29 HOUNDS. 



foxhound blood, entered their packs as part of 

 the foundation stock of '' The Harrier Kennel 

 Stud Book " in 1891. . 



I have known many good hounds of the Devon- 

 shire pied sort, and they have always been keen 

 workers, with beautiful music, but my experience 

 of them is that they are inclined to tire, especially 

 in marshes, where hares seem very fond of water 

 and prefer swimming a 15-feet dyke to passing 

 through a gateway but a few yards away. 



With a north-east wind in the marshes I have seen 

 the harrier blood quite tucked up by two o'clock, 

 whereas the foxhound blood did their work gaily 

 all day long, and went home with their sterns up. 



Though I prefer foxhound blood rnyself I hardly 

 think the latter try so hard on a bad scenting day 

 as the " old " harrier blood, as we now term it, 

 but I have known many notable exceptions ; one 

 especially occurs to me — a Bicester bred bitch. She 

 was perfection in her work, a lot of tongue, could 

 hunt down a road, never overran the line a yard, 

 and would try all day. 



Then there is the Southern hound, in height from 

 18 inches to 25 inches. Their mode of hunting 

 is quite different from that of any other hounds 

 I have ever seen. 



To illustrate my meaning I cannot do better 

 than relate the following : — 



A certain pack of Southern hounds, trencher- 



