THE HOUND 31 



are flirting and maggoty, and very apt to chant 

 and chatter on any or on occasion.' The old 

 dictionaries give us capricious and whimsical as 

 the meaning of ' maggoty ' : then, if we translate 

 4 flirting ' to be unsteady, uncertain, or not to be 

 depended on, we get a very fair idea of the vices 

 of this sort of hound. Many beagles of the 

 present day inherit these faults, together with 

 the tender nose. Years ago some breeder par- 

 doned a babbling brute for the sake of its scent- 

 ing powers, and that mistake has not yet been 

 eradicated. 



In attempting to sketch an outline of the fox- 

 hound's origin, I have been led to speak of the 

 breed of hound in general ; but though, as I have 

 already stated, the blood of the buck-hound pre- 

 ponderates, all the other breeds have contributed 

 something towards making that animal of which 

 we are so justly proud. The fox-hound is a 

 composite production, which has had its good 

 qualities confirmed and established by generations 

 of careful breeding. 



The man who did most for hound-breeding in 

 this century was Mr. Osbaldeston, and most packs 

 are proud now to be able to show a pedigree that 



