The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-11 00:00:00

SPORTING REVIEW.

The illustrations of the present number are a portrait
of The Baron, drawn by Herring, and engraved by
Hacker, and a spirited picture, by Hancock, of a fox
watching two rabbits at play, entitled, "How happy
could Ibe with either." This last picture is engraved
by J. R. Scott. Craven comments on the Newmarket
First and Second October meetings in an admirably-
written article ; and the Editor continues his stories of
" Leatherlungs the 'Leg." Mr. Hesket's paper on the Red
Deer of Devonshire is concluded in this number, and is
by far the most interesting paper of the review. From
it we extract the following notice of the duties and qua-
lifications of a harbourer. Probably few of our readers
were aware that to every pack of stag-hounds in the
Red Deer country is attached a man who might rival an
American Indian in detecting and followingup a trail:—
" To every pack of 'stag-hounds a harbourer is an essential
appendant, whose duty is to be not only acquainted with all
the coverts in the hunt, but also to know when and where a
deer may be roused in any particidar wood. To ensure a
day's sport, he must be at the coverside some time before
daybreak, and mark the feeding grounds, and the racks over
which the deer have passed during the previous night; for it
is only at this time that he moves from his lair, and therein
does hediffer from the buck orfallow-deer,who feed in the open
country
_by day, and move but little from their particular
localty ; whilst the former frequently traverse a distance of
20 or 30 miles of a night in search of food or hinds. The har-
bourer examines all the places where a stag is likely to have
been, and, by means of his slot and other circumstances, can
tell for certain whether there are any within the covert in-
tended to be drawn, and whether it is a stag or hind, as well
as its size and condition—indeed, without seeing him, he has
the means of knowing everything about him, and is able to
report with certairfty to the master at the meet whether it is
a runable stag, fit as well for the table as the chase, that may
be roused, or whether he is unfit for sport. And for this no
little ability and experience are requisite : he is well stored
with all the knowledge and traditions which the ancient
foresters have, from time immemorial, handed down to him.
Having discovered signs of a deer, perhaps by the slot, he
traces it to the cover, and, if he finds that he has entered it,
he then proceeds to ring it, in order to ascertain whether he
has again left it or not ; if, from the absence of fresh-made
slot and other circumstances, he finds that he is still there,
he will abide the time of the meet, taking care that nothing
disturbs the cover; but, should he find the deer unworthy,
or that it has left the cover, he will in like manner proceed
to others until he is sure that he has harboured a warrant-
able stag. I should mention that it is not by slotting alone
that he has certain indications of the presence of deer, al-
though it is the chief thing on which he relies, for by it he
has a very strong criterion according to the state of the
weather, &c., as to the' time which has elapsed since the deer
has passed on, and can tell from it much of its habits—that
is, whether it has recently freqnented rocky and hilly coun-
tries, or been feeding in rich pasture : if the former, the
sides of the feet are worn and broken, and the impression
accordingly ? whilst the slot of a deer accustomed to rich
pasture-land is more perfect, and has the pressure more on
the heels, from the greater weight of the animal. Besides
the indications of the clot, he notices the racks and galleries
through which he passes to his lair, and the height at which
he crops the tender shoots and leaves ; and, if a bough
crosses his path, he notes whether he creeps it or not : a
young deer will stoop in such a case, but not so the old stag;
he bounds over it without concern. It is by this means,
and by the fewmishings of the deer and other things, that
the harbourer knows exactly all that is requisite concern-
ing them."