234 HARE-HUNTING 



opinions of others, I do not call it hunting to 

 run her to death with twenty-two inch foxhounds. 

 If you ride you must, of course, use a hound of a 

 certain size say not less than sixteen inches but 

 you ought to leave the pack almost entirely alone. 

 The greatest charm of this sport is to watch the 

 hound working, and if you are continually inter- 

 fering you will fail to see not only many a clever 

 ruse of the hare to escape, but also the qualities 

 of the different hounds in making equally clever 

 hits. Those who look on harriers merely as an 

 excuse for a gallop, can have no liking for the 

 sport itself, and should follow foxhounds instead. 

 The way I distinguish between the two sports 

 is this : in fox-hunting the riding is an inseparable 

 part of the whole amusement, and in hare-hunting 

 it should be considered only as a means to enable 

 a man to watch proceedings. There are people 

 who are unfortunate enough to live in a country 

 where no fox-hunting can be procured, and they 

 may be forgiven for trying to simulate the joys 

 of the greater sport by a base imitation, but the 

 result is neither one thing nor the other, and they 

 had much better content themselves with the sober 

 delights of a legitimate hare-hunt. 



