THE MARTEN-CAT RECOMMENDED 85 



strongest covers and thickest brakes ; and I seldom 

 find that they are shy of them afterwards. A friend of 

 mine has assured me, that he once entered a spaniel to 

 snipes, and the dog ever after was partial to them, 

 preferring them to every other bird. 



If you have martin-cats within your reach, as all 

 hounds are fond of their scent, you will do well to 

 enter your young hounds in the covers they frequent. 

 The martin-cat, being a small animal, by running the 

 thickest brakes it can find, teaches hounds to run 

 cover, and is therefore of the greatest use. I do not 

 much approve of hunting them with the old hounds : 

 they show but little sport ; are continually climbing 

 trees ; and as the cover they run seldom fails to 

 scratch and tear hounds considerably, I think you 

 might be sorry to see your whole pack disfigured by 

 it. The agility of this little animal is really wonderful ; 

 and though it frequently falls from a tree in the midst 

 of a whole pack of hounds, all intent on catching it, 

 there are but few instances, I believe, of a martin's 

 being caught by them in that situation. 



In summer, hounds might hunt in an evening. I 

 know a pack that, after having killed one fox in the 

 morning with the young hounds, killed another in the 

 evening with the old ones. Scent generally lies well 

 at the close of the day ; yet there is a great objection 

 to hunting at that time ; animals are then more easily 

 disturbed, and you have a greater variety of scents 

 than at an earlier hour. 



Having given you all the information that I can 

 possibly recollect, with regard to my own management 



