SHOOTING 329 



very attentive to the liouuds whilst drawing, the 

 reason being, as is soon evident, that they hope a 

 woodcock may be flushed, and their hopes are 

 usually realised. If you mark one beagle poking 

 about by himself, sniffing along, evidently on scent, 

 yet not opening, you may be pretty sure he is on a 

 woodcock. But very soon another rabbit is found, 

 and away goes the pack, this time not quite so 

 steadily, as the number of rabbits up tempt the 

 younger hounds after them. However, this adds 

 (except in the opinion of the staid elders) to the 

 sport ; and soon, by the noise of tlie beagles' tongues 

 and the rapid shooting, it appears as if every hound 

 had a rabbit to himself. There certainly must be 

 some " sweet little cherub " sitting " up aloft," who 

 protects rabbit-shooters and beagles, so reckless 

 does the shooting always appear. Here you see an 

 excited youth fire at a rabbit not a yard in front of 

 the dog. How he manages to miss both seems in- 

 comprehensible, but he does. There another rushes 

 round a corner, and blazes both barrels at one, just 

 in a line with another gun, and only a few yards 

 from him ; Init he escapes too. In a word, rabbit- 

 shooting with beagles is one of the most amusing, 

 but at the same time one of the most danoerous, 

 sports going. 



The advance of civilisation and cultivation has 



