MR. THORNHILL.— 1835. 323 



Bourton-wood. Leaving that to the left, he turned short 

 into the wood, where we changed, and the hounds were 

 stopped, as the scent was bad. 1 An hour and 25 minutes. 



Mar. 23. — Met at Avon Dassett, and when the hounds 

 were thrown into the wood, they very soon found, and were 

 led away by Farnborough, and on to Curtis's Gorse. Then 

 turning to the left, he went off by Farmington Church. — 



1 Scent, in onr opinion, is cNauglit by tlie liound, wlien hot upon 

 liis game, in tliree different ways, and from all of them, perhaps, in 

 some instances, at the same time. Tlie scent which is said to lay on 

 the soil may be called the ground scent — that which adheres to low 

 bushes and long grass, brushed by the body of the fox as he runs 

 through a covei", may be termed side scent — and that which the 

 hound catches when he is said to run breast high, floating scent, as it 

 is retained and suspended by the atmospheric air. We remember 

 being present, some years ago, when the scent from a fox became the 

 subject of conversation. Most of the company hunted occasionally 

 with the Warwickshire, and some of them might be considered as 

 practical Sportsmen. We all well know, when tn'o or more fox- 

 hunters meet together, and the bottle begins to ring quickly about, 

 the chase is rarely, if ever, forgotten. The remarks made at that 

 time were interesting, if not satisfactory. One of them, a man who 

 liad evidently turned his mind to the subject, and who resided near to 

 a favourite cover in the southern part of the county, observed — The 

 fox generally enters the cover in the night, when he has been lucky 

 enough to satisfy his hunger at an early hour ; if not, A'ery soon in 

 the morning. He lies in his kennel in a round position, just like that 

 of the dog when at rest, and, if not disturbed, without moving. If 

 he has lain there long, all the scent he liad left by the way is entirely 

 gone, and he cannot then be traced by the smell. On the least alarm 

 of danger, (for the fox is remarkably quick of hearing,) he rises upon 

 his legs and stretches himself; and then, with one ear turned towards 

 the noise, he takes in air, and blows it out again with great force. 

 This operation he generally repeats two or three times. The hounds, 

 which are mostly put into the cover with the wind in their noses, the 

 moment the breath of the fox is conveyed to them by the air, challenge : 

 and then, if he can do it readily, he breaks aAvay. That circumstance 

 convinces me, it is not the scent that issues either from the body or 

 the foot of the fox,i)xit his breath, tliat is first caught by the hound. 



