62 FOX-HUNTING 



pack that has improved as much in such a short 

 time. The good material was there to work on, 

 but the man moulded and blended it, until he 

 achieved a result that is now the admiration of 

 the hunting world. Another man with the same 

 material might have produced a pack that pleased 

 the eye as much and only performed indifferently 

 in the field, but the combination of both virtues 

 could only be attained by the science and judg- 

 ment of a master of the art. The Cottesmore 

 are to me an ideal pack in their work, and 

 are as near perfection as it is possible to get 

 anything. 



The hound is a very fascinating subject, and 

 those who have had anything to do with him 

 are never tired of talking or writing about him. 

 I think I have already exceeded the space which 

 should have been allotted to the hound, and still 

 there are many points not yet touched on. Never 

 keep hounds that are too old to run up with 

 the pack, for though they may be useful perhaps 

 on some very bad scenting day, they will more 

 often do harm rather than good. After the sixth 

 season it is about time to draft them, and though 

 in some instances they may run up a little longer, 



