HORNS, HOLLOAS, DOG LANGUAGE 87 



of these reflections, the difference in the gait of the 

 fox who sKps away unobserved, as he thinks, and 

 unholloa'd, from that of the animal who, after ghding 

 smoothly along for a hundred and fifty yards or so 

 is greeted by a perfect storm of yells and shouts. 

 He was covering the ground at a nice pace before, 

 but at those sounds he puts on such a spurt as few 

 animals can equal till he has placed at least one more 

 fence between himself and the hateful noise. Mad- 

 dened by the shouting and the horn-blowing, the 

 hounds come tearing and leaping out of covert, their 

 heads in the air, and either overrun the scent or, 

 flinging on, fail to pick it up quickly at the critical 

 period when the fox is placing many fields between 

 himself and his pursuers. 



In the other case the fox, stealing quietly along, 

 sees no particular cause for extra hurry, and, unless 

 going away down wind, hears nothing to put him in 

 a frantic state of alarm ; the distant sound of a horn 

 he has heard before, and also the chiming of the 

 pack, so he does not alter the smooth, stealing pace 

 at which he started till hounds, who are well settled 

 to the line from the first, drive him into quicker 

 flight by getting unpleasantly close to him, and, 

 being over all their initial difficulties, do not let him 

 increase his lead very much if there be anything like 

 a scent. 



We have supposed the field and foot-people to have 

 remained silent in this case until the servant has raised 

 his voice ; but how often do we hear the irrepressible 

 shout raised before the fox has crossed the first field 

 when " Tally-ho back ! " is the cry that generally 



