30 A PERFi;CT HOUND DESCRIBED. 



be straight as arrows; his feet round, and not 

 too large ; his chest deep, and back broad ; his 

 head small ; his neck thin ; his tail thick, and 

 brushy ; if he carries it well, so much the better. 

 This last point, however trifling it may appear 

 to you, gave rise to a very odd question. A 

 gentleman, (not much acquainted with hounds,) 

 as we were hunting together the other day, said, 

 " I observe, sir, that some of your dogs'* tails 

 stand up, and some hang down ; pray, sir, which 

 do you reckon the best hounds f Such young 

 hounds as are out at the elbows, and such as are 

 weak from the knee to the foot, should never be 

 taken into the pack. 



I find that 1 have mentioned a small head, as 

 one of the necessary points about a hound : you 

 will please to understand it as relative to beauty 

 only ; for as to goodness, I believe large-headed 

 hounds are no way inferior. Somervile, in his 

 description of a perfect hound, makes no men- 

 tion of the head, leaving the size of it to Phidias 

 to determine ; he therefore must have thought 

 it of very little consequence. I send you his 

 words : — 



" See there with count'nance blithe, 

 And with a courtly grin, the fawning hound 

 Salutes thee cow'ring : his wide op'ning nose 

 Upwards he curls, and his large sloe-black eyes 



