HORSES AND HOUNDS. ' 137 



day, and not so often be beaten by their afternoon fox. Tlie 

 time of feeding should, in my opinion, depend upon the distance 

 hounds have to travel before hunting, and the hour at which they 

 generally commence drawing. There is also another considera- 

 tion, whether they are carried to the place of meeting in a van, 

 or have to travel on foot. 



The hour of meeting in the present day is generally about 

 eleven o'clock during the regular hunting season, with most of 

 our great fox-hunting establishments. In that case, when a van is 

 kept, hounds may be fed about twelve o'clock the previous day, 

 but when they have to travel on foot, I should feed them at two 

 o'clock in preference to twelve. Dogs being carnivorous 

 animals, and possessing strong powers of digestion, require 

 animal food to sustain them in full strength and vigour to the 

 period allotted to the life of the canine race. We have only to 

 compare the duration of life in the spaniel, pointer, or any other 

 species of dog which is accustomed to his liberty, and fed indis- 

 criminately with flesh, bones, and offal from the butcher's shop 

 or the kitchen, with the life of a fox-hound, and what is the 

 result ! One is worn out and drafted generally before he attains 

 the age of seven years, whilst the other is still almost in his 

 prime. The age of a dog I compute from twelve to fourteen 

 years. The difference between them I attribute to the difference 

 of food and treatment. I shall be probably met, however, with 

 the observation, that fox-hounds work much harder than any 

 other species of dog, and, therefore, are sooner worn out. This 

 I cannot quite admit ; but, were the case so, it would be an 

 additional reason for different treatment. 



All huntsmen know that hounds which are kennel-sick, or 

 lose condition without any ostensible reason, if let run about for 

 a few weeks recover their usual strength. Look also at the 

 brood bitches ; although suckling perhaps a full complement of 

 whelps, they soon become full of flesh, and even very fat. Now, 

 what is the reason of this alteration ? Simply this — the dog at 

 liberty picks up bones, scraps, &c., and the bitches are generally 

 fed twice a day, and get flesh occasionally. Animal food is as 

 necessary to keep dogs in full health and strength as oats are to 

 keep horses in condition. I shall be told that fox-hounds have 

 plenty of animal food with their meat ; but in what state is this 

 animal food presented to them ? When it is deprived of all the 

 uices and nutriment it once contained, i. e. boiled to rags. I 

 now that the broth or liquor, as it is termed, is nutritious, but 

 the food of hounds is generally mixed up too thin. The day 

 before hunting, at least, their food should be given as thick as 

 they can eat it, and were it always so prepared during the 



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