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 discourage 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. 
ANECDOTE OP A GREY FOX. 
A few 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 way, 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; Reynard played off his cunning full 
two hours and a half, (part of which was by moonlight) but 
it availed him nothing, as victory was decided in favour of 
the indefatigable dog and his masters, and our friend Vul- 
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 adr 
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, 1830. T. 
D. 
