Welsh Hounds, 185 



cut with a thong, the reason really being that such 

 packs have next to no kennel discipline ; and, when 

 collected together for a day's sport, extremely resent 

 chastisement for hare or rabbit hunting, and accord- 

 ingly go home to Molly the milkmaid, or whoever 

 has been the best friend of their infancy, for comfort 

 to their wounded feelings. I have occasionally seen 

 a hound go home in this way, but very seldom. In 

 all my experience of Welsh and Welsh crossed 

 hounds, I have never seen such an occurrence as 

 ' coaxing hounds across a road ' because they were 

 in abject fear of horses standing in it. Occasionally 

 a puppy or two may not relish a crowd of horses, 

 but, ' given a decent scent,' as the venerable 

 master of the Llangibby observed to me, ' they 

 would go through a regiment of soldiers.' 



" Such shyness as I have noticed in Welsh or 

 crossed Welsh hounds has been due rather to defect 

 of discipline than to defect of character. If a hound 

 be kept at a farm and only brought to kennel for 

 hunting he will not stand the amount of whip and 

 rating that a kennelled hound will readily endure. 

 The master of the Llangibby, Mr. John Lawrence, 

 whose unrivalled experience of Welsh hounds entitles 

 his opinion to the greatest consideration, assures me 

 that he considers the charge of shyness as against 

 the Welsh hounds devoid of all foundation. 



