480 
MISCELLANEA. 
having an instinct to pull a bell when desirous of going out at the 
door, or of an elephant’s lifting up a cannon, or beating down a 
wall, at his driver’s command, by instinct, would be to use words 
at random. 
Cattle from Ireland. 
Mr. Trotter, the member for West Surrey, has obtained a 
return, shewing that 28,672 oxen, bulls, and cows; 329 calves; 
25,701 sheep and lambs ; and 45,993 swine, were imported into 
Great Britain from Ireland between the 5th January and 5th April, 
1847. 
Sporting Readings. 
u A CELEBRATED Irish sportsman, who keeps a few couple of 
the Irish basket beagles, for hare-hunting in his beautiful demesne, 
assured me that they once accidentally met with a stray fox, and, 
much to his astonishment, hunted him. The fox made no exertion 
to get clear of his company, but led them, in a quiet canter, to a 
moderately high part of the demesne wall, where he, no doubt, 
meant to impound, and take leave of the whole party : but he 
was mistaken (as calculating people sometimes are) ; for just as 
he was in the act of rising at the leap, three couple of these saga- 
cious little animals most dexterously caught hold of his bushy tail, 
and were safely landed on the opposite side, when they continued 
the chase until he was compelled to take refuge in a neighbouring 
earth.” — O'Connor's Field Sports in France. 
“ You may never have heard of the troupeaux de la Mesta, 
which in the sixteenth century employed 60,000 bergers . The 
sheep then amounted to seven millions. At present they exceed 
five millions. They are divided into flocks of 2000 each, with a 
mayoral , fifty bergers, and fifty dogs to conduct them. They 
traverse the vast tracts of uncultivated land in the arid plains of 
Estremadura, and in their destructive progress sweep away every 
thing in the shape of vegetation.” — ■ Ut supra . 
