[66] 



CHAPTER V. 



Hunted stag taking up wind — Law given to foxes — Run with the 

 Meath from Ratoath Stick Covert — Bagging foxes at Mallahow 

 ^Author's harriers hunting stag or fox — Bloodhound cross — 

 Vagaries of scent — Author's harriers on a fox — Colonel John- 

 stone — Whyte-Melville — General Eraser, V.C. — Changes for the 

 worse in Irishmen — Sporting farmers — A cow as a hunter — 

 Change in Irish character — Brood-mares of former years a 

 source of profit — Mr. Moran's brood-mare — Mr. L. Morrogh — 

 C. Brindley — Jem Brindley — ^Retrospect — The late Mr. S. 

 Reynell and Mr. Morrogh — Quick things with the Ward — 

 Accident to horse lent to owner — Advice to young sportsmen 

 — Bad temper in man or horse. 



I HAVE before mentioned that by studying the tactics 

 of hunted deer I have been enabled to acquire very 

 much knowledge as regards the science of hunting 

 itself, which I should have failed to gather from the 

 much-to-be-preferred sport of hunting either fox or 

 hare. For example, I have frequently noticed that 

 if a stag or hind were given ten minutes' law, always 

 provided that it was a genuine wild one, or wild-bred 

 one, it went up wind, as is its custom naturally to do. 

 Deer trust to their powers of scent to avoid danger, 

 but when they are close pressed they very frequently 

 change their tactics and reverse the order of things ; 

 and foxes and hares will act in a similar manner under 

 similar conditions ; but if pressed, invariably have 

 recourse to some new manoeuvre, particularly when 



