that brating really would be fae fan, if one could only get those infel bounds out of the way.

We have set out with showing that the death of the fox, however ILL be desired as the end and aim of a day's sport, carries no interesed or mercenary motives with it; and on many other heads as well as the the who-whoop, we think, will be found to stand equally high Limiting ourselves to the chase, there can scarcely be a more tame, if not, indeed, unsportsmanlike exhibition than the turnout azi turn-in again of the stag-in medias res, may be all very well, but the take" especially-that bouling up to live to run another day, another week, or another season, does play the very deuce with anything of that wild enthusiasm which poets always sing of, and practitioners sometimes feel; destroys the illusion quite entirely, in fact, making a tip-top sawyer feel so much like "the riding gentlemen" at Astley's, or forcing out considerations as to whether he couldn't enjoy much the same kind of thing cheaper and nearer business in a home made run, three times round and a distance, over Jackson's Hunting Ground. With the hare again, as our pastors and masters repeat to those sad scamps of fellows who prefer smoking to ciphering, and taking pleasure to taking pains, are we "sure to come to a bad end." Here, indeed, when one acknowledges the shrill piteous shriek of poor, innocent, unoffending puss, we would have the stag-hunting, stag-housing plan in full force, and good Sir Roger's system, as described by The Spectator, preserved as scrupulously and as duly reverenced up to this day as Beckford's thoughts or Meynell's deeds. But with the fox-that deep, designing, prowling, plundering, house-breaking, murderous rascal, bold Reynard the fox, it is quite another thing. We neither quarrel with custom for saving his life, nor with ourselves for not doing so: we should think not indeed: a quick-witted, quick-footed thief, up to every move for making his way into a preserve, or out of it over the open; and known to be guilty of more crimes than the biggest poacher or the best lawyer in the whole county. Who, too, has despoiled over and over again-at least, so the farmers' wives will say at the close of a season-so many good ladies of their fowls; and what we are sorry to say is sometimes considered quite as heinous an offence-so many good gentlemen of their pheasants. Save him, indeed! why it is an absolute duty we owe to our neighbours, our pockets, and ourselves, to give him "a duster;" and so, as here we have him all draggled and out-generalled with sixteen couple of hounds, every one at him and on him-Who-rhoop! once more say we, as "Master Merriman" turns him over and over, and all but drops him again as poor foxy, game to the last, fixes every tooth he has in his head through and through that of his aggressor; but still, poor devil! it is terrific long odds against him; and as Challenger, Concubine, Dreadnought, Valentine, and a whole host of others join

*Far be from us to in an ment, one of the most o and which combines

gentleman should profit by pursui

in, there's no hope for him now. He's dead enough now, and no mistake; so Who-whoop! Who-whoop once again! Who-whoop! Tally-ho!

"Who-whoop!" echoes little Jack the second whip, who, being somehow or other first up and first off, catches hold of his poor, much-mangled remains-a compliment which the said poor muchmangled remains return in a twinkling by catching tight hold of him slap through not an over-thin top-boot, and a very thick worsted stocking.

"Who-whoop!" re-echoes our Governor-General, laying hands on him like a workman and a huntsman; "who-whoop! whew! worry, worry, worry! Whew! have at him, my beauties!" And, by the time we see his brush fixed in the front of Lady Emily's bridle, and his head in the keeping of the aforesaid old Skirmisher, we can rest assured that the devil is at last about out of him: so who-whoop! Who-o-o-o-whoop!

once more.

With the "Last scene of all," that Hogarth of the chase, Mr. Alken, as in duty bound, concludes this one of his many hunting histories. The form in which he here gives us the death, however favourable to the grouping of a good picture, is yet scarcely in keeping with the short and summary process of the present day. Foxes are now seldom treed, but are broken up with a very brief grace, a spirited kill him and eat him worry serving instead of the long bay and many forms and ceremonies with which our forefathers lengthened out the usual operations. In some countries and on some occasions, though when time and place permit, such a who-whoop as we have opened the season with may, we have little doubt, be even now witnessed: while, on the score of artistic effect, we repeat it has advantages over the improved practice: still, in any case, it is a trifle to which we should hardly have thought of alluding, had we not been aware of the pleasure some good-natured folks feel in finding out flaws, and the gratuitous trouble they will bear to put their neighbours to rights. For this reason, then, Mr. Alken will pardon our presuming to tell him that he is rather out of date.

REMARKS UPON DOGS AND DOG-BREAKING.

