THOUGHTS Upon HUNTING. ±() ^ 



i-unnlng, is alvva^^s preferred, in the opinion of a fox-hunter. 

 ?>Iuch depends on the stile in which it is done ; and I think, 

 \vithout being sophistical, a distindiion might be made be- 

 twixt hunting; a fox and fox-huntins;. Two hacknevs be- 

 come not racers by running round a course ; nor does the 

 mere huntin.g; of a fox chanere the nature of the harrier. I 

 have also seen a hare hunte'd by high-bred (ox-hounds ; yet, 

 I confess to you, it gave me not the least idcfa of what hare- 

 hunting ought to be. Certain ideas are necessarily annexed 

 to certain words — this is the use of hmguage — and when a 

 fox-hound is mentiohed, 1 should expeft not only a par- 

 ticular kind of hound, as to make, size, and strength (by 

 which the fox-hound is easy to be distinguished) ; but I 

 should also expecl by fox-huniing, a lively, animated, and 

 eager pursuit, as the very essence of it*. Eagerness and ^ 

 impetuosity are such essentia] parts of this diversion, that ' 

 I am never more surprized than vv-hen I see a fox-hunter ' 

 without them. One hold hard, or reproor, unnecessarily > 



* The six following lines may h.T'.e a dangerous tendency.- Cnly a 

 good sportsman can know when a reproof is given U7tneces$arilj, and only 

 a bad one will be deserving of reproof. This passage, therefore, should 

 be compared with pages 162, 204, 2c6, 223, v/hcre the meaning of the 

 author is very clearly expressed. 



