TPIOUGHTS UPON HUNTING, 247 



left entirely to themfelves. To fufler a pack of 

 fox-hounds to hunt through a flock of llicep, 

 when it is eafy to make a regular caft round 

 them, is, in my judgment, very unneceflary — it 

 is wilfully loling time to no purpofc. 1 have in- 

 deed been told, that hounds at no time fhould be 

 taken oft' their nofes : I fhall only fay, in anfwer 

 to this, that a fox-hound who will not bear lift- 

 ing is not worth the keeping ; and I will venture 

 to fay, it fhould be made part of his education. 



Though I like to fee fox-hounds call wide and 

 forward, and diflike to fee them pick a cold fcent 

 through flocks of flieep to no purpofe, yet I mull 

 beg leave to obferve, that I diflike flill more to 

 fee that unaccountable hurry which huntfmen 

 will fometimes put themfelves into the moment 

 their hounds are at fault : time ought always to 

 be allowed them to make their own caft ; and if 

 a huntfman be judicious, he will take that op- 

 portunity to conflder what part he himfelf has 

 next to a(?t ; but, inflead of this, I have feen 

 hounds hurried away the very inflant they came 

 to a fault, a wide caft made, and the hounds at 

 la ft brou,^-ht back again to the very place from 

 whence they were fo abruptly taken ; and wherc, 

 if the huntfman could have had a minute s pa- 

 tience, they would have hit off the fcent them- 

 felves. It is always great impertinence in a huntf- 

 man to pretend to make/;/^ caft before the hounds 



R 4 ^ii^vQ 



