jalap than taking his master's hunter to covert; but some people have curious notions concerning that custom, and however unqualified a servant may be, invariably entrust their hunter to his tender mercies. The other was a splendid bay gelding about fifteen hands and a-half high, with a coat as bright as satin, and although the roads were somewhat wet, with the exception of his legs he had scarcely a spot of dirt about him. So striking a difference could not fail to attract attention; and from curiosity Welton put a similar question to the groom, from whom he learned that he was the property of the Reverend T. C., a gentleman known personally or by repute to almost every fox-hunter in the midland counties.

The pack he found to consist of large-sized hounds, level in their condition, and more commanding in their appearance than those which he had recently left. They were attended by Grant the huntsman, assisted by two whippers-in, all well-mounted and turned out in good order. On the arrival of the worthy master, one of the means by which he had attained his popularity was easily recognized. He had a salutation for every one, and a good-natured remark to every farmer with whom he came in contact, and there were many in the field.

If Welton's arrival with his horses in the good old city of Worcester had not attracted so much notice as it had done in Ludlow, his first appearance in the field did not pass by without observation. He had just exchanged the horse he had ridden to covert for his hunter, and was in the act of giving him a canter across the park to feel if his action was correct, a custom which his race-riding performances had inculcated, when the quick eye of the worthy master of the pack recognized a stranger, whose firm seat and the perfection of his appointments denoted the appearance of a sportsman; for Bartley's boots may be distinguished at a distance, and Heavens's saddles will bear a close inspection. Each of these first-rate artistes were patronized by our hero, whose good taste in all the articles of dress and its appurtenances might be readily distinguished. "Who is that on the chesnut horse?" inquired Captain Candler, of the coterie assembled round the hounds; "he looks like a workman, whoever he may be." All were silent for a time; but Grant observed" that he was a bit of a judge of hounds, for he had been looking over the pack, and had singled out the best-looking hounds with a very quick eye. Foreigner and Manager were the two first he picked out." A gentleman who is known upon the turf can scarcely remain long incognito in the county of Worcester, and on his nearer approach to the group in attendance, he was immediately recognised by a young man, one of the party. "Oh, it is Mr. Welton," he exclaimed, addressing Captain Candler, "and a capital fellow he is, too; I must introduce him to you." The coverts about the park were drawn blank, and the hounds did not find till they got to Shooters Wood, from whence a pretty hunting run with an indifferent scent led them to the Ran Dans, in which large tract of woodland they remained for the rest of the day. An introduction in the hospitable county of Worcester is invariably the precursor of innumerable invitations to dinner parties, balls, and suchlike agreeable associations; and Welton found himself more deeply engaged in that manner than in the chase. His visits to the kennel afforded him much gratification, where everything was found to be well arranged, without incurring any unnecessary expense. His sojourn of

three weeks passed off most pleasantly, although he was somewhat disappointed with the sport. A pretty scurry from Grafton Wood to the Trenches afforded him an opportunity of testing the effects of a cold bath in Crowle brook, from whence he had some difficulty to extract his horse. It may be termed the baptismal font, to which aspirants to riding fame in this county generally pay homage. A severe woodland day in the coverts about Suckley hills presented a fair specimen of the difficulties which hounds, horses, and men have to contend with in a hilly district, consisting of an almost consecutive line of coverts. The coverts on the splendid estate of the then youthful Lord Coventry were well stocked with foxes, but they produced but little sport, ringing from covert to covert; and Worcestershire may be considered generally a difficult country in which hounds can obtain blood.

