374 



HUNTING. 



Hwe-lmnt- 



llunting. slight blow on the nose occasions inevitable death. 



N *""Y" 1 " The badger is caught alive in sacks covering the mouth 

 of its burrow, into which it is driven by the ter- 

 riers. 



After speaking of all these powerful, ferocious, and 

 crafty animals.it is painful to treat of the hunting of the 

 timid hare a weak, harmless, and defenceless creature, 

 which the very sight of man renders breathless with 

 alarm. Yet, in Britain, whole troops of men, horses, and 

 dogs, collect to enjoy the gratification of running it down ; 

 a feat which is accomplished either by grey-hounds sur- 

 passing its utmost speed, or by slow hounds wearing 

 it out with fatigue. But these are not the only means 

 devised for its destruction, as numberless traps and 

 snares besides fire-arms are always ready to bereave it 

 of life. The hare is the ordinary prey of other animals : 

 yet it feeds on none; its subsistence is derived exclu- 

 sively from vegetable productions, and in few instan- 

 ces does it appear in sufficient numbers to occasion inju- 

 ry. Many fables are interwoven with the history of this 

 animal, and the prejudices of mankind have determined 

 its presence to be ominous on certain times and occa- 

 sions. In general the hare shuns the haunts of men : 

 it is abroad chiefly at dawn and twilight, and during 

 the night troops of this animal meet to sport in the fields. 

 Its vigilance is incessant: the eyes, which are not clo- 

 sed while it sleeps, are so constructed, that it can 

 see farther around in the same position than other ani- 

 mals: its ears are adapted for the reception of the 

 faintest sounds, and its foot is particularly fashioned 

 for protection against different substances that cover the 

 ground. As if aware that safety is to be found in con- 

 cealment, it remains closely squatted in its form, even 

 though its enemies be near ; but when once roused, no 

 bounds are set to its flight. Unlike the fox, which is 

 regardless of distance, the hare feels confidence only 

 when beyond the voice of its pursuers ; but it is never- 

 theless full of stratagems. In the first outset a cir- 

 cular figure is described ; all the subsequent course 

 will approximate to the original line : but doubles 

 are repeated after doubles, and the point of depar- 

 ture will frequently be approached during the chace. 

 Hares are hunted either by harriers, a species of 

 slow hound, or by greyhounds, the latter sport being 

 technically designed coursing. Under a few modifica- 

 tions, nearly the same rules and principles are appli- 

 cable here as before, regarding the choice, breeding, 

 treatment, and entrance of hounds ; but it is invariably 

 to be observed, that the best harriers are those that ne- 

 ver pursue any other game than hares. There is a very 

 diminutive species called beagles, which are in much 

 request for this kind of sport, and some of them are so 

 small, that ten or eleven couple are said to have been car- 

 ried to the field in a pair of large panniers slung across a 

 horse. Twenty coupleof harriers are esteemed a sufficient 

 number in any pack. The hare, though swift, and en- 

 dowed with considerable strength, is weaker than the 

 fox, and the chace is rarely of equal duration ; yet there 

 is an instance of a hare, after having been chaced six- 

 teen miles, taking to the sea, and swimming nearly a 

 quarter of a mile before it was caught, and also of one 

 running above twenty miles in about two hours. The 

 chace is followed by the scent, which is lost and reco- 

 vered as in fox-hunting; and this peculiar emanation 

 is thought to depend on the motion of the animal, be- 

 cause it is seldom perceptible while the hare remains 

 quiet in its form. When it is first started, strict silence 

 should be preserved by the hunters, as the hare is so 

 timid, it i very readily headed back ; whereby the 



fiouising. 



hounds pushing forward lose the scent. oursing is Il< 

 more generally practised in different countries, from Vl " "~(~~" * 

 requiring less of the apparatus of hunting, and be- . 

 cause every master is in this case his own huntsman. ' "' 

 Whether the shaggy or the smooth greyhound should 

 be preferred, is not decided ; but a greater portion 

 of strength is usually ascribed to the former. Con- 

 trary to the nature of harriers, greyhounds hunt en- 

 tirely by the view, and while the others remain in- 

 tent on recovering the scent, they very soon become 

 bewildered on losing sight of the game. They should 

 attain their full vigour before they are initiated into the 

 chace, and in the meantime they should have abun- 

 dance of air and exercise ; but sportsmen are com- 

 monly too impatient to wait for the proper period. 

 The qualities of the greyhound are often to be dis- 

 covered almost entirely from their figure; and some 

 have instinctively the property of carrying the game 

 to the hunter's feet. Coursing can be traced to a 

 very early period : it is said, however, that the Bri- 

 tons anciently abstained from eating the flesh of hares. 

 Grants of land were obtained from several of the 

 earlier sovereigns, for an annual tribute in horses, 

 hawks, or hounds ; and as greyhounds were used in stag- 

 hunting, it is not to be supposed that they would be 

 omitted. In the reign of King John, two charters 

 were granted in 1203 and 1210, in consideration of 

 whicli a certain number of greyhounds should be deli- 

 vered, in addition to other obligations. Coursing is a 

 favourite amusement in many countries besides Bri- 

 tain ; and a good greyhound is so highly prized by 

 some tribes in the eastern parts of Persia, that, accord- 

 ing to a recent traveller, Lieut. Pottinger, the natives 

 sometimes pay 50 for one of acknowledged quality ; a 

 very high sum considering their narrow finances. But 

 sportsmen go farther still among ourselves, as, under 

 the article UOG, it will be seen that 152 has been 

 paid for a greyhound. The greyhounds of Cyprus 

 interrupt the chace by the huntsman merely throwing a 

 pole before them, which indicates singular docility. 

 It is said that a huntsman should acquire so much 

 knowledge of the stratagems of the hare, as to be able 

 to defeat the whole in two or three seasons ; and he 

 will also find his greyhounds improve by experience. 

 The speed of the hare is great, and so are the speed and 

 strength of the greyhound. Two are reported to have 

 coursed a hare seven miles, though they were then so 

 completely exhausted, that medical aid could scarcely 

 preserve them ; and there are examples of their dying 

 in the very act of seizing the game. Whether the hare 

 can see distinctly during the rapidity of its flight, or 

 how its vision is then directed, is doubtful. It runs 

 against obstacles with great violence ; and we are told 

 of a terrier eagerly coming up to join the chace, hav- 

 ing been met by the hare, when the latter was killed on 

 the spot by the concussion, and its skull broken to pie- 

 ces. When hard pressed, the hare will run to earth like 

 a fox or a rabbit : it often takes the water ; seeks shelter 

 in a house ; or even leaps on the breast of a spectator. 

 Thus do we behold the effect of terror and the love of 

 self-preservation conquer its almost invincible timidity. 

 But the devoted victim seldom escapes its merciless 

 pursuers. Compared with that description of the chace, 

 where the power, the ferocity, and the craftiness of 

 animals, are to be combated by the strength and inge- 

 nuity of man, it may be questioned whether hare- 

 hunting should be ranked among the more elevated 

 kinds of sport. 



We shall now say a few words of hunting animals 



