2i8 HUNTING THE HARE 



liounds which have been running slowly suddenly 

 quicken their pace for a short distance, and then throw 

 up, the hare is probably behind you. She has doubled 

 back on her line, and the quickened pace is caused by 

 the double line of scent. Another very important 

 thing is never to make too sure that your hare has lain 

 down. When a hare runs into a small covert it is 

 loo often assumed that she must have stopped there ; 

 hounds very likely do not carry a line through ; the 

 ground is often stained with rabbits, and many coverts 

 never seem to hold a scent. Always cast round it and 

 make sure she has not gone on ; you will often find 

 that she has, and this is the very sort of hare which will 

 give you the best run. In cases where you fail to hit 

 off a line forward, there is plenty of time to comeback 

 and look for her if she has stopped in covert. These 

 remarks apply equally to the case of gardens and 

 such-like places, where people are always too ready 

 to say that the hare is sure to have stopped, when very 

 likely she has merely threaded them, doubled about 

 a bit, and gone on again. 



Another great difficulty the hare-hunter has to con- 

 tend against is a change of hares. This will occur 

 sometimes in defiance of all precautions. A fresh 

 hare, hearing the noise of hounds, will get up some 

 distance in front of them, and go through the same 



