THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 367 



in the dark, involved in uncertainties and perplexities to 

 no small amount. As is the case with breeding horses, 

 faults of generations back, on one side or the other, will 

 appear ; and with hounds, even should the cross suit the 

 first time, there is perplexity again ; the produce must be 

 three years old before their real goodness can be verified 

 and their sire must be at least five or six, as no man would 

 breed from a hound much under three years' standing in 

 his work. Should the cross nick, however, spare no pains 

 to continue it, if circumstances will enable you to do so 

 that is to say, if the dog and the bitch are within 500 miles- 

 of each other. 



" Now the chief questions for your consideration are 

 what constitutes a good, and what a faulty hound in his 

 work, and, afterwards, his shape and make. The pro- 

 perties of a good hound are soon told. He does his best 

 to find a fox ; throws his tongue when he is sure he has 

 found him, and not before ; gets away quickly with the 

 scent so along as it is forward ; stops and turns quickly 

 when it is not forward ; drives it to the end without dwell- 

 ing on it, or tiring ; is true to the line without being toa 

 eager to get to the head and guide the scent ; sticks to his 

 fox when he is sinking in a cover, let the cover be ever so- 

 strong, which proves his perseverance and stoutness ; quite 

 steady from riot in the field ; not jealous in his work ; 

 good-tempered in the kennel, of a vigorous constitution,, 

 and sound from head to foot. 



" A friend of mine, speaking of the merits of hounds,, 

 has this curious though not unreasonable notion ' It may 

 appear paradoxical,' he says, ' but it is nevertheless true, 

 that the (query, one) proof of a hound's goodness is, that 

 he is never remarkable during a run ; and there are many 

 good sportsmen who would prefer a hound of this nature 

 to one which is oftener seen at head than any of the rest. 

 Of course a hound that is not remarkable is never last r 

 or where he should not be, but holds the line, and is what 

 is called by some, a good line-hunter, which is the criterion 

 of all goodness ; that is, if he drives a scent, too, without 

 dwelling on it.' We may certainly call a hound of this 

 description both good and highly useful in hunting a fox 

 to his death, but we cannot call him brilliant. As Beck- 

 ford says, 'it is the dash of the foxhound that dis- 

 tinguishes him, as it does the hero in the battle.' Besides, 

 this same friend thus defines the line-hunter : ' A hound 



