HALLOOS 97 



and get forward may halloo him again ; * yet let them be told, if the hounds 

 go the contrary way, or do not seem to come on upon the line of him, to 

 halloo no more. With regard to its being the hunted fox the fox which 

 every man halloos, is the hunted fox in his own opinion, though he seldom 

 has a better reason for it than because he saw him. % Such halloos as serve 

 to keep the hounds together, and to get on the tail hounds, are always of use : 

 halloos of encouragement to the leading hounds, if injudiciously given, may 

 spoil your sport. I am sorry to say, view halloos frequently do more harm 

 than good : they are pleasing to sportsmen, but prejudicial to hounds. If 

 a strong cover be full of foxes, and they be often halloo'd, hounds seldom 

 take much pains in hunting them : hence arises that indifference which 

 sometimes is to be perceived in fox-hounds while pursuing their game. 



You ask me, If I would take off my hounds to a halloo ? If they be 

 running a good scent, I most certainly would not : if otherwise, and I could 

 depend upon the halloo, in some cases I would ; for instance, when the fox 

 is a great way before them, or persists in running his foil ; for such foxes are 

 difficult to kill, unless you endeavour to get nearer to them by some means 

 or other. When you hunt after them it will frequently happen, that the 

 longer you run, the farther you will be behind. 



If hounds be out of blood, and a fox run his foil, you need not scruple 

 to stop the tail hounds, and throw them in at head ; or, if the cover have 

 any ridings cut in it, and the fox be often seen, your huntsman, by keeping 

 some hounds at his horse's heels, at the first halloo that he hears, may throw 

 them in close at him. 2 This will put him out of his pace, and, perhaps, put 

 him off his foil. It will be necessary, when you do this, that the whipper-in 

 should stop the pack from hunting after, and get forward with them to the 

 huntsman. I have already given it as my opinion, that hounds may be 

 halloo'd too much. If they should have been often used to a halloo, they 

 will expect it, and may trust perhaps to their ears and eyes, more than to 

 their noses. If they be often taken from the scent, it will teach them to 

 shuffle, and probably will make them slack in cover : it should be done, 

 therefore, with great caution ; not too often ; and always should be well- 

 timed. Famous huntsmen, I think, by making too frequent a use of this, 



1 Should a fox be halloo'd in cover, while the hounds are at fault ; if they be long in 

 coming, by getting forward, you may halloo the fox again ; perhaps, before the hounds are 

 laid on ; by which means you will get nearer to him. In cases like this, a good sportsman 

 may be of great use to hounds. There are days, when hounds will do their business best if left 

 quite alone ; and there are days, when they can do nothing without assistance. Let them be 

 assisted at no other time. On a bad scenting day, or when hounds may be over-matched, you 

 cannot assist them too much. 



2 Nothing is meant more than this that the huntsman should get the tail hounds off 

 the line of the scent (where they do more harm than good), and encourage them forward ; if 

 he should hear a halloo whilst these hounds are off the scent, he should lay them on to it ; if 

 he should not, the tail hounds, by this means, may still stand a chance of getting to the head 

 hounds by the ear, which they never could do, if they continued to run by the nose. 



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