ranging in a separate direction, and on one of them coming to a point, the remaining six immediately dropped, and not one would stir until the game had been sprung and the signal had been given for them to rise and resume their work: this must have been a sight worth travelling many miles to witness. Pointers for work are generally in greater demand than setters, both on account of their acknowledged superior staunchness and nose, that "odora canum vis," described by Virgil, and also of their ability to continue for a longer period without water; but many give setters the preference for their appearance, more dashing style of ranging, and greater capabilities for cover-work, from their rougher and better protected coats. I have, however, possessed pointers which neither the thickest gorse nor the strongest underwood would deter, and setting aside my partiality for this description of dog, my opinion is, that pointers will, if properly trained, stand any description of work equally well with setters. Still, cover-ranging is out of the proper line of either pointers or setters, and is very injurious to their steadiness, and their place now should be supplied by spaniels. In those who do not regard their own trouble, and who are determined, as all sportsmen should be, to possess first-rate dogs, my best advice is, for them to break their own themselves, and if they have not the means of breeding puppies in their own kennels, let them procure them from well-known and authentic sources, upon the purity and goodness of which they can depend. The best work I know, to assist them in their undertaking, is "A Treatise on Dog-breaking," by W. Floyd, gamekeeper to Sir James Sebright, containing much useful information, and many hints, valuable to all interested in field-sports. Still, there is nothing in the end like practical experience; and, however entertaining books written upon this subject may be, in my opinion, an hour or two occasionally spent with a knowing old keeper when he is inclined to become communicative, or a few hints now and then from some veteran sporting friend, deeply versed in the science of field-sports in general, and dogs in particular, are worth all the treatises ever published on the subject. Still, many a volume there has been, and doubtless will be written, containing much useful matter, and which may be read by all with pleasure and instruction, and I will conclude these few remarks with a short extract from one of them, which is the best I am acquainted with-" The Modern Shooter," by Captain Lacy; a desirable addition to the library of all young sportsmen.

"Nothing can be more delightful than sporting with good dogs, nor more discouraging and annoying than having ill-bred or badly-trained ones to accompany you with the former, you get half as many more shots as with the latter, and those often much fairer shots, and are never put out of temper. In short with the one, shooting is all pleasure; with the other, it is, comparatively, all toil and vexation." W. B. D.

NOTITIA VENATICA.

BY R. T. VYNER, ESQ.

Various

Among the numerous collateral branches appertaining to the science of hunting, we may, without any apology, introduce the subject of covers, the various descriptions of them, and the best mode of making the most of a country, which may by nature have been but moderately gifted with these indispensable requisites for the preservation of the "crafty animal," and consequently the ensurance of sport. are the kinds of covers and the names by which each variety is distinguished according to their locality. For instance, what is termed in the midland counties "a gorse," or "gorse cover," is called in the north a "whin," and in some places a "furze brake;" "gullies," "dingles," "dumbles," and "bottoms," are also synonymous terms. Woods also are defined by "holts," roughs," "coppices," "spineys," "brakes," "stubbs," and "scrubs," according to the counties in which they may be situated; and no less varied are the tastes of sportsmen which may lead them to pronounce in favour of either the "woodland wild," or what in these "haste making" days may be denominated "a nice little handy gorse to get away from;" giving one the very idea of something pre-eminently dreadful in the mere presence of a wood or any other temporary shelter, which may either entice reynard from his line, or retard but for one instant the steam-like velocity of a modern "burst." Large woods and cliffs, clothed with briars and brushwood, were no doubt the only places where our forefathers first bid the echoing horn to speak at early dawn; but as "hunting the fox," which in those days might be compared to the refined amusement of badger-baiting, gave way to the "noble science," and as this princely diversion, which owes much of its patronage to the graceful and manly accompaniment of horsemanship, gradually progressed to its climacteric, means were resorted to, to enable the sport to be enjoyed entirely in the open, and leave the "dirty woodlands," as they are called, for cub-hunting, or for bye-days, when some neighbouring pack may be reached at a more genial fixture. Desirable as a fine open country is for fox-hunting, how often do we see the thing well done, and good sport shown, in many of the provincials, where the nature of the covers and enclosures is just the reverse, and where the natives, from a truly English and laudable desire to spend their incomes at home, and promote the general good of their neighbours, and wishing to enjoy, in the best manner they can, "the goods the gods have provided them," set a far better example to the rising generation, than those debilitated scions of debauchery, who are daily wasting, not only their health, but their exchequers, in the support of foreign allurements and frivolities. Although a large woodland cannot very conveniently be dis-afforested, and converted into a flying country, at a year's notice, nor the shades

