NOTITIA VENATICA. 67 



is sufficient iu summer ; and although some theoretical sportsmen will 

 tell you that, during the dead months, hounds ought not to touch one 

 morsel of flesh in any shape whatever, experience has convinced me that 

 without a constant use of it, although in moderation, no pack of fox- 

 hounds can he kept in real hard condition. If owners of all descriptions 

 of hounds would feed them higher in the summer, and give them more 

 strong exercise early in the morning than is generally the case, a tired 

 hound would seldom be met with in the early part of the season, and 

 the necessity of the use of styptic tinctures and sharp water would be 

 nearly abolished from the kennel. When flesh cannot be obtained, a 

 broth made of greaves may be used : it is a thing which all dogs are 

 particularly fond of, and frequently the sick ones, which will not eat the 

 common kennel-food, will feed on that which is mixed Avith greaves ; the 

 giving them this broth will prevent their going ofl; their feed, and losing 

 their condition; nevertheless it shoidd be given most sparingly, as nothing 

 will render them foul in their bodies sooner if used for many days. A few 

 pails of sweet skimmed milk may generally be obtained during the days 

 that flesh is scarce, from some neighbouring farm, which is an excellent 

 substitute when they are not at work. In summer, when they have only 

 their ordinary exercise, a day or two's short commons is not of much 

 consequence, but during hard work one unwholesome meal, or half a 

 belly-full, may waste them in their flesh, and lower their vigour and con- 

 dition to such an extent, that it may take three weeks or a month to 

 retrieve it. Boiled flesh given in too great abundance causes the food 

 to pass through hounds too quickly, and before it is thoroughly digested. 

 After flesh is boiled down to rags, there is little or no virtue in it ; and 

 if I wanted hounds to be in brilliant form, when there was a superabund- 

 ance of boiled flesh, I would have it thrown away rather than make use 

 of it, especially the day before hunting. 



Some persons use biscuits occasionally during the summer months, 

 but I should fancy no good judges Avould pursue this system for a very 

 long time ; having tried them myself, I can answer for their being by 

 far more expensive than oatmeal, and by no means so nutritious. There 

 are two kinds of biscuits : one, the common sea bread, that has been 

 damaged either by age or salt-water, and sold as old stores by the ship- 

 chandlers ; the other is made on purpose for hounds and other sporting 

 dogs, of refuse meal of all sorts. Having no choice myself, I shall 

 leave it to the reader, if he wishes to become a purchaser, to buy that 

 which his fancy conceives to be the best. Sago is also advertised in some 

 of the London papers, and recommended as good food for hounds ; but 

 not having tried it myself, and not even having heard of its being used 

 for such a purpose before, I can give no account of it. Cabbages are 

 frequently given by some huntsmen during the dead months ; they are 

 a most excellent and coohng addition to the food, but being expensive, 

 are not always to be procured, particularly where the estabhshment is 

 numerous. In that case, nettles are a good substitute ; they are very 

 coohng, a strong antiscorbutic, and a diuretic, and their good eflects will 

 be evidently seen on the coats of the hounds when they have been used 

 for a week or ten days. Care should be taken to gather the young 



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