94 HUNTING THE FOX 



of Hounds' ears are accentuated by giving a free 

 rein to nature, the uniform appearance of a pack 

 is enhanced by rounding all ears to the same length. 



Many people think that all Hounds' ears, however 

 shapely by nature, look better when they have 

 been artificially curtailed. So that the matter of 

 rounding probably resolves itself into a question 

 of taste. Masters who have abandoned the practice 

 certainly save their men and Hounds from some 

 very sanguinary hours in the Kennel. Moreover, 

 the silken ear of the Hound, untouched by the 

 knife, lying close to his head, tapering down to a 

 delicate point, is surely one of nature's endowments 

 which cannot be improved by human interference. 



The average Foxhound is at his or her best 

 during the third and fourth seasons of hunting. 

 It is, no doubt, delightful to see the puppies enter- 

 ing to the sport of their ancestors in their first 

 season, but they cannot be considered reliable 

 until they have completed at least two seasons of 

 Cub-hunting. A bitch may then be mated. But 

 it is really wise not to breed from a dog Hound 

 until after the whole of his second season is com- 

 pleted. In this way he will have done three Cub- 

 hunting seasons before the time of year arrives 

 for putting him to the stud, and his stoutness and 

 steadiness will have been fairly tested. Indeed 

 the more brilliant a dog puppy appears to be in 

 his first season, the more chary one should be of 



