APPENDIX. 333 



He was moreover (but this has little to do with his sporting- 

 habits), a most formidable enemy to dogs of twice his power ; for he 

 would cunningly throw himself upon his back if overmatched, and 

 take the same unfair advantage of his unfortunate opponent which 

 Polygars are trained to do when they are attacking the wild hog 

 (445). 



I relate this story about H d and his bull terrier because few 



men ever were so successful in getting up a good show of game on a 

 property. It was a favourite observation of his that it was not 

 game, it was vermin, that required looking after ; that these did 

 more injury than the largest gang of poachers, as the depredations 

 of the latter could be stopped, but not those of the former. There 

 are few who, on reflection, will not agree with the old keeper. Stoats 

 are so bloodthirsty, that if one of them come across a brood of young 

 pheasants he will give each in succession a deadly gripe on the back 

 of the neck close to the skull, not to make any use of the carcasses, 

 but in the epicurean desire to suck their delicate brains. All who are 

 accustomed to "rabbiting" know that even tame ferrets evince the 

 same murderous propensities, and commit indiscriminate slaughter, 

 apparently in the spirit of wanton destructiveness. 



From all, however, that I have seen and heard, I fancy no animal 

 so much prevents the increase of partridges and pheasants, as the 

 hooded crow. 



An intelligent man, C s M n (an admirable dresser of 



salmon-flies), whose veracity I have no reason to distrust, assured me 

 that he had seen about the nest of a " hoodie " (as he called the 

 bird), the shells of not less than two hundred eggs, ah 1 nearly of the 

 partridge and pheasant. He told me that he once had an opportunity 

 of observing the clever proceedings of a pair of these marauders, bent 

 on robbing the nest on which a hen-pheasant was actually sitting. One 

 of the depredators by fluttering round her, and slily pecking at her 

 unprotected stern, at length so succeeded in irritating her, that she 

 got up to punish him. By a slow scientific retreat, he induced her 

 to pursue him for a few steps, thus affording his confederate, who 



"eat one to the very turban." his high spirit and great courage 



They will sometimes cure a biter make^him quite indomitable, 



by letting him seize a leg of With a stout stick, a better 



mutton burning hot off the fire defence than you may at first 



not so expensive a remedy as you imagine can be made against the 



may think, where sheep, wool, or attack of a vicious bull. Smart 



rather hair and all, are constantly blows struck on the tip of his 



sold at 25. each, I will not de- horns seem to cause a jar painfully 



scribe how poor, I have lifted felt at the roots. Mr. B n, of 



them up, one in each hand, to A n, when he was charged in 



judge of their comparative weight. the middle of a large field by a 



A country bred horse may be con- bull which soon afterwards killed 



quered by harsh means ; but a a man, adopting this plan, beat 



true Arab never. It is rare to off the savage animal, though 



find one that is not sweet-tern- it several times renewed its at- 



pered ; but when he is vicious, tacks. 



