Light and air are absolutely necessary in kennels; and I may add in stables also, more especially perhaps in the latter. I have, for my dogs to lie upon, a bed raised from the ground about two feet; it is made of cross bars; and to prevent the dogs getting beneath it I have it boarded to the ground in front, the sides of course run up to the walls of the kennel. Though it is boarded to the ground, I manage to arrange it so that I can remove those boards in case it is necessary to do so, to clear away any dirt or straw that may fall underneath. From the bed should be a fall all the way to the opposite side of the kennel, through which a stream of water should be constantly running. The floor should be of brick, which looks much better than stone, and is easier kept clean. Every morning the kennel should be swept down, and every bit of dirt removed; fresh straw must be laid on the beds every other day; it must be wheat straw, and it should be sprinkled with flour of sulphur, to keep off fleas. Hay must never be put under dogs, neither do I recommend shavings, nor saw-dust; wheat straw is best, both for horses and dogs. Before putting it under them shake it up well; and if you can get such as has been thrashed with the machine it is to be preferred to that thrashed by the hand, as the straw is softer for the animals to lie upon. The door of the kennel should have wire in it, and a shutter to put up in cold weather. In summer you cannot give your dogs too much air, and in winter you cannot keep them too warm. Therefore, by having the wire in the door, and a shutter over it, you can regulate the temperature of the kennel as you like. If you have sufficient room, I would advise there should be a second yard for the dogs to go in whilst the kennel is being cleaned; it will likewise be a change for them, and is always useful to separate them during feeding or any other time. One most important point for those to attend to who keep dogs in kennels is, that they have plenty and regular exercise. Without they have, all the good feeding you give them will never make them look well. They should be taken out every morning, if you do not intend to use them, for an hour at least. Greyhounds should be taken on the road, as that hardens their feet; and pointers and setters also may derive benefit from such usage. To keep dogs from day to day in the kennel is a most reprehensible plan, and one that leads to all that is bad-hydrophobia, distemper, mange, and many other complaints arise from confinement, especially if attended by high feeding. When dogs are properly managed those diseases very rarely occur. I have no hesitation in saying this, having proved it beyond all doubt. I have had long experience in such matters, and can fearlessly assert that such is the case. For many years I kept a kennel of greyhounds, and never once had I anything the matter with my stud; and how was this? Why, simply because I never neglected them; every day had they regular exercise on the road for an hour or more. I fed them upon sheep's trotters (which I bought at about a penny a score, and oatmeal or gurgeons; and if I saw them looking at all unwell I immediately gave them physic. I in those days prided myself upon my greyhounds; they came of a famous breed, which I procured from the late Lord Glentworth, who had some kennels at his place in Norfolk well worth seeing. His neighbour Mr. Bagg, too, had some very fine long-tails, and won a great deal with them. Norfolk and Suffolk can boast of their coursing meetings, as also can Wiltshire; therefore, to see greyhounds and their kennels in perfec

tion you must pay a visit to those counties. Yorkshire also, I believe, excels in this way; but I know little of that county, only once having been in it for a short time, when I went to have an audience with the Railway King, at York. It is a fine old city, and well worth a visit. The Minster greatly pleased me; and that part which was destroyed by fire is beautifully restored. There is one thing I am certain of, namely, that it is the noisiest place I was ever in; for the streets being narrow, and pitched, it renders it almost impossible to hear yourself speak. At the Black Swan, at York, I saw an advertisement, dated 1700, setting forth that a coach would start from thence to London every Monday, and would arrive in London on the Saturday following. What would the gentleman who worked it say, where he to rise from the grave and see our express trains?

Dogs, especially young ones, when confined in the kennel, are very often subject to worms; if such is the case you never can get them into condition, and therefore you must endeavour to remove them. The best receipt for doing so is as follows:

Linseed-oil, half a pint,

Oil of turpentine, two drachms.

If

For a young dog a little less than this will be sufficient. it does not succeed the first time it is administered, repeat the dose. I have destroyed worms in a dog by simply giving a tablespoonful of linseed oil the first thing in the morning; but you cannot depend upon this as an effectual remedy. Many recommend calomel for this and many other complaints the dog is subject to; but I am no advocate for its use, and have always avoided introducing it into my kennel, and I think I can safely assert that my dogs have been always in as good health, if not in better, than those of my neighbours.

I shall now take leave of the subject; and thanking those who have read what I have scribbled, for their kind attention, and hoping the bag has been a good one since the season commenced, beg to remain the public's obedient servant, R.

"THE BODY-GUARD."

ENGRAVED BY E. HACKER, FROM A PAINTING BY C. B. SPALDING.

"So taken, so pursued, so tracked to death,
The wild free Monarch of the Hills shall be,
By cunning men, who creep with stifled breath
O'er crag and heather-tuft, on bended knee,
Down crouching with most thievish treachery;
Climbing again with limbs o'erspent and tired,
Watching for that their failing eyes scarce see-
The moment, long delayed and long desired,

When the quick rifle-shot in triumph shall be fired.

"Look! look! what portent riseth in the sky!
The glory of his great betraying horns,
Wide-spreading, many-branched, and nobly high
(Such spoil the chieftain's hall with pride adorns).
Oh, Forest King! the fair succeeding morns
That brighten o'er these hills shall miss your crest
From their sun-lighted peaks! He's hit but scorns
To die without a struggle: sore distrest

He flies, while daylight fades receding in the West.

"Ben Doran glows like iron in the forge,

Then to cold purple turns-then gloomy grey;
And down the ravine-pass and mountain-gorge
Scarce glimmers now the faintest light of day.
The moonbeams on the trembling waters play
(Though still the sky is flecked with bars of gold),
And there the noble creature stands at bay;
His strained limbs shivering with a sense of cold,
While weakness films the eye that shone so wildly bold.

"His fair majestic head bows low at length;
And, leaping at his torn and bleeding side,

The fierce dogs pin him down with grappling strength,
While eager men come on with rapid stride,

And cheer, exulting in his baffled pride.

Now, from its sheath drawn forth, the gleaming knife
Stabs his broad throat: the gaping wound yawns wide;
One gurgling groan, the last deep sigh of life,

Wells with his gushing blood-and closed is all the strife.

"'Tis done! the hunted animal's despair

That hoped and feared no future state, is past:

O'er the stiff nostril blows the evening air,

O'er the glazed eye real darkness gathers fast;
Into a car the heavy corse is cast,

And homeward the belated hunter hies,

Eager to boast of his success at last,

And show the beauty of his antlered prize

To her he loves the best-the maid with gentle eyes.

"And she, whose tender heart would beat and shrink
At the loud yelping of a punished hound,
With rosy lips and playful smile shall drink
The Highland health to him that circles round;
And where the creature lies, with crimson wound,
And cold, stark limbs, and purple eyes half closed-
There shall her gentle feet at morn be found!
Of such strange mixtures is the heart composed;
So natural soft-so hard, by cunning custom glozed!"

From "The Child of the Islands,"

BY THE HONOurable Mrs. Norton.