200 THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 



dew. If it be cool, rainy weather, any hour in the day 

 will answer the purpose equally. There is little dew, or 

 moisture, on the surface of the earth before sun-set, 

 which, on the first of September, takes place about a 

 quarter before seven. It is true, that if you find your 

 fox at five o'clock, every half-hour becomes more 

 favourable, instead of the reverse, which is generally the 

 case in the morning ; but you have no drag up to a 

 fox ; you will probably be longer in finding, and may 

 have to whip off", for fear of being actually benighted, 

 and losing your hounds ; whereas, in the morning, you 

 care not how many hours they run, so long as they can 

 stick to him, being often in covert from daybreak till 

 long after noon ; and it is thus that you will be able to 

 arrive at an opinion as to the stoutness of your entry. 

 It must be very agreeable when woodlands are handy 

 to the kennel, as it need not in any way discompose 

 the order of things. Lord Yarborough assures me that, 

 so far from finding inconvenience in the practice, he has 

 himself, for the last fifteen years, preferred it to morning 

 work. It will be, occasionally, delightful amusement as 

 a change from partridge-shooting in Herts ; and it will 

 be far better that any master of hounds, who intends to 

 govern supreme, should attend on such occasions, than 

 that he should altogether neglect the cub-hunting ; but, 

 for my own part, 



" Hail ! gentle dawn— mild blushing goddess, hail ! 



the pack awak'd, 



Their matins chant :— nor brook my long delay." 



