QUANTITY OF HOUNDS NECESSARY 29 



It is a question not easy to answer: from twenty to 

 thirty couple are as many, I think, as you should 

 ever take into the field. 1 The propriety of any 

 number must depend upon the strength of your 

 pack, and the country in which you are to hunt : 

 the quantity of hounds necessary to furnish that 

 number for a whole season, must also depend on the 

 country where you hunt ; as some countries lame 

 hounds more than others. The taking out too many 

 hounds, Mr. Somerville very properly calls an useless 

 incumbrance. It is not so material what the number 

 is, as it is that all your hounds should be steady, 

 and as nearly as possible of equal speed. 



When packs are very large, the hounds are seldom 

 sufficiently hunted to be good. Few people choose 

 to hunt every day ; and, if they did, it is not likely 

 that the weather in winter would give them leave. 

 You would always be obliged, therefore, either to 

 take out a very large pack, or a great number of 

 hounds must be left behind : in the first case, too 

 many hounds in the field would probably spoil your 

 sport ; in the second, hounds that remain long without 

 work, always get out of wind, and oftentimes become 

 riotous. About forty couple, I think, will best answer 

 your purpose. Forty couple of hunting hounds will 

 enable you to hunt three, or even four, times in a 

 week ; and, I will venture to say, will kill more foxes 

 than a greater number. Hounds, to be good, must 

 be kept constantly hunted ; and if I should hereafter 



P From fifteen to twenty couple are quite enough, and more than that 

 number do harm rather than good.] 



