88 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



take them first where 3^011 have least riot, putting some of 

 the steadiest of your old hounds amongst them. If in 

 such a place you are fortunate enough to find a litter of 

 foxes, you may assure yourself you will have but little 

 trouble v^ith your young hounds afterwards. 



Such young hounds as are most riotous at first, generally 

 speaking, I think, are best in the end. A gentleman in my 

 neighbourhood was so thoroughly convinced of this, that he 

 complained bitterly of a young pointer to the person who 

 gave it him, because he had done 710 mischief. However, 

 meeting the same person some time after, he told him the 

 dog, he believed, would prove a good one at last. " How 

 " so ?" demanded his friend ; "it was but the other day that 

 " you said he was good for nothing." — * True i but he has 

 * killed vie nineteen turkies since that^ 



If, owing to a scarcity of foxes, you should stoop your 

 hounds at hare, let them by no means have the blood of 

 herj nor, for the sake of consistency, give them any 

 encouragement. Hare-hunting has one advantage: hounds 

 are chiefly in open ground, where you can easily command 



