166 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



not here intend to recommend old or bad hounds, that 

 will tye upon a scent — they are worse than useless, and 

 will act as a drag upon the rest of the pack. The supe- 

 riority of a well-bred foxhound over other hounds con- 

 sists in his pushing forward, and making the most of a 

 bad scent. An old southern hound, or harrier, would 

 be bow-wowing over the same scent across one field, 

 which a foxhound would carry or follow a mile in the 

 same space of time. 



When foxes run their foil in covert — that is, continue 

 running over the same ground, by which hounds are so 

 frequently foiled, and the scent becomes almost lost — 

 some huntsmen will take their hounds away, and find a 

 fresh fox. I cannot admire this course of proceeding ; 

 it may be all very well upon a bad scenting day, or when 

 you may have particular reasons for showing a day's 

 sport, or when it is very cold, and your field want warm- 

 ing; but a fox left under such circumstances will only 

 give you more trouble another time, and I would much 

 rather finish him ofi" at once, or make him break covert. 

 Skulking brutes of this description are always getting in 

 the way when not wanted, and I have a great dislike to 

 be beaten, even by a fox. 



Some years ago, I took my hounds, by particular in- 

 vitation, into another country for a month's hunting, and 

 was favoured with not the best places of meeting,''merely, 

 I suppose, to try what we were capable of doing. Upon 

 one occasion I was sent to find an old hanging brute of 

 a fox, which had baffled the old huntsman for three 

 years in succession ; and so satisfied was he that he 

 would beat us also, that he bet my whipper-in five 

 shillings we did not catch him. The bet was accepted, 



