A Glance at the Evolution of a Foxhound 83 



will not, lie equally on the grass and on the plough. 

 So hounds may leave the field well in the ruck whilst 

 crossing the grass but their noses be brought to the 

 ground, with a consequent decrease in pace, when 

 fallow or stubble is reached. The huntsman in such 

 cases hears the galloping throng behind. He is a 

 man essentially well mounted, whose duty it is to 

 ride with a spare neck and leg in his pocket and to 

 go straight. Hence he is on fairly good terms with 

 his pack. He has possibly been able to catch a 

 glimpse of his fox in front — this is part of his stock- 

 in-trade — but failing this he must put himself very 

 quickly in the place of the fox, decide which way 

 he would have gone had the tables been reversed, 

 note the movement of distant sheep and birds, 

 rapidly lift his hounds and, employing Meynell's 

 method, gallop them on perhaps for nearly a quarter 

 of a mile and put them on the line again. Failing 

 this, he would have had the field down upon him and 

 his hounds with their heads up. How many scores 

 of times have we seen hounds thus forced for a mile 

 or more by a galloping field who neither know nor 

 care whether or not hounds are running so long as 

 they are piloting them at a good pace across country. 

 This is a later day outcome of evolution. We all 

 know the story of Mr Punch's sportsman (save the 

 mark!) who said, " Beastly nuisance, these hounds, 

 aren't they? " 



