CHAPTER III 



THE FELL HOUNDS 



■* He's strong and he's straight, lads, his tongue like a bell. 

 And the stout heart that's in him, lads, tongue cannot tell, 

 For to breast the steep hill-sides, where fahit hearts must fail, 

 And to sweep the wide moors in the teeth of the gale." 



The hunting man from the Shires, on paying his 

 initial visit to one or other of the fell packs, will no 

 doubt be struck by the very different appearance 

 of these hounds from those to which he has been 

 accustomed. 



For many years past Masters of hounds have 

 bred for an exclusive type, as represented by 

 the Peterborough standard. Unfortunately there 

 are comparatively few hunting countries to which 

 hounds of this exclusive type are exactly suited, 

 yet, for various reasons, mainly financial, the 

 majority of packs are composed of hounds very 

 close to the standard. 



A pack of hounds is got together with the 

 object of showing sport and killing foxes. Through- 

 out Great Britain the character of the individual 

 hunting countries differs considerably. From the 



