SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING. 55 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Rounding the entry Reasons for so doing Quickest mode of per- 

 forming it Varieties of foxhounds and crosses Stud-books of 

 kennels Oldest establishments The chase of wolf, boar, and 

 stag in ancient times Dogs used for this purpose Their size 

 and strength Depredations of wolves in the reign of Athel- 

 stan Bloodhound cross in North Warwickshire kennels Our 

 own experiment in this cross Black-and-tan pack in the west 

 of Ireland. 



WHEN the entry has thoroughly recovered its 

 health and strength, and all vestiges of the dis- 

 temper have disappeared, then is the proper time 

 for the last operation to which foxhound puppies 

 are subjected, called rounding, or cutting off the 

 ends of their ears, which to those not initiated into 

 the mysteries of the ars venatica must appear an 

 unnecessary act of cruelty, without some explanation 

 of the why and wherefore such practices have pre- 

 vailed in foxhound kennels, whilst their own brothers 

 and sisters, drafted to hunt hares, are spared this 

 bloody ordeal, before entering into active life. The 

 fact is, that young foxhounds have to commence 

 their work in large thickly- tangled woodlands, from 

 which they are rarely permitted to emerge during 

 the cub-hunting season ; consequently the tops of 