The Hunt Ball has, during a long series of years, been one of the important anniversaries connected with the county and city of Worcester. This year it was celebrated with extraordinary magnificence and costliness. A rising young member of the legal profession had recently established himself in practice in the faithful city, and anxious to gain repute, notoriety, and influential connexions, gave dinner parties, and such-like attractive entertainments, in a most récherché style. Having become a member of the Worcestershire Hunt Club, the approaching gay festival presented a most inviting opportunity to the aspiring young lawyer of gaining a public reputation considerably more distinguished than his private fame. Constantly studying how he could best accomplish the objects of his ambition, he was not long in forming his plan. The celebrity he had acquired for his private parties, and his universal popularity, were sufficient inducements to place his name on the committee of management, an honour to which he proudly and promptly assented; and being a man of enterprising energetic temperament, the labours of the committee were most extensively reduced by the active part he was so admirably calculated to sustain. In fact, all the responsibility seemed to be removed from the committee, save and except the important responsibility consequent upon a lavish expenditure, which somewhat astonished the members when they became aware of the circumstance. But one great object was accomplished well worthy of the cost; it was the most elegant and well-arranged tribute of admiration ever offered by a club of gallant sportsmen at the shrine of beauty. As on all occasions of this kind, where some limit must be prescribed as to numbers (although that distinction bore a most expansive range), and the classifications of society must of necessity be observed, much dissatisfaction arose among those who considered themselves entitled to invitations, but were not fortunate enough to receive them. Much of the odium fell on the devoted head of the gentleman who had sustained so prominent a part; but as there is no public engagement, however honourable and distinguished, the performances of which are not susceptible of private censure or party disapprobation, he bore it with becoming philosophy, and the felicitous conviction that the balance of his ambitious expectations vastly exceeded the adverse impediments which are invariably scattered on the highway to happiness and fame. A hunt ball presents an animating scene; the scarlet uniform of the members contrasts gaily with the more sombre hues generally adopted for evening costume, and on this occasion it was greatly augmented by a numerous attend

ance of representatives of the surrounding clubs, for the invitations were not confined to the county. Worcester and the neighbourhood has been from time immemorial celebrated for female beauty, and on no occasion was there ever witnessed so attractive an assemblage. That Frank Welton was a guest it appears almost superlative to mention; and introduced as he was by the worthy master of the hounds, who was equally conversant with the etiquete of the ball room, as with the courtesies of the field, our hero could not have been placed in a more enviable position. That some fair lady should not have made a serious impression on his heart seems at least an improbability; or, on the other hand, that a young gentleman of superlatively good appearance, with a good fortune and high expectation, whose fame as a sportsman had already been whispered, would not have been received as a suitable partner in life by several of the most attractive beauties in the room, is equally improbable; neither was he unsusceptible of the charms that awaken the tender passion, and he was observed to pay marked attention to one of the most fascinating belles in the room. The fact of handing a young lady to the supper room is often sufficient to produce an inference; but when that circumstance is conjoined with an evident desire to obtain as much as possible of that lady's society during the evening, there may be reason for supposing there is some foundation for the assumption. Whether an impression had been made or not, we must leave it as a secret within our hero's breast. It might be that the exciting scene had somewhat drawn him for the moment from his resolution, which was not to enter into so serious an engagement as matrimony, at least for the present. He had expressed his sentiments on this subject to some of his most intimate friends, and they are highly creditable to his head and heart. His mother was still living, and he was unwilling to disturb her from the enjoyment of a home which he had especially provided for her accommodation. Not one woman in a hundred is suitable for the wife of a man devoted like himself to field sports, and "that one," as he justly remarked, "it might not be his luck to find." Many a man enters into the marriage state with so little circumspection, that it would scarcely be supposed to be the most important action of his life. But such it is. The heart of man has been compared to a creeping plant, which withers unless it has something round which it can entwine. The truth of the aphorism must be admitted. But what if it entwines around a phantom?-if the woman to whom he unites himself proves cold, heartless, selfish, deceptive, headstrong, and opposed to the pursuits of her husband? Then the creeping plant withers with painful anguish: although it may not perish for many years, those are years of sorrow and regret.

There are very few country towns presenting more agreeable attractions than the ancient city of Worcester. It is a very clean, wellordered place, and the buildings have a style of respectability particularly striking. There is plenty of society of the best order, and a sportsman may diversify his amusements with fishing in the summer, without experiencing much difficulty in obtaining permission to exercise his craft in the Teme, or the smaller brooks. As a fox-hunting country it must be acknowledged that it is not first-rate, principally in consequence of the numerous coverts which, although not generally extensive, abound in almost every direction; but still it is a country in which a

vast deal of good hunting may be enjoyed. Besides the fox hounds, there is now a pack of harriers, under the management of Mr. Parker, who many years ago was master of the fox-hounds. The little pack is spoken of in high terms. I have never seen them, although I cannot say I have never heard them, and that was at a period of the year when they are usually silent. It was on the 3rd of May, 1855, when I was at the kennel of the Worcester hounds. The little pack was running merrily within a short distance; but an engagement to meet a friend at the railway station, by a given time, precluded the possibility of my joining them.

