NIMROD'S NORTHERN TOUR. 249 



The Fife hounds, as will be seen by the list, have been bred with 

 great care, and without regard to trouble in going from home for blood. 

 And, unlike the man's razors, meant only for sale, they are drafted with 

 an eye to business, and not to please the eye. They are not a show 

 pack — not an even lot — but with the exception of Climbank, Limner, 

 and one or two other plainish hounds, but too good to be drafted*, they 

 are such as all sportsmen must be pleased with. They stand well on 

 their legs ; I do not indeed recollect to have seen one faulty in this very 

 material respect for all rough countries ; and there are many very per- 

 fectly formed hounds in the pack, for example, Reveller, Brevity, Milli- 

 ner, Lavish, Caroline, Caution, Nosegay, Melody, Dauntless, and Belfray 

 — the last named bitch quite perfection in my eye for the Fife country — 

 short legged, and good in all her acting parts. Dauntless is likewise a 

 most valuable bitch ; I saw her one day guide the scent through the 

 horses in a style very rarely equalled. 



Some seasons back, in 1827 I believe, this kennel received a great 

 acquisition in a present to Crane, from his old master, Sir Richard 

 Puleston, of two stallion hounds, viz. Mulciber and Comus, the latter 

 by his Lucifer, out of his Cowslip. There was only one Mulciber 

 hound in work when I was in Fife, but the Comus hounds are and have 

 been all clever and good. Among the nine couples of young hounds 

 also, are several of the right sort — Ajax and Archer (brothers) for exam- 

 ple ; Merlin, Marplot, Boxer, &c. &c. But of all the blood-thirsty ani- 

 mals I ever saw in the shape of a fox-hound, I never witnessed any to 

 be compared with these two brothers, who not satisfied with the lion*s 



* Climbank and Limner are capital workers, got by Lord Kintore's Rubicon, who, 

 Walker says, never did wrong. 



2 K 



