POINTS OF FOXHOUNDS. 273 



waits at the door till he is invited in, and, what perhaps is not less extraordinary, he 

 comes out again, whether he has satisfied his hunger or not, the moment he is desired 

 the effect of severe discipline. But since this is not absolutely necessary, and hounds may 

 be good without it and since I well know your other amusements will not permit you to 

 attend to all this manoeuvring I would by no means wish you to give such power to your 

 huntsman. The business would be injudiciously done, and most probably would not answer 

 your expectations. The hound would be tormented malapropos an animal so little deserving 

 it from our hands that I should be sorry to disturb his hours of repose by unnecessary 

 severity. You will perceive it is a nice affair, and I assure you I know no huntsman who 

 is equal to it. The gentleman who has carried this matter to its utmost perfection has 

 attended to it regularly himself, has constantly acted on fixed principles, from which he has 

 never deviated ; and I believe has succeeded to the very utmost of his wishes. All hounds 

 (and more especially young ones) should be called over often in the kennel, and most 

 huntsmen practise this lesson as they feed their hounds. They flog them while they feed 

 them, and if they have not always a bellyful one way, they seldom fail to have it the other. 

 It is not, however, my intention to oppose so general a practice, in which there may be 

 some utility ; I shall only observe that it should be used with discretion, lest the whip 

 should fall heavily in the kennel on such as never deserved it in the field. 



" My hounds are generally fed about eleven o'clock ; and if I am present myself I take 

 the same opportunity to make my draft for the next day's hunting. I seldom, when I can 

 help it, leave this to my huntsman ; though it is necessary he should be present when the 

 draft is made, that he may know what hounds he has out 



" It is a bad custom to use hounds to the boiling-house, as it is apt to make them nice, 

 and may prevent them from ever eating the kennel-meat. What they have should always be 

 given them in the feeding- yard, and for the same reason, though it should be flesh, it is better 

 it should have some meal mixed with it. 



" If your hounds are low in flesh and have far to go to cover, they may all have a little 

 thin lap again in the evening ; but this should never be done if you hunt early. Hounds, I 

 think, should be sharp-set before hunting ; they run the better for it." 



So much having been quoted from the work of the greatest and most practical writer 

 upon the management of Foxhounds which the world has hitherto produced, any additional 

 remarks of our own would be superfluous. We therefore now conclude this article on 

 Foxhounds by giving a simple scale of points, after which we pass on to a class of dogs 

 which renders material assistance to hunting men when their fox has gone to earth. 



SCALE OF POINTS FOR JUDGING FOXHOUNDS. 



Value. 



Head and throat ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 10 



Chest ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



Body and loins ... ... ... ... ... ... ... IO 



Legs and feet ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 15 



Stern ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



General appearance ... ... ... ... ... ... 5 



50 



