172 Cross Country with Horse and Hound 



excuse. Any one can breed curs : only an artist can turn 

 out hounds that year after year are more and more sym- 

 metrical, beautiful, and fitted to the special purposes for 

 which they are intended. I would hear no more of this 

 " Handsome is that handsome does," but insist upon it that 

 American hounds should be as perfect in build and beauty 

 as their noses are true to the line. The beauty of hunting, 

 what most captivates and keeps one at it, is the manner and 

 style with which the hounds unravel the line. It is the 

 neatness and despatch, the fling and drive with which they 

 follow their game that one most enjoys, especially so if to 

 all these good qualities there is added beauty uniformity 

 in size, colour, and markings. 



In the breeding of hounds the question of right mating 

 is a very interesting one. Most masters take great pains 

 and give special thought to the problem as to which of 

 certain stud-hounds should be used on certain bitches. The 

 question of pedigree has to be gone over carefully to avoid 

 inbreeding. The faults of the bitch must be corrected 

 in the selection of the sire. Forrester is a grand stamp of 

 hound, with the' best legs and feet, but he is lacking in 

 freedom of tongue ; he is selected to be coupled with Mis- 

 tress, who, although not a babbler, loves almost too well to 

 hear the music of her own voice. Forrester cannot be 

 used on Bluebells, because his sire, like hers, was, although 

 not a skirter, in the habit of running wide. For Bluebells 

 the best line hunter of the pack is selected to prevent the 

 return in her descendants of the faults of her sire or grand- 

 sire. Quickstep, although a model hound herself, was sired 

 by a hound whose puppies turned out weak in the lower 



