132 HUNTING. 



be handsome so much the better, of course ; but the best 

 hound is the one that works best, not the handsomest. There 

 is something particularly pleasing to the eye in the sight of a 

 level, symmetrical pack. To breed a pack of hounds, perfect 

 alike in appearance and in work, is, however, the labour of a 

 lifetime. Nose and stoutness are the two things which the 

 breeder of hounds should first of all seek to obtain, and ex- 

 perience shows that no two attributes are more distinctly here- 

 ditary. The beginner, therefore, especially in a small kennel, 

 should disregard all ideas of pleasing his eyes and breed ex- 

 clusively from the best nosed and stoutest hounds of both sexes, 

 irrespective of size and appearance. 



The generative powers of the dog are retained in their full 

 strength longer than those of the bitch. A promising dog may 

 begin his duties as a sire in his first season, he is usually at his 

 best in his third. The bitch cannot be hopefully trusted to pro- 

 duce a serviceable progeny after she is six years old. That the 

 parents should be in perfect health is before all things essential. 

 If the bitch suffers from any ailment during the period of her 

 pregnancy her produce is likely to be affected. The state of 

 the weather when the whelps are born and during the first three 

 or four months of their lives has an immense influence on their 

 future stoutness, usefulness, and soundness. Under the most 

 favourable conditions the litter will consist of seven or eight — 

 nearly twice as many have been known, but this is a misfortune. 

 A young bitch will bring up about four puppies comfortably to 

 herself and with benefit to them. If she is three or four years old 

 she may bring up five, but much depends upon whether she is 

 a good milker and a good mother. How the breeder is to 

 make his choice which to leave with her and which to take is 

 a matter that must be left to his discretion, but if the puppies are 

 from specially good parents on both sides it is desirable to get a 

 sheep dog or spaniel wet-nurse to bring up three or four of the 

 puppies beyond those which the mother is capable of suckling. 

 Masters usually have prejudices about colour, preferring 

 generally dark hounds to light. The mother's prejudices are 



