THE CHASE OF A HIND. in 



soon a hart as the other, but they bring him best by 

 mastery and strength to his end, for they retrieve 

 and scent the Hne better and farther because they 

 are somewhat slow." 



Such hounds might undoubtedly kill a fat old stag, 

 but it is impossible to imagine such a pack accounting 

 for a hind on Exmoor in the end of December or 

 January, when they are at their best and strongest. 



We know that until quite recent times the old stag- 

 hounds did not hunt hinds from early in November 

 till well on in the spring, until, in fact, they were in 

 such an advanced state of pregnancy that they were 

 easily killed ; and, though the coldness of the water 

 affecting the health of the pack is the chief reason 

 alleged, one cannot help feeling that another reason 

 they did not hunt was because they could not kill, and 

 that these big, delicately bred hounds were unequal to 

 the continued strain of hind-hunting ; at least we know 

 that Lord Graves deprecated hunting a young stag 

 because it knocked up the hounds. If this was the 

 case with a good pack, such as we know to have 

 hunted Exmoor, how much more hopeless it must 

 have been with the slow packs of old days ! 



The first difference that strikes one is that a hind is 

 not as a rule harboured. An old yeld, or barren hind. 

 may occasionally lie away by herself, but as a rule 

 hinds lie, if not altogether, at all events so close that 

 they are almost sure to herd together when roused, 

 even though they may separate after a time and 

 break covert in small groups, or even singly, and 



