HUN
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HUN
the one long, and the other round, yet equally big, the longeft Slot declares the largeft Hart : Add, that the old Hart's hind Foot never over-reaches the fore Foot, as that of the young ones does. — 2°. The Fewmilhing is chiefly to be jud»'d of in April or May : If it be large and thick, it fig- nifies the Hart to be old. ~ 5 . To know the Heighth and Thicknefs of the Harr, obferve his Entries and Galleries into the Thickets, and what Boughs he hath over-ftridden; and mark from thence the Heighth of his Belly from the Ground ; for a young Deer ufually creeps low as he paffes to his Harbour, and goes thro' Places which the old one, being lliff and ftately, will not ftoop to. — 4 . By his Gate it may be known whether the Hart be large, and whether he will Hand long before the Hounds : If he have a long Step, he will (land long ; being fwift, light, and well-breath'd ; If he have a great Slot, which is the Sign of an old Deer, he will be a Latter. — As to his Frayhig-<Fof, note, that the older the Hart is, the fooner he goeth to fray, and the greater is the Tree he chufes to fray upon ; it being neceflary it be fuch as may not bend.
Now, to feck or find out a Hart in his Haunt, or Feeding- Place i't is to be obterv'd, that he changes his manner of feeding every Month. — From the Conclufion of the Rutting time which is in November, they feed in Heaths and broomy Places. — In December they herd together, and withdraw into the Strength of the Forells, to (belter themfelves from the feverer Weather, feeding on Holm Trees, Elder Trees, Brambles, i£c. The three following Months they leave herding, but keep foul or five in Company, and in the Cor- ners of the Foreft, will feed on the Winter Pallure, fome- times making theit Incurfions into the neighbouring Corn Fields, if they can perceive the Blades of Wheat, Rye, r£c. appear above Ground. — In April and May they reft in Thickets and fhady Places, ftirring very little till Rutting- time, unlefs difturb'd. — The three fuccecding Months they are in their Pride of Greafe, and retort to Spring Copfes
and Corn Fields In September and OBober they leave the
Thickets, and go to Rut ; during which Seafon, they have no certain Place either for Food or Harbour.
Having found out the Game, the Hunters difcouple and call off the Dogs ; and, fome on Horfcback, others on Foot, follow the Cry with the utmoft Art. Obfervation, and Speed; remembering and preventing the fubtle Turnings and Head- ings of the Hart ; ftanding with Dexterity and Intrepidity to leap Hedge, Pales, Ditch, (gc.
The utmoft Addrefs and Circumfpection is to be ufed to keep to the Bead: firft attempted, and prevent the Doos from purfuing any other : This, in effect, makes one of the prin- cipal Difficulties and Glories of the Chace ; the Bead having a hundred Devices to j ut oft" fome other Head for his own : Sometimes he will fend forth fome other li ttle Deer in his Stead into the Dogs Way, lying clofe the while himfelf; en which Occafion the Huntfman is to found a Retreat, and break off the Dogs, and take in Leam, till the Game be rccover'd.
Sometimes he will purpofely fcek out for other Deer at Layer, and roufe them, to make the Hounds hunt change, himfelf lying down flat in fome of their Layers upon his Belly, to make the Hounds over-fhoot him ; Add, that they may neither fcent or vent him, he will gather up his fore Feer under his Belly, and blow or breathe on fome moid Place of the Ground ; fo that the Hounds Iball pafs within a Yard, without apprehending him. — He will break into one Thicket after another to find Deer, routing, gathering them together, and herding with them ; and even beating fome of them into his Treads, that he may the more eafily efcape. — Finding himfelf fpent, he will break herd, and fall a doubling and crofting in fome hard beaten Highway ; always running againft the Wind, not only to cool himfelf, but the better to hear the Voice of the Puriuers.
The laft Refuge of a Hart forely hunted, is the Soil ; keeping the Middle, for fear, left by touching a Bough, or the like, he may give Scent to the Hounds. He always fwims againft the "Stream, whence the old Rule, He that •will bisCbace find, let him try up the River, and down the Wind- In taking Soil, he will fometimes cover himfelf under Water, fo as to drew nothing but his Note.
Where Opportunity of Water fails, he will fly into Herds of Cattcl, as Cows, Sheep, ££c. and will fometimes leap on an Ox, Cow, or the like, laying the fore Part of his Body thereon, that fo touching the Earth only with his hinder I-cet, he may leave a fmall, or no Scent behind. — What is further ftill, the chief Huntfman toZrarflXII. relates, that a Hart which they were in hard Chace of, leap'd into a great tall white Thorn, which grew in a fhadowy Place, and there ftood aloft, till he was thruft through by a Hantfman, rather than he would ftir.
This being done, the Hunter with his Horn windeth the Fall of the Beaft ; upon which every one approaches, the fkil- fuleft opens the Beaft, rewarding the Hounds with what properly belongs to them ; the Huntfman, at the fame time,
dipping Bread in the Skin and Blood of the Beaft to give the Hounds their full Satisfaction.
