THE COTTESMORE 173 



back, which should be level, not dipping behind the 

 withers or arching over the loin." Faulty forma- 

 tion of shoulders, with overloading at the points, 

 or width on the withers, is the cause in many instances 

 of hounds falling lame for apparently no reason at 

 all. Although there are many accepted model 

 hounds, expert opinion seldom resorts to tape or 

 weight measurements when judging proportions, 

 because the subtle symmetry of the foxhound can 

 best be appreciated by the eye, in the same way that 

 the artistic values of a Greek Statue appeal to the 

 finer senses. Very often ladies, who do not per- 

 haps really understand the points of a horse or 

 foxhound — but have the nicer perception for pro- 

 portion — can pick out the truest shaped one, where 

 the mind of the expert is dwarfed by a weight of 

 knowledge. When talking of line breeding. Lord 

 Lonsdale went on to say, that work on both sides 

 is the all-important point, and no one can breed a 

 pack without personal!}^ knowing the working 

 qualities of the selected parents. A master of 

 hounds should have the experience to superintend 

 the breeding of his own pack, not leaving it entirely 

 to the huntsman, whose knowledge must have a 

 limited range, and whose time is too much occupied 

 for the necessary research into pedigrees. When 

 picking up any line of blood, it may often be got 

 through a plain hound — which others have missed 

 through overlooking his antecedents — and if faulty 

 in conformation, points may be corrected in the 

 next generation. It should be a rule never to use a 

 sire before forming a satisfactory opinion of his 

 work ; but at best chance is an important factor in 

 the fascinating theory of foxhound breeding, though 

 there is an old saying that " Character comes from 

 the dam, make and shape from the sire." 



