94 STAG- HUNTING ON EXMOOR. 



It was necessary in this year to devote no less than a 

 fortnight's hunting- to the increasing herd of deer in 

 the woods of the Taw and Mole valleys, some twenty- 

 five miles from the Exford kennels ; and even so It was 

 impossible to deal with all the deer in that district, 

 some of them having wandered as far as Crediton. 

 The cry of indiscriminate slaughter was again raised, 

 but with little reason, for the committee were so far 

 from ill-satisfied at the number of deer killed that 

 they guaranteed the master an additional subscription 

 to enable him to hunt stags four days a week In 1883 

 and kill a few more. 



The experiment as regards the number of stags 

 brought to hand was not altogether successful, but in 

 the matter of sport it answered its purpose to perfec- 

 tion. It was found, however, by the end of the season 

 that it could not be repeated. One ex-master of fox- 

 hounds, indeed, ventured to predict that four days 

 stag-hunting a week would be too much for human 

 physical endurance, and so indeed it proved. The 

 distances are too great, the hours too long, and the 

 weather too severe. The sport, however, was wonder- 

 fully good ; few seasons if any can compare with that 

 of 1883-84. The main features of it were a run from 

 the Culbone covers to Castle Hill, another from 



