covert in the direction of Aldsworth, with the leading hounds in view; but, unluckily, just as he gained the road, he was met by a cart, and absolutely headed back among the hounds. The whole did not occupy five minutes; and without waiting to perform the ceremony of breaking him up, Jem Hills took the hounds back to the gorse, being aware there was another fox left in it. But before they could get there, Mr. Reynard had quietly taken his departure. Anticipating this, instead of losing time by putting the hounds into the covert, they were held round it; and although they did hit upon the scent, it was awfully bad. This may be accounted for by the fact of the horses having so recently stained the ground; for the hounds had no sooner got clear of that spot, than the scent improved. They hunted him very patiently to Farmington Grove, from whence a brace took their departure; but whether the hounds went away with the one they had brought from the gorse, it would be difficult to determine. With a holding scent, if the men are attentive, it is often on the cards for them to keep hounds to the hunted fox; but with a bad scent, where hounds experience frequent checks, it is impossible to decide if there are more foxes than one in a covert which they are hunting. From what Welton had heard of Jem Hill's system, he expected to see him lifting his hounds at every check, and that, unless there was a good scent, they would not exert themselves to work it. A better occasion could not have occurred for rectifying this erroneous impression; and as they were picking it most industriously from Sherborne cow pastures, over a country which scarcely ever holds a good scent, Welton remarked to his friend Wallis how admirably they were doing their work. They had crossed the Windrush, and were skirting: Barrington Park, where they made a sudden turn to the left, taking the scent by the side of a wall, when they again checked. Taking hold of them at this instant, Hills made the best of his way to Barrington Bushes, where he again got on the line of his fox. The motive for this, perhaps, requires some explanation. Up to the time when the scent turned to the left, it was impossible to decide whether the fox's point was for the forest, or Tangley, which covert she made for. With such an indifferent scent, the hounds were not going at more than six or seven miles an hour, while the fox was travelling at the rate of ten or more. Upon such terms, the further they went, the further would the hounds be left behind: lifting under such circumstances is perfectly justifiable. Having by this means gained upon their fox, and got upon better terms, they took him through Barrington bushes, and ran him some time in Tangley woods; but the scent was not sufficient to press him, and he made his escape unseen, when it was determined to leave him for a future day. It was no doubt a good fox, and, with a scent, would have afforded a good run.

"Now, what is your opinion of the Heythrop?" said Mr. Wallis to Welton, as they were on their road home.

"Upon such a slight acquaintance, it would be presumptuous to offer one," replied our hero; "but, from what I have seen of them, I like them vastly. They do not possess so much power as Lord Fitzhardinge's, although they appear to be higher. They look very speedy, and withal they are remarkably quick. Hills has them under excellent command; they come to his horn instantly. But the country we were in is all in favour of that control, which cannot be so readily commanded

in deep woodlands, or among hills which are inaccessible. In fact, the country is by far the nicest to ride over of any I have yet seen; but, I presume, like most others, it varies."

"You are right there," observed Wallis; "but there is very little that is not superlatively good. It is diversified in many parts with fine grass vales, which hold a good scent. Unfortunately, though, they are not very extensive, and one of the principal difficulties with which hounds have to contend, is the frequent change from good to bad scenting land. The uplands, which are principally under the plough, seldom hold a good scent, and this has caused Hills to practise the plan of lifting his hounds, which he certainly performs in a most artistic manner. There may be another reason assigned for it. On the side within reach of Oxford, there are apt to be many very ambitions young gentlemen, who will press upon hounds inconsiderately, and means must be resorted to in order to get clear of the horses."

