NOTITIA VENATICA, 21 



one that tires is a disgrace to Ills possessor. Some take to hanging in 

 cover ; the sooner they are hanged out of cover the better it will be for 

 their owners. And Avhen hounds through age become conceited, or too 

 lazy to join the cry of their comrades, it is high time that such impedi- 

 ments to sport should be removed from the pack. 



In speaking of mute hounds, I nmst observe that, some few years 

 ago, it was the fashion to breed them with as little tongue as possible, 

 pace being the only desideratum ; as it was the opinion of some wild 

 masters of hounds that those horsemen who could not ride up to the 

 hounds had no occasion to hear them. But experience has convinced 

 all breeders of foxhounds that those which have the best noses are gene- 

 rally the freest with their tongues ; and that they may be bred to ' ' go 

 the pace" without losing their powers of scenting, or freely joining in 

 the cry. 



It is not unfrequently the case that young hounds, which distinguish 

 themselves very much at the commencement of their career, turn out 

 ungovernably vicious in after-life, if they have been worked down through 

 the early part of the season, and so kept on at it " working double 

 tides" as the only means of keeping them in subjection ; and if they have 

 naturally any rogue in their compositions they will be almost certain to 

 show it as the spring comes on. On that account, I Avould never take 

 out young hounds after the March winds set in that were worth keeping 

 on, if they were at all fond of hare, or inclined to be unsteady ; and 

 some of the very best blood in the world — I don't care what kennels 

 they may be bred at — will show, in spite of every precaution, a few little 

 peculiarities with regard to Avildness during their first season, and then 

 turn out afterwards the steadiest and most industrious, and best of work- 

 ers. Hounds — when they are put to work when totally unfit to go, 

 from a bad system of preparation, either when too high to " go the 

 pace," or too low to endure through the fatigue of a hard day's work — 

 are in many cases very apt to become vicious ; distress drives them to 

 it. They try to relieve themselves by breaking from the line, as a race- 

 horse bolts from the course, or as a man turns dishonest in his adversity ; 

 they find themselves stopped from that experiment by the whipper-in, 

 ever on the watch and in his place to " keep 'em together." They then 

 become shifty and noisy ; and rather than endure fatigue that they are 

 not equal to, they hang in cover and amuse themselves with a chase 

 of their own — hares, rabbits, or the contents of the poacher's wires fre- 

 quently producing a plentiful repast. 



It cannot be expected that what are termed the old hounds (that is, 

 such as have been hunted) can be particularly striking in point of even- 

 ness for the first season ; it is quite sufficient if they are tolerably steady, 

 and can run together ; new introductions invariably cause jealousies^ 

 and those which have been perfect Nestors in their former kennel fre- 

 quently become, by the example of vicious companions, the most incor- 

 rigible rogues themselves. Whatever hounds are to form a new pack 

 should be undoubtedly collected for some weeks previous to the com- 

 mencement of cub-hunting ; they should be thoroughly drilled, like the 

 young ones, and such as show lameness, or vice amongst shec]) (hare^j 



