THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 289 



At the beginning of the season, let him be attentive to 

 get his hounds well in blood. As the season advances, 

 and foxes become stoutj, attention then should be given to 

 keeping them as vigorous as possible. It is a great fault, 

 when hounds are suffered to become too high in flesh at 

 the beginning of the season, or tpo low afterwards. 



When a fox is lost, the huntsman, on his return 

 home, should examine into his own conduct, and en- 

 deavour to find in what he might have done better : 

 he may, by this means, make the very loss of a fox of 

 use to him. 



Old tieing hounds, and a hare-hunter turned fox- 

 hunter, are both as contrary to the true spirit of fox- 

 hunting as any thing can possibly be : — one is continu- 

 ally bringing the pack back again ; the other as con- 

 stantly does his best to prevent them from getting forward. 

 The natui^l prejudices of mankind are such, that a man 

 seldom alters his stile of hunting, let him pursue what 

 game he may ; besides, it may be constitutional, as he 

 is himself slow or adive, dull or lively, patient or impa- 

 tient. It is for tliat reason that I objeA to a hare-hunter 



