2^6:2 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



r have feen huntfmen hunt their young hounds 

 in couples. "Let me beg of you not to fuffer it. I 

 know you would be forry to fee your hounds 

 hanging acrofs a hedge, grinning at each other, 

 perhaps in the very agonies of death : yet it is an 

 accident that often has happened ; and it is an 

 accident fo likely to happen, that I am furprifed 

 any man of common fenfe will run the rilk of it. 

 If ncceffary, I had much rather they fhould be 

 held in couples at the cover hde^ till the fox be 

 found. 



The two principal things which a huntfman 

 has to attend to, are the keeping of his hounds 

 healthy and Jleady. The firft is attained by clcan- 

 linefs and proper food ; the latter, by putnng, 

 as feldom as polTible, any unfteady ones amongil 

 them. 



At the beginning of the feafon let him be at- 

 tentive to get his hounds well in blood. As the 

 icafon advances, and foxes become flout, atten- 

 tion then fliould be had to keep them as vigorous 

 as poihble. — It is a great fault when hounds are 

 fuffered to become too high in flelh at the begin- 

 ning of the feafon, or too low afterwards. 



When a fox is lofi, the huntfman on his return 

 )iome fhould examine into his ow« condii3, and en- 

 deavour to find in what he migrht have done bet- 



ten 



