148 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



\ the same time no one to interrupt them ; which, I be- 

 lieve, for this kind of hunting, is still more essential. I 

 should, however, mention a fault that 1 have observed, and 

 which such hounds must of necessity sometimes be guilty 

 of i that is, running hack the heel. Hounds are naturally 

 ! fond of scent; if they cannot carry it forward, they will 

 turn, and hunt it back again : hounds that are left to 

 themselves, make a fault of this ^ and it is, I think, the 

 only one they commonly have. Though it be certainly 

 best to let your hounds alone, and thereby to give as 

 much scope to their natural instind as you can ; yet, 

 in this particular instance, you should check it mildly ; 

 for, as it is almost an invariable rule in all hunting to 

 nake the head good, you should encourage them to try 

 brward first j which may be done without taking them 

 off their noses, or without the least prejudice to their 

 -■ huntiiig. If trying forward should not succeed, they may 

 then be suffered to fry back again, which you will find 

 them all ready enough to do -, for they are sensible how 

 far they brought the scent, and where they left it. The love 

 of scent is natural to them, and they have infinitely more sa- 

 gacity in it than we ought to pretend to : I have no (foubt 

 that they often think us very obstinate, and very foolish. 



