18 THOUGHTS ON HUNTING 



of the building ; in the centre of which is the boiling- 

 house and feeding-yard ; and on each side a lesser 

 kennel, either for hounds that are drafted off, hounds 

 that are sick, or lame ; or for any other purposes, as 

 occasion may require : at the back of which, as they 

 are but half the depth of the two great kennels, 

 are places for coals, &c. for the use of the kennel : 

 there is also a small building in the rear, for hot 

 bitches : the plan will show you the size of the 

 whole. The floors of the inner courts, like those of 

 the lodging-rooms, are bricked, and sloped towards 

 the centre ; and a channel of water, brought in by a 

 leaden pipe, runs through the middle of them. In 

 the centre of each court, is a well, large enough to 

 dip a bucket, to clean the kennels : this must be faced 

 with stone, or it will be often out of repair : — in 

 the feeding-yard it should have a wooden cover. 



The benches, which must be open, to let the urine 

 through, should have hinges and hooks in the wall, 

 that they may fold up, for the greater conveniency in 

 washing out the kennel : they should also be made as 

 low as possible, that a hound, when he is tired, may 

 have no difficulty in jumping up, and at no time may 

 be able to creep under. 1 Let me add, that the boiler 

 should be of cast-iron. 



The rest of the kennel consists of a large court in 

 front, which is also bricked, having a grass -court 

 adjoining, and a little brook running through the 



1 Benches cannot be too low. If, owing to the smallness of the hound, 

 it should be difficult to render them low enough, a projecting ledge will 

 answer the same purpose ; and the benches may be boarded at bottom, 

 to prevent the hound from creeping under. 



