232 HUNTING DIRECTORY. 



stag Hunting. 



doubt, highly gratifying to the stag hunter ; but would 

 perhaps appear like an apology for hunting in the esti- 

 mation of a fox hunter. 



His late Majesty, George III. was very partial to stag 

 hunting ; but it has been remarked that if he " had ever 

 seen a fox well found and handsomely killed," he would 

 have preferred the pursuit of the fox to that of the stag : 

 I have no doubt such would have been the case — it could 

 not have been otherwise. The stag-hunting of George 

 III. was gorgeous and imposing, and this monarch was 

 very affable in the field. The late king sat tolerably 

 well on horseback ; yet the hounds were frequently 

 stopped to enable him to come up ; when they were 

 again suffered to proceed : a fox hunter would have 

 thought little of such doings ; but he would nevertheless 

 have been highly gratified with the pleasing familiarity 

 of the king. His present Majesty, George IV. does not 

 attend the royal hounds, though they go out regularly 

 by his command, and are kept up in as much style (if 

 not more) than they were during the life of his father. 



The Earl of Derby also has an establishment for 

 stag-hunting ; and his lordship pursues the stag during 

 the season in Surrey. The hounds for the purpose have 

 been bred from fox hounds, and are consequently very 

 fleet. There are a few other stag-hunting establish- 

 ments in England, which, however, do not require any 

 particular notice in this place. 



The stag-hunting of former days was a very different 

 business. Prior to the inclosure of the various forests, 

 wild deer were plentiful, and the stag at this period, in 

 all probability, afforded excellent runs — in fact, stag- 



