462 The Book of the Horse. 



a familiar acquaintance with the capabilities of every one of his hounds, and the faculty of 

 being able to make up his mind in an instant. With these capabilities, he must be a bold, 

 determined horseman, understand the art of bringing his pack at the commencement of each 

 season into the highest possible condition, and know how to so select bitches and sires, and so 

 draft the puppies of every year, as to bring them to the size and hunting qualities suited to 

 the country, and in other respects, as near as possible to perfection in strength, speed, and 

 hunting qualities. 



Those who desire to know what a first-class huntsman at the head of a first-class 

 establishment may be like, should read the sketches, almost photographs, of Will Goodall, 

 huntsman of the Duke of Rutland's Belvoir Hounds, and Tom Sebright, forty years in the 

 service of the Fitzwilliam family at Melton, by their enthusiastic biographer, " The Druid." * 



SCENT. 



Nothing is more mysterious than the " scent " on which fox-hunters are dependent for 

 their sport. After a century, in which the experience of the most earnest observers has been 

 recorded, no theory of any value has been framed. 



The favourite idea of " a southerly wind and a cloudy sky," which has been embalmed 

 in a popular hunting-song, is often found a deception and a snare. The famous poem recording 

 the events of the great run from Billedon Caplow commences, "With the wind at north-east 

 fordiddingly keen." Hounds have been known to run tremendously in snow-storms, rain-storms, 

 and the coldest winds, and sometimes under a hot May sun, although that is more rare. As 

 a rule, the best scent is found on grass, and the worst on ploughed land ; and where hounds 

 run from grass to plough, it is often found that they decline from racing breast-high to cold 

 hunting ; but there are many exceptions to this theory. For example, the Roothings of Essex 

 are a district as flat as a billiard-table, all plough, very little under the influence of the modern 

 system of deep draining, intersected by wide, deep, neglected ditches. There is no county 

 in England that holds such a good scent after the ground is saturated with rain. 



" The Druid," who never rode hunting in his life, and had the advantage of not starting 

 with theory, has most industriously collected the opinions of a number of huntsmen and 

 Masters of hounds. Thus, Will Goodall wrote : " I can't say I have observed any very 

 great peculiarity of scent in any part of the country. With a north-east wind and a rising 

 glass hounds will run over any part of it, and catch their fox ; but with a ivcst wind, which it 

 lias been nearly all the season, we have never had a week's good scenting." The late Squire 

 Farquharson, who hunted Dorsetshire for nearly half a century, said : " I have known a burning 

 scent when, according to accepted rules, there should be none ; and I have known a great 

 lack of it under the most propitious prospects ; and I have seen hounds fly in a strong westerly 

 wind, which is supposed to be most unpropitious for scent — in fact, I have seen them run in 

 all winds and weathers. At the same time, I am inclined to tiiink that wiien the quicksilver 

 is low the atmosphere is disturbed, and scent is so fluctuating and caidiing that it varies 

 momentarily ; and that, on the contrary, when the quicksilver is steady and settled the scent 

 is good. Dorsetshire (a dairy and hill county) cannot be called a good scenting county in 

 a moist season ; but then the liills and woodlands hold a good scent." 



"The Puckeridge (Herts), nearly all plough, does not carry a good scent, and they like 



• " bcolL auJ otUitilil," by '•Tin; DrmJ." 



