THE IIARRTER 



arises, In wliat way is it l)cst to set al)out improving 

 him ? 



Hare-hunting, Hke other sports, has somewhat 

 altered in character, as has been set forth in the pre- 

 ceding chapter. Modern sportsmen are eager to get 

 over the ground more quickly than their ancestors 

 desired to do ; consecjuently we must have a hound 

 which can go a good pace, and to do this he must 

 have good shoulders, legs and feet ; stann"na and 

 constitution he must have, or he is of little use ; 

 and above all he must be. gifted with that quality 

 called 'drive,' which enables him to carry along what- 

 ever scent there is at the best pace obtainable under 

 the circumstances. For his physical conformation it 

 is impossible to find a better model than the fox- 

 hound, who is certainly the most perfectly formed 

 animal for combining pace and stamina in the whole 

 of the canine world ; whilst for correcting the pottering 

 habits of the old harrier and obtaining the driving 

 qualities we now seek we can go to no better 

 source. 



The next point is not to neglect the actual 

 hunting qualities of the animal we want, for these are, 

 of course, at least as important as his make and shape. 

 It can hardly help being true that a hound which is 

 descended from generations of hare -hunting ancestors 