S

of Whittlebury be metamorphosed by a magic touch, into the far famed grass grounds of Misterton, yet by proper management and attention to a very few points, really good sport may be obtained in almost any country, let it be ever so dark and severe, provided the occupiers have spirit and liberality to pursue the following plans. Let bridle-gates, or riding gates as they are sometimes termed, be placed at divers points for the convenience of not only the sportsmen in general, but more especially to enable the men attendant on the hounds to get at them quick, and assist them as occasion may require, without the risk of breaking their limbs at some great boundary fence, or other impassable barrier; let small wooden bridges be thrown over the worst of the larger dykes or ditches; let the rides be kept well trimmed, the rackways, trigs, or small bye-rides kept open, and the earth-stopping department properly attended to, and it will be seen that sport of the first order may be had, provided that the rest of "the means and appurtenances," be in equally good keeping. To the neglect of the above management, and to the wellknown fact that the generality of masters of hounds would rather at any time draw the open under an uncertainty of finding, than run the risk of a long day in the woods, and to the destruction of foxes by unfair means consequent to such neglect, may, in nine cases out of ten, be attributed the odium attached to woodland-hunting. I can only add upon this point, that if more days were devoted to rummaging the woodlands than the modern system allows, there would be fewer blank days, and more clipping runs in the open, and the necessity of going to Messrs. Herring and Baker would be altogether done away with. The large woods and cliffs before mentioned were undoubtedly natural covers, and to these may be added brakes, composed chiefly of blackthorn and the briar, or blackberry; these are the favourite resort of foxes, and indeed all other wild animals, from the almost impenetrable nature of the plants which compose them; and although not nearly so numerous as they were thirty years ago, when agriculture was not attended to as it now is, they are occasionally to be met with, particularly in open fields; and where the land is what may be termed "fox ground," a find usually accompanies a draw. One great recommendation to encourage brakes is the impossibility of shooters and poachers walking in them, especially during the night; consequently they are quieter. We may also add to the list, natural gorse covers, which are met with generally upon the sides of hills, or on what are termed "hangings;" these are considered by many persons as much more preferred by foxes to kennel in than the artificial gorses (of which I shall speak hereafter), and one reason given by old sportsmen is, that when the gorse is young, after having been cut, the sheep and cattle eat away the grass as it grows up, which allows the gorse to shoot stronger; moreover, that the bare places occasioned by the cattle grazing make excellent kennels for a fox, where he can bask in the sunshine, and dry himself after wet weather. Let it also be remembered that gorse which grows upon stiff clay soil, although longer in coming to perfection, remains in full vigour during many more seasons than where the soil is sandy, and consequently more congenial to a quick growth.

As to artificial fox-covers, they may be classed under the heads of gorse, broom, osiers, and stick or faggot covers.

The oldest artificial gorse cover in the Pytchley country, as I have been informed upon good authority by several sportsmen who have hunted in Northamptonshire all their lives, was a cover in Yelvertoftfield; there were two, but the one known as Lord Spencer's cover was the oldest, and to which I now allude. Since those days, the numerous covers which have been made (and if half of which were destroyed would be all the better for sport), would fill a roll which might reach from Melton to Brixworth; but a quick find and a sharp burst are all now required, and whether that is sport or not, I leave for others better qualified than myself to pronounce judgment upon seven minutes and a half racing, where the amalgamation of horses and hounds will scarcely allow of determining which are leading, and to which the powers of scent may by nature belong. Producing a cover by means of sowing or planting gorse has always been a favourite substitute for the absence of a natural asylum for foxes, and the old and well-known toast of "The Evergreen," alluding to the never-failing exuberance of that plant, is a striking proof of the estimation in which it has always been held by sportsmen. The beautiful effect which a large patch of gorse in full bloom, like burnished gold, gives to rural scenery, can never be surpassed amidst the numerous attractions of spring, and which, even to a certain extent, is to be met with during the whole year, and which was the origin of the old saying, "When gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of fashion." For the sake then of the best and fairest of our species, let it be hoped that fox-hunting and "the evergreen" may flourish for ever!

