THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 57 



I HAVE inquired of my feeder (who is a good one, and has 

 Iiad more experience in these matters than any one that you 

 perhaps may get) how he mixes up his meat. He tells me, 

 that, in his opinion, oatmeal and barley mixed (an equal 

 quantity of each) make the best meat for hounds. The 

 oatmeal he boils for half an hour, and then puts out the 

 fire, puts the barley into the copper, and mixes both toge- 

 ther. I asked him, why he boiled one, and not the other ? 

 He told me, that boiling, which made oatmeal thick, made 

 barley thin ; and that when you feed with barley only, it 

 should not be put into the copper, but be scalded with the 

 liquor, and mixed up in a bucket. I find there is in my 

 kennel a large tub on purpose, which contains about half a 

 hogshead. 



You little think, perhaps, how difficult it is to be a 

 good kennel-huntsman j nor can you, as yet, know the 

 nicety that is required to feed hounds properly. You are 

 not aware, that some hounds will hunt best when fed late ; 

 others when fed early ; that some should have but little ; 

 that others cannot have too much : — however, if your 

 huntsman observe the rules that I have here laid down, his 

 hounds will not do much amiss. But should you at anj 



