100 EACECOUESE AND COVEET SIDE. 



he is, just near your corner ! " shouts the keeper. 

 But bunny dechnes to come out till the place is 

 too hot to hold him, and then darts across the 

 road and through the fence into the wood in 

 front. One must be extraordinarily quick to play 

 this game with success, yet above all things it is 

 necessary to take one's time, or rather to avoid 

 flurry and excitement. The rabbit speeds along 

 where the undergrowth is thin, and the first 

 barrel rolls him over. Bang ! bang ! go the 

 other guns ; and when the patch of gorse has 

 been traversed each beater and boy has a couple 

 or so of rabbits to carry, and journeys to the cart 

 which follows us become frequent, the dogs 

 assisting by catching a few rabbits themselves. 



The scene is repeated in the wood beyond, 

 and before long the intelligence of the dogs is 

 curiously shown. One of our party is given to 

 looking for hypothetical rabbits and calling the 

 dogs to help him. Several times they attend 

 the summons, search the place he indicates, and 

 find nothing, the consequence being that after 

 a while they refuse to take any notice of his 

 requests for assistance, while running eagerly to 

 the halloa of another gun, who they have already 

 learnt will not call them for nothing. The 

 fusillade is now brisk, the rabbits are constantly 

 darting across the ride, a hare occasionally lobs 



