tastes and sporting habits which on every side were apparent; in fact, we felt half bewildered, and might have slept, and probably dreamt of the pope, or a pack of hounds in full cry-for canine voices were still occasionally heard from the kennel-had not the door opened, and a youthful fair-haired maiden entered to prepare the table for our promised gastronomic treat. As in regard to all other matters, as all other persons connected with the locale, this delicate female apparition, who with a keen glance of her deep blue eyes, sufficiently long and earnest to have recognised us again in any position of life, surveyed our person, and thence proceeded to cover the small round table with the whitest, if not the finest, of damask, was not the least of paradoxes. Servant she undoubtedly was, at least for the time being she was unquestionably performing the duties of one, yet equally might she have been the daughter of our host, as far as personal appearance and dress were concerned; not a word of recognition however, neither question, or answer, passed between us; therefore, while she quietly, and even elegantly-for elegance may be introduced into the mode and manner of performing the most humble offices-continued the duties of her pleasure or her calling, we still reclined in our arm-chair; and as she appeared to us, so will we endeavour to sketch her here-pretty picture as she really was, well suited to dwell amid such scenes of beauty, and add, by her graceful though silent presence, to the many charms of a sylvan retreat, into which we appeared so peacefully, yet so unexpectedly, to have dropped as if from the clouds. We may commence, however, by naming the fact that from the period of our crossing the forester's threshold till the hour of our departure, we do not recollect having heard the fair Lilly (for doubtless, such was her name) utter a single sentence, save one, and that, though brief enough, yet seemed to scare her as a timid roe; she might, for aught we know to the contrary, have counted her beads, and said a Pater noster ere she retired for the night; if so, however, it was, doubtless, only breathed through lips which to look on was to long to press in conjunction with one's own. Her age was probably about twenty-at least her slight but graceful form was nearly at the full maturity of womanhood; and on this form was placed a head which vied in beauty with her well-turned shoulders, and could only be surpassed by the lovely little ears for lovely is a well made ear, though rarely thought ofwhich seemed to call upon one's very fingers to pull them with affection: nevertheless we felt half inclined to treat them somewhat less tenderly, were it only to make her open her pretty little mouth, and tell some tale of sudden love, to one so ready to grant her absolution. Her feet at the moment we did not see, or they might have better explained her worldly position, if not an additional proof of nature's breeding; which, by the by, when found, though rarely, is the highest grace that the most fastidious can desire. But, of course, any rude expression of admiration towards one of whom we had no knowledge would have been not less uncourteous than unkind. The dress in which the person of this little wood nymph, or fairy of the forest, was attired was a dark simple, perhaps puritanically, plain gown, made high to the throat; on the top of which, encircling a neck of perfect form and whiteness, was coquettishly placed the prettiest of pretty little Honiton lace collars; in fact, if she were the maid of the forest lodge, our sporting friend had the very best of taste in his choice of attendants, as in many other matters; we write, however, with the pen of fact, and not of fiction; we must dwell no longer on such charms, otherwise we shall excite half the poachers in the country to beat the preserve. True we drew the portrait by candlelight; and when gratified by her presence the following morning at breakfast time, we discovered her hair to be several shades lighter than we had supposed it to be the night previous; but to those who admire blondes, among whom we number, this was only an additional charm. But an appetite engendered by an eight hours' fast causes most refractory and impatient internal sensations, and we were just in the act of admiring the little hands of our gentle companion, as she noiselessly laid the forks and spoons upon the table, observing at the same time that they were in keeping with the rest of her fair person, when she vanished like a dream from our presence. On the door for the moment being opened, however, the bubble and hiss of the promised bacon and eggs, together with the high flavoured aroma of that excellent condiment for half famished wanderers, reminded us that other pleasures were about to call for our immediate attention; therefore, with a feeling of warmth, comfort, and pleasurable anticipation, we again caressed the terriers and the cat, tried to make them snarl at one and each other in sheer vexation of our own enjoyment; and not succeeding in either, began to grumble at the good nature of all around