two fellows, clinging on behind, brought the "disjecta membra," viz. the barrels of my gun into play, two or three rattling blows of which laid the last of the enemy senseless and bleeding on the ground. I steered clear of that district, however, ever afterwards—so even snipeshooting is not without its perils.

We now come to the sports of the Sunderbunds, which, although correctly speaking, are not in the immediate neighbourhood of Calcutta, are well worthy of being seen and chronicled.

The Sunderbunds are a collection of small islands at the juncture of the Hoogly and Ganges, before they empty themselves into the Bay of Bengal. The plan is therefore to hire a beauliat or covered boat, and proceed down the river until an opportunity presents itself of striking in amongst the Islands. These islands have rarely been explored in consequence of the climate, and the immense numbers of reptiles and tigers by which they are haunted. The jungles on them may literally be said to be alive with wild animals, and it has frequently happened that from these places tigers have swam off to boats anchored in the Hoogly, 'and have attacked and carried off more than one individual of their slumbering crews. Wild buffaloes are also found here in abundance; whilst the poor deer is doomed to live here but to be the constant prey of the tiger. Did not the animals live on each other, a day would kill hundreds of starvation, to such a degree do they swarm. As to giving an account of the sport to be had there, I do not pretend to it. I have ventured but a very little distance into the interior; and those more daring spirits who have done so, have never returned to tell their tale. It was on my only excursion to this place that I was attacked in my boat by a herd of buffaloes, and as the water was not above two feet deep (the boats being flat-bottomed and not drawing above eight inches water) they had a fearful advantage over us. Two of the crew got dreadfully gored, and the others took to the water, and made for land-" out of the fryingpan into the fire," for no sooner had they neared the shore, than the sight of a crouching tiger made them make for deep water, and I was left alone with my wounded companions, who yelled loud enough to have collected around us every beast in the Sunderbunds. Our boat luckily resisted the efforts of the buffaloes to destroy it, while I kept up a galling fire upon them from the windows of the wooden awning, and having killed two, the rest molested us no longer. Had I been left in this predicament, my fate was inevitable. It was impossible for me to have got the boat off to the river by my single exertions, and she was nearing the shore every instant; but even could I have succeeded in keeping her in the centre of the stream, I had good reason to believe that more tigers than the one already seen on the shore were only waiting for the shades of evening to commence their attack.

My three unwounded niggers would not return, but continued swimming and floating for about three hours, when finding the water becoming rather too chilly for them, they were indnced at all risks to get into the boat once more, and run the hazard of their lives, at the same time very nearly leaving me in the lurch-for having double charged my Manton, I felt an inclination to enter the lists while the light lasted with my latent foe, and on the boats running aground, I had gone on shore for that purpose, but could see no tiger nor any signs of one; snakes alone, of all colours and sizes, "dragged their slow lengths along," and writhed about in hundreds, whilst no les; than, I should fancy, half a thousand villainous looking vultures had commenced operations on the two buffaloes' carcases; and I was but just in time to return to the boat, when I perceived that the three deserters had returned, and were pulling off without me; luckily they had not gone far, or two lives would have been added to my own, for I should have had no more hesitation in firing on them, than I had at the buffaloes just before. I allowed them, however, to gain the Hoogly, before I inflicted more sensible proofs of my displeasure for their affectionate intentions. Could these islands be shot over with any degree of safety, or even without the certainty of death, I venture to say there is no spot on the globe, where game of all kinds or in such abundance could be found from one end of the universe to the other. I have not mentioned crocodiles, for they are common enough in all the Indian rivers. The only plan to attack the place, would be to form an army of fifty sportsmen, and take as many tame elephants to shoot from, but even then the climate would be a more fearful antagonist than the brutes, so baneful is even an hour's exposure to it, that even the Hindoos themselves could not survive many days. The only trophies that I brought away from the place, were two beautiful little birds of Paradise which I shot. It appeared to be the undisturbed and undisputed dominion of the brute creation, untrodden by the foot of man since the beginning of the world. I have heard that the lion is also a denizen of this spot, and that the elephant alone has not there taken up his dwelling-place.

Now and then a wild hog is heard of in the bamboo jungles around Calcutta, and I shot one not three miles from that city. The days of genuine hoghunting in Bengal, are a thing gone by; and spears hang rusting on the walls of many a stout Englishman's bungalow, who, for want of present sport, recounts his deeds of daring after the unclean beast to such as favour him with a listening. I think it is the only sport in India that I never witnessed, and I do not regret it. As a wind up to all my Calcutta sporting, I received before quitting India, a very pressing invitation to sit for my full length portrait for the Bengal Sporting Magazine. A more flattering reward for his toils

could not have been offered to a boy of twenty summers; and in due time an engraving appeared of a man apparently particularly drunk leaning against a rock with a gun in his hand, as if in the act of precipitating himself into the open mouth of an elephant some fifty feet below him, ready to take him in all at once-whilst a very dissipated looking eagle sat not far off, ready to receive such parts as were rejected by the gaping giant of the woods. Yet

"'Tis pleasant sure to see oneself in print,

A print's a print, although there's nothing in't."

D'OGS:

THEIR ORIGIN, VARIETIES, AND USES.

BY H. D. RICHARDSON.

(Continued from page 159.)

