THE KENNEL. 685 



liad better be prevented. Let the kennel, therefore, be your 

 particular care. 



* Upon some little eminence erect, 

 And fronting to the ruddy dawn ; its courts 

 On either hand wide op'ning, to receive 

 The sun's all-cheering beams, when mild he shines. 

 And gilds the mountain tops.* 



Such as Somerville directs may be the situation ; its size 

 must be suited to the number of its inhabitants ; the archi- 

 tecture of it may be conformable to your own taste. 



"However deserving your confidence, still it should be the 

 care of the master to see the state of the kennel frequently. 

 Two kennels are absolutely necessary to the well-being of 

 the hounds : when there is but one, it is seldom sweet ; and 

 when cleaned out, the hounds, particularly in winter, suffer 

 both whilst it is cleaning, and as long as it remains wet 

 afterwards. To be more clearly understood, I shall call one 

 of these the hunting-kennel, by which I mean, that kennel 

 into which the hounds are drafted which are to hunt the 

 next day. Used always to the same kennel, they will be 

 drafted with little trouble ; they will answer to their names 

 more readily, and you may count your hounds into the ken- 

 nel with as much ease as a shepherd counts his sheep out of 

 the fold. 



"When the feeder comes to the kennel in the morning, he 

 should let out the hounds into the outer court, at the same 

 time opening the door of the hunting-kennel, as want of 

 rest, or bad weather, may incline them to go into it. The 

 lodging-room should then be cleaned out, th^ doors and 

 windows of it opened, the litter shaken up, and the whole 

 kennel made sweet and clean before the hounds return to it 

 again. The great court and the other kennels are not less 

 to be attended to, nor should any omission that is hurtful 

 to the hounds be passed over in silence. 



