us within distance unobserved. Everything was propitious, and we had advanced to as near as I could guess about one hundred and fifty yards from them, when we distinctly heard them move. It was impossible to say what had disturbed them, but disturbed they certainly were, and the only thing to be done was to rush forward to the brow that we were making for, and take the chance of a wild shot. A hundred yards did it, and never in my life did I go such a pace-up hill too; when I got to the brow they were lurching away over a moss some three hundred yards below; but, fortunati nimium, one fat heavy fellow had loitered behind the herd, and had stopped to rub his horns against a scraggy dead tree that stood out in the foreground-there never was such a piece of luck, it was the antelope head. Down I squatted upon the heather, got a rest upon my knee, took lots of elevation, for I had hardly time to put up my second sight; and blown as I was, I shot him right through the heart-"more by good luck than good management "--but I was delighted to get him, and I think altogether this has been one of the most satisfactory days at deer that I have ever enjoyed.

THE FIRST OF SEPTEMBER.

BY RAMROD.

"He loves at break of day with his faithful dog to roam;

Night comes again, he finds a cheerful welcome home."-SONG.

September comes to cheer the sportsman's heart! Racing, fishing, cricketing, and other pursuits congenial to individual tastes, are nigh at an end; though 'tis true the tide of yachting is now at the flood, and that the amateur sailor is in the height of season: but it is an aristocratic amusement, which can be enjoyed only by the few, therefore the million take very little interest in the sport, and care not much whether Mr. Fitzwiggins's schooner, or the Hon. Mr. So-and-So's cutter wins the cup or the stakes, whichever the case may be. Hunting has not yet commenced; therefore the sportsman looks upon September as the return of life, the restoration of his existence. It is the opinion of many that foxhunting is on the decline, which I fear is the case, and I should be only too glad if any one will convince me to the contrary, and prove the augury to be wrong. I do not mean when I express my opinion to this effect that only amongst gentlemen has the taste for the Noble Science waxed weak, but I more especially allude to the yeomen and farmers of England, who certainly do not enter into the spirit of the sport with the relish they did years ago, nor amongst them is the foxhunter the popular character he was. Whether the cause of this falling off may not be traced to the fact that hunting has become too much of an exclusive luxury, instead of affording all a common recreation, I leave to others to decide; but, whatever the cause, such an alteration in the national character is much to be regretted. Though the taste for the hunting field has declined, not so the taste for shooting, which is still as strong as ever, though the lordly battue has perhaps been carried too far. I wish for no radical interference with the rights of men, but I must con

fess I should hail with delight the overturn of the battue system; not that I am jealous of others having more than myself, and what I most likely shall never have; but I object to it on this ground—that it affords no real sport nor amusement.

Yes! the First of September comes to cheer the sportsman's heart, and the only drawback to his happiness is that the weather in that month is frequently rather warm, which is no laughing matter, as it must be remembered at this early period of the season you are not altogether in walking trim; added to this, if you should have a half-broken over excited setter, a good allowance must be made if you should at first be a little queer tempered. Awful is it to contemplate the jugs of beer it takes (a bad beverage, by the way, to walk upon) to get one through the first fortnight in September. To begin early in the morning whilst it is cool, as some advise, is destruction to your sport for the day; the birds, if sprung from the feed, never afterwards lie well. Therefore you have nothing to do but to make up your mind to bear manfully the heat, and fancy yourself a nigger.

I look upon shooting as a most healthy and exhilarating amusement, for by the action of walking muscles are brought into play, which in any other exercise will not be the case. It is likewise a humane pursuit; for if the game is killed clean, (which it should be, and any one not doing so is not a finished sportsman,) it is put to no torture, and it is the wish of every good sportsman to avoid giving unnecessary pain to even the smallest creature; cruelty and cowardice always go hand in hand.

The antiquity of the sport likewise renders it worthy of our respect; for though it is only of late years that guns have been brought to the perfection they now possess, the art of shooting is of long standing, as we learn from the accounts we have of the cross-bows of the ancients.