It is now time that I should devote a few pages to the consideration of the dispute as to whether the dog and fox will breed together or not, and whether, if they be induced to breed together, their offspring will be capable of continuing their kind. In this inquiry I have to do little else than traverse the ground I have just left-that is to say, to lay before the reader such experiments and opinions as are sufficiently important to be cited pro and con. In one respect, however, I am provided with even stronger evidence than I had on the subject we have just been considering, having prosecuted the inquiry at present before us with the utmost care and the most unremitting zeal, and having further personally prosecuted experiments with tame foxes which I kept for the purpose of testing the accuracy of M. de Buffon's account of the matter.

The description given by Buffon of the predatory habits of the fox is particularly striking, and I think not unworthy of being quoted at present.

"The fox," says Buffon, "is famous for his cunning, and in a great degree merits the reputation he has acquired. What the wolf effects by violence, the fox will perform by stratagem, and is more generally successful. He seeks not to contend with the shepherds or their dogs-he neither attacks the flocks nor digs up the bodies of the dead, and yet he is almost more certain of a living than the wolf. In his depredations he employs cunning rather than strength or activityall his resources seem to centre in himself, and these it is well known are least likely to fail-acute, as well as circumspect-ingeniousprudent, and even patient, when patience seems called for,—he understands how to adapt each trick and each manoeuvre to the occasion.

Ever alive to his personal safety, he does not trust altogether to his speed, although as indefatigable, and even lighter on his limbs than the wolf, but places his security beyond the possibility of doubt, by having a place of refuge always at hand whither he retires in time of need, and lies hid until danger has passed away. In this retreat the foxes form their nest and rear their young, for the fox is not a vagabond, but an animal of settled and domestic habits.

"This single circumstance, which creates a marked line of distinction between man and man, produces far more striking effects, and implies the existence of far more remarkable causes among the lower animals.

“The idea of a home presupposes a singular attention to self-then the selection of a suitable spot-the skill displayed in the construction of the nest in rendering it comfortable, concealing its entrance, and even the path leading to it—are so many indications of the animals being indued with a superior degree of intelligence. This does the fox possess, and well he knows how to turn it to account.

"He forms his earth at the side of a wood, or near a hamlet; he listens to the crowing of the cocks, and the cackling of the poultry he scents them from afar he chooses skilfully his time and his opportunity-carefully conceals his movements and his intentions-creeps stealthily along, at times even dragging his belly along the groundsprings suddenly on his prey and rarely fails of capturing it. If he can manage to leap the enclosures or burrow underneath, he loses not an instant, he ravages the poultry yard, puts all indiscriminately to death, and then craftily retires, carrying with him part of what he has slain, which he takes away and conceals among the grass or carries to his home. Shortly afterwards he returns in search of more, which he removes and hides in like manner; he returns a third and even a fourth time, until either the appearance of daylight, or some stir about the house, warns him to retire and return no more.

"He plays the same game with the nets of the bird-catchers, and the snares in which they take thrushes and woodcocks. He is stirring with the earliest dawn, and often visits the traps several times during the day.

"He examines the snares and the lime-twigs, and regularly makes off with the birds that have been taken in them; these he conceals in different situations, at the road side, in a furrow or rut, among the grass, or at the root of a tree. He often leaves them there for days, but still knows well where to find them when wanted. He chases the leverets on the common-not unfrequently takes the hare upon her form, and seldom fails of surprising such as may have been woundedhe digs out the rabbits in the warren-discovers the nest of the partridge and of the quail-secures the mother upon her eggs, and in

short destroys a vast quantity of game. The depredations of the wolf injure most the peasant-those of the fox, the peer."

The possibility of the dog breeding with the fox is, if possible, still more vigorously denied than with the wolf-and notwithstanding that numerous successful experiments have been made to prove that such union will take place, still the great majority of naturalists hold the negative opinion. Buffon and others, were thoroughly convinced of the impossibility of such connection taking place, and assert that the fox" will not couple with the female dog; the animals, even if they do not show a decided aversion for each other, being at all events indifferent." Buffon states in his natural history of the fox, that he tried the experiment several times without success-but while this naturalist holds a negative, there are many who hold an affirmative opinion. John Hunter for instance, who has written a long paper upon the subject, in Philosophical Transactions, &c., and also Pennant, who says, "the bitch will also breed with the fox. The woodman of Mangewell, in Oxfordshire, has a bitch which constantly follows him, the offspring of a tame dog-fox, and a shepherd's cur, and she again, has had puppies by a dog." I am fearful of tiring my readers or I might present them with a formidable array of authors, both pro and con. I shall, however, content myself with relating on the negative side, the experiments of the Compte de Buffon, and on the affirmative experiments instituted by myself a few years ago. Readers, attend to both accounts and judge impartially between us-judge, I mean, as to the probable reasons why the Compte failed in effecting the breed, and why I had little or no trouble in procuring it.

Buffon informs us that he had at the same time two male foxes and one female, which had been caught in traps. These animals he kept in separate places, at some distance from each other. He tied one of them with a light and tolerably long chain,and furnished him with a little kennel to protect him from the weather. The Count kept this animal several months, during which time he appeared to enjoy excellent health, and although he constantly exhibited symptoms of discontent, and would, for hours at a time, keep his eyes directed towards his native fields, where he once enjoyed happiness and liberty, he still failed not to take his food with every appearance of an excellent appetite.

A female dog, in season, which had never as yet known a male of her own kind, was presented to him, and as she would not remain near him of her own accord, she was tied with a chain beside his kennel, and both animals were supplied with abundance of food, The fox neither bit, nor otherwise ill-used her; and during ten days that they remained together, not the slightest dispute arose between them either by night or by day-or even during feeding time. The fox would Royal edition,

188.

+ Pennant's Quad, i. 239.