54 HOUNDS. 



allowed to run about just where she likes, shutting^ 

 her up in a separate lodging-room at night. This 

 is a most important thing to insist on. To point out 

 my meaning I cannot do better than relate the follow- 

 ing circumstances in connection with a pack of fox- 

 hounds. 



The kennels were situated about half a mile 

 from a small park, the owner of which complained 

 about the brood bitches running about. His 

 property joined on to the kennel field. The master^ 

 not wishmg to offend him, had a separate field 

 fenced off, a large open lodge built in it, and kept 

 his brood bitches shut up there. The result was 

 that bitch after bitch died. They usually carried 

 their whelps about eight weeks and appeared quite 

 healthy, and then in three or four days were dead. 

 Post-mortem examination generally revealed a dead 

 puppy. If this did not happen, they slipped their 

 whelps. 



This plan was tried for two seasons, both result- 

 ing in the same loss, and then the master de- 

 cided to go back to the old plan of entire liberty 

 for the bitches, with the result that it was an exceed- 

 ingly rare thing to lose a bitch. 



Some huntsmen are most obstinate in this way^ 

 often from the best motives. They think the 

 bitches will get out on the roads and have stones 

 thrown at them or come to some harm ; but it is far 

 better to let them run the chance of any injury than 



