68 THOUGHTS ON HUNTING 



to hunt, to put light collars on them. Young hounds 

 may easily get out of their knowledge ; and shy ones, 

 after they have been much beaten, may not choose 

 to return home : collars in that case, may prevent 

 their being lost. 



You say, you should like to see your young hounds 

 run a trail-scent. I have no doubt that you would be 

 glad to see them run over an open down, where you 

 could so easily observe their action and their speed. 

 I cannot think the doing of it once or twice could 

 hurt your hounds ; and yet, as a sportsman, I dare 

 not recommend it to you. All that I shall say of it 

 is, that it would be less bad than entering them at 

 hare. A cat is as good a trail as any ; but on no 

 account should any trail be used after your hounds 

 are stooped to a scent. 



I know an old sportsman who enters his young 

 hounds first at a cat, which he drags along the 

 ground for a mile or two, at the end of which he 

 turns out a badger, first taking care to break his 

 teeth : he takes out about two couple of old hounds 

 along with the young ones, to hold them on. He 

 never enters his young hounds but at vermin ; for he 

 says, " train up a child in the way he should go, and 

 when he is old he will not depart from it." 



Summer hunting, though useful to young hounds, 

 is prejudicial to old ones ; I think, therefore, you will 

 do well to reserve some of the best of your draft- 

 hounds to enter your young hounds with, selecting 

 such as are most likely to set them a good example. 

 It is needless to tell you they should not be skirters, 



