132 THE COLOUR OF HOUNDS : THOSE 



They look better, too, to my mind as they sweep 



across the greensward in a compact mass of varied 



colour : — 



*' Chime, ye dappled darlings, 

 Through sleet and snow, 

 Who can override you ? 

 Let the horses go 1 



" Chime, ye dappled darlings, 

 Down the roaring blast, 

 You shall see a fox die 

 Ere an hour be past." 



Those who have ridden in sight of hounds for any 

 length of time with the country as heavy as it is 

 now well know how difficult to follow with the eye 

 they become when the continued pace has put the 

 horses on their mettle to live with them, and the 

 stain from ploughed land and muddy ditches has ob- 

 literated all white from the colour of the gallant 

 pack and reduced them to one uniform dark drab. 



When I first saw the Belvoir hounds on the flags 

 I was fairly amazed with the beauty and uniformity 

 of that most magnificent-looking pack, but two days 

 later when I saw them at work on the ploughs I 

 felt less in love with the " typical colour " of some 

 of them. I have seen the great Dexter, and have 

 read a great deal about him, but still am heathen 

 enough to declare that I should like him better with 

 some real good splashes of white about his sides. 



A few years ago when hunting with the Devon 

 and Somerset Staghounds I noted often how difficult 

 it was to follow the dark tan hounds with the eye, 

 but how the dappled ones were fairly thrown up by 