None can doubt that the enjoyment of all field sports gives vigour to the frame, and strength to the constitution; and it is the way in which we have excelled in this respect, which has marked us as a nation, and nourished that martial ardour which won the day for our gallant ancestors,

they turned out to pursue the chase. Nor were reverend gentlemen debarred from thus gathering health, for in the reign of Richard the Second we read of that monarch having given permission by charter to the Abbot of Peterborough to hunt the fox (and this is, by the way, the first notice we have of this animal, as before that time the stag and hare ranked before him); and I have no doubt his reverence was none the worse either in morals or health for the license given him. I am one who cannot imagine why clergymen should be debarred the enjoyment of field sports, provided they do not so to the neglect of their duties. The lines of the old song

"A southerly wind, and a cloudy sky," &c.

applies equally well to shooting as they do to hunting, for a day suited to one sport will do for the other. With what anxiety have I in my younger days watched the weather previous to "the First!" rising half-adozen times in the night to study the heavens. And almost every young

fellow, I warrant, felt in those days equally as much anxiety, as it was then different to the present anti-powder-and-shot times; but it is useless thinking of by-gone pleasures, as that will not bring them back.

Well do I remember my last First of September! Knock, knock"six o'clock, sir," said my faithful factotum, (for though I never com menced beating early, I always liked to be up in time, as there is much to be arranged on the morning of the First,)" and the very morning for shooting." Jumping out of bed, I proceeded to corroborate by ocular demonstration the report of my follower; and upon going to the window and throwing it up, I was delighted to find his report correct. A more lovely morning never was created-mild without being too warm, and with just sufficient dew upon the grass to help the scent. All right! said I to myself; and after completing my toilet, I descended to the breakfast room, where I was shortly joined by C-; and never did, I must confess, sportsmen do greater justice to fare than we did that morning: eggs, bacon, coffee, and rolls rapidly disappeared from the board; in fact, if not wisely, we breakfasted well; but we had work before us, and both knew no shirking would be allowed, and therefore it was well to lay in a good supply as a foundation for labour. Those who only go out in a dandy fashion shooting do not know what a day's work is, and it is only when you have fagged hard for your game that you can appreciate the evening's rest on the First; then, indeed, do you enjoy your dinner, especially if the list of killed is satisfactory. But to return-not to our mutton, but to our shooting.

After breakfast was concluded, we proceeded to examine our muskets to see they were all right, and to fill our powder flasks and shot pouches; besides which supply, our man carried powder and shot in case we required more, which we hoped would be the case. Our team of dogs consisted of a pointer as staunch as well could be, and an animal the breed of which I am at a loss to describe, but I have no hesitation in saying no man ever shot over a more perfect animal; his breed I fancy was something between a harrier and a setter; he was given to me by a man who knew nothing as to how he was bred, and who rescued him when a puppy from some boys who were going to drown him. All our arrangements being completed, we sallied forth to take the field. The first was a stubble field we entered, and here our dogs drew upon birds, and continued to do so all across the field towards a hedge which bordered some aftermath. I confess, as we walked well up to our dogs I felt very nervous, as I think every one always does before the first shot of the season. "Ah!" said I to my companion, "they are on the other side of the hedge, in the bottom of which they have been sunning themselves after feeding, and we shall most likely find them in the aftermath," which proved to be the case, for upon getting over the hedge our dogs drew again, and every moment more cautiously, till at length Shot (the gentleman without a pedigree) came to a stand, and was immediately backed by Don. Upon seeing this we did not, as bunglers would have done, walk directly up to our dogs, but made a circuit to head them, and so break the covey. Not a word was spoken as we advanced steadily; the birds lay like stones, and I had almost made up my mind that we were done, when suddenly with a startling noisewhirr-they rose, a splendid covey of eighteen well-grown birds, and no chirpers amongst them, but all fit for the spit; bringing up my gun as deliberately as I could, considering the excitement of the moment, I

