racteristic are the opening lines on the meet! though, practically speaking, a "north-east wind" is not considered, in our days, as "thoroughly unpromising," and many good runs have been enjoyed with the wind in this quarter:

"With the wind at north-east, forbiddingly keen,

The Coplow of Billesdon ne'er witnessed, I ween,
Two hundred such horses and men, at a burst,
All determined to ride, each resolved to be first;
But, to get a good start over-eager and jealous,
Two-thirds, at the least, of these very fine fellows
So crowded and hustled and jostled and crossed,

That they rode the wrong way, and at starting were lost."

The above lines are equally applicable now, at the Kirby Gate or other popular" meets," as they were when the song was written; and "fine fellows" are so eager for the fray," that they jostle and

many

cross, to get a good start.

But to the find. In our "mind's eye," we see the fox breaking cover, and the pack so close together that a sheet might cover them:

"In spite of th' unpromising state of the weather,
Away broke the fox and the hounds, close together.

A burst up to Tilton so brilliantly ran

Was scarce ever seen in the mem'ry of man.

Had you judged of this lot by the trim of their pace

At Bib'ry, you'd thought they'd been riding a race;

But these hounds, with a scent, how they dash and they fling!
To o'er-ride them is quite the impossible thing."

Now for the burst and its results:

"Disdaining to hang in the wood, through he raced,
And the open, for Skeffington, gallantly faced,
Where, headed and foiled, his first point he forsook,
And merrily led them a dance o'er the brook,
Passed Galby and Norton, Great Stretton and Small,
Right onward still sweeping, to old Stretton Hall,
Where two minutes' check served to show, at one ken,
The extent of the havoc 'mongst horses and men."

None but a real foxhunter, and one who possessed a poetical feeling equal to that of Somervile, could have written as follows. It is worthy of the pen of Delmé Radcliffe:

"Such sighing, such sobbing, such trotting, such walking,
Such reeling, such halting, of fences such baulking,

Such a smoke in the gaps, such comparing of notes,
Such quizzing each other's daubed breeches and coats!
Here, a man walked afoot, who his horse had half-killed;
There, you met with a steed who his rider had spilled :
In short, such dilemmas, such scrapes, such distress,
One fox ne'er occasioned, the knowing confess."

The writer then goes on to particularise individuals who "came to grief" on that memorable occasion:

"But, alas! the dilemmas had scarcely began:
On for Wigston and Ayleston he, resolute, ran,

Where a few of the stoutest now slackened and panted,

And many were seen irretrievably planted.

The high-road to Leicester the scoundrel then crossed,

As Telltale and Beaufremont found to their cost;

And Villiers esteemed it a serious bore

That no longer could Shuttlecock fly as before."

The above Villiers was the fifth Earl of Jersey, who was second to none in the hunting-field, and whose judgment on the race-course was proverbial. Return we to the "hair-breadth escapes by field and flood" thus graphically described:

"Of mistakes and mishaps, and what each man befel,
Would the Muse could, with justice, poetically tell!
Bob Grosvenor, on Plush, though determined to ride,
Lost at first a good start, and was soon set aside:
To Tilton sailed bravely Sir Wheeler O'Cuff,
Where, neglecting, through hurry, to keep a good luff,
To leeward he drifts-how provoking a case!

And was forced, though reluctant, to give up the chase."

We pass over that coronach over the vulpine hero of the day, and the "whoo-whoop!" to come to the death of an animal of whom, in the words of Sir Walter Scott, it might be said—

"Woe worth the chase, woe worth the day,

That costs thy life, my gallant grey !"

"At the death of poor Khan, Melton feels such remorse,
That they've christened that ditch The Vale of White Horse."
Thus ended a chase which, for distance and speed,

Its fellow we never have heard of, or read.

Ev'ry species of ground ev'ry horse does not suit;

What's a good country hunter may here prove a brute;

And, unless for all sorts of strange fences prepared,

A man and his horse are sure to be scared."

We now arrive at the peroration, which introduces a well-known Leicestershire saying respecting pace, and winds up with a proper compliment to old Meynell and his celebrated pack of flyers:

'This variety gives constant life to the chase;
But, as Forester says, Sir, what kills is the pace,'

In most other countries they boast of their breed

For carrying at times such a beautiful head.

But these hounds to carry a head cannot fail,

And constantly too; for, by George! there's no tail.

Talk of horses and hounds, and the system of kennel

Give me Leicestershire nags, and the hounds of old Meynell."

