x PREFACE. 



Racing " ; but my chief activities with fur, feather and fin 

 have been set forth herein. 



I can only hope and trust that such rambling reminiscences 

 as have been conjured up by sweet and bitter memories, will 

 serve to cause some slight interest and amusement to those 

 readers who patronize these pages ; albeit I shall deem 

 myself exceedingly lucky if I escape a charge of monotony 

 and reiteration, pitfalls which have beset me constantly 

 whilst stringing together a " story " which is no story at all, 

 but simply a bunch of incidents depicted in fantastic mono- 

 chrome. The shooting of bird or beast ; the hooking, playing 

 and landing of a fish ; the details of a coursing thrill, and the 

 excitements of a bumping race, afford the author very few 

 materials with which to elaborate his " colour scheme " ; 

 for the reason that each and all of these ventures in their 

 respective spheres bear a striking family likeness tp one 

 another. Such as they are, here they are. I can only beg 

 for the same kindly indulgence that has been meted out to 

 my other modest ventures with the pen. 



THE AUTHOR. 



