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Old hounds seem to have an uncanny knowledge of the 

 direction a fox has taken when there is no scent to guide 

 them, and though instinct may help, it must be reason, 

 based on past experience, that points out the way. The 

 hard riders are oft rather impatient with these veterans 

 of the chase and frequently do not give them the oppor- 

 tunity of proving their wisdom. In a sharp burst youth 

 will be served and the five or six-season hounds must 

 be content to follow on, but unless cut off or pressed by 

 horses they justify their existence at a check. In 

 fact, if these ancient warriors were given sufficient 

 room, many of the checks that now take place would 

 never occur at all. It is on behalf of these warriors of 

 the pack that I venture to remind' the beginner of the 

 importance of not riding too close. 



When possible, most people prefer to ride on the down- 

 wind side of the pack, but it should not be forgotten that 

 the fox is more hkely to turn with the wind, and those 

 occupying that position must be particularly careful not 

 to get too forward. When you see hounds swinging in a 

 cast turn your horse's head the way they point. Faihng 

 to do this may prevent them completing their swing and 

 finding the scent, which they might otherwise have 

 done. If hounds can recover the hne themselves they 

 will lose less time at a check and also, by gaining confi- 

 dence in their own powers, will run all the better after- 

 wards. 



Before launching out into the hectic atmosphere of a 

 fashionable country, a man would do well to learn the 

 rudiments of the game in the *' provinces," Of course, 

 it is best when the knowledge has been acquired in 

 boyhood, but nowadays many, both men and women 

 take to hunting comparatively late in life and are there- 

 fore at a considerable disadvantage on being introduced 

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