THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 187 



dom ever do that when they have been long 

 hunted, and grow weak ; and when they run. 

 their foil, that alfo may dire6l him. All this, as 

 you will perceive, requires a good ear and nice 

 obfervation ; and indeed, in that confills the 

 chief excellence of a huntfman. 



When the hounds divide, and are in two 

 parts, the whipper-in, in flopping, mull attend 

 to the huntfman, and wait for his halloo, before 

 he attempts to flop either : for want of proper 

 management in this particular, I have known 

 the hounds Hopped at both places, and both 

 foxes loll by it. If they have many fcents, and 

 it is quite uncertain which is the hunted fox, let 

 him flop thofe that are farthcft down the wind, 

 as they can hear the others, and will' reach them 

 fooneft : in fuch a cafe, there will be little ufe iu 

 Hopping thofe that are up the wind. 



When hounds are at a check, let every one be 

 lilent, and ftand flill: but as I have already faid 

 fo much on that head in my eleventh letter on 

 hare-hunting, I beg leave to refer you to it. 

 Whippers-in are frequently at this time coming 

 on with the tail-hounds. They fhould never 

 halloo to them, when the hounds are at fault; 

 the leall thing does hurt at fuch a time, but a 

 halloo more than any other. The huntfinan, at 

 g, check, had better let his hounds alone, or con- 

 tent 



