HUNTING 7 HE HARE 



times, too, but hounds should never be allowed to go 

 to them. Let the huntsman take them there, if he 

 decides to do so, without loss of time, but with as 

 little excitement as possible, and they will then stoop 

 to the line much (|uickcr than if they are allowed to 

 l;o flying off by themselves. When the huntsman 

 wants his hounds to come to him, let liim always 

 use his horn, and reserve his holloa for occasions 

 when he intends the hounds to get their heads up, 

 which will occasionally be the case, as, for example, 

 when he is anxious that they should view the beaten 

 hare, when he wishes to get them off the line of a 

 fresh one, or away from a railway train. Cheering 

 hounds on a line, though often practised, is a very 

 unnecessary proceeding. It may amuse the man 

 who makes the noise, but the only effect it has on 

 hounds is, as a rule, to cause some of them to look 

 up, as if to ask what in the world that stupid noise is 

 about ? It is especially in the early part of tlie season 

 that great pains should be taken in the matter of keep- 

 ing hounds as steady as possible, and not allowing 

 them to go to holloas. If this is carefully attended to 

 during the first two months or so of the season, a little 

 more latitude may be allowed later without doing 

 much harm ; but if a pack gets wild to start with, 

 a wild pack it will be all the season througii. 



