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against these old covies short, taking a lesson from them; but when the rest of the gentlemen (among whom was Nimrod himself) arrived at the appointed rendezvous of Hunmuntgaum, the old ones wrote a letter something about "too old fogies and qualifying horses.” "O tempora, O mores !! and went hunting by themselves. Eleven sportsmen, however, were mustered on the 7th of August, and beating the Hunmuntgaum jungle once down, five hog broke cover, and were all killed; three others also were driven out separately in the course of the day, and dispatched.

8th. Two hog only, a fine boar and a sow, could be got out of the jungle; they took the same country as yesterday, viz. over the stony tickrees opposite the wall, and were killed after tolerable runs. A batch of squeakers was afterwards found in the direction of Merritchgaum, and three of them were killed, giving all the trouble among the bushes that squeakers generally do.

9th. Beat the hills near Rowndah, and found a sounder of two well grown hog and pigs, of which ten were killed; shortly afterwards another sounder of a largish boar, and a lot of very fine sows and pigs, got up under our feet, of which the boar and seven others were killed. Here Nimrod in the East left the party. His reasons for doing so, as published in his letter to one of the gentlemen, after his departure, were "old friends and bad horses." As for friends, what has he older, or with whom he can take greater liberties, than "the boar, the mighty boar?" and as for horses, his stable made up in numbers what it wanted in quality. The fact is, Mr. Editor, that Nimrod has given up hog-hunting.

10th. The tickrees between Merritchgaum and Taklee were beaten, and eight hog were killed.

11th. Early in the day, hunting the same ground as yesterday, a squeaker gave us a severe run, the horses being thoroughly done up before he was killed. Towards evening a sounder of two fine sows and some pigs were found in a patch of jungle, on a lonely hill near Taklee; the sows (as vicious as I ever saw) and two pigs were killed. On the way to the tents another squeaker was found and killed.

12th. Was spent in marching to Nimgaum; our party was to-day reduced to eight.

13th. A sounder was marked down on the banks of the river Seena, and we were not long in giving a good account of it; seven hog were killed, two of them very fine sows, and the sport was excellent.

14th. A fine sounder was ready marked for us at Waga, on the banks of the most difficult nullah that can be imagined; although there must have been fifteen or sixteen hog at least running about in all directions, yet one only was killed; another sounder was found soon after tiffin, and four were killed. If the party had not been induced by some heavy rain that fell during the night to take to the Rips, leaving the hunters at home, I am confident at least a dozen hog would have been slaughtered, instead of only five.

15th. A sounder of a very fine boar and eight or nine other hog was marked down by some villagers in the open plains, which we lost no time in paying a visit to. The boar and six others were killed; in the course of the day three more were added to the list of the slain.

16th. On the road to Goreygaum a fine solitary boar, found

in a jungly ravine, gave us a sharp run; having a good start, he led us for upwards of half a mile down a road as smooth as a race-course, and then, just as four horses abreast were coming up with him, he struck off to the right, and, although twice turned, made good another ravine without being speared; he was, however, after a turn or two more, laid low. 17th. Moved to Daikna among the Ghauts.

18th. We toiled among the hills all day without being able to get a jungle hog to break, although dozens were found, and returned to the tents at last well drenched with rain, and thoroughly disgusted with the hill work, an unfortunate hyena being the only animal killed.

19th. On the road to Patroor and near Kurdah, three hog were found, and two of them killed, one a fine boar; and towards the evening two very fine sows shared the same fate.

20th. To-day, after hard work, six more hog were killed, and we were obliged for the next three days to remain in the tents, for the rain came down in real earnest. On the 24th the party, tired of inactivity and rendered furious by the daily accounts of the pigs that arrived, made a sortie, and with great difficulty killed a fine boar and two pigs.

25th. Three hog were ineffectually pursued through the mud and over the hills early in the morning. In the middle of the day a sounder of fourteen was turned out of the hills, but so difficult was the ground, that only four

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hog were killed two more that had been marked down were then turned out, and mobbed sharp.

26th. A large boar after a short run was brought up, but it took a good deal of time to settle his hash.

27th. A sounder of three (two fine sows and a pig), marked down by the villagers, were sent to the shades below.