us, with the full conviction that whether maid, wife, or daughter, there was nothing but the most innocent and unmistakable virtue in the sweet and childish face of our last fair visitor; and we thereon made a vow, that did we ever possess a similar shooting quarter, we would seek, for our page, or parlour maid, precisely a similar wood nymph. But Robin Hood, or Little John-for there can be no question that he was the one or the other, in the form of our host-now preceded the long-wished-for edibles, with many apologies for the delay caused by the boiling of sundry potatoes, an apology which was needless, for when placed on the table in a well-washed wooden bowl, mealy, and bursting from their native garments, they proved a luxury in these days rare, as heretofore were they abundant, and well worth the patience of an hour tried so pleasantly as ours had been. We shall take leave, however, to pass over briefly the scene of action; though doubtless the slaughter was great, as the victory was won in solemn silence. For though the fair maiden performed the duties of waiter, truly was she a dumb one, acting as a check to our hunger; for we literally scarcely knew how to behave to her, and not one word passed between her and her master, or whatever other relation existed between them. Moreover, those who are not hungry, or who read immediately after a dinner of four courses, sometimes become irritated at long details of gourmandising, as if no person was permitted to eat but they; and those who have not already dined become nervous with the dilatory movements of their cook, and, by hurrying that amiable artist, spoil the process of his art; nevertheless, be assured, eat when you will, and where you will, not what you may, it's a most agreeable and necessary pastime, more particularly so if the appetite be sharpened by a fatiguing walk on the moorlands; but those who talk the most on such matters, after all, often eat the least. In the meantime it appeared to us that previous to an onslaught on the corned beef, that our vis-à-vis made a Freemason's sign, or some such telegraph, to the virgin on the cheffonier; and having imbibed his finishing glass of home-brewed, a similar sign manual occurred, his eyes peeping slyly, not at the fair-haired girl, but the waxen image in the case, who looked down most approvingly on our doings among the dishes; probably, however, this idea emanated solely from our excited imagination, and was merely a silent sign to the silent maiden, whom we thence judged as a spirit of the woods-suffice, the remnants of the feast disappeared in a trice, and on the polished oaken table soon were placed sundry quaint bottles, whereas on the embers quickly there stood a bright copper kettle, from which the the spluttering, fizzing steam proclaimed the readiness of the boiling water for the soothing after-supper glass. We naturally drew our chairs nearer to the cheerful fire of sparkling pine wood, and felt as snug and cosy as we would fain hope even our enemies may be on this bitter night of dark November. The wind continued to whistle without, the rain plashed against the window frame-one more look at the graceful handmaiden, and the door closed on us and our comforts. And thus snugly seated, we whiled away many an hour of darkness in pleasant conversation. "An inward love breeds outward talk : The hound some praise, and some the hawk; Use tennis; some a mistress court. But these delights proud man will find On nature's theatre all combined." "You smoke, Sir, I know," said our host, "therefore let me recommend one of these cigars, or perhaps you prefer a pipe of Dutch cut; in such case I can provide you.' We thanked our friend, and accepted the cigar; and the curling fumes of our fragrant weedsthough why so called we have never ascertained-were soon wafted in circles towards the ceiling. By many this habit is pronounced disgusting, by others sottish and intoxicating; and if we err not, one vain and popular pet preacher, probably himself addicted to the far more vile habit of snuffing, has pronounced his opinion to the world in the following words-There is no harm in smoking," says his reverence," save that it leads to drinking, and drinking to intoxication, which ends in ruin." We humbly submit that his preaching on this subject, as on most others, having a tendency solely to bring himself into notice, which a picture of his exceedingly plain person, figuring in all the picture shops in London and Glasgow, has failed to do, will all end in smoke. The vulgar habit of puffing a cabbage leaf, during mid-day in the public streets, a rare habit among gentlemen, may parch the mouth, excite thirst, and even tend to a multitude of sins; but the real smoker rarely drinks, while smoking, aught but water or coffee; in fact, among the eastern countries it has been our good fortune to visit, where smoking is an every-day and all-day habit, the greatest consumers of tobacco are, generally speaking, in all other respects, the most temperate of men. We do not, however, presume to deny that it is a bad habit, and has many evil effects, though they