470 HUNTING. 



and you go directly to holloo, do not take your 

 hounds to the extreme distant point at which he 

 was viewed, but a hundred yards behind it ; and 

 for this reason. If you take them to the extreme 

 point, and they do not take up the scent at once, 

 you have then to make your cast at a venture ; 

 whereas, if you lay them on at that distance be- 

 hind it, you have somewhat of a guide to that ex- 

 tent, as to the line towards which you should draw 

 them. 



The following further hints may be serviceable, 

 or at all events they relate to hounds at check. In 

 trying back, hounds have this advantage* -I t^ is 

 evident the fox has come the line, up to the point 

 where the check occurred; and he must be gone 

 either to the right or the left of it, or back. We 

 make this observation, because so much has been 

 said about the straight running of foxes, which is 

 far from true ; and the necessity of persevering in 

 the cast a-head with the fox, and back, on the foil, 

 with the hare. The more hounds spread, within 

 reason, in this backward cast, the better will be the 

 chance of making the check a short one. Again, 

 if at check on a road, or foot-path (the latter not 

 often run over by foxes,) when you observe some 

 of your best hounds failing to make it good, on one 

 side of either, it is reasonable to suppose the fox is 

 gone on the other. If your hounds check in a 

 cover in the middle of a run, and the fox is viewed 

 away from it, try and get your hounds together as 

 much as you can in the short time that can be al- 

 lowed for it, before you cap them to the sceiit. It 



