, 1890-11-13

/ sDtWlsiitn lHNtinCt uDu tuuNhNi''' -
Great Britain. Reading English
fiction, and particularly KingsIey's
novels gives an insight into the I'M
portancc of hunting and shooting 10
every English bred man. So that
the greater the man be socially, po-
litically or financially, In England,
the more likely 1t Is that he Is bred
from youth, though always living
In Londo to following the hounds
aud shooting grouse on the moors,
pheasants within the "bounds"
walls of n great dcmesncs. He may
neither own, nor rent "shootiug."
But he has II great London house.
This is open to his Northern noble
friends during the London sea
son." The return courtesy Involves
entertaining during the shooting
season; and IL Is often the case nat
II larger number of the genuine
aristocracy of the island will lie
| found at any one of the numberless
great Northern palaces during the
autumn than are ever at one time
crowded within sitting walls at the
most exclusive of London winter re-
ceptions.
IT. you were pilgriming afoot and
alone In Scotland, and should sud
denly come upon one of these hunt
ing parties, whether beating the
moorlands for grouse or In II mad
gallop after the hounds for fox or
deer, you could never make an error
In judgment as to whether you were
basking in the sunshine of nobility
or merely having the dust flung In
your eyes by parcel of common
mortals. The latter, every year
comprising o greater number of our
own countrynen who have gradu-
ated from the thrilling diversion of
m0ors of New Jersey, the sage
brush sand chasms of Long Island
or the rocky Businesses of Westches.
tor county, are accoutred like band
of "show" gipsles or the lords and
ladies OF u medieval pageant. The
old pale blue blood of Britain scorns
these trappings. Your true British
nobleman follows tile hounds or
beats the moors in raiment shining
with gun grease and the friction of
ages, and as odorous of the chase as
n Galway fishwife's braideen or IL
Nottingham butchers smock of her
or his vocation.
But to either parvenu or noble
man, the etiquette of the British
sportsman Is sacred and inviolable.
A hunter Is invariably n gun" A
certain Americanism defining an
cestry may have had this remote
origin. The dogs are always
"hounds." You must say "shoot-
ing" and never ''gunning." You
''look" for hare or "pick IL up"
and can not "track" It; and the tail
of fox Is modestly termed n
"brush." To head fox, to halloa
at a fox, or to utter any cry of ap-
proval, advice or exultation in the
field, would prove
A MORTAL OFFENsE
to the master of hounds, and u cause
of infinite contempt on the part of
your companions. 1t would be i'm
possible for you to have good days
hunting, but you may have had "a
good rum" But "hunting" strictly
means, and that alone, riding after
the hounds; while shooting" is
only applicable to killing with the
gun. In grouse and other shooting
the sportsman uses two fowling-
pieces, and servant called a
"loader" attends him for the pur-
pose OF reloading them.
If you were invited from the city
you would not be expected to bring
Al "A
provide one for you; but country
guest brings his own. The greatest
punctiliousness exists regarding
boundaries and trespusses. No gem
tleman will ever recover bird
which has fallen on neighbours
land. Should terms of so great
friendliness and intimacy exist as to
make this permissible, your fowling-
piece is always left behind. Litiga-
tions continuing for generations
have resulted from breaches of simi-
lar consideration and courtesy. All
gentlemen riding to hounds are
guests of a hosts host wherever
hunting breakfasts are given. 1t
may so happen at meets, especially
among friendly titled neighbors,
that this hunting breakfast is pro-
vided In friendly courtesy by the
lord of some manor miles from your
hosts estate.
As guest you are on precisely
the same terms under such circum-
stances as your host. Although if
ladies join the meet they are ex-
pected to join the gentlemen at
break kfast, unless acquainted with
the lady of the house-though the
latter never presides at breakfast
when ladies will at once proceed to
the drawing-room. These hunting
breakfasts are most simple and in
formal. They usually consist of
joints, salads, and ales aud liquors,
bitter beer taking the place of honor.
They are served in the dining-rooms,
II few servants being present to carve
the joints and open aies and beers,
gentlemen guests going and coming
aud helping themselves at will. No
other meal served by the aristocracy
in Great Britain Is so free from
formality, and therefore so univer-
sally one of the chietest enjoyments
Of the chase.
THE GAME SOUGHT.
The pursuit of feathered game in
Scotland, or for that matter in all
Britain, is principally confined to
grouse, partridge, woodcock, pleas
ants and snipe, although curlews,
plovers, fieldfares, quails, corn
cracks are plentiful, aud all man
ner of Wild-ioWlinp and fen-shoot-