SUMMER HUNTING. 79 



hounds, is prejudicial to old ones; I think, there- 

 fore, you will do well to reserve some of the best 

 of your draught-hounds to enter your young 

 hounds with, selecting such as are most likely to 

 set them a good example. I need not tell you 

 they should not be skirters ; but, on the contrary, 

 should be fair hunting hounds, such as love a 

 scent, and that hunt closest on the line of it : it 

 will be necessary that some of them should be 

 good finders, and all must be steady. Thus you 

 procure for your young hounds the best instruc- 

 tions, and at the same time prevent two evils, 

 which would necessarily ensue Avere they taught 

 by the whole pack ; one, that of corrupting, and 

 getting into scrapes, such as are not much wiser 

 than themselves ; and the other, that of occa- 

 sioning much flogging and rating, which always 

 shies and interrupts the hunting of an old hound. 

 An old hound is a sagacious animal, and is not 

 fond of trusting himself in the way of an en- 

 raged whipper-in, who, as experience has taught 

 him, can flog, and can flog unjustly. By attend- 

 ing to this advice, you will improve one part 

 of your pack, without any injury to the other; 

 whilst such as never separate their young 

 hounds from the old are not likely to have any 

 of them steady. 



