l6 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING^ 



labour with opinions of almost every kind, from the rriost 

 serious and instrudive to the most ridiculous and trifling; 

 a country, besides, so famous for the best hounds, and the 

 best horses to follow them 5 whose authors sometimes hunt, 

 and whose sportsmen sometimes write — that only the prac- 

 tical part of hunting should be known ? — There is, however, 

 no doubt, that the pradical part of it would be improved, 

 were it to be accompanied by theory* 



France, Germanyj and Italy, are also silent, I believe, 

 on this subjed j though each of these countries has had its 

 sportsmen. Foxes, it is true, they never hunt, and hares 

 but seldom ; yet the stag^ and wild boar, both in France 

 :^nd in Germany, are still pursued with the utmost splen^ 

 dour and magnificence. In Italy, there has been na 

 hunting since the death of the Duke of Parma : he was 

 very fond of it ; and, I apprehend, all hunting in that 

 country ceased with him. The only sportsmen now re- 

 maining, are gentlemen in green coats, who, taking their 

 couteaux de chasse along with them, walk into the fields to 

 catch small birds, v;hich they call andar a la caccia^ or, in 

 plain English, going a-hunting : yet it has not been so with 

 horsemanship j that has been treated scientifically by all— 



