The Foxhound. 57 



the thronged streets adjoining our great thorough- 

 fares, so healthy as a roll on the grass in the Pytchley 

 pastures. 



As to the "rounding" of the ears, Stonehenge 

 writes with great judgment and knowledge. He 

 believes it useful in 



Preventing canker either from foul blood or mechanical injury. 

 . . . The sole use of an abnormally large ear, as far as 

 I can see, is to aid the internal organ of hearing, and it is 

 only found in hounds which depend upon co-operation for 

 success that is to say that hunt in packs. In this kind of hunting, 

 the ear is required to ascertain what is given out by the tongues of 

 the leading hounds, so as to enable the tail of the pack to come 

 up ; but whether or no " rounding '' diminishes the sensitiveness of 

 the organ of hearing, I am not prepared to say. It is, however, 

 admitted by physiologists, that the external ear aids by the sense 

 of hearing, and as this large folding ear is confined to hounds 

 hunting in packs, which, as above remarked, depend upon hearing 

 or co-operation, it is reasonable to suppose that the hound's large 

 ear is given to him to aid this kind of hunting ; and, if so, it is by 

 no means clear that " rounding " is an unmixed good. 



Foxhounds on the bench of ordinary dog shows 

 are more a rarity than otherwise, though, whenever 

 they do appear in such an odd position, always prove 

 an attraction. In Yorkshire some attention was 

 given to special exhibitions of foxhounds about 

 twenty-five years ago, but they never appeared to 

 quite take hold of the Tykes, and were allowed to 

 lapse, the last of them being a large gathering that 