We need here only remind our readers that the Meynell here referred to was the first man who rendered the county of Leicester famous as a hunting country. Previous to his mastership it was hunted by what were called the Noel Hounds, which afterwards became the property of the Lonsdale family. At that period a great portion of the land was unenclosed; neither was there a tenth part of the furze-covers with which it now abounds. When Meynell first took the Leicestershire hounds he brought prominently forward those qualities which at once stamped him as the most successful sportsman of his day. He was a man of strong and vigorous mind, joined with the utmost perseverance as well as ardour in his favourite pursuit. As a breeder of hounds he displayed a perfect judgment, his principal aim being to get a pack together with fine noses and stout running, combining strength with beauty, and steadiness with high mettle. His idea what the shape of a hound should be may be summed up thus briefly: "Short backs, open bosoms, straight legs, and compact feet." Although he did not

hunt his hounds himself, his knowledge of hunting was so supreme that those under him looked up to the master for advice or assistance in any difficulties that might arise; and as he was one of the boldest, yet most judicious, riders of his time, he was ever in the foremost flight. "Give 'em time," was his motto, never liking to see his hounds hurried in their work; and having perhaps unparalleled influence over his field, he was enabled to check the ardour of his brother-sportsmen when riding recklessly forward.

And here, to those who prefer breeding hunters to buying them, we would recommend a visit to the padlocks of Sir Thomas Barrett Lennard, at Belhus, Essex, and there ask to see a splendid thorough-bred horse-Mainstone-whose stock we venture to prophesy will turn out well. As for his pedigree, it is as long as that of the Welshman who traced his origin to a period long before the Christian era commenced. Mainstone, formerly the property of the late Lord Palmerston, is a beautiful bay brown horse, and can boast of Royal lineage, his father being the celebrated King Tom, his dam Blister. Mainstone has enormous power and substance, standing sixteen hands high, and measuring six feet seven inches round the girth. He is (to adopt the phraseology of the dealers) "handsome as paint," with beautiful, true action-not the horrible "knee-up" action, but a fine movement all round: his temper is good, and his constitution excellent. His doings on the racecourse were really very good. In 1859 he ran, piloted by A. Day, second to the next year Derby winner, Thormanhy, for a two-year-old sweepstakes at Northampton, when he was only beat by a head. Salisbury, again jockied by A. Day, he won the Longford Castle Stakes easily, beating a field of three; while at Stockbridge he (ridden by S. Rogers) won the First Biennial Stakes, beating a field of six. After retiring from the turf, Mainstone won the first prize at the Essex Agricultural Show in 1863, and the special prize-open to all England -in 1865, beating Ace of Clubs and several others; and to prove that the breed have not degenerated, a half-bred foal by Mainstone, the first of his stock ever exhibited, won the first prize at the Essex Agricultural Show in 1863; and all his stock are very handsome, of good size, with beautiful heads, necks, and shoulders, and very fine action. "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen ;" and the saying is equally applicable to equine as to floral beauties. Belhus, though in reality only a short way from London, being on the Southend railway, two miles from the Purfleet-station, is comparatively unknown as compared to some of the old-established stud-farms, and therefore this son of King Tom has been lost sight of by breeders, and has never had the chance he deserves. All his hunting stock possess every quality that is necessary in a hunter; and those whose motto is "Seeing's believing " had better run down to Belhus, where they will find the best accommodation for mares, an immense extent of grass-land, divided into convenient, wellsheltered paddocks, with more than forty excellent boxes. To those who study economy, ws ought to mention that the charges for Mainstone are very low, the price being ten guineas to thorough-bred mares, and three guineas to half-bred ones. Moreover, mares are taken in about three or four shillings a-week below the average price, though they have the best possible care taken of them. As this "worthy scion of a worthy sire" can boast of a splendid pedigree, we ought to refer

to it; and in doing so, we find that Mainstone can claim kindred with some of the finest horses bred in England. On the list may be mentioned-Pocahontas, Harkaway, Bay Middleton, Touchstone, Sultan, Glencoe, Economist, Waxy, Selim, Tramp, Orville, Whalebone, Master Henry, and Emilius; Hope, Pocahontas, Miss Letty, Cobweb, Marpessa, Whisker, Floranthe, Trampoline, Web, Boadicea, Crepida, and Daughter of Orville.

