104 ruSTOM OF KNTEIIIICG AT 



structed what game they are to hunt, and what 

 they are not, will stop at a word, because they 

 will understand you ; and, after they have beea 

 treated in this manner, a smack only of the whip 

 will spare you the inhumanity of cutting your 

 hounds in pieces (not very justly) for faults 

 ■which you yourself have encouraged them to 

 commit. 



I think, in your last letter, you seem very 

 anxious to get your young hounds well blooded 

 to fox, at the same time that you talk of enter- 

 ing them at hare. How am I to reconcile such 

 contradictions ? If the blood of fox is of so 

 much use, surely vou cannot think the blood of 

 hare a matter of indifference, unless you should 

 be of opinion that a fox is better eating. Na- 

 ture, I suppose, never intended they should 

 hunt sheep ; yet we very well know, when once 

 they have killed sheep, that they have no dislike 

 to mutton afterwards. 



You have conceived an idea, perhaps, that a 

 fox-hound is designed by nature to hunt a fox : 

 yet, surely, if that was your opinion, you would 

 never think of entering him at any other game. 

 I cannot, however, think nature designed the 

 dog, which we call a fox-hound, to hunt fox 

 only, since we know he will also hunt other ani- 



