74 Hounds 



rested his being. Instinct cannot be taught, but 

 it can be directed by training and breeding. Take 

 the Foxhound as an example; until he comes under 

 kennel discipline he has no preference for his legiti- 

 mate quarry — the vulpine species. Indeed, there 

 are many signs that he prefers the hare, and also runs 

 the rabbit with pleasure. He is merely obeying 

 the natural laws created by the demand for sus- 

 tenance, and still obtaining when the raison d'etre of 

 those laws no longer exists. In him for years the 

 instinct has been fostered and encouraged, but con- 

 troverted and directed, and herein one is inclined to 

 introduce the subject of reason. There is a line of 

 demarcation betwixt the twain. The fox is no more 

 to the Foxhound than the hare or the rabbit. Indeed, 

 some authorities tell us the scent of the hare is more 

 pleasant to the hound than that of the fox. Some 

 hounds can never be cured of running riot on the 

 line of a hare, and have to be drafted, but the vast 

 majority, well-fed and well cared for, with no real 

 occasion to push through the prickly briar and gorse, 

 seek for the fox with zest and enjoyment and are 

 heedless of hares and rabbits under their very noses. 

 This is the direction of instinct and probably the 

 point at which reason is introduced. It is probable, 

 however, that instinct is always stronger than 

 reasoning powers. How many packs are there, 

 steady, quick to understand and obey the huntsman's 