Before we conclude our remarks on foxhunting a brief description of the wily animal may not be out of place. The common fox (Vulpes vulgaris) needs but little description. It is spread over Europe generally, and is everywhere noted for its cunning, as well as for its prowling nocturnal habits. In England it is preserved for the sake of those who are devoted to the noble science of the chase. The female goes from sixty to sixty-five days with young, and produces (generally in April) from three to five at a birth. This wily animal inhabits burrows, and feeds upon rabbits, hares, pheasants, partridges, game of all sorts, and poultry. This species is le reynard of the French, volpe of the Italians, raposa of the Spanish, fuchs of the Germans, vos of the Dutch, raff of the Swedes, rev of the Danes, tod of the Scotch. In North America the common fox is represented by the red fox. This species, though it agrees in general manners with our fox, possesses neither the wind nor the same power of endurance. runs," says Dr. Richardson, "for about a hundred yards with great swiftness; but its strength is exhausted in the first burst, and it is soon overtaken by a wolf or mounted horseman." Now, with every feeling of respect to this learned authority, I must beg leave to differ with him, that is as far as Canadian foxes are concerned, for I can vouch for the fact that these animals are quite as strong, and furnish nearly as good runs, as those in England. The officers of the 7th Hussars and Kings Dragoon Guards kept packs of foxhounds in Canada, and the sport was excellent. In conclusion, the fur of the red fox, from its softness, smoothness, and depth, is highly valued as an article of commerce; and about eight thousand skins are annually imported from the fur countries where the animal is very abundant, especially on the wooded districts.

"It

Bell places the otters among the mustelida (order carnivora), as an equatic piscivorous section of that family. The genus lutra is widely diffused Europe, Asia, Africa, and America present us with their respective species. All, however, agree with each other in general habits. The common otter is the enhydris of Aristotle and the Greeks, and the lutra of the Romans; it is the lodra and loutra of the Italians, lutra of the Spanish, loutre of the French, fisch otter of the Germans, otter of the Dutch, utter of the Swedes, odder of the Danes, and otter of the British. The natural food of the common otter is fish, for the chase and capture of which its whole frame is wonderfully adapted. How silently is the water entered! no noise or splash to scare away the finny tribe. The eyes are so placed that whether the animal is swimming below its prey, behind it, above it, or beside it, the least motion of the head or neck brings it within the sphere of the pursuer's vision. The whole frame-work of the animal, its short fin-like legs, oary feet, and rudder of the tail, enable it to make the swiftest turns, nay, almost bounds in the water, according as

the rapidity of its agile prey demands a sudden downward dive, an upward spring, or a side snap. The short fur, which is close and fine, keeps the body at a proper temperature, and the longer and outer hairs. directed backwards enable it to glide through the water, when propelled horizontally by its webbed feet beneath the surface, noislessly and speedily. When it has seized a small fish, it instantly leaves the water and devours it, beginning with the head, whilst the body is held between the fore paws. Larger fish are held down by the paws, and the head and tail are often left uneaten. The havoc made by these marauders in rivers and ponds is great; for they will go on killing, and eat but a small portion of each fish if it be large, especially when they find plenty of prey. When fish is scarce and it is pressed by hunger, the otter has been known to resort far inland, to the neighbourhood of the farmyard, and attack lambs, sucking-pigs, and poultry. The otters' places of refuge near rivers and lakes are beneath the roots of trees or in holes. But it must not be supposed that they are confined to the fresh waters they are known to frequent the sea in the North of Scotland, and to hunt far out. In Cornwall the otter will go a mile from the shore during summer weather. On the sea-shore, rocky coves with scattered flocks, hollows, and cavities under large stones are its haunts. These marine common otters must not be confounded with the sea otters. That the common otter is capable of domestication and attachment we have ample testimony; indeed in some parts of India, according to the testimony of Bishop Heber, a species of these animals is trained to assist the fishermen, sometimes driving the shoals into the nets, sometimes bringing out the larger fish with their teeth. Extensive importations of otter skins into Europe, both from Canada and from South America, take place annually. The otter is characterised by Cuvier as having three false molars, above and below, a strong talon on the upper carnivorous tooth, a tubercle in the internal side of the lower, and a large tuberculous tooth, almost as long as broad, above; and this animal is distinguished from the marten tribe by its compressed head and rough tongue, but principally by its palmated feet, already referred to, and tail flattened horizontally. The British otter of full growth is about two feet in length, independent of the tail, which is of itself fifteen or sixteen inches long. The otter, though not so famed as an architect as the beaver, shows great sagacity in forming its habitation. According to Pennant, it burrows under ground in the banks of some river or lake, and always makes the entrance of its hole under water, working upwards to the surface of the earth. It finishes its lodge by making a minute orifice for the admission of air; aud the more effectually to conceal its retreat, it contrives to make even these little air-holes in the midst of some thick bush. Shy and recluse, the otter is nocturnal in its habits, lurking by day in its burrow.

The works of Dame Juliana Berners have been often quoted by sporting authors, and the fact of her being one of the earliest female writers in England entitle her to some notice, although the deepest research has discovered very little of her personal history. She is frequently called Juliana Barnes, but Berners was her real name. She was an Essex lady, and was probably born at Roding, in that county, about the beginning of the fifteenth century, being the daughter of Sir James Berners, of Berners Roding, and sister of Richard, Lord