"You have been with the Heythrop to-day, and had but little sport, I hear, Mr. Welton," said a lanky, light-haired, rakish-looking young gentleman, an inmate of the coffee-room at the Plough, who had taken his dinner at the table in the left hand corner of the room, and next to the one at which Wallis and Welton had taken theirs. "But why did you not go with the staghounds? They turned out close by at Prestbury, and they have had such a run, and Barton is such a capital fellow! He never blows up, as masters of foxhounds do; if you ride over a hound or two, he will pass it off with a joke. Well done! Go it again !— kill another! I've got too many-staghounds are worth nothing ("Many a true word said in jest!" observed Wallis, sotto voce, to his vis-à-vis.") "By Jove! if you were to ride over him, I do believe he would only laugh at you, he is such a good-tempered chap! There was such a meet-all the pretty girls in Cheltenham there, either in carriages or on horseback, and such fun! As soon as ever the stag was handed out of his travelling carriage, the riding commenced, and there were lots of loose horses before we left the field. The stag was rather stupid at first, for he did not seem to know where to go to-in fact, he was surrounded in all directions by horse and foot; but at last Barton and one or two others got an opening made for him, and he went up the hill towards the race-course, followed by those who were determined to have a good start, and go for the run; and you may be pretty sure I did not give away a chance. The hounds were soon at work, and away we all went in earnest; but by the time we had got over Cleeve Hill, more than one-half of the horses were blown but there was a juvenile on a little galloway (quite a pony, in fact-thorough bred) who beat them all. I think I heard his name was Finedrawn, or something like it. At all events, he went like a trump boy as was not above fourteen, till he came to a stone wall, too high for his miniature hunter, when down they came, croup over head. But the plucky little cove was soon up; and as some one caught his horse, he went on again as if nothing had happened. We were now in the very heat of the run, when a hardriding fellow in barnacles-I don't know his name-who had been racing with me from the time we started, from some delusion of vision, in all probability, rode at the highest part of a thick hedge, and his horse falling, left him in the boughs. Thank God, I've done with you!' I exclaimed, involuntarily, and perhaps loud enough for him to have

heard it; but really it came from the innermost recesses of my heart— how could I help it? A little further on, I found another customer had come to grief at a stile; his horse's hind leg was safely secured between the bars, and very probably it was broken. The pace was tremendous, How delightful it is to have the lead on such occasions-is it not, Mr. Wallis?" (Mr. Wallis bowed assent.) "I had it all to myself, the hounds running hard up a hill nearly a mile off, and not a soul could I see in front of me." (He had overlooked those who were riding to the hounds; in fact, they were intercepted from his sight, being in the valley which lay between the narrator and the hounds.) "I looked back, and could see a few stragglers; but I was convinced they had no chance of catching me!"

"Did he suppose he would ever be taken for a dear?" observed Welton, in a whisper, to his friend, the latter word escaping his lips loud enough to be indistinctly heard.

"Oh! the deer!" he continued; "I cannot say where the deer was gone; that is a question for the dogs to solve; and as I cannot tell where they went to, it is quite impossible for me to give any account of the deer!"

This was rather an unfortunate disclosure; but it frequently happens that persons who talk voluminously on subjects which they do not understand, involve themselves in some discrepancies. This votary of staghunting had inculcated an idea that he was the leading man; if not actually with the hounds, at any rate near enough to describe their operations-a position which his hearers could not dispute with him; but he had, unfortunately for his fame, and his attempted description of the run, condemned himself.

"So you did not see the stag taken ?" inquired Welton, with an expression of astonishment on his merry conntenance.

"Ah-no-not exactly!" responded the other. "I had got into a road, when I met with my friend Captain Bestpace, whose horse was regularly gruelled. Oh! what, are you here? and your horse looking comparatively fresh; how very lucky! What a brilliant burst! Come along with me; Winchcomb is close by; we will give our horses some gruel, and have something ourselves; by that time they will be sure to come back to us. The pace has been too good to last. I saw the calf completely done. I know his country; he always runs for the Vale. We shall have our horses refreshed, and join them again, and no one will know but what we have been following them all the time. There's a dodge for you, old fellow; so come along!' I acceded, and the companionship of my horse seemed to infuse fresh animation in the spirits of his drooping steed, and we diversified our sport by running into the White Hart at Winchcomb, leaving the hounds to run into the red hart wherever they could. Having entrusted our horses to the tender mercies of the ostler, with abundant instructions how they were to be treated, we found ourselves considerably invigorated by the discussion of some mutton chops; and just as we were about to liberate ourselves from the demands of the landlord, a brother-sportsman reached the yard with another tired horse. Pray, sir, where did you leave them ?' inquired Captain Bestpace. To be candid, sir,' was the reply, I did not leave them they left me somewhere on the hills on this side of Broadway! It is the first time I ever went out with staghounds, and it will be my

last. In fact, it was not my intention to follow them: I came out on a new purchase, just to give him a trial, and have foolishly gone further with him than I ought to have done, as he is fresh from a farmer's stable; but as he went very cheerfully till I turned him away from the hounds to come home, I hope he will not feel any ill effects from it.' Hearing this, it was useless to attempt seeking them again, and we returned to Cheltenham just as the girls were enjoying their promenades at Pittville."

