THOtTGHTS UPON KuNTING. 26g 



Knowing your ]:artlaUty to hounds that run in 

 a good ftyle, 1 advife you to obferve flriclly your 

 own when a fox is linking in a lirong cover ; that 

 is the time to fee the true fpirit of a fox-hound. 

 If they fpread not the cover, but run tamely on 

 the line of one another^ I fhall fear it is a fort 

 that will not pleale you long. A fox-hound that 

 has not fpirit and ambition to gel forward at a 

 time like this, is at no other likely to do much 

 good. 



You talked in your lail letter of pretty hounds ; 

 certainly I fhould not pretend to criticife others, 

 who am fo incorred: myfelf; yet, with 3'our leave, 

 I think I can fet you right in that particular.— 

 Pretty is an epithet improperly applied to a fox- 

 hound : we call a fox-hound handfome when he 

 is Ih'ong, bony, of a proper lize, and of exact 

 fymmetry ; and iilnefs is made eiiential to beauty. 

 A beagle may be pretty, but, according to my 

 idea of the word, a fox-hound cannot : but as it 

 is not to be fuppofed that you will keep a pack 

 of fox-hounds for the pleafure of looking at them, 

 without doubt you will think goodnefs more ne- 

 ceflary than beauty. Should you be ambitious to 

 have a handfome pack of hounds^ on no account 

 ought you to enter an ugly dog, left you be 

 tempted to keep him afterwards. 



I once 



