THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING, 203 



Hiould have been often ufed to a halloo, they 

 will expedl it ; and may trufl, perhaps, to their 

 ears, and eyes, more than to their noies. If they be 

 often taken from the fcent, it will teach them to 

 fliuffle, and probably will make them llack in 

 cover : it ihould be done, therefore, with great 

 caution ; not too often ; and always fhould be 

 well-timed. Famous huntfmen, I think, by mak- 

 ing too frequent a ufe of this, fometimes hurt their 

 hounds. I have heard of a iportfman, who never 

 fufFers his hounds to be lifted ; he lets them pick 

 along the coldell fcent, through flocks of Iheep : 

 this is a particular ftyle of fox-hunting, which, 

 perhaps, may fuit the country in v/hich that gen- 

 tleman hunts. I confefs to you, I do not think 

 it would faccced in a bad fcenting country, or 

 indeed, in any country where foxes are wild ; — 

 whilfl hounds can get on with the fcent, it can- 

 not be right to take them off from it ; but when 

 they are flopped for want of it, it cannot then 

 be wrong to give them every advantage in your 

 power. 



It is wrong to fuffer hounds to hunt after 

 others that are gone on with the fcent, particu- 

 larly in cover ; for how are they to get up to them 

 with a worfe fcent ; befides, it makes them tye on 

 the fcent, teaches them to run dog, and deftroys 

 that laudable ambition of irettin": forward, whi^h 

 is the chief excellence of a fox-hound. A good 



huntfinan 



