182 BRITISH DOGS 



Puppies should always be whelped during the spring months, 

 thus giving them the whole summer in which to grow, play about, 

 and get strong. When weaned they are usually placed out (" walked," 

 as it is termed) at farmhouses or other suitable quarters where 

 they will enjoy plenty of liberty and good feeding. The following 

 summer it is customary to have a puppy show, at which prizes 

 are given to those who have reared the best hounds. When a 

 bitch becomes heavy in young, she should never be hunted or indeed 

 left in kennel with the pack ; a capital system, when it can be 

 arranged, is to place the bitch out some time before she whelps. 

 Some hunting farmers are proud of being trusted with a favourite 

 bitch, and have hit upon the excellent plan of cutting for her 

 comfort and accommodation a hole in the side of the straw stack. 

 This is always a favourite place, and the bitch rears her pups there 

 far better than in any kennel. 



The sooner a puppy begins to hunt the better anything he may 

 choose to find; time enough to talk about "riot" and to begin 

 " rating " when the hunting spirit has caught hold of the hound 

 and burns brightly within him. The wilder and more dashing the 

 puppy, the better he is liked by many experienced huntsmen ; but 

 a timid, slinking, frightened puppy, taking no notice of rabbit or 

 hare is seldom of much use. It is not unusual to meet people who 

 imagine that the Foxhound is designed by nature to hunt foxes 

 exclusively. Of course, naturally the Foxhound would hunt any 

 quarry leaving a scent; it is only by being "entered," "blooded" 

 to fox, cheered when he hunts it, rated and flogged when he turns 

 aside to other game, that he acquires the qualities of his race. 



Before closing this chapter on the Foxhound, mention must be 

 made of the Welsh Wire-coated Hound, because he is sometimes 

 termed the Welsh Foxhound. In truth, he is simply a Welsh breed 

 of hound used sometimes for hunting the fox, sometimes the hare, 

 and often the otter. He is not now very often to be met with, 

 but has at his best some valuable characteristics a remarkably 

 sensitive nose, great powers of endurance, considerable intelligence, 

 and a wonderful natural aptitude for hunting, causing him to 

 "enter" and to become, it is said, a valued member of the pack 

 before an English Foxhound has seen a fox. On the other hand, 

 he is reported to be seldom free from riot, to be very heady in 

 the field and quarrelsome in kennel. A cross with the English 

 Foxhound has been tried by some Masters. Opinions differ widely 

 as to the result : it seems to be generally agreed that " appearances " 

 have not been improved by the experiment ; but it is stoutly claimed 

 that the music of the pack has been greatly increased, and more 

 foxes killed on bad scenting days. 



