196 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



to Southern foxes. They have purchased dogs of well- 

 known Southern strains, and upon their failure to kill the 

 foxes of the North as handled by those who hunt on foot, 

 and very probably shoot the fox before the Hounds, 

 conclude that these Hounds are not able to catch their 

 foxes. The conclusion does not necessarily follow. If a 

 fox from Maine were taken to Virginia, and put down be- 

 fore a red fox pack handled by skilled huntsmen, would 

 that be considered fair to the fox ? No more is it fair to 

 the Southern Hound to take him to Maine' to be run by 

 huntsmen who never saw a kill, who deny that any Hound 

 can kill their foxes, and that therefore the legitimate and 

 only way to kill Maine foxes is by standing on the run- 

 ways and shooting them before slow Hounds. 



A great deal of acrimonious dispute has arisen over this 

 question, between the fox-hunters of the two sections, 

 which it has seemed to me that a little good-temper and a 

 little good-sense might have prevented. That some packs 

 can and do make frequent kills in Virginia and Maryland 

 of what seem perfect specimens of the red fox, in seemingly 

 good condition, is a matter that is known to be true by all 

 fox-hunters of those States. I am of opinion that south of 

 Virginia more kills are made because the ground is likely 

 to be more favorable to the pack and less favorable to the 

 fox, and for no other reason. 



It seems likely that in Maine the ground may be so 

 favorable to the fox and unfavorable to the Hound, that 

 even if the chase were made to kill with Hounds instead of 

 shooting, kills would be rare. 



In the matter of breeding for a pack of red fox Hounds, 

 the principles which govern the science of successfully 

 breeding for any other purpose apply. The inheritance 

 must be through ancestors of known ability to kill red 

 foxes, and they must have gone through the training and 

 practice which enable them to show by actual kills that 

 they can kill. 



No turfman would expect to breed a winner from a 



