FOXEvS FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



Show judges are apt to pay more attention to 

 the fore-end of a hound than to his hind-quarters, 

 but this is a great mistake, for it should always be 

 remembered that pace and jumping ability are 

 derived solely from the hind-quarters. With 

 regard to the hound's hind feet, these are still 

 much as nature intended them to be, and the 

 judges show no objection, which seems rather 

 curious when we think what great stress they lay 

 upon the abnormal roundness of the fore feet. 



Nowadays hounds of 24 inches and over are 

 the first to catch the judge's eye at the shows. 

 Is it really necessary to breed hounds nearly as 

 big as yearling calves, to bring to hand a fox 

 which seldom weighs over i61b., and stands 

 about that number of inches at the shoulder ? 

 There are few packs of foxhounds which can 

 kill foxes better than the 21 inch harriers in the 

 Cotley, and Axe Vale kennels, or the fell hounds 

 whose height limit is about 22|- inches. All 

 these hounds are hardier, last longer, and cost 

 much less to keep than the big hounds of Peter- 

 borough type, and in these days the matter of 

 expense is a very serious one in many Hunts, so 

 that one would think that the smaller and more 

 hard-wearing hounds should by now begin to 

 make some sort of appeal to those Masters whose 

 aim is to show sport at reasonable expense, rather 

 than go in for the show type. The latter of 

 course bring the highest prices in the market, 

 for fashion decrees that they are the one and only 

 standard type. Seeing, therefore, that the 

 tenure of office of the average Master in these 

 days is comparatively short, owing to expense, 

 he must breed to that t3rpe, otherwise when his 

 time comes to sell, he will be considerably out of 

 pocket. Talking of jumping ability in hounds, 



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