THE HISTORY OF THE BEL VOIR HUNT 



by their marvellous family resemblance. That likeness is 

 much more than a mere resemblance in looks, for it is the 

 outward sign of a similarity of pace, nose, and drive, and 

 therefore represents the capacity of the units of the pack to 

 work together for a common end, and is an illustration of 

 that subtle unity in plurality which causes both men and 

 animals to be stronger and more capable when working 

 together than when single, and makes the united force of an 

 association a greater power than the sum of the individual 

 qualities of its members. This power of combination in a 

 pack of hounds is, of course, based on the habits inherited 

 from primitive days. Dr. Louis Robinson brings this out 

 well in his interesting book, IVz'/d Traits m Tame Animals, 

 and also in an excellent article, interesting to all sportsmen, 

 published in Pearson^s Magazine,^ in which he says : — 



" It would be quite impossible for wild dogs to succeed in 

 capturing their usual prey without leadership and discipline. 

 Hence the dog is ready in acknowledging authority and in 

 observing the rules of the ' pack.' When elaborate stratagems 

 had to be carried out in order to secure some strong or 

 cunning victim, general intelligence, and especially a readi- 

 ness to understand what was required of him, were necessary 

 in every member of the band. . . . 



" Now, can we find anything useful in tail-wagging ? Has 

 the reader ever noticed what takes place when hounds first 

 discover the scent of a fox? Long before they give vocal 

 testimony, their tails begin to wag in the most emphatic 

 manner. Now the tips of the tails of all hounds are white, 

 whatever may be the colours of their bodies, and the same 

 is true of young wolves and of most foxes. When these 

 animals are hunting, their tails are invariably carried high, 

 as if they wished to display them to view. Thus, on inves- 

 tigation, tail-wagging resolves itself into a species of signal- 

 ling. When the dogs are hunting among long grass their 

 heads and bodies are concealed, but the tails, ever waving 

 aloft, easily catch the eye of those in the rear." 



It is more than probable that this understanding would be 

 * January, 1899. Vol. vii., No. 37, pp. 40, 41. 

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