, 1878-04-26
Wolf Hunting in Normandy.

consists In general hum, lur their des'ruc,
tjon organized by an officer specially ap-
pointed. These hunts are organized
whenever the sub.iIrntcuuut of iopcttcrit
deem, it necessary, or on the recurrence
al any slcCili act of devastation. \ cor.
respondent who spent bis New Years
Day in Normandy gives n graphic de-
scripton ot one of these hunts, which
have come to be regular New Year T,
Day occurrence, for n general 6diine is
invariably arranged, and the breakfast in
the large dining hall Of the chliedU at
tracts quite M many of the nelghboring
farmers, squirecns, ard small manuiac-
turers, rs does the anticipation of some
rare sport as entertaining as 1t is useful.
Every one who possesses a gun is well
come, and even those who have no other
weapon than a hedgestakc can find em-
ployment among the beaters, break fast
ing at daybreak with the head keeper at
some clearing in the forest from which
the meet will start. Every kind of fire.
arm is represented, from the latest inven-
tion, with all its elaborate mechanism,
costing from $50 to Gl00, down to the
old tlint.lock, which has been trans
formed into a percussion gun by the vii
lage blacksmith, looking as if it would
be far more dangerous to its owner than
to any wolf. Some were armed with
rifles, but every gun was loaded with ball,
and more than one man could say how
he had sat up all night covering his bull
let's with old glove, leather, so that they
might fit tight when rammed home in the
barrel
Breakfast despatched, the whole party
sailed forth, and under the direction of
one of the keepers took up their stations
along the roads which traversed the for
est, and down which the hunted wolves,
pursued by beaters and hounds, were to
be driven. The under keeper reaps rich
harvest. He does not refuse the FIVE
franc piece or even the gold coin offered
him by most of the party, who fancy that
by payment they can avoid the unpleas-
ant alternative Of being stationed too
near the individual with the transformed
and murderous- looking flint-lock. "Put
me by the side of Monsieur Y, and
me by the side Of NJ. y are the con-
slant requests made to Guillaume, who
has sufficient of good sense to know how
to divide the grain from the chatf, and
distribute bis masters guests.
One or two hearts beat loud as the
shouts and cries of the beaters are heard
miDgling with the baying of the Russian
wolf-hounds and the yelping Of the viii
lage ours who had volunteered their SER
vices in hunting down their common
enemy. The wolf, doubling and doub-
ling to avoid his purSuers, was at times
close by, and five minutes afterwards
would be half mile away, facing the
dogs every now and then to give one of
his short, angry barks, and show his long,
cleaning teeth. The ground, hardened
by the thin coating of frozen snow,
brought plainly the sound of the racing
Of the dogs and of their quarry as they
rushed along through the four and five
year.old underwood. Pressed by his
pursuers, the wolf burst into view ran
the gauntlet of some seven or eight guns,
and then took refuge in the wood on the
opposite side of the road, leaving dog
dead on the ground, killed by the bullet
of some hasty but unskilful gunner. Ten
minutes pause was allowed the line of
sharpshooters, while the dogs and keep
ers made wide circuit with their attend
ant beaters to cut off the retreat of the
wolf, who was too sluggish and confident
Ia mis- own superiority to go very far.
Again the hunt commenced, and while
the hounds kept to theiI original wolf,
two more wolves with wild boar were
beaten up by the village ours, who gave
chase and hunted them out on the road,
where the wolves soon suCcumbed to the
general volley which greeted them, while
the boar, whose hide was Caked with mud
until it had become almost impCnetrabIe,
carried off his Quantum of powder and
ball, grunting out his disappointment at
the welcome he had received as he forced
his way into the woods again. Quite
half an hour had elapsed before the
hounds managed, with the beaters, to com
pei their original quarry to take the road
they wished, and then the "music' came
louder and louder, and the beast, coming
out of the bushes, stood in the road as if
debating which way it should take. A
bullet from the gun of one Of the sports.
men broke its right shoulder, and in a
minute the dogs were on il, fighting
among themselves as to which should be
the first to worry. The hounds were
driven off, not before some of them had
been severely bitten, and the master of
the hunt gave the coup dc grace. The
keepers attended at once to the wounded
hounds, gashes were sewn up and attached
with sutnre pins, and the three dead
wolves were borne back to the chateau in
triumph. Their beads, mounted by the
head keeper, who has great deal Of taste
in such matters, will go to ornament the
banquet hall, and form other trophies Of
the chaSse, which has become the only
pastimo of our gentry and nobility who
have no taste for the stormy and ingori-
Gus discussions in the Chambers at YER
sailles.