The Hart is known to be fpent by his running ftiff, high, and lompering ; by his Mouth being black and dry, without Foam on it, and his Tongue hanging out ; tho' he will fome- times clote his Mouth to deceive the Spectators : And by his Slot ; for he will fometimes clofe his Claws together, as it he went at Lcifure, and ftraighr again open them wide, making great Glidings, and hitting his Dew Claws upon the Ground, fgc.
When quite fpent, and clofe befet, or intercepted on all Sides, the Hart ufually takes to Bay, and makes Force with his Head againft the firft Man or Dog that clotes in upon him, unlets prevented with a Spear, Sword, or the like. — Hence 'tis very dangerous going in to a Hart at Bay, efpe- cially at Rutting-time, for then they are more fierce.
The Hart being kill'd, his Death is folemniz'd with gteat Ceremony. — The firft Thing, when the Huntfmen come in, is to cry 'ware Haunch, that the Hounds may not break into the Deer : Having tecur'd this, they cut his Thtoat, and blood the younger Hounds, to make them love a Deer, and learn to leap at his Throat. Then having blown the Men, and all the Company being come in, the mod diftin- guifti'd Perfon, who has not taken Say before, takes up the Knife, and lays it crofs the Belly of the Deer, (fome of the Afiiftants holding by the fore Legs, and at the fame Time the Hantfman drawing down the Pizzle) and thus draws the Knife along the Middle of the Belly, beginning near the Brisket, cutting deep enough to difcover how fat he is. Then the moft fkilful Perfon breaks up the Deer, by firft flitting the Skin from the cutting of the Throat downward, making the Arber, that the Ordure may not break forth, and then paunching him, and rewarding the Hounds there- with.
Laftly, the Perfon that took the Say, being prefented with a drawn Hanger, he is to cut off the Head ; which done, and the Hounds rewarded therewith, the concluding Cere- mony, if a Buck, is a Double, if a Stag, a Tteble, Mort blown by one, and a Rccheat in Confort by all that have Horns : The whole concluded with a general Whoo, Whoop,
Suck Hunting, or Hunting of Fallow Deer. — The Buck the firft Year, is call'd a Fawn. — The lecond Year, a Cricket' — The third, a Sorel. ■ — The fourth, a Sore. — The fifth, a Suck of the firfl Head. — The fixth Year, a Great Suck.
The Female is call'd Doe or Doo. — The firft Year, a Faivn. — The lecond, a Tegg. — The third, a Doe.
This Beaft is common in moft Countries, being as corpu- lent as a Hart, but in moft Things refembling more a Roe, except in Colour ; which is various, but moft commonly branded or fandy on the Back, having a black Lift all along on the Ridge, and the Belly and Sides fpotted with white.
The Male has Horns not much differing from a Hart, ex- cept in Largenefs, and that they grow out of the Head like Fingets out of the Hand ; whence it is call'd Cervus 'Pal- ■matus. The Female is without Horns.
Lets Art and Skill are requir'd in lodging a Buck, than in harbouring a Hart 5 nor does there need fo much drawing after : 'Tis futficient that you judge by the View, and mark what Grove or Covert he enters ; for he does not wander and rove fb often as a Hart, nor fo frequently change his Layer.
When hard hunted, he takes to fome ftrong Hold or Co- vert he is acquainted with ; not flying far before the Hounds, nor crofting nor doubling, norufing any of the Subtleties the Hart is accuftom'd to.
The Buck will beat a Brook, but feldom a great River, as the Hart ; nor can he ftay fo long at Soil.
The greateft Subtlety a Huntfman need ufe in Hunting the Buck, is to beware of Hunting Counter or Change, becaufe of the Plenty of Fallow Deer, which ufe to come more direct ly upon the Hounds than the Red Deer do.
The Buck herds more than the Hart, and lieth in the dryeft Places : But if he be at large, uncoijfin'd in a Park, he herds but little from May to Auguft, becaufe the Flies trouble him. He takes Delight in hilly Places, but chufes the Dales to feed in.
Roe Hunting. — The Roe, the firft Year, is call'd a Kid.~ The fecond, a Gyrle. — The third, a Hemufe — The fourth, a Roe-Suck of the firft Head. — The fifth Year, a Fair Roe Such
We have no Roe Deer in England ; but they abound in Scotland, Germany, Africa, &c. And it fhould feem they had been more common among us, our ancient Huntfmen ftill retaining the proper Terms for the Chace.
They make good Chace, ftand long, and flv end-way, — When a Roe croffes and doubles, it is call'd Trapyning. *
Their Swiftnefs appears not only on Earth, but in Waters, thro' which they cut their Way as with Oars 5 whence they love Lakes and Streams, breaking the Floods to come at frefh Pafture, feeding on Ruflies, Qfc,
Horns