are more of the body than of the mind, and inebriety is not, or rarely, one of them. In the mean-time the pleasure is great, the effects soothing, while thought and imagination become brightened and expanded to the full under the enjoyment of its exciting influences-to say the least, it opens wider the noble and generous heart, and calms the sad and suffering one; so we smoked on, and many a sporting tale and many a rural anecdote chased away the hours of night. But we shall give the conversation as far as we can call on memory to assist us: it may amuse many who are interested in such details, and give a hint to those who find pleasure in rural pursuits. (To be continued.) THE APPROACHING GROUSE SEASON IN SCOTLAND; OR, A FEW WORDS FROM THE MOUNTAINS, BY HAWTHORN. "I have trod merry England, and dwelt on its charms “Once more upon the mountains; yea, once more.” 66 Again we find ourselves traversing the wild scenery of the Highlands, wandering through the gloomy recesses of the glens and passes, or breasting the wild face of the mountains, and at times pausing on the margin of some lovely lake (famed for its bright yellow trout), which lies hid among the heath-clad hills of this land of mountain and flood." See how that lovely lake stretches away towards the north, amidst huge mountain scenery! and see, on the east, how it is overhung by those lofty hills, towering away to the very clouds! This lake is clothed on every side with the gay green birch, wild mountain ash, and the dark and sombre pine. Hear that sweet note of the cuckoo, as he wings across that arm of the lake; or the loud pipe of the curlew, in beholding the grey shadow of his plumage, as he skims this bright highland mirror; and the shrill whistle of the plover, who sits perched on that grey stone on the mountain side, and comes floating with the light breeze down the glen. "What a scene is here For princely pomp or churchman's pride! On that bold brow a lordly tower, In that soft vale a lady's bower, On yonder meadow far away The turrets of a cloister grey. How blithely might the bugle-horn Chide, on the lake, the lingering morn! How sweet at eve the lover's lute Chime, when the groves were still and mute! And when the midnight moon should lave Her forehead on the silver wave, How solemn on the ear would come The holy matin's distant hum ; But we must not dwell on the wild scenery of the Highlands; this would be a thrice-told tale in the pages of maga. On Friday, the 7th instant, we found our way to the "fair city of St. John" (Perth), being the great fair, or midsummer market, and we were in hopes that we should glean a budget full of information anent the "red feathery" denizens on the far-north mountains: and although we met with many old friends, and some of them real true sportsmen, we could not come at anything like a satisfactory account of the grouse family for 1848. Some had them good, numerous in the coveys, and strong on the wing; we saw a gallant captain from the Athol district of country, who had a most favourable report of the grouse for this season; but a few minutes after talking with this "hero of the hills," we chanced to meet that thorough sportsman and keen knight of the trigger, Mr. Butler, of Fascally. After the greeting of old friends, this gay son of the mountain-than whom there is not a better sportsman, and who stands A 1 at all connected with the wild sports of the Highlands; ay, from landing a 30lb. salmon on the banks of the Tummel to sledging "wild red hart" in some of the deep corries of Ben-y-Ghlo-yes, after the greeting of old friends, his first question was, "Well, 'Hawthorn,' how are the grouse to turn out this season?" Our answer was, "Can't say; have not had a peep yet. Pray, what is your opinion, Mr. B. ?" “Well, I have not as yet been among them; but the keepers and shepherds, in my district of country, say that they have not bred well, and at an average there are but two or three young birds in a brood." And how true this report holds out, from what will follow in this paper! On the 8th we began our tour of inspection, and had not penetrated far into the mountains when we found Mr. Butler's report verified. On that day we hunted a portion of well-preserved moors, among the wilds of Glenalmond, and found the broods few and far between, both small in size and numbers; but hope-bright and blooming hope -whispered, this is but one portion of those once famous moors, perhaps you have not been in luck, you may have missed many a merry brood in the deep corries around you. Sunday, 9th inst., we rested from our labour of love; and on the morning of the 10th inst. we were again high on the "wild brow of the mountains." On this day we hunted over a portion of those moors, adjoining the famed country belonging to Alexander Campbell, of Monzie, and although matters were a little more cheery," they, the grouse, are far from what they were on these moors some "two or three years ago." 66 On the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, we still penetrated the wild face of the mountains, the weather all that could be desired; and on the |