MODERN HARRIERS 87 



fore, to pick your hounds by looks alone. Where 

 you get a good-looking hound, well shaped, and with 

 good shoulders and feet, and a good performer in the 

 field to boot, by all means stick to that hound. Straight 

 shoulders, splay feet, throatiness, weak thighs, and 

 slack loins are, I know, abominations to hound-men, 

 and, whenever possible, should be avoided. But, 

 on the other hand, if you have a right good working 

 hound with but one of these faults — especially if you 

 are getting together a pack and have the usual diffi- 

 culties always present in such a case — don't draft 

 him in too great a hurry. You may look farther and 

 find yourself worse served. Always avoid hounds of 

 weak constitution, and never breed from them. False 

 hounds, mute hounds, babblers, and skirters should 

 never be tolerated in a pack ; they contaminate others, 

 especially young hounds, with their own vices, and, 

 above all, they should never be bred from. 



As regards points, Beckford's description of a 

 good hound is still worth quoting and remembering. 

 " There are certain points," he says, " in the shape 

 of a hound which ought always to be attended to 

 by a sportsman, for if he be not of a perfect symmetry, 

 he will neither run fast, nor bear much work ; he 

 has much to undergo, and should have strength 

 proportioned to it. Let his legs be as straight as 

 arrows ; his feet round, and not too large ; his 

 shoulders back ; his breast rather wide than narrow ; 

 his chest deep ; his back broad ; his head small ; 

 his neck thin ; his tail thick and bushy ; if he carry 

 it well, so much the better. Such hounds as are out 

 at the elbows, and such as are weak from the knee to 

 the foot should never be taken into the pack." Beck- 

 ford qualifies partially what he says on the subject 

 of a hound's head. " I find," he says, " that I have 



