86 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



I KNOW an old sportsman who enters his young 

 hounds first at a cat, which lie drags along the ground 

 for a mile or two, at the end of which he turns out a 

 badger, first taking care to break his teeth : he takes 

 cut about two couple of old hounds along with the 

 young ones, to*hold them on. He never enters his young 

 hounds but at vermin ; for he says, " train up a child in 

 the way he should go, and zvhen he is old he will not depart 

 from it,''^ . • , 



Summer hunting, though useful to young hounds, is 

 prejudicial to old ones ; 1 think, therefore, you will do 

 well to reserve some of the best of your draft-houncis to 

 enter your young hounds with, seieding such as are most 

 likely to set them a good example. It is needless to tell 

 you they should not be skirters, but, on the contrary, 

 should be fair-hunting hounds; such as love a scent, and 

 that hunt closest on the line of it : it will be necessary that 

 some of them should be good finders, and all must be 

 steady. Thus you procure for your young hounds the 

 best instrudors, and at the same time prevent two evils 

 which would necessarily ensue, were they taught by the 



