THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. I05 



of this I am certain — that every fox-hound will 

 leave a bad fcent of fox for a good one of either 

 hare or deer^ unlefs he has been made Heady from 

 them ; and in this I fhall not fear to be contra- 

 dicted. But as I do not vvifh to enter mto ab- 

 ftrufe reafoning with you, or think it in anywiie 

 material to our prefent purpofe, whether the dogs 

 we call fox-hounds were originally deiigned by 

 nature to hunt fox or not ; we will drop the 

 fubjedl:. I mufl at the fame time beg leave to 

 obferve, that dogs are not the only animals in 

 which an extraordinary diverfity of fJDecies has 

 happened fince the days of Adam : yet a great 

 naturaliil tells us, that man is nearer, by eight 

 degrees, to Adam, than is the dog to the iirll 

 dog of his race ; Hnce the age of man is bur- 

 fcore years, and that of a dog but ten. It thcie- 

 fore follows, that if both fhould equally degene- 

 rate, the alteration would be eight times more 

 remarkable in the dog than in man. 



The two mofl necefiary queflions which refult 

 from the foregoing premifes, are — whether hounds 

 entered at hare are perfeClly fteady, afterwards, 

 to fox— -and', whether fleadinefs be not attainable 

 by more reafonable means ? Having never hunted 

 with gentlemen who foUqw this pradHce^ I muft 

 leave the firft queflion for other^^! to deternine; 

 but having always had my hounds ftead\ , I can 

 myfclf anfwer the fcconcL 



The 



