86 HOUNDS 



Uniformity of pace is necessary, uniformity in 

 size pleases the eye. The power of instilling 

 into fifteen or twenty-five couple that co- 

 hesiveness that makes them seem possessed, 

 as it were, with one soul, combined with the 

 ability to handle them, is an amazing 

 example of man's capacity to subordinate 

 animal nature to his own purposes. Colour 

 is a secondary consideration, a matter of 

 fancy ; and a good fox-hound, like a good 

 horse and a good candidate, cannot be a 

 bad colour. Were I an M.F.H., I should 

 never spend my time and money in trying 

 to make a pack all badger-pied or Belvoir 

 tan ; provided they were well-assorted in 

 other respects, the very variety in their 

 colours would please me. The question of 

 utility may, in some countries, influence the 



