short stud and a still shorter 

 purse. Well, these hounds are just like this man — they " can't abear to 

 be spoken to,' being so desperately tetchy and wild. I am not advocating 

 the constant practice of whooping and lifting hounds to every haUoo which 

 may be heard ; but when you see the old system of cheering the body 

 to hounds Avhich may have got the lead done away with, I always think 

 that fox-hunting is robbed of half of its spirit. Who can ever forget 

 old Tom Rose's rattlitit lialloos, when coming away from Whistley 

 Wood with the Duke of Grafton's hounds ? The echoes have hardly 

 died away while I am writing this ; and I fancy I still see his fine old 

 wliite locks flying in the wind, as he was wont to cheer the pack, cap in 

 hand : but, poor old man, he has departed. That was the way to bring 

 hounds out of cover ! There was another famous fellow in Northamp- 

 tonshire — he was before my time — but I have heard so many capital 

 stories of him that I almost fancy I have hunted with him ; that man 

 was Jem Butler, father of Butler who now hunts the Badsworth. He 

 lived many years with the late Mr. Warde when he hu)ited the Pytchley 

 country, and was considered about the best huntsman of his day. His 

 system was to be always with his hoimds, and, by cheering them, make 

 them hunt the line as well as run : he had a splendid voice, but always 

 used it to some purpose ; nevertheless, he sometimes spoke to 'em 

 rather faster than his master considered advisable, and he has been 

 heard to say on more than one occasion — 



" Gently, Jem — gently, Jem ! Don't be in such a desperate hurry ; 

 old Rifleman never spoke to it, did he ?" 



" No, sir, " says Butler, giving another rattling cheer; " but I can 

 see he will directly." 



Jem Butler was right. 



When a large body of hounds arc thrown into a Avood in cub-hunting, 

 it Is of no consequence into how many lots they may be divided after 

 the cubs are on foot, as long as they arc at work on right scents ; care 