At this juncture Mr. Barton entered the room, whose version of the day's sport placed the enthusiastic devotee of stag-hunting in a position by no means flattering. After a severe chase of more than three hours' duration the stag was taken close by the Fish Inn, near Broadway, full ten miles beyond the point where the aforesaid worthy was ingloriously left behind. What pleasure a man can derive from going to meet hounds without being able to follow them in a run is an anomaly difficult to comprehend.

AQUATIC SHOOTING IN FRANCE.

BY DIANA.

My friend Crauford was a great favourite among the French; they designated him by the soubriquet of "La crême des Anglais." His residence at made my sojourn there much pleasanter than it would otherwise have been. I met several French gentlemen at his house, and formed many agreeable acquaintances; among others with a young Frenchman named Lavalette, who shared my passion for fishing, and often accompanied me in my excursions to the trout-streams. Lavalette was also a keen sportsman, and a first-rate shot. Many were the interesting conversations I had with him, as we loitered along the edge of some stream or river, looking for the most favourable spot in which to cast a line. With the fresh turf under our feet, and the shade of trees frequently over our heads, time sped away unheeded. We had each something to communicate.

I had fished in the English, Scotch, and Irish rivers, and he was eager in questions concerning them. Of their aquatic birds I could not give him as much information as he gave me of those in France: this was the subject he loved best to dwell on, for shooting was his passion, and the twittering of the water-birds, as, startled by our footsteps, they made a rush every now and then to hide themselves among the sedges and beneath the reeds, constantly brought us round to this point. As I took notes of these conversations every evening on my return home, I can relate them accurately. They were to me a history of aquatic game in France; their habits, localities, and the best methods of shooting them. Thus he spoke :

"The water-birds do not all inhabit the same situations; some make their dwellings in the marshes-in the corners of ponds-in watermeadows; some prefer the deeper waters of lakes and ponds; others like running streams. If you shoot in the marshes, you must have a costume on purpose for it. Wading constantly through a muddy soil, and frequently getting into the water, it is absolutely necessary you should have a covering to protect your feet from wet; these may be india-rubber pantaloons, or great boots coming up to the hips, or else felt stockings. Something you must have; for it is indispensable that you should be protected from the water. When shooting for any time knee deep in muddy water, the skin cannot fulfil its functions, and very often a thick eruption of painful and tormenting little pimples shows itself on various parts of the body, but particularly about the wrists. I do not know what is the proper medical term for this affection, but have heard it characterised under the name of 'water-itch.' I cannot say either if there is any danger in it; I have always got rid of it after a few days' suffering; but this is the least of the inconveniences which the imprudence of a man, in remaining saturated by wet in a bog, may occasion him. He exposes himself, by this carelessness, to inflammatory colds, fevers, and a crowd of maladies. Besides these precautions, one should be clothed warmly altogether, as shooting in the marshes can only take place towards the end of autumn, most of our water-game being birds of passage. I do not mean to say that some game of this kind may not be found among us at all seasons; but they do not abound until the cold, pinching them in more northern countries, drives them to seek our milder climate. Some snipe, it is true, breed in our marshes; but they are few in number until winter sends us a supply from the marshes of Germany and Russia. There are several species of snipe. The common snipe, a little less than a quail, but much more slender, with longer legs, reminds us a good deal of the woodcock, only its plumage has not so much red in it, and more grey. When it walks, it carries its head erect, without either hopping or fluttering, and gives it a horizontal movement, while the tail moves up and down. In taking flight, it gives a scream of terror, and rises so high as often to be heard after it is lost sight of. It is well known to be a difficult shot from the irregularity of its movements, as it turns and winds in the air until it believes itself escaped from danger; then it resumes its flight in a right line. Those which remain in our climate make their nests under the root of some alder or willow in a sheltered place. The nest is composed of dry plants and feathers, and the female lays four or five oblong eggs of a whitish tint, spotted with red. If the female is disturbed during incubation, she rises very high and in a right line, then utters a particular cry, and re-descends with great rapidity. While the female is hatching, the male is frequently observed to hover round her, uttering a hissing noise.

"There are a great many theories on the best manner of bringing down the snipe. Magné de Marolles says, that this bird always rises against the wind, and consequently, in beating for them, it is best to walk down the wind, for then the snipe will pass right over the sportsman's head.' Almost every other author repeats the same assertion; I therefore fear that I may be thought to advance a paradox when I maintain the contrary.