I04 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTIKG, 



ftop at a word, becaufethey will underftand you: 

 and, after they have been treated in this manner^ 

 a fmav-k only of t4ie whip will fpare you the in- 

 humanity of cutting your hounds in pieces (not 

 very jultly) for faults which you yourfelf have 

 enccaraged them to commit. 



In your lafi letter you fcem very anxious to 

 get y(>ur young hounds well blooded to fox, at 

 the fame time that you talk of entering them at 

 hare. How am I to reconcile fach contradidlions ? 

 If the blood of fox be of fo much ufe, furely 

 you cannot think the blood of hare a matter of 

 indilFercnce ; unlefs you ihould be of opinion, 

 that a fox is better eating. You may think, per- 

 haps, it was not intended they Hiould hunt fheep; 

 yet we very well know, when once they have 

 l^:iUed fheep, that they have no difllke to mutton 

 afterwards. 



You have conceived an idea, perhaps, that a 

 fox-hound is defigned by nature to hunt a fox^ 

 Yet, furely, if that were your opinion, you would 

 not think of entering him at any other game. I 

 cannot, however, fuppofe nature defigned the 

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

 only, fmce, we very well know, he Vvill alfo hunt 

 other Tinimals. That a well bred fox-hound may 

 give a preference to ^xrmin, c^vteris far'ihus^ \ 

 will not dilpute : it is very pofiible he may ; but 



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