The best spot to fix upon for making an artificial gorse cover is, if possible, upon rather a lightish soil, which is rendered the more difficult from the country in which it is most desirable being grass, and consequently, more frequently than not, a stiff clay; however, let the soil be what it will, it should be in the very best state of cultivation, previous to the seed being sown; it should be fallowed and well cleaned, and prepared in every respect as for a crop of turnips. The seed should then be sown by drill; about seven or ten pounds of seed to the acre is sufficient; and it should be kept well hoed and hand-weeded twice a year, until the gorse has out-topped the grass and weeds. From the nature of the soil being more genial to this kind of plant, some covers will hold a fox in three years, while others will scarcely hide a rabbit in double that time. April is the best month for sowing the seed, which may be procured, at any of the first-rate seedsmen in town, at two shillings per pound; and it may not perhaps be generally known, that nearly all the gorse seed sold in this country is imported from France. Some persons have recommended mixing broom with the gorse in equal quantities; but it has been found not to answer, as the broom comes to its growth some years before the gorse, and consequently requires cutting at an earlier period, which not being practicable, it perishes, leaving large patches either bare or so thin and weak as to be of little use for the purpose intended. I have occasionally seen a fox-cover made by

sowing the seed with a crop of oats, beans, or wheat: this practice may do very well where the soil is heathy and the plant indigenous; but in a stiff clay, like some of the Leicestershire country, it must be nourished and cultivated exclusively, or the labour and expense bestowed will, in all probability, end in a failure and disappointment. If the land is wet, it should be well soughed through all the furrows, or the plants will perish eyery where during the first winter, excepting upon the tops of the land when it is dry and sound. Some covers have succeeded to admiration, by first sowing the seeds in a nursery ground, and then setting out the plants at two years old, during the autumn. Gorse is a plant which makes a prodigious shoot very late in the year; it consequently becomes settled and rooted in the soil before winter sets in, and the dry weather in the spring and summer does not materially injure it, as it would if planted out in March or April. When a furze cover is established, there is still almost as much labour and skill required to keep it constantly in perfection and sufficiently strong to hold a fox, as there was to produce it. To achieve this, care should be taken to cut about a fifth each year, after it begins to get hollow and weak, until the whole has undergone the operation, when, after a couple of years holiday, you may recommence at number one. In speaking of cutting, the system of burning is highly to be recommended, for several reasons, in the first place, the faggots will hardly pay for tying up; and in the next place, the operation renders the ground perfectly clear from all weeds, which are totally eradicated by the fire: not so the gorse, the roots of which extend too far into the ground to be injured by the heat; moreover, the ashes form a most excellent manure to the new shoots, and the long black stumps, which should not be cut off until two years have expired, are a most excellent preventive against persons either riding or walking upon the young buds and destroying them. When the aid of flames is resorted to, the cover should be cut out in quarters, or the whole may be inadvertently set on fire at once, and the day chosen for the conflagration should be one on which the wind blows from a favourable point; it is also to be highly recommended to take the precaution of cutting round the part intended to be burnt, for the space of about four or five yards, to prevent the possibility of the flames extending to the hedges or the adjacent parts. Burning a cover has a most extraordinary effect upon the hares and rabbits which inhabit it: when the flames are at their greatest height, so paralyzed are these unfortunate sufferers by fire, that, instead of attempting to escape, they run headlong into the devouring element, and are thus consumed. Artificial covers are also occasionally made of privit and black-thorn, and even of laurels; but a severe winter is a terrible destroyer of the latter, the ravages of which two genial seasons will scarcely replace. Osier or withy beds (as they are called in some counties) also form excellent covers, and are invariably favourite places of resort for foxes, partly on account of their principal food, the field-mouse, abounding there; but more especially because the high banks, on which osier beds are formed, affording such dry lying even in the wettest weather. I recollect many years ago, when I was an "Oxford boy," seeing a quick thing of near