The Basset. 89 



the quarry to puzzle them, they are rarely taken in ; but, slowly and 

 patiently setting to work, they unravel the maze, and eventually pick up 

 again the wily customer's scent. Hence, for the man who can only keep 

 one or two hounds to be used with the gun, there is no breed likely to 

 suit him better than bassets, for they are sure not to lose the scent, 

 whatever takes place, and their low size enables them to pick it up when 

 it is so cold that a larger hound would, perhaps, not even notice it. 



" They have also a good deal of pluck, to which they add a sort of 

 reasoning discretion. To illustrate my meaning, I will give an instance 

 to the point, viz., very few hounds of any kind take readily to hunting 

 wolves, and when they do take to it they hunt in a pack, each hound 

 countenancing the other. Now, some well-bred bassets will hunt a wolf 

 singly. I have stated already that I have had myself the pleasure of 

 killing two wolves that were, individually, hunted by one basset. This, 

 therefore, shows extraordinary pluck on the part of the little hound ; for, 

 be it known that, as a rule, any hound or dog who comes for the first 

 time on the scent of a wolf forthwith bolts home, or hides behind his 

 master for protection. On the other hand, bassets are cautious. When 

 they by chance come near a wolf, or a wild boar, or a stag, or any other 

 wild animal on whom they could make but little impression, but who is, 

 on the other hand, likely to do them an irretrievable injury, they never 

 run the risk, but bay at him from a distance. As long as he chooses to 

 stop they will not leave him ; they will resume hunting him as soon as 

 he will start, but they will only run at him when the decisive shot has 

 been fired. 



" Some bassets are used for vermin killing (badger, fox, &c.) ; others 

 are employed for pheasant shooting, woodcock shooting, and partridge 

 shooting, besides their legitimate employment in hunting ground game. 

 When used for birds they are frequently called to, to keep them within 

 range, and, generally, a bell or small brass grelot is fastened to their 

 collar, that the shooter may know where they are. Some men make 

 their bassets retrieve, even from water ; and most bassets will go to 

 ground readily to fox or badger. 



" Finally, some peasants use their extraordinary powers of scent to find 

 truffles. Their training for that sort of business is wonderfully simple. 

 The hound, when young, is kept a day without food, and a truffle being 

 shown to him, the peasant throws it into some small covert, or hides it in 