GAME BIRD S.

BY H. G. ADAMS.

CHAPTER II.-GROUSE.

Have ye heard the blackcock's husky crow
In the cool grey light of morning,
When the mists were on the vale below,
And the mountain tops were all aglow
With ruddy gleams, that served to show
The pathway of the dawning?

Have ye stooped amid the heath and ling,
To see the grey hen stealing,

With her speckled pouts of tender wing,
That closely to the covert cling,
And fear to take the final spring,

Their whereabout revealing?

Amid the pine-wood's depth of shade
Have ye watched the capercaillie,
With shining purple plumes outspread,
And bold bright eye, o'erached with red,
Bow condescendingly his head,

With his sober mate to dally?

And have you clomb the alpine height
'Mid rock and snow-drift, seeking

The ptarmigan with plumage white,
That crouches, hidden from the sight,
Where scarce a sound by day or night
Upon the ear is breaking?

If you have done all this, reader, and are not a mere cockney sportsman, whose noblest game has been tame pigeons or suburban sparrows, you will be prepared to go with us over moor and mountain, through rocky glen and pine forest, and to listen to our talk about grouse and grouse shooting in general. In August we confined ourselves chiefly to the red grouse, because it was on the 12th of that month that the fiat went forth for its destruction, and because also that particular

species of the family is more eagerly sought and highly-prized than any other, or indeed of any feathered game whatever. "The pursuit of this bird," says Captain Lacy, "if not deemed the very fox-hunting of shooting, indisputably occupies a very high place, and most deservedly so, whether we consider the extreme beauty, elegance, and gameness of the bird itself, its deep rich plumage so charmingly in harmony with the lovely heather it dwells among, whose tender tops it crops for support, and under whose friendly shade it cowers for protection; or whether we turn to its native haunts, whose dreariness it enlivens and ennobles-the isolated and majestic heights in some of the most romantic parts of our highly-favoured land-we are alike induced to regard it with esteem and admiration. Besides, grouse shooting is not only the most laborious of all shooting, but is a science in itself."

A science, let us add, which the worthy captain is well qualified to teach. If ever a sporting college is established in this country, this particular professorship must be assigned to him, and over the professorial chair let there be printed in letters of gold this maxim of his: "That man, who, enjoying the cool elasticity of the mountain breeze, and walking on a carpet of purple heather, is yet withal bent on slaughter only, may be a good shot, but he is a tasteless sportsman." This is the principle which should operate with all who go forth in pursuit of living creatures; it distinguishes the sportsman from the butcher, or the mere trafficker in game. Without it shooting or hunting or angling is a mere mercenary business, if it be not wanton cruelty. But enough on this head, and perhaps more than enough for our readers, who, we presume, are all guided by this principle. Let us now away to the wide wild moors and sub-alpine sheep-districts of Scotland, where we shall find the blackcock, which most naturalists term Tetrao tetrix, in the greatest plenty and finest condition.

"Now wistlin' winds and slaught'rin' guns

Bring autumn's pleasant weather,

The moorcock springs, on whirring wings,
Among the blooming heather,"

says Burns; and it is chiefly in those parts of the country, where the moors and mountain sides are purple with the blossoms of the Erica, that the black grouse must be sought for. It does not, however, mix with the red species, to which it is said to be a determined enemy; so that some grouse preservers, observing that where the former increased the latter decreased, have latterly determined to shoot the grey hens, in order to keep the stock under. This prejudice-as some who have had good opportunities of watching the habits of the birds hold it to bo-has operated greatly in checking the importation of live blackcocks into Yorkshire and some other English counties, where they were formerly introduced for the purpose of extending the breed. These North Britons it is now said must be kept out, if we would keep their red congeners in. Such is the impression entertained, whether true or false we cannot say, of their Scottish qualities. The counties south of the border, which this breed is known to inhabit, are Hampshire in the New Forest, Somersetshire, Devonshire, Dartmoor, and Exmoor, and the wilder parts of Staffordshire and Lancashire, and Cheshire, in the forest of