covered an outside bird, which fell lifeless to the ground at the report of my left barrel (I always fire that first); with my right barrel I did nothing, having, I am ashamed to say, missed a fair shot. Not so my cool and collected friend, who dropped a bird to each barrel. The remainder of the covey wheeled some to the right, and some to the left; the first going to a field of turnips, the others to a field of potatoes. Nothing could be more as we wished, and we looked forward to picking them up one and two at a time. Never do I remember having noticed the birds so fine on the First as these were, as could be seen by the blue neck-feathers, the red plumage of the head, and the almost perfect horse-shoe on the breast. Our dogs, which had downed to the charge, now moved on at our bidding, our guns being loaded, and the examination of the first birds of the season being concluded. It is always the case that the first woodcock or partridge killed is always examined by the sportsman as if it was some rare bird never seen by him before. Quitting the place we occupied, we entered the field of potatoes to which, as I have mentioned, we marked some of the birds; and the very instant we went through the gate Shot fell into one of his peculiar attitudes, which was neither a point nor a set, but was meant either for one or the other. Walking up to him I kicked up the bird from under his very nose, so well did it lie, as indeed the birds did during the whole of this day, and knocked it down with my left barrel, and as I was loading again an old hare jumped up about thirty yards before me, which I sent tumbling over. My friend at the same moment secured a brace, one bird being killed clean, but the other was only winged; however, Shot soon found it, and brought it to us. When a bird is winged the cause is that the shooter fired too high-a very unusual fault, as most persons shoot too low, not making proper allowance for the bird rising; and this is the cause of pheasants being so often missed in cover, for when sprung they rise perpendicularly to surmount the trees, and then take a horizontal flight; and it is just when they are on the turn that the moment should be chosen to fire, as they then present an easy mark. In the potato and turnip fields and their hedges we managed to pick up five brace, which with the brace and half killed in the aftermath made six brace and half. Throughout the whole morning we had first-rate sport, and at one o'clock we proceeded to refresh under the shade of a fine oak tree on the bank of a clear stream, the water of which we mixed with our cognac. The prospect from the spot we had purposely chosen for our luncheon was most beautiful; below us we had the fine plains of Herefordshire richly wooded with oak and elm, which grew like weeds in that fertile country-beyond rose the cloud-capped mountains of Wales in majestic grandeur. The details of the latter part of our day's sport would be only a tedious repetition of the first; suffice it to say, therefore, we left off at five o'clock, having brought to bag thirty brace and a-half of partridges, four hares, two landrails, and a jack snipe, and (I beg bunny's pardon for the omission) one rabbit. After having made our toilet we descended at half-past six to the dining-room, where after dinner we discussed a bottle of splendid claret, whilst we fought our battles over again, and as soon as we had taken one cup of delicious coffee we retired to bed to dream on the doings of the day, having earned by hard and harmless work a good night's rest. Reader! I wish you the same; and if these pages prove to you a soporific, they will not be without their good effect.

In concluding this article I will offer a few words of advice to the young sportsman: it shall be practical advice, and such as I know will be useful. A great many books have been written on the subject of shooting, but their rules are too many for the pocket or recollection; consequently, what is read in them is jumbled together and is of little avail.

Rule 1st. Be careful when you buy a gun that it is sound: of course I here allude to those that are purchased cheap, or second hand; if you go to a first-rate maker you are safe, and by leaving it to him he will use you well. I cannot do better than recommend the young sportsman to go either to Mr. Westley Richards, or Messrs. Parker, Field, and Son. Mr. Bishop, of Bond Street, is the London agent for Mr. Richards-at his shop may be seen a variety of guns; and should he not have one according to your fancy, he will procure it in a short time from the factory at Birmingham. Should you be inclined to purchase a second-hand gun be sure examine it not superficially but thoroughly, and have it if possible on trial; unless you are a great muff, if a seller objects to your having it on these terms you have every reason to suspect there is something wrong, and you had better have nothing more to do with the bargain. Do not fall in love with a gun because it is handsome, for upon trial you may have reason to repent having decided in haste.

Rule 2nd.-Do not go out shooting before you have obtained your certificate, as it may by so doing lead you into a scrape; and as you are liable to be surcharged if you do, it may cost you more in the end.

Rule 3rd.-Never trespass on your neighbour's land; you would not like him to come on your property, therefore "do as you would be done by."

Rule 4th.-Do not go out partridge shooting too early in the morning, for by springing the birds from the feed you prevent them lying well the remainder of the day; of course where half-a-dozen people intend shooting over the same ground, which is frequently the case near towns, it is a different matter; but in this case I should say it is not worth the young sportsman's while to shoot at all, and he had better not lay out his money either upon a certificate or a gun, but keep it for some better purpose.

Rule 5th. When your dogs stand, make a circuit to head them, and by so doing you will disperse the covey. A bungler will walk right up to his dogs, and so doing repeatedly will at length drive the birds off his

manor.

Rule 6th.-Endeavour to kill your birds clean; a bungler only wounds his game.

Rule 7th.-Be careful you do not spoil your dogs by running in to pick up your game before you have loaded, and always make them drop to the gun directly it is fired.

Rule 8th.-If you are shooting in company of others, be not jealous, but endeavour to give all as good a chance of sport as yourself.

Rule 9th.-Upon proceeding to beat a field give your dogs the wind. Rule 10th.-At the latter end of the season, when birds are wild, and you really are in want of game, do not halloo to your dog, like a boy frightening crows: if he does wrong you had better correct him another time, or what is better, not take him out on such occasions, but prefer an old dog which requires no correction.