416 HUNTING TOURS. 



in approving of it. Medium-sized hounds, 

 provided they possess muscular powers, with 

 good legs and feet, possess so very many 

 advantages over their more gigantic brethren 

 that it is difficult to irnagine what can induce 

 any man of practical experience and observa- 

 tion to patronise them. There is, however, 

 one difficulty to overcome. In breeding for 

 dogs of the required moderate standard the 

 other sex very generally prove too small, and 

 I am free to confess, without individualising, 

 that I have observed in several kennels of 

 repute that the young females do not gene- 

 rally evince quite sufficient bone, size, and 

 power, and that in this respect they are not 

 equal to their older sisterhood. As a remedy 

 for this, in large establishments with abund- 

 ance of walks, the alternative might be effec- 

 tually adopted by breeding from certain 

 hounds of large stature exclusively for the 

 purpose of rearing the females ; the dog- 

 puppies would by such a system be too big, 

 and must therefore be drafted, but they may 

 be always readily disposed of to foreigners. 



During the last twenty years the principal 

 sources from whence new crosses have been 

 procured in these kennels have been from the 



