150 THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 



never to halloo far from the spot where the fox is 

 viewed. You may he of real use if you enable a hunts- 

 man to lay his hounds on the last space which you saw 

 occupied by the fox ; taking care, of course, to turn your 

 horse's head, and wave your hand in the direction he is 

 gone, to prevent their taking heel way. Nothing is more 

 annoying than, after lifting hounds to a halloo, to find that 

 your informant has viewed the fox a quarter of a mile 

 off, nearer, very likely, to the place whence you started, 

 than to him ; you have then to retrace your steps, with 

 a very material loss of time, to say nothing of having 

 disappointed or made fools of the hounds. 



With respect to drawing a covert, I believe that, 

 although unquestionably best to take a woodland up 

 wind, it is of little importance wh^ch way hounds are 

 thrown into a gorse, the chances of chopping a fox 

 being more alarming than those of his getting too good 

 a start. In small woods, or spinnies, it is not only a 

 mistake to think that it is necessary to give hounds the 

 wind, but it is positively wrong to draw otherwise than 

 down wind. You incur a terrible risk of catching a fox 

 napping, which is an easier thing to do than " to catch 

 a weasel asleep ; " and, moreover, it is ten to one that 

 you force a fox, if not chopped, to break against his 

 inclination.* I saw a beautiful find completely spoiled 



* It lias been before remarked, tliat " if he will go, he will," — it is diltieult 



