LETTER VI. 59 



to be quite steady, flash away at a wild deer, although 

 they would never think of running them in a park. It 

 was a general rule with the late Mr. Ward, whose hounds 

 were proverbially steady, never to allow, even in the 

 hunting season, more than four or five couples of young 

 hounds to go into the forest at a time, or into any coverts 

 where deer were known to resort. Prevention is better 

 than cure, and every precaution should be taken to keep 

 a pack of foxhounds steady to their own game. I re- 

 member seeing a tame doe in Mr. Ward's kennel, which 

 fed out of the same trough with the hounds. I had also, 

 when I first commenced keeping foxhounds, tame rabbits 

 and a hare which lived in the kennel with the hounds. 

 I had a great deal of trouble with these hounds, coming 

 as they did from all kennels, to prevent them killing the 

 rabbits, but by my constant attention and watching, they 

 soon found out that they were forbidden fruit, and the 

 rabbits and hounds became friends. Having at that time 

 little to do, T tried many experiments with hounds, and 

 I could make them do almost anything I told them. If 

 any of my readers imagine this was efiected by the whip 

 or harsh means, I beg to undeceive them — no severity 

 was ever had recourse to. Others may say it was only 

 waste of time and unnecessary, and that hounds can be 

 made quite steady enough without any such trouble. 

 This I admit ; but my situation at that time was a pecu- 

 liar one. I had a lot of draft hounds got together from 

 different kennels, with which I had to commence a new 

 country unaccustomed to foxhounds, and with scarcely a 

 fox in it. 



There were many large game preservers, and one in 

 particular, who had some very fine coverts in the heart 



