4 STAGHUNTING WITH THE 



Deer" has touched a chord which appeals to all 

 the lovers of the moor and its wild streams and 

 woodlands ; but a description of modern stag- 

 hunting, as it survives to-day, has so far remained 

 unattempted, except in the columns of the papers, 

 wherein the object is rather to detail the course 

 of each particular run, than to lead the reader 

 through the most beautiful scenerv of the wild 

 West Country, and amongst the most stirring 

 nioments of the chase. 



The ditticulties of obtaining satisfactorv studies 

 •of the more interesting phases of such a sport as 

 this have only been surmounted by repeated effort 

 and much persistence, the hazv atmosphere of 

 the moor, the exceedingly rough and rugged 

 nature of the ground to be traversed, and that 

 at a high rate of speed, and the natural craft 

 of the noble animal pursued, have all militated 

 against the successful use of the camera. While 

 the ordeal by photograph has become more and 

 more familiar to all hunt oi'hcials of recent years, 

 and while every voung lady's album contains 

 snap-shot groups taken at the meets, it is the 

 endeavour of the author of the present volume 

 to describe mainly those scenes when the long- 

 legged tripod and the kodak alike are far away 

 and "the hunt is up." 



The Editor of Coiiiifry Life has pioneered 

 the way in reproducing scenes of the Devon and 

 Somerset Staghounds in motion, and to his kind 



