THE MODERN FOXHOUND 



qualities to be obtained, so that if bitches 

 are sent to him, it is pure guess work as to 

 what characteristics he will transmit to his 

 progeny. If you examine such a hound you are 

 no wiser, unless you chance to see him on one of 

 his occasional days afield, and even then his 

 working life has been too short for him to have 

 developed his good qualities. In the case of 

 say a fourth season hound, you know his record 

 afield, and can therefore gauge his suitability to 

 mate with certain bitches. 



The trouble with hound shows appears to be 

 this. They have catered so long for the standard 

 type, that the latter now holds a complete 

 monopoly. This type, because it is fashionable, 

 possesses the highest financial value, just in the 

 same way that the show fox terrier valued at 

 say £ioo to go to America is superior from a 

 show point of view to the ordinary kennel terrier, 

 despite the fact that the latter as a worker is 

 worth his weight in gold. Hounds are con- 

 stantly sold at inflated prices simply because they 

 are of fashionable type, despite the fact that there 

 are other types in the country which can do the 

 work afield equally well or even better, yet whose 

 financial value is not considered to be a tenth of 

 that of their fashionable relatives. 



This, whilst harmful to hounds in general, is 

 ob\'iously unfair to those Masters who wish to 

 breed hounds of a type suited to their individual 

 countries. Should they do so, and enter any of 

 their hounds at the shows, they are excluded 

 from sharing in the awards because their exhibits 

 are not up to the standard set down by the 

 judges. As things stand at present, the average 

 provincial Master must either breed for show alone 

 and thus hunt his country with a type of hound 



125 



