THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 1.1 



Situations -, such as a clear head, nice obser.yation, quick ap- 

 prehension, undaunted courage, strength of constitution, 

 axflivity of body, a good ear, and a good voice. 



There is not any one branch of knowledge, commoniy 

 dignified with the title of art, which has not such rudi- 

 ments or principles as may lead to a competent degree 

 of skill, if not to perfedion, in it ; while hunting, the 

 sole business of some, and the amusement of most of the 

 youth in this kingdom, seems left entirely to chance. Its 

 pursuit puts us both to greater expencc, and also to 

 greater inconvenience, than any other ; yet, notwithstand- 

 ing this, we trust our diversion in it to the sole guidance 

 of a huntsman : we follow just as he shall choose to con- 

 .duft us ; and we suffer the success, or disappointment, of 

 the chace, to depend solely on the judgment of a fellow 

 who is frequently a greater brute than the creature on which 

 he rides. I would not be understood to mean by this, that 

 a huntsman should be a scholar, or that every gentleman 

 should hunt his own hounds. It is not necessary a huntsman 

 should be a man of letters : but give me leave to observe, 

 that, had he the best understanding, he would frequently 

 find opportunities of exercising it, and intricacies whi^h 



