The Natural History of Selborne, Vol. 1 | Page 7

is just by, and, reposing herself on a bank smoothed for that
purpose, lying about half a mile to the east of Wolmer Pond, and still
called Queen's Bank, saw with great complacency and satisfaction the
whole herd of red deer brought by the keepers along the vale before her,
consisting then of about five hundred head. A sight this, worthy the
attention of the greatest sovereign! But he farther adds that, by means
of the Waltham blacks, or, to use his own expression, as soon as they
began blacking, they were reduced to about fifty head, and so continued
decreasing till the time of the late Duke of Cumberland. It is now more
than thirty years ago that His Highness sent down a huntsman, and six
yeoman-prickers, in scarlet jackets laced with gold, attended by the
staghounds, ordering them to take every deer in this forest alive, and to
convey them in carts to Windsor. In the course of the summer they
caught every stag, some of which showed extraordinary diversion; but
in the following winter, when the hinds were also carried off, such fine
chases were exhibited as served the country people for matter of talk
and wonder for years afterwards. I saw myself one of the
yeoman-prickers single out a stag from the herd, and must confess that
it was the most curious feat of activity I ever beheld, superior to
anything in Mr. Astley's riding-school. The exertions made by the horse
and deer much exceeded all my expectations, though the former greatly

excelled the latter in speed. When the devoted deer was separated from
his companions, they gave him, by their watches, law, as they called it,
for twenty minutes; when, sounding their horns, the stop-dogs were
permitted to pursue, and a most gallant scene ensued.

LETTER VII.
Though large herds of deer do much harm to the neighbourhood, yet
the injury to the morals of the people is of more moment than the loss
of their crops. The temptation is irresistible; for most men are
sportsmen by constitution: and there is such an inherent spirit for
hunting in human nature, as scarce any inhibitions can restrain. Hence,
towards the beginning of this century all this country was wild about
deer-stealing. Unless he was a hunter, as they affected to call
themselves, no young person was allowed to be possessed of manhood
or gallantry. The Waltham blacks at length committed such enormities,
that Government was forced to interfere with that severe and
sanguinary act called the "Black Act," which now comprehends more
felonies than any law that ever was framed before. And, therefore, a
late Bishop of Winchester, when urged to re-stock Waltham Chase,
refused, from a motive worthy of a prelate, replying "that it had done
mischief enough already."
Our old race of deer-stealers is hardly extinct yet: it was but a little
while ago that, over their ale, they used to recount the exploits of their
youth; such as watching the pregnant hind to her lair, and, when the
calf was dropped, paring its feet with a penknife to the quick to prevent
its escape, till it was large and fat enough to be killed; the shooting at
one of their neighbours with a bullet in a turnip-field by moonshine,
mistaking him for a deer; and the losing a dog in the following
extraordinary manner: Some fellows, suspecting that a calf new-fallen
was deposited in a certain spot of thick fern, went, with a lurcher, to
surprise it; when the parent-hind rushed out of the brake, and, taking a
vast spring with all her feet close together, pitched upon the neck of the
dog, and broke it short in two.

Another temptation to idleness and sporting was a number of rabbits,
which possessed all the hillocks and dry places: but these being
inconvenient to the huntsmen, on account of their burrows, when they
came to take away the deer, they permitted the country people to
destroy them all.
Such forests and wastes, when their allurements to irregularities are
removed, are of considerable service to neighbourhoods that verge
upon them, by furnishing them with peat and turf for their firing; with
fuel for the burning their lime; and with ashes for their grasses; and by
maintaining their geese and their stock of young cattle at little or no
expense.
The manor farm of the parish of Greatham has an admitted claim, I see
(by an old record taken from the Tower of London) of turning all live
stock on the forest, at proper seasons, "bidentibus exceptis." The reason,
I presume, why sheep are excluded, is because, being such close
grazers, they would pick out all the finest grasses, and hinder the deer
from thriving.
Though (by statute 4 and 5 W. and Mary, c. 23) "to