The Portland daily press., 1881-01-07
Hunting in Ancient Egypt.
From the Nineteenth Century,

[From the Nineteenth Century,
Like their Asiatic neighbors and congeners,
the Egytians were ardent followers of the
chase. Lion hunting. we are told by Sir
Gardner Wilkinson, speaking from the rep
reservations on the tombs, was a frequent oc-
cupation OF the kings, who were proud to have
their success on such occasions recorded. Am
unoph III boasts of having destroyed no less
than 102 head in one battle. Ethiopia, in
which lions abound, was the principal scene
OF this sport, but lions were also to be found
in the deserts Of Egypt. Athenenius men
tions one having been killed by the Emperor
Hadrian when hunting in the neighborhood of
Alexandria. Accorgding to Sir Gardner Will
kinson, the kings sometimes went far to the
south in pursuit of elephants. He does not
mention whether any representations of an ell
ephant hunt are to be found on the monu-
ments The taste for hunting, Sir Gardner
tells US, was general with all classes The ar
istocracy had their parks for preserving game
in the valley of the Nile, which, though on
less extensive scale than those of their Asiatic
neighbors were sufficiently large to enable
them fully to enjoy the sport.
The animals they chiefly hunted were the
hare, the gazelle, the stag and other deer, the
kebsh or wild sheep, and the porcupine. The
ostrich, too, was pursued for the sake Of its
plumes, which were highly valued by the
Egyptians.
One form OF sport in which they INDUCED
was that OF pursuing the game with dogs,
which. however, do not appear to have been
used on such occasions for the purpose of find
ing the game, but were kept in slips ready to
be let go as soon as the game was started II
the dogs succeeded in catching the animals,
not trusted to alone, though this might some
times be done. Usually the sportsman fol-
lowed in his chariot and urging his horses to
their utmost speed endeavored to intercept the
object of pursuit or to get sufficiently near to
it to be enabled to use his bow with effect.
When the nature of the locality prevented use
OF the chariot, the hunter, taking advantage
OF the sinuousities Of the ground, endeavored
to get within reach of the game as it doubled
and to bring it down with an arrow. The
horned animals of the larger kind, such as the
ibex, oryx, or wild OK, if wounded only,
sometimes turned On the hounds and reqnired
the spear of the hunter to dispatch them.
Sometimes, especially whenithey wished to
take the animals alive for the purpose of plac-
ing them in the parks, they caught them with
the lasso or moose, in the use of which the
Egyptian huntsmen appear to have been ex-
tremely skillful, throwing the moose round the
neck Of the gazelle or deer, or over the horns
of the wild OK.
When sport was desired on larger scale than
could be had In the immediate vicinity of the
Nile, where the land was cultivated and thick
ly peopled, it was sought in the neighboring
deserts. When this was to be done consider
able extent of ground was enclosed by nets,
into which the animals were driven by beat
ers, the place chosen for fixing the nets being,
IL possible, across narrow valleys, or torrent
beds lying between rocky hills. In the Egyp-
tian paintings these long nets are represented
as surrounding the space on which the hunt is
to be carried on. The net used for this pur-
pose is thus described by Sir Gardner Will
kinson, and the description, corresponding as
1t does with that given by Xenophon, may be
taken as correctly describing the nets in univer-
sal use in the ancient world: 'The long net
was furnished with several ropes, and was sup
ported on forked poles, varying in length to
correspond with the inequalities of the ground,
and was 80 contrived as to enclose any space by
crossing hills, valleys, or streams, and encir-
cling woods, or whatever might present itself.
Smaller nets for stopping gaps were also used,
and circular snare, set round with wooden
or metal nails and attached by rope to log
OF wood and used for catching deer, resembled
one still made by the Arabs Being thus en-
closed, the game was started by beaters with
dogs, the sportsmen being SO placed as to waylay
the animals or to get within reach of them
with the bow. A spirited sketch of chase
In the desert OF The bald, copied by Sir Gard
vivid representation Of such hunting scene
Hares, deer, gazelles, wild oxen, the ibex
the oryx, and ostriches, together with the
foxes and hyenas, pursued by hounds, are
dashing at full speed across the plain, while in
the midst of them is porcupine who is taking
things very cody, as if conscious that his rate
Of speed was by no means equal to that of his
nimbler associates, and that any attempt to
keep up with them would be vain. The
slaughter on such occasions would appear to
war -
In one respect the Egyptians were sportsmen
in the sense in which we should use that
terma Except in these battles in the DESERT
they appear to have killed and taken the an
only in open pursuit. They employed no
snares or traps for the purpose. The noxious
animals, on the other hand, such as 1eopards. |
hyenas, wolves, jackals and foxes, were not
only hunted for amusement, but might be
destroyed by the peasant, to whose herds OR
any way by which they might bel taken. The !
poacher appears to have been unknown. :, .s,.il
Not less striking than their hunting was
the fowling ofthe Egyptians. The lakes and |
which in many places line the banks Of the |
Nile have ever been the resort Of innumerable !
wild fowl. Hence, fowling appears to have |
been general pursuit. The professional |
fowler who followed it for his livelihood used
nets and traps; but the sportsmen brought the |
birds down with the throw-stick-a stick
made of heavy wood from foot and quarter
to two feet in length and about an inch and
half in breadth, slightly curved at the upper
end, and, which, being fiat, and thus encoun-
tering but little resistance from the air in its
flight could be thrown to distance, and
when thrown by dextrous hand, with con-
considerable accuracy of aim. The method of
proceeding appears to have been to creep in
punts made of the papyrus, as noiselessly as
possible into the reeds, the hight of which con-
cealed their approach, till, the bird rising, the
sportsman was enabled to use the throw-stick,
an attendant being at hand, who, as fast as
one stick was thrown, supplied another
Three OF the most spirited sketches in Sir
Gardener Wilkinson's collection are represent
ations of such fowling parties. Strange to
say, in two Of them there appears cat, en-
ployed TO act the part of retriever IN getting
the fallen birds out of the thicket.