86 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



are often found napping, which is not such a rare 

 occurrence as catching a weasel asleep ; and, not- 

 withstanding the discussion in " The Field " some 

 short time since about a single hound killing a fox, 

 we should have drafted any hound, male or female, 

 which would decline such an encounter. A big 

 burly dog, of twenty-five or even twenty-three 

 inches in height, with corresponding muscular 

 power, must be a cur in grain to turn tail upon an 

 animal of not half his weight or strength, and 

 which he is supposed to have been pursuing with 

 the most bloodthirsty intentions. 



One hound only during our long experience as 

 M. F. H. do we remember showing the white 

 feather when meeting his fox, and that individual 

 was sent to us from a neighbouring pack. Good 

 he certainly was in all points save one. He drew 

 well, ran hard, and hunted his fox decently; but 

 kill him he would not, or attempt to do it. His 

 dismissal arose from the following circumstance : 



We were running into our fox, which was 

 making for a head of open earths, and had nearly 

 reached them, when this hound, Rambler, catching 

 view of him before any other, ran out of the pack 

 and overtook him just at the covert-side. The 

 whoop was just escaping from our lips, when, to 

 our utter disgust, the fox turned short round, 

 d his teeth, and Rambler retrograded, giving 

 ! >y time for the fox to reach the earths. For 

 this cowardly act, Rambler's travelling ticket was 

 issued for the first fitting opportunity, to go with 

 other delinquents included in the draft. We do 



