2i8 THE COMPLETE FOXHUNTER 



mange conditions became improved — say three or four 

 seasons ago — the odd good fox has multiplied, and 

 therefore the long point is again of fairly frequent 

 occurrence. 



Still hounds either could not or would not hunt all 

 the mangy foxes with the fire which they showed when 

 in pursuit of the clean, healthy fox, and doubtless on 

 many bad days, in various parts of the country, they 

 were blamed for slackness when the quality of the 

 foxes was really the cause of indifferent sport. But, 

 after all, the great point in this connection is that on 

 certain days hounds run so hard that horses cannot live 

 with them. This, of course, is due to scent being 

 extremely good, and it allows of **the field" going 

 their hardest, without being able to get far enough 

 forward to interfere with hounds. But the day of first- 

 rate scent only comes very occasionally, and it is often 

 followed by several days on which scent is of extremely 

 moderate character. The ''field," put on their mettle 

 by the good scenting day, do not at once recognise the 

 different conditions a day or so later, and pushing on 

 after the same fashion quickly drive hounds over the 

 line. And on some days in many hunts this is done 

 repeatedly, the upshot being that hounds appear to be 

 working slackly when in reality they are not getting 

 fair play. 



Then, again, when there is much over-riding many a 

 huntsman lifts his hounds far too often, not because he 

 wishes to lift them, but because they are being unduly 

 pressed by the crowd. One result of this is that 

 hounds which are accustomed to being lifted will, the 

 moment a check comes, look round for assistance, or 

 will be prone to go to any "holloa" which they may 

 hear. In this case also they are at times blamed, when, 



