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The Witchery of Archery: A Complete Manual of Archery
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This is an OCR edition with typos.
Excerpt from book:
CHAPTER V. HARE, OR RABBIT SHOOTING. The hare has always been considered the most timid as well as the most tender of animals. " My hare," was the very softest and sweetest phrase in the Roman language. In the days of the empire, mi lepus were the words of endearment breathed into the damsel's ear by the loving youth just ready to don the toga. The reason of this will be well understood by whomsoever has had the exquisite pleasure of devouring a broiled rabbit saddle, served with brown gravy, for breakfast. The rabbit, or, if we follow the naturalist, the hare, is found everywhere in the eastern part of the United States, from Florida to the great lakes of the north. With us, as a people, the name is rabbit, no matter what the zoologist may say, and no matter how many varieties may be found ; but the hunter knows the gray rabbit from the brown hare as well as he knows a woodcock from a partridge ; and the epicure is at once disgusted when he finds that his servant has purchased for his table a longlegged woods-hare (Lepus Americamis) instead of the delicately pencilled gray rabbit (L. sylvaticus) he orderedthe difference in flavor and the consistency of the flesh being quite marked. In the Southern States, where the forests are thickly grown with pine underbrush, rabbits are exceedingly numerous, their paths everywhere crossing and recrossing each other. Taking advantage of this habit of following well-defined trails, the negroes of the South trap and snare large numbers of them. I will wager you a good bow you miss your first hare, though you may find him crouched in his form not ten paces from you; in fact, while he is a good large mark, he is very difficult to hit before you have learned by experience just how to aim at him. In still hunting you will generall...
This is an OCR edition with typos.
Excerpt from book:
CHAPTER V. HARE, OR RABBIT SHOOTING. The hare has always been considered the most timid as well as the most tender of animals. " My hare," was the very softest and sweetest phrase in the Roman language. In the days of the empire, mi lepus were the words of endearment breathed into the damsel's ear by the loving youth just ready to don the toga. The reason of this will be well understood by whomsoever has had the exquisite pleasure of devouring a broiled rabbit saddle, served with brown gravy, for breakfast. The rabbit, or, if we follow the naturalist, the hare, is found everywhere in the eastern part of the United States, from Florida to the great lakes of the north. With us, as a people, the name is rabbit, no matter what the zoologist may say, and no matter how many varieties may be found ; but the hunter knows the gray rabbit from the brown hare as well as he knows a woodcock from a partridge ; and the epicure is at once disgusted when he finds that his servant has purchased for his table a longlegged woods-hare (Lepus Americamis) instead of the delicately pencilled gray rabbit (L. sylvaticus) he orderedthe difference in flavor and the consistency of the flesh being quite marked. In the Southern States, where the forests are thickly grown with pine underbrush, rabbits are exceedingly numerous, their paths everywhere crossing and recrossing each other. Taking advantage of this habit of following well-defined trails, the negroes of the South trap and snare large numbers of them. I will wager you a good bow you miss your first hare, though you may find him crouched in his form not ten paces from you; in fact, while he is a good large mark, he is very difficult to hit before you have learned by experience just how to aim at him. In still hunting you will generall...
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1877
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 6, 2023
Definitely some dated and casually racist language throughout the book, but otherwise, it is a more anecdotal memoir of several hunting trips that the author takes. He travels all over the Deep South, hunting wildlife with his bow and arrows, with some beautiful descriptions of wildlife and his time in the wild.
October 13, 2017
Interesting treatise written in the early days of sport archery.
The book was quite well written Some might find many of the words and phrases quite antiquated. As far as it being a manual of archery, it is more of a look at the attitudes and customs of the time.
The book was quite well written Some might find many of the words and phrases quite antiquated. As far as it being a manual of archery, it is more of a look at the attitudes and customs of the time.
November 14, 2017
This is an e-pub re-issue of a book originally released in the early 1900s. It is more a tale of the of the author's fascination with the long bow and his pursuit of small birds and animals. There are very few tips on archery in the work. This was a free down load.
July 3, 2019
Although the bows are fancier today, not much has changed in the way of shooting. Thompson recounts stories of hunting with and without his brother, Will, on the Okeechobee and parts of Florida with vivid detail. Cute anecdotal account of simpler times.
December 9, 2019
This book was truly well written. The book is about the adventures of the author and his brother as they hunt small game. Beautifully written beyond its time. The authors naturalist field notes developed into these stories and make for very descriptive and interesting reading.
March 6, 2020
I enjoyed reading about the adventure of finding lake Okeechobee. I also learned much about archery and some history.
December 18, 2015
This is less about archery as a sport than a description of intense carnage with a longbow, without a bag limit in sight. When reading a book like this, you start to understand why so many wild animals are endangered now. These guys go on epic hunting trips and kill literally dozens of animals. The casual racism is rampant, but after all it's a book that is of a certain time and place. The poetry is eye-wateringly bad.
But on the plus side, there are many lovely descriptions of the natural world, and interesting observations of animal behaviour, particularly of birds. It's quaint to read about 1866-vintage camping preparations and equipment. And since I struggle to consistently hit a bulls eye on a regulation target at twenty yards indoors in full light, I am amazed by the skill of these archers who can live off what they shoot.
But on the plus side, there are many lovely descriptions of the natural world, and interesting observations of animal behaviour, particularly of birds. It's quaint to read about 1866-vintage camping preparations and equipment. And since I struggle to consistently hit a bulls eye on a regulation target at twenty yards indoors in full light, I am amazed by the skill of these archers who can live off what they shoot.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews