HUNTING 71 



nearly always made their own cast up-wind, and 

 therefore to do so again would be travelling 

 twice over the same ground. Sometimes when 

 a gale is blowing the scent is carried so far away 

 from the actual line the fox has gone, when 

 running sideways to the wind, the hounds travel 

 on a parallel line a hundi-ed yards away, and 

 should a check then occur the fox has prolDably 

 turned sharp up-wind. If he had turned down- 

 wind he would have turned across the line the 

 hounds are going, and they would not have lost 

 the scent altogether but turned with him. 



Q. Can anybody lay down any rules about 

 scent ? 



A. No, it is a most mysterious thing, and I 

 quite agree with T. Smith — " Scent is one of the 

 most uncertain things, and varies in different 

 foxes. The state of the atmosphere has a great 

 deal to do with it " ; and this sums up all that is 

 known, or probably ever will be known about it. 

 That the scent of individual foxes varies consider- 

 ably there is frequent proof, and as an example 

 a quotation may be given from my hunting diary ; 

 it also disproves another theory that there can be 

 no scent with a very low barometer. The pack 

 referred to was the York and Ainsty. 



" February 9, 1904. The barometer was at the 

 ' m ' of ' stormy ' in the morning, but fell during 

 the day to the ' S.' Wind, east, but very little of 

 it. The ' Y and A ' met at Marston Station, and 

 had not much scent with the first fox from Red 

 House. A second fox crossed the green lane 

 from Rufforth to Rufforth Whin, and there was a 

 blazing scent, although heavy rain fell imme- 

 diately the run was over." (Here follows an 



