Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-01-12

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hunter taking advantage of the sinu
osities Of the ground, endeavored TO ge
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, i
wounded only, sometimes turned OF
the hounds and required the spear oi
the hunter to dispatch them.
7 Sometimes, especially when they
wished to take the animals alive foI
the purpose OF placing them in the
parks, they caught them with the lasso
or moose, in the use Of which the Egyp,
tlan huntsmen appear to have been ex,
tremeIy 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 imme.
idiatc vicinity Of the Nile, where the
land was cultivated and thickly peo.
Pied it was sought in the neighboring
deserts. When this was TO be closed
by nets, into which the animals were
driven by beaters, the place chosen for
fixing the nets being, If possible, across
narrow valleys or torrent beds, lying
between rocky hills. In the Egyptian
painting these long nets are repre-.
sented as surrounding the space in
which the hunt is TO be carried on.
The net used for this purpose is thus
described by Sir Gardener Wilkinson,
and the description, corresponding as
it docs with that given by Xenophon,
may be taken us correctly describing
the nets in universal use in the ancient
world. "The long net was furnished
with several ropes, and was supported
on forked poles, varying in length to
correspond with the inequalities OF the
ground, and was so contrived as TO in.
close any space by crossing hills, val.
| leys or streams and enorcing woods,
or whatever might present ITSELF
Smaller nets for stopping gaps were
also used, and a circular snare, set
round with wooden or metal nails and
attached by rope to a log of wood
and used for catching deer, resembled
one still made by the Arabs Being
thus inclosed, the game was started by
beaters with dogs, the sportsmen being
sc placed as to waylay the animals or
to get within reach OF them with the
bow. A spirited sketch of a chase in
the desert Of Theboid, copied by Sir
Gardener Wilkinson, from n tomb at
Thebes, gives vivid representation of
such hunting scene. Hares, deer
gazelles, wild oxen, tho ibex, the oryx
and estriches, together with foxes,
hyenas, pursued by hounds, are dash.
lag at full speed across the plain, while
in the midst OF them is a porcupine
who is taking things very coolly, as is
conscious that this rate Of speed was
by no means equal to that Of nmber
associates, and that any attempt to
keep with them would bc vain. The
slaughter on such occasions would ap.
pear to have been very great.
In one respect the Egyptians were
sportsmen in the sense in which we
should use that term. Except in these
battues in the desert, they appear TO
have killed and taken the animals
which could be properly called game
only to open pursuit, They employed
no snares or traps for the purpose
The noxious animals, on the other
hand, such as leopards, hyenas, wolves,
jaekals, foxes, were not only hunted for
amusement, but might be destroyed by
the peasant, to whose herds or farm
yards they were standing enemies, in
any way by which they could be taken.
The poacher appears TO have been un.
known.
No less striking than their hunting
was the fowling of the Egyptians. The
lakes and marshlands of the Delta and
the reedy marshes 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 pro.
fessional fowler who followed it for his
livelihood used nets and traps but the
sportsman brought the birds down
with the throw-stick 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 encountering but little
resistance from the air in its flight,
could be thrown to a distance, and,
when thrown by dcxterous hand,
with considerable accuracy OF ann. The
method Of proceeding appears. TO have
been to creep in punts made of the
papyrus as noiselessly as possible into
the reeds, the height of which conceal.
cd their approach, TIL, the birds 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 sketched in Sir
Gardener Wilkinson's collections are
representations ofsuch iowling parties.
Strange TO say, in two of them there
appears cat, employed to act the part
Of a retriever in getting the fallen birds
out of tho thicket
No trace of hawking is to be found
in the Egyptian paintings. The use
of the hawk species for the purpose of
tpwling appears to have been unknown
to the Egyptians, as also to the Ash
atics.