HARE-HUNTING. 763 



seek them with the harriers. This would be more especially 

 necessary with the second hare than the first, if one hare 

 were not considered sufficient exercise ; as in a long search 

 persons would be apt to take cold, if the weather was not 

 mild. But hardy and zealous sportsmen will always prefer 

 letting the pack find their own game, and will make a day 

 of the sport. • The very excitement kept up by expectation 

 will give a zest to the sport, when one is really found, far 

 beyond what the certainty of finding can give. In short, the 

 practice of employing hare-finders has a strong tendency to 

 make the dogs idle, and wild. The practice has, however, 

 one advantage ; it prevents the dogs from chopping hares? 

 which they sometimes do 



Hares have an instinctive property of anticipating a 

 change of weather, and almost invariably betake themselves 

 to the lea-side of their haunts, as they dislike exposure to 

 wind. In enclosed situations, they are generally found 

 nearer to a hedge than to the middle of a field, consequently 

 huntsmen and hare-finders will always resort to such situa- 

 tions, after observing from whence the wind blows. In some 

 parts of the country forms are made, and hares will often 

 take advantage of these, which the sportsman will generally 

 make in situations where they can be seen at some little dis- 

 tance, and therefore can detect whether they are occupied 

 before approaching. 



When a hare is found the utmost quietness should be 

 observed, as they are so timid that they may be headed back, 

 and consequently the dogs are liable to lose the scent every 

 few paces. Prudent sportsmen will therefore keep at a con- 

 siderable distance behind them, that they may have room to 

 turn, so soon as they have discovered that they have lost the 

 scent ; and it will be found that, by this precaution they 

 will seldom greatly overrun the scent. It is a bad practice 



