252 THE AMERICAN BOOK OF THE DOG. 



and the difficulties increased gradually. This may be done by having the line 

 crossed by others, by increasing the time before the puppies are laid on, or by 

 crossing roads, etc. When the puppies get old enough, they should be taught 

 to jump boldly, and to swim brooks where necessary. When the young Hounds 

 have begun to run fairly well, it will be found useful to let the runner carry a 

 bundle of sticks, two feet or two feet six inches long, pointed at one end, and 

 with a piece of white paper stuck in a cleft at the other end. When he makes 

 a turn or crosses a fence, he should put one of these sticks down, and incline it 

 in the direction he is going to take next. This will give the person hunting 

 the Hounds some idea of the correctness of their work, though the best Hounds 

 do not always run the nearest to the line. On a good scenting day I have seen 

 Hounds running hard fifty yards or more to the leeward of the line taken. 

 These sticks should be taken up when done with, or they may be found mis- 

 leading on some other occasion. 



The Hounds will soon learn to cast themselves, or try back, if they over- 

 run the line, and should never receive any assistance as long as they continue 

 working on their own account. It is most important that they should become 

 quite self-reliant. The line should be varied as much as possible. It is not 

 well to run Hounds over exactly the same course they have been hunted over 

 on some previous occasion. If some Hounds are much slower than the rest, it 

 is best to hunt them by themselves, or they may get to " score to cry," as the 

 old writers say, instead of patiently working out the line each for himself. 



It is a great advantage to get Hounds accustomed to strange sights and 

 noises. If a Hound is intended to be brought to such a pitch of excellence as 

 will enable him to be used in thoroughfares, he should be brought up in a town 

 and see as much bustle as possible. If he is only intended to be used in open 

 country, with occasional bits of road work, this is not necessary. 



Bloodhounds give tongue freely when hunting any wild animal, but many 

 Hounds run perfectly mute when hunting man. This is, however, very much 

 a matter of breeding. Some strains run man without giving tongue at all, 

 others are very musical. 



Anyone who is fond of seeing Hounds work, but who has only a limited 

 amount of country to hunt over, will find an immense amount of pleasure in 

 hunting man with one or two couples of Bloodhounds. In such circumstances 

 it is a great convenience to be able to select the exact course, which could not 

 be done if hunting some animal; and a great variety of different runs can be 

 contrived over limited ground. I know nothing more delightful than to see 

 Bloodhounds working out a scent carefully under varying circumstances, and 

 to hear their sonorous, deep, bell-like note. There is not, of course, the slight- 

 est danger to the runner, even if the Hounds have never seen him before. 

 When they have come up and sniffed him over, they manifest no further inter- 

 est in him. 



The head is the chief characteristic of the breed, and should be estimated 

 highly; the skull is long (in good dogs it generally exceeds eleven inches in 

 length), narrow, and very much peaked; muzzle deep and square; ears thin, 

 long, and pendulous, set on low, hanging close to the face, and curled upon 

 themselves; eyes hazel-colored, deep set, with triangular-shaped lids, showing 