28th. We paid another visit to the Wager nullah, killing two squeakers on the way there. On the side of the nullah three fine hogs were ready marked for us, and we did all we could to drive them up the tickrees by which the nullah is bounded. One of them, a fine boar, went up and was killed easily; of the other two, one was killed after great trouble, and the other got away wounded.

29th. Notwithstanding heavy rain, it was determined to endeavour to make up the number of hogs killed to 100, and fortune favoured us, for we killed four more, two fine sows and two pigs, which, reckoning one hog that was killed by the Poonah division before it arrived at the rendezvous, makes exactly 100. The meeting here broke up. There certainly was a scarcity of boars, and there might have been more riding together, but I only hope we may have another meeting next year like it.

I have the pleasure to be,
Mr. Editor,
Yours, &c.,
H. W. R.

Poonah, Oct. 3rd, 1831.

SIR,

I have just returned from a wandering excursion through the Southern Mahratta country, and while the recollection is fresh in my memory, I send you an account of a pack of dogs, intended to represent hounds, which I met once during my stay at a station near Belgaum.

To judge from what I saw, it will take much time, trouble, and whipcord to make anything of them. But these not spared, some judgment used in breeding from the best, and no mercy shown in hanging the incorrigibles, they may become a second Nuggur Pack! There are only four couple of old ones, and about five couple of puppies, some of the younkers really handsome. To describe

their caste is impossible. There are terriers of high and low degree

rough and smooth-long and short legged; a setter, a beagle, and sundry nondescripts, whose species are not mentioned by any naturalist. The most prominent feature of the pack is Bob, a large brown cur with a long head and a short tail, a sagacious expression of visage, and an indescribably vicious, cunning green eye, that measures the distance between himself and the whip to a nicety.

The only time I met this motley pack was the third of their appearance in the field, and much could not be expected.

Five o'clock was the hour, and a plain close to the kennel the place of meeting. The first omen was the appearance of a bandy

legged nigger tottering under the weight of an immense box; his sable cheeks streaked with a thousand milky ways from the white decoction of assafoetida dropping from the victim within, through the bottom of the box. He bore it like a martyr.

The box was opened, and away went a fine jackal, stinking like

a nosegay.

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Then came sounds from afar'Bob, you d-d son of a b-h! Doll, you devil back!" with a sonorous application of whipcord to fill up the lapse in conversation with the pack, which appeared straggling after the huntsmana long-backed amorous-looking gentleman, mounted on a very

clever chestnut. A field of six or seven, dressed in caps, cords, and gaiters, followed.

I remarked amongst them a portly gentleman, mounted on a white Arab mare- a beauty. There was ever and anon a knowing smile curling his lip when the huntsman looked with much complacency on his pack, and it burst into a loud laugh when, in utter defiance of words and whipcord, away went Bob in full cry after a plover, followed by his willing brethren. After many floggings and much canine eloquence had been expended, they were brought to the scratch.

The scent was acknowledged by a whimper rough, smooth, short and long-legged, rattled along at a very dashing pace, Bob leading, mute as a fish, but looking much in earnest with his expressive green eyes.

They ran well, without a check, for nearly three miles over a dry rocky country, where the scent

could not lie well, and ran into their jackal in good style. I was much pleased, and more astonished, for I certainly had no idea that such dogs could ever kill a jackal in any style, not even trot him to death; but they killed him brilliantly, and every one looked satisfied.

I was amused by seeing the longbacked gentleman dismount and hit the jackal a clout on the head with his whip, to make him die easy, as he called it, for fear he might bite some of the young dogs and discourage them. I have since heard from a correspondent in that part of the world that they have killed six jackals, and had always tolerable sport. In a few months, I have no doubt, they will be a very respectable pack; at present the great fault is that no two run alike, and one of the principal beauties of hunting— seeing the pack well together-is quite lost; nothing but time can remedy this, for their number is much too small to draft from.

At present, the whole turn out seems rather ridiculous, at least to me, who have not been a year from England, and can recollect what a pack of hounds is there, but, such as they are, they are better than nothing, and whoever set the thing agoing deserves credit, and I wish his example may be followed at other stations.

I have such a dread of being burked, in case I have laughed too much at this queer pack, that I dare not sign my own name, but shall call myself after my canine friend

Bangalore, July 22.

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