SCIENCE OF FOXHUNTING. 121 



to the fore, and making the best of a bad matter. 

 Now these same hounds, mute on such occasions, 

 for which they cannot be too highly commended, 

 will open their mouths freely when all doubt is 

 removed from their minds opining that dogs have 

 minds. We don't like to hear hounds throw their 

 tongues at fences which they ought to get through 

 or over as quickly as possible, without saying any- 

 thing about it. Again, at park railings and walls 

 some are exceedingly vociferous, instead of trying 

 to surmount them or finding a breach higher or 

 lower down. Here large hounds have the advan- 

 tage over little ones, and we think generally at 

 all kinds of fences. We remember having a long 

 discussion with poor Will Goodall on this point, 

 relative to the strong bullfinches in the Belvoir 

 Vale, which he considered more easily encountered 

 by small hounds creeping through the meuses, 

 where a large hound could not go. 



" Very true," we observed, " but a well-bred big 

 one would take a spring at the fence higher up, 

 and like a heavy weight, force his way through in 

 his stride." 



Some years ago the late Squire of Tedworth, 

 better known as Tom Smith, paid a visit to our 

 kennel, when a hound, called Freeman, then a four- 

 season hunter, particularly attracted his attention. 



" That is a very clever hound/' he remarked ; 

 " and the more I look at him the more I like him 

 capital legs and feet good shoulders, strong back 

 and loins in short, I can't see a faulty place. 

 Have you had much from him ? " 



