METHOD OF HUXTIXG. 137 



I have observed, and which such hounds must 

 of necessity sometimes be guilty of, that is, run' 

 ning hack the heel. Hounds are naturally fond 

 of scent ; if they cannot carry it forward, they 

 will turn, and hunt it back again : hounds that 

 are left to tiiemselves make a fault of this, and 

 it is, I think, the only one they commonly have. 

 Though it is certainly best to let your hounds 

 alone, and thereby to give as much scope to 

 their natural instinct as you can, yet in this 

 particular instance you should check it mildly ; 

 for as it is almost an invariable rule in all hunt- 

 ing to make the head good, you should encourage 

 them to try forward first • which may be done 

 without taking them off their noses, or without 

 the least prejudice to their hunting. If trying 

 forward should not succeed, they may then be 

 suffered to try back again, which you will find 

 them all ready enough to do ; for they are sen- 

 sible how far they brought the scent, and where 

 they left it. The love of scent is natural to 

 them, and they have infinitely more sagacity in 

 it than we ought to pretend to. I have no doubt 

 but they often think us very obstinate, and very 

 foolish. 



Harriers, to be good, like all other hounds, 

 must be kept to their own game. If you run 



