CONCERNING KENNELS 185 



not be fed till they came in from their evening exercise, 

 maintaining that they slept better after a late meal. 

 Some Masters, on the day before hunting, so arrange 

 that the hounds that are to go out next day feed 

 later, say at four o'clock. This I think a sensible 

 practice. It is a long fast, otherwise, especially for 

 the more delicate hounds, and there are always some 

 of these in every pack. It is, however, often main- 

 tained that hounds require twenty-four hours to 

 empty themselves before hunting, so as to be fit and 

 keen ; with the majority of packs they are fed at the 

 usual time in the morning. 



As regards food and feeding, the opinions of Masters 

 vary a good deal. Mr. Eames, of the Cotley Harriers, 

 sends me the following interesting note : "I can 

 never understand how they kept condition right in 

 the old trencher-fed packs. My grandfather, I have 

 heard, always fed on flesh and barley-meal, and he 

 used to get some wonderful sport. I always feed on 

 best Government old ship-biscuits the two days before 

 hunting ; with flesh or boiled vegetables, &c., on the 

 other days. I found my hounds stand the work on 

 this food better than on any other I have tried." An 

 ex-Master of much experience writes to me : "I fed 

 my hounds on Indian meal stirabout, with plenty 

 of strong soup and vegetables in summer ; when I 

 had plenty of skim-milk from the dairy the hounds 

 got that, and seemed to do very well on it. When 

 they were getting into work I changed to half oatmeal 

 and half Indian meal, with plenty of strong soup, 

 and vegetables when I had them." 



Some few packs feed entirely on raw flesh, and, 

 when they are accustomed to it, do very well. I know 

 one pack, the Hailsham, which are maintained on 

 this diet, intimately well. Certainly no hounds can 



