THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. ^I 



teniive a plan to fait your edablifhment, requiring 

 more horfes and hounds than you intend to keep.* 



Though I have mentioned, in a former letter, 

 from eight to twelve couple of young hounds, as 

 a fufficient number to keep up your pack to its 

 prefent eflablifhment ; yet it is always bell to have 

 a referve of a few couple more; than you want, in 

 cafe of accidents : iince from the time you make 

 your draft, to the time of hunting, is a long 

 period ; and their cxiftence at that age and feafon 

 very precarious : beiides, when they are fafe from 

 the diforder, they are not always fafe from each 

 pther ; and a fummer ieldom palfes without fome 



* To render fox-hunting perfecR', no young hounds fhould 

 be taken into the pack the firfi: feafon — a requifite too expenfive 

 for mo ft fportfinen. The pack fhould conflft of about forty 

 fouple of hounds, that have hunted, one, two, three, four, or 

 five feafons. The young pack fliould confifl of about twenty 

 couple of young hounds, and about an equal number of old ones. 

 They fliould have a feparate eftablifhment, nor fhould the two 

 kennels be ns^ar enough to interfere vs^ith each other. Tlie fea- 

 fon over, the befl of the young hounds fliould be taken into the 

 pack, and the draft of old ones exchanged for them. To enabla 

 j'ou every feafon to take in tvyenty couple of young hounds, 

 many m;ift be bred ; and of courfe the greater your choice, the 

 handfomer your pack will become. It will ah.viiy:> be eafy to 

 keep up the number of old hounds, for when your own 

 draft is not fufhcient, drafts from other packs may eafiiy be ob» 

 tained, and at a fmallexpence. When young hounds are hunted 

 together the firil feafon, and have not a fufficient number of old 

 hounds along with them, it does them more harm than good. 



lolfes 



