NOTITIA VENATICA. 71 



fatigablc field huntsman, seldom or never troubled himself about the 

 feeding : after his kennel huntsman left him in Nortliamptonshire, that 

 operation was generally performed by William Gardner, his boiler ; and 

 I must do him the justice to say that I never saw any pack of hounds in 

 the whole course of my experience as a fox-hunter Avhich covdd go so 

 killing a pace, both in cover and in the open, run so well together, and 

 carry so fine a head, or last out such long and tiring days, as those of 

 Mr. Osbaldeston : they would not only go like a flock of pigeons with 

 a biu'ning scent, but could " cold hunt" a fox with as much patience as 

 any pack of hounds in England. They were never whipped off till it 

 was quite dark, even if twenty miles from home, if there Avas the least 

 chance of kiUing their fox ; and, as the "Squire" hunted six days a 

 week, and frequently had two packs out in a day, it was impossible for 

 liis head man. Jack Stevens, to feed ; consequently the hounds were 

 generally, if not always, fed during the hunting season by WiU Gardner, 

 who Avas considered by far the best kennel-man and most judicious 

 feeder of his day ; he had no doubt a quick and discerning understand- 

 ing, and a most retentive memory, or he never coidd have fed them with 

 the exactness which he did — capabihties of a mind worthy of a higher 

 walk in hfe. 



" The Squire's" hounds have always been considered amongst the 

 stoutest in the world, and no doubt the goodness of their nature must 

 have beeu one great cause of their strikingly lasting quahties ; yet I 

 firmly beheve, had they been fed by an ignorant or inattentive person, 

 or one of the common stamp of feeders, that they never could have gone 

 through the labour which they did in so workmanlike and superior a 

 manner. The great art of feeding consists in administering that quan- 

 tity of food which will produce the greatest powers of exertion, Avithout 

 impairing the constitution by repletion ; over-feeding or giving too much 

 at once is equally as injurious as giving too little ; food introduced into 

 the stomach in too great a quantity does not digest, and totally defeats 

 the object for which it was given, which maybe seen in any dogs that 

 have gorged too much, ahvays purging. Hounds at all seasons of the 

 year, in my humble opinion, ought tt) be rather high in condition, par- 

 ticularly in wet Aveather ; and, as long as two ribs are visible, the 

 muscles on their thighs and backs cannot be too exuberant. The 

 greatest mistake in most huntsmen is, that they do not begin sufficiently 

 early in the summer to give strong exercise ; they content themselves 

 Avith crawhng out at six or seven o'clock, and, because it is hot, and the 

 hounds seem distressed (Avhich no doubt they are), bring them in at 

 nine ; whereas they ought never to be in their kennel after five o'clock, 

 unless the morning is wet, and ought to be kept out for at least four 

 hours. As the summer wears away, and the time approaches towards 

 cub-hunting, their exercise must, of course, be increased ; and at that 

 period they ought to have, during two days in the week, at least about 

 nine hours' strong exercise. 



The best time to feed hounds during the siuumer months is about 

 three or fom" o'clock in the afternoon. Some huntsmen feed much later, 

 on account of the hounds resting more quietly during the night ; but, if 



