110 THE ETON COLLEGE HUNT, 



2. Do you subscribe to the opinion that a heavy hare 

 has no scent? 



3. Have you known in your experience heavy hares to 

 be either run or chopped by hounds ? 



Among the repHes sent was the following from Mr. George 

 Race (of Road Farm, Biggleswade), than whom no one was more 

 qualified to give an opinion, he having been M.H. for seventy 

 years : 



*' Dear Sir, — In answer to your questions I can only tell you 

 I do not consider it advisable to fix any date for discontinuing 

 hare hunting; and for this reason. In the south of England 

 hares get heavy two or three weeks earlier than they do in the 

 north, and also in an extensive country well stocked with hares 

 you can of course go on longer than in a small country not well 

 stocked. 



As to the second question I am quite sure that a heavy hare 

 emits little or no scent. 



As to your last question, I certainly have known heavy hares 

 chopped by hounds and also run by hounds." 



My own letter written from the High Peak country at that 

 time was as follows, viz. : 



'* Dear Sir, — In reply to your letter and the special 

 questions : 



1. I am not certain that a fixed date for closing the hare- 

 hunting season is advisable. There is no doubt that in some 

 countries such as this hunting can be carried on a week or two 

 later than in many others. If a date were fixed I agree that the 

 middle (16th) of March would be the best date, all things 

 considered, though it would not be early enough to obviate the 

 occasional killing of heavy does. 



2. No ; but I am certain that a heavy hare has comparatively 

 little scent. 



3. Yes, of course, but owing to her carrying less scent and 

 to her short running, a doe hare is seldom killed when heavy. I 

 have been particular to observe when hunting in March for years 

 past whether a heavy hare is often killed, and have found it not 

 to be the case. I doubt if my hounds kill on an average more 

 than one each season. This year a brace have been killed — one 

 in February." 



