l86 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



and it is this: I have conflantly feen them do 

 more harm than good. 



Changing from the hi^nted fox to a frefh one, 

 is as had an accident as can happen to a pack 

 of fox- hounds, and requires all the obfervation 

 and all the ingenuity that man is capable of to 

 guard againfl it. Could a fox-hound diltinguilh 

 a hunted fox, as the deer-hound does the deer 

 that is blown, fox-hunting would then be perfe(5l. 

 There are certain rules that ought to be obferved 

 by huntfmcn. A huntfman fliould always liftcn 

 to his hounds, whilft they are running in cover; 

 he fhould be particularly attentive to the head- 

 mofl hounds, and he fhould be conftantly on his 

 guard againfl: a Ikirter, for if there be two fcents, 

 he mult be wrong. Generally fpeaking, the befl 

 fcent is leaft likely to be that of the Imnted fox ; 

 and as a fox feldom fuffers hounds to run up to 

 him as long as he is able to prevent it, fo, nine 

 times out of ten, when foxes arc hallooed early 

 in the day, they are all frefli foxes. The hounds 

 moft likely to be right are the hard-running line- 

 hunting hounds, or fuch as the huntfman knows 

 had the lead, before there arofe any doubt of 

 changing. Witfi regard to the fox, if he break 

 over an open country, it is no i\gvi that he is 

 hard run ; for they feldom at any time will do 

 that, unlefs they be a great way before the 

 hounds. Alio, if he run up the wind — they fel- 



4 dom 



