TfiOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 33f 



they run, there is a long firing of them, and every 

 fault is hit off by an old fouthern hound. How- 

 ever, out of the lali eighteen foxes they hunted, 

 they killed feventeen ; and I have no doubt, that 

 as they become more complete, more foxes will 

 efcape from them. Packs which are compofed of 

 hounds of various kinds, fcldom fun v^^ell toge- 

 ther, nor do their tongues harmonize ; yet they 

 generally, I think, kill moft foxes; but unlefs I 

 like their ftyle of killing them, whatever may be 

 their fuccefs, I cannot be completely fatisiied. I 

 once afked the famous Will Crane, hov/ his 

 hounds behaved — " very well. Sir,'" he reply'd ; 

 " they never come to a fault, hut they fpread like a 

 *' Jky rochet r — Thus it fhould always be. 



A famous fportfman aflced a gentleman what 

 he thought of his hounds.—" Your pack is com- 

 " pofed. Sir," faid he, '' of dogs which any other 

 " man would //^«^;-— they are all Jhirters."— 

 This was taken as a compliment. — However, 

 think not that I recommend it to you as fuch ; foe 

 though I am a great advocate for flyle in the kil- 

 ling of a fox, I never forgive a profefled fkirter ; 

 where game is plenty, they are always changing, 

 and are the lofs of more foxes than they kill. 



You afk me, how many hounds you ought to 

 keep ? It is a queflion not eafy to anfwer — from 



D twenty 



