AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



47 



the early stages of their career, might trace their decline to 

 a "flask of brandy," which they always provided for 

 their hunting excursions. 



I would advise you, therefore, to drink no spirituous 

 liquors whatever, and discoui-age your friends from pro- 

 viding a flask of brandy, for you may rest assured that all 

 artificial stimulants of this nature, are never productive of 

 good, but injurious to the health and disposition of those 

 who use them, for they only excite but to enervate, and, 

 are oftentimes productive of broils between friends, which 

 frequently end in separation, and sometimes deadly strife. 

 The best allay for thirst, is from the fountain which nature 

 has provided, and by slaking your thirst with pure water, 

 you will be enabled to withstand the fatigues of the day 

 with more comfort both to your body and mind. 



It argues much against those who make frequent applica- 

 tions of the bottle, or are stopping at every tavern to pro- 

 cure a drink of liquor; these misgivings and derelictions of 

 principle lead to further vice, and frequently bring the 

 sportsman to a state of degradation, and the exercise of 

 those habits which render him noxious to his family and 

 friends, and to himself a source of disgust, and sometimes 

 remorse. 



To check these inroads of vice, the young sportsman, in 

 the commencement of his career, should mark out for his 

 future guidance, certain rules from which he ought never 

 depart; these rules should be founded on good principles, 

 and by strictly observing them, he will subject all his 

 pleasures to a proper sphere, tending much to sweeten life, 

 and rob it of many of the concomitant evils, with which 

 mortality is so replete. A celebrated writer justly ob- 

 serves, " that benevolence requires, that the pleasures of 

 sense should be made entirely subservient to health of body 

 and mind, so that each person may best fill his place in life; 

 best perform the several relative duties of it; and as far as 

 in him lies, prolong his days to their utmost period, free 

 from diseases and infirmities." 



Thus, by viewing and forming all your gratifications as 

 subordinate steps to health, you may freely in this restrict- 

 ed sense, pursue the various modifications of pleasure, as 

 auxiliaries to the enjoyment of life; and by bridling your 

 desires, and discriminating between licentiousness and 

 the moderate enjoyment of pleasure, and scrupulously 

 adhere to the latter, you will no doubt lessen the anx- 

 iety of indulgent fathers, or earnest solicitude of affec- 

 tionate mothers ; escape many of the pains and ills of life, 

 and pass down to a good old age, free from the keen retros- 

 pection of having prodigally wasted your early days in 

 cruelty, and the pursuit of those enjoyments, which for- 

 ever elude the grasp, and only excite hope, in order to 

 disappoint. 



D. 



ANECDOTE OF A GREY FOX. 



A TEW days since, two gentlemen of Burlington coun- 

 ty, N. J. went out to hunt rabbits, each provided with a 

 gun, and but one dog. In a low bushy swamp, which 

 they had just entered, the dog came upon the form of a 

 Grey Fox. Reynard, of course, left his seat, and the 

 party went off in keen pursuit. After a chase of about 

 two miles, he entered a very dense thicket, composed prin- 

 cipally of underbush and twigs, and making a circuit of 

 this place, in order to deceive his enemies, returned to the 

 place from whence he was first started. On his way 

 thither, one of the persons (they had by this time sepa- 

 rated) shot at, and evidently struck him, as he made three 

 or four somersets, rolling himself into the form of a ball, 

 and fell; but, instantly recovering, he succeeded in reach- 

 ing the swamp, hunted closely by the dog, from whence he 

 was again routed by his industrious pursuer. He now 

 made for the thicket again, two miles off; chance threw 

 the other sportsman in his waj^, and the poor Fox fell 

 apparently dead at his very feet; but, ere the huntsman 

 could secure him, he was gone. The thicket now became 

 the scene of strife; Reynai'd played off his cunning full 

 two hours and a half, (part of which was by moonliglit) but 

 it availed him nothing, as victory was decided in favour of 

 the indefatigable dog and his masters, and our friend Viil- 

 pes was sorely discomfited: he was carried home quite de- 

 funct as they thought, and thrown into a corner of the 

 room, the family sat down to supper; Reynard seeing all 

 busily engaged, ventured to reconnoitre, and had cautiously 

 raised himself on his fore legs, no doubt for this purpose, 

 but on finding himself observed, resumed his quiescent 

 state: one of the party, in order to ascertain whether the 

 Fox was really alive, or not, passed a piece of lighted 

 paper under his nose, but the inanimate log or stone ap- 

 peared not more senseless at that moment. Finding all 

 attempts to get off unavailing, he submitted to his destiny 

 with a very good grace, and next morning was as well as 

 ever, bating a slight wound in the shoulder, and a dirty 

 skin. Reynard, we understand, is to be kept in durance 

 until New Year, when he is to be again loosed for further 

 sport; but, humanity would certainly dictate his final en- 

 largement, especially as he exercised his cunning so ad- 

 mirably to deceive his captors: he may, also, have suffered 

 death (in imagination) in its thousand forms, and, although 

 he may, in former days, have trespassed on some good 

 dame's poultry yard, and committed sundry other depre- 

 dations, such as stealing whole flocks of geese by floating 

 silently amongst, and drawing them one by one under 

 water, &c. &c. ; we still think, that humanity should trace 

 the discriminating line between cruelty and recreation, 

 and suffer the " sly intruder" to escape with his life. 

 Dec. 22, IS 30. T. 



