248 THE DL\RY OF A HUNTS:\L\X 



after that time, making five weeks after. The most 

 favom-ite blood should be sent to the best walks, 

 butchers, etc., as, according to an old sajing, "All 

 beaut}' goes in at the mouth." 



As before stated, the two great points to attend 

 to in breeding are stoutness and nose ; therefore it 

 is best only to breed those that are stout as vriie 

 and that never get slack, and those which can hunt 

 a cold scent. The two quahties often go together ; 

 for it is the stoutness which makes a hound ^\TLling 

 to tPk' to hunt and make use of his nose, which a 

 slack hound would not try to do. But much of 

 this depends on the huntsman. If he is persevering, 

 his pack tntU soon become hunters ; but they must 

 be bo?'?i ^^'ith good noses, and none ought to be 

 allowed to be bred from which have not. 



Every huntsman, at times, must feel disposed 

 to say that he wWl not breed from any hound that 

 \\-ill not always draw well ; and, doubtless, he would 

 adopt a most sensible plan, for almost all hounds 

 that draw well are stout, and have good noses to 

 feel a drag, as they must do in dra-v^g ; and if 

 some hoimds draw Avell in the afternoon (when the 

 great part of the pack are slack and woQ not draw), 

 it is because they are stout 



The sagacit}^ of old fox-hounds is far beyond that 