This is a formidable title, and of itself might be made to embrace sufficient matter to fill a much larger work than that of which this paper will form so insignificant a portion. The point, however, to which I would at nt wish to attract attention is the great deterioration st the breed ed, as need.

of which, of either sort, can hardly be procured, unless by paying an exorbitant price, upon the average from £15 upwards, and even then with the uncertainty of procuring first-rate dogs. After dipping deeply into your pocket for their purchase money, it will generally be found that one of them at least will chase hares or mouth its game, break fence, or, in short, commit one or more of those numerous faults to which a partly broke animal is liable, and so trying to the temper, and consequently steady shooting, of its master. Besides, if one of the brace take it into his head to run riot, it is ten to one that his companion will not take his cue from the other, and will thus contract his bad habits in a very short period. Now, this difficulty of obtaining good dogs may be attributable to two reasons:

First, that owing to the increase of sportsmen for several years past (would that I could say game!), so many buyers are to be found, that the number of well-bred and well-broke dogs are not sufficient to meet the demand; the consequence is, that in order to supply the numerous purchasers, every method is had recourse to; those remaining of really pure blood and high breeding are crossed over and over again, and, as may be supposed, after the lapse of two or three generations, the race is merged into a mongrel description of animal (amongst pointers especially), comprising frequently threefourths of those to be met with in the kennel of the dog vendor.

The second reason to be assigned for their scarcity is the difficulty of meeting with good dog-breakers. The very few to be met with of this class are so much sought after, and their charges are generally so exorbitant, that they are far beyond the reach of the sportsman of moderate means, and he is consequently often obliged to tutor his young dogs himself, rather than submit them to the tender mercies of a common breaker.

Very few gentlemen there are competent to undertake this very laborious task. The most unconquerable patience and forbearance is now required, as by losing your temper you will not only probably neutralize all your previous lessons, but ruin him completely by spoiling his disposition as well as your own, and making him sulky, savage, and uncertain. Still, if you can be tolerably sure that you are so fortunate as to possess the qualifications I have enumerated necessary for such a task, coupled with a tolerable knowledge of the system to be observed, and have moreover good raw material to work upon, then the best plan by far that you can pursue, in order to obtain a good and dependable team of dogs for the field, is to break them in yourself, as you will have them obedient to your own hand, docile, affectionate; and withal, there is the satisfactory knowledge that you have made them what they are-it is, in fact, like catching a trout with a fly of your own manufacture. Although myself but a novice, yet I will here take the liberty of suggesting a few remarks on the subject-of but little or no importance, I confess, to the matured sportsman, yet still to the tyro perhaps not uninteresting, the more so, perhaps, as they have been tried by myself, and not found wanting. In the first place, take out your puppies as soon as you can; nothing is better calculated to inure dogs to their work, harden their feet, and bring them into perfect subjection, than to commence their instruction

as early as possible. When about five or six months old, let them follow you in your short beats, say of two or three hours at a stretch; they will thus become accustomed to the report of the gun, and will see what the other dogs are about, and what in their turn will be expected from them; in fact, a well-bred puppy will generally have a very fair idea of pointing and backing without any previous instruction. There are few trials more severe for the temper of a sportsman than to see one or more of his recently broken dogs at the very first shot making the best of his way home to his kennel; and this is by no means a criterion of an indifferent dog, as the best may do so, but from the neglect of the breaker in omitting to accustom them to the report of a gun. A pistol charged with powder is sufficient, and by discharging this occasionally, both in the field and over them. at their meals, the most timid animal will in a short time be brought to stand fire. Let them now and then smell to a dead bird, and caution them against biting it or pulling out its feathers, and you will thus teach them to be tender mouthed, and retrieve their game without mutilating it or injuring its plumage. One of the most difficult natural propensities to be overcome is the fondness all dogs have for chasing their game (hare especially), when it is once a-foot; and in many the habit is so strong, that although at a point they may be immoyable, and will stand to their game with the greatest patience, yet the moment it is up, they lose all command over themselves, and give chase in the most provoking manner, heeding neither whistle nor threats. The best method to be adopted here is to hunt them with a cord of from twenty to thirty yards long, and when the dog comes to a point, walk immediately up to him to spring the game, at the same time placing your foot upon the cord; as usual, as soon as the hare or bird moves, he makes his customary rush, and then is your time to pull him with a jerk flat upon his back. and this repeated some half a dozen times will seldom fail in its intention.

There are many opinions as to the number of dogs requisite to take into the field. Some sportsmen, with whom I am acquainted, say, that if your dogs are good and properly broken, you can hardly, in reason, take out too many (happy the man who has the option of doing so); and again, many-in fact, the generality of sportsmen-are content with a brace, and some with even one steady dog, and the last mentioned, be it observed, has not generally the smallest bag, especially where game is abundant. With an excellent pointer lying now on my rug in my barrack-room I have had many very satisfactory days' sport single-handed, yet I confess that in this way much, very much of the pleasure in shooting is lost, namely, that of seeing your dogs working well together, and each taking their own beat in turn-not, as is often the case, one following the other in Indian file, trusting to one only to find the game: this is a fault which ought instantly to be checked. Time is also greatly saved by dividing the work, especially if there is a large extent of country to beat. A friend told me that he had several times seen a keeper working a team of no less than seven brown pointers, if I recollect aright, belonging to the late Colonel Whitney, of Herefordshire, all

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.