FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



scree-beds, and a general confusion of rough 

 going. When descending such gradients at 

 speed, it stands to reason that a hound must 

 suffer severely from jar and concussion unless his 

 conformation is such as to minimise the shock 

 as far as possible. The heavier a hound is, the 

 more will he knock himself about in such a coun- 

 try, and if, added to weight, he is the possessor 

 of unsuitably made feet and pasterns, his life of 

 usefulness will not be long. 



In previous chapters we have dealt more or 

 less fully with anatomical details in connection 

 with hounds, so we need not discuss the matter 

 at any great length here. Suffice it to say that 

 the hare foot, with its shallow, hard pad, has 

 invariably been found to withstand the exig- 

 encies of the going on the fells, far better than the 

 round club-like foot of the standard t5rpe, with its 

 thick, fleshy pad. There appears to be some 

 misapprehension with regard to the real meaning 

 of the expression " hare," when used in con- 

 nection with a hound's foot. Some people appear 

 to think that a hare foot is like that of say a St. 

 Bernard dog, i.e., large, and inclined to spread, 

 while others seem to imagine that such a foot 

 is flat, or in other words is wooden and without 

 spring. Such ideas are altogether erroneous, 

 for the real hare foot as possessed by the wolf, 

 coyote, fox, and fell hound, as well as the shep- 

 herd's dog, is admirably fitted by nature to with- 

 stand the exigencies of any kind of going, from 

 the plains to the mountains. The hare foot 

 proper possesses fair length, is neat and compact, 

 the toes having little inclination to spread, while 

 the pad is shallow, and becomes hard and wear 

 resisting. The foot stands squarely on the 

 ground, and gains spring in the direction designed 



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