BREEDING AND HUNTING OF FOXHOUNDS. /9 



miicli care and knowledge of liis instincts and reason 

 at Ills huntsman's hands as the wikl things alhided 

 to do from me. Nay, more, because the hound 

 being possessed of greater reasoning qualities than 

 the birdj his best nature may be thwarted, and 

 faults in his expected ser\dces may be inculcated by 

 neglect, by ignorance of his best qualities, or by 

 harsh treatment, which the thing, the soul, '' denied 

 to the dog," invariably resents. 



It is thoroughly known to me that a wild hunts- 

 man makes a wild hound. A slack huntsman will 

 make a slack hound ; and when slow in his own 

 movements, his hounds will also learn to take tJieir 

 leisure. The steadiest hounds from hare can be 

 induced to be unsteady, and run hare, by a wild 

 huntsman. I saw a particularly marked instance 

 of it when I sold my foxhounds from the Oakley 

 country to Mr. Wilkins, for him to hunt Northamp- 

 tonshire with, Jack Stejjhens being their hunts- 

 man ; and a wilder man than he was for a huntsman 

 I never saw in the whole course of my life. I saw 

 the whole body of the young hounds who were out 

 on the day I allude to, with many of the hitherto 

 steady old liounds, thrashed into runnimj hare. A 

 few of the young liounds, wild froiii wild treatment, 



