THOLTGHTS UPON HUNTING. 2/1 



taught, will cast forward to a hedge, of their own ac<:ord ; 

 but you may assure youfself that this excehence is never 

 acquired by such as are left entirely to thsniseives. To 

 suu'jf a pack of fox-houncU to hunt through a flock of 

 sheep, when it is easy to make <i. regular cast round them, is, 

 in my judgment, very unnecessary : it is wilfully losing 

 time to no purpose. 1 have, indeed, been told, that 

 hounds at no time should be taken off their noses -. I shall 

 only say, in answer to this, that a fox-hound who will 

 not bear lifting, is not worth the keeping ; and, I will 

 venture to say, it should be made part of his education. 



Though I like to see fox-hounds cast wide and for- 

 ward, and dislike to see them pick a cold scent throu^-h 

 flocks of sheep to no purpose ; yet 1 must beg leave to 

 observe, that I dislike still more to see that unaccountable 

 hurry, which liuntsmen will sometimes put themselves into 

 the moment their hounds are at fault. Time ought always 

 to be allowed them to make their own cast j and, if 

 a huntsman be judicious, he will take that opportunity 

 to consider what part he himself has next to ad : but, 

 instead of this, I have seen hounds hurried away the very 

 instant they came to a flmit ; a wide cast made ; and th.' 



