THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 375 



but a fair chance by the bitch, seldom fail in turning 

 out well, and transmitting their good qualities to many 

 succeeding generations. 



" As to the size of hounds, various arguments are made 

 use of by the advocates of large and small ones. Those of 

 the former assert, that they get better across a deep and 

 strongly-fenced country than the smaller ones do ; whilst 

 the admirers of the latter insist upon their being better 

 climbers of hills, more active in cover, and quicker out of 

 it, when their fox is gone ; and are oftener found to be 

 more perfect in form and shape. As to strict uniformity 

 in size, how pleasing soever it may be to the eye, it is by 

 no means essential to the well-doing of hounds in the 

 field, and has been disregarded by some of our first 

 sportsmen the great Meynell for one, who never drafted 

 a really good hound for being over or under the general 

 standard of his kennel. The great object of that eminent 

 sportsman and such has been mine was to breed them 

 with muscular power and bone, combined with as much 

 symmetry as could be obtained ; and to be equal in speed 

 and good qualities, rather than equal in height For 

 myself, I am anxious to see my dog hounds rise to 

 twenty-five inches, or more, and bitches from twenty- 

 three to twenty-four ; but such a standard is very difficult 

 to maintain ; and, after all, perhaps, it may be said of 

 hounds, as has been said of horses, that their height has 

 little to do with their size, as far, at least, as their powers 

 of action are concerned ; and I believe that, in all animals 

 that labour, a medium height is best. 



" The amount of hounds to be bred annually will 

 depend on the average strength of your kennel, and the 

 number of days' hunting in the week, which the country 

 they are intended for requires. From sixty to eighty 

 couples of working hounds are as many as any man ought 

 to keep, being a complement for at least four days in the 

 week. This will require the breeding of as many couples 

 of puppies every year to allow for the usual diminution 

 of the entry, by malformation, under size, and that bane 

 to the kennel, the distemper, which often takes off a third 

 of them. As the period of gestation in bitches is some- 

 what over two calendar months, they should, if they can 

 be spared, be put to dog in January, as then they will 

 litter in the spring, when the weather is comparatively 

 warm, and the puppies will come early into kennel, 



