320 THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 



ther : — it Is not always so, when you are told the number 

 of foxes they have killed. If you ask a Frenchman, What 

 age he is of? he will tell you that he is in good health. In 

 like manner, when I am asked, How many brace of 

 foxes my hounds have killed ? I feel myself inclined to say, 

 the hounds are good; an answer v/hich, in my opinion, 

 goes more im.mediately to the spirit of the question than 

 any other that I could give ; since the number of foxes* 

 heads is, at best, but a presumptive proof of the goodness 

 of the hounds. In a country neighbouring to mine, foxes 

 are difficult to be killed, and not easy to be found ; and 

 the gentlemen who hunt that country, are very well con- 

 tented when they kill a dozen brace of foxes in a season. 

 My hounds kill double that number :, ought it to be in- 

 ferred from thence that they are twice as good ? 



All countries are not equally favourable to hounds. 

 1 hunt in three, all as different as it is possible to be; 

 and the sane hounds that behave well in one, sometimes 

 appear to behave indifferently in another. Were the most 

 famous pack, therefore, to change their good country for 

 the bad one I here allude to (though, without doubt. 



