A Glance at the Evolution of a Foxhound 75 



hom or voice and the whippers-in, or which, having 

 drawn covert after covert for fox blank, would not 

 eventually run riot? I have seen this over and 

 over again. It was this very reason which some 

 years ago caused the outbreak of sheep-worrying 

 with three Yorkshire moorland packs — the Bilsdale, 

 Farndale and the Mr Conyers Scrope's pack (now 

 defunct). Hounds drew all day, and failing to find a 

 fox they went in full cry and with hackles up after 

 a sheep which sprang up before them. Instinct 

 overcame reason; the nature of the animal is to 

 hunt. The reasoning powers of Foxhounds may be 

 well illustrated by reference to the early history of 

 the Cleveland (Yorkshire) pack. When they were 

 the Roxby and Cleveland, and, as many, if not most, 

 packs did about this period, hunted hare and fox 

 on alternate days, they knew perfectly well which 

 was the beast of venery they were to follow on each 

 day, and on " hare days " would not look at a fox 

 or speak to the vulpine line, whilst on fox days they 

 were quite steady from hare. On the former occa- 

 sions they were taken to the fallows and turnips, 

 and on the latter they were cast in to covert with 

 " Hi in, lads, a fox! " So they used their reasoning 

 powers to differentiate. 



Then again take the Badminton Hounds, which 

 till 1762 were quite cosmopolitan as to their quarry. 

 We are told by the Duke of Beaufort (who quotes 



I 



