26 CASTING FOR WARD 



good run, and quite as fast, wich hounds of this descrip- 

 tion as could be obtained by the use of those of greater 

 height ; and I am convinced that more foxes will 

 be accounted for in such countries with low-sized, 

 musical hounds than with the larger and more flashily 

 bred ones. A sliorht dash of bloodhound cross is in- 

 valuable for such cold-scentingf, non-holdinsf countries. 

 As a rule, huntsmen are far too much addicted to 

 casting forward without any reason, if scent suddenly 

 fails, from a desire to get their hounds clear of the 

 field. My advice is, if you wish to account for a 

 dodging fox or hare, to be patient, lift hounds as little 

 as possible, and work backward rather than forward. 

 I have often, by using a back-cast when hunting a 

 hare, found the latter lying in a tuft of grass a long 

 way behind where the hounds ' threw up,' having 

 returned on her ' foil,' and made a long spring from it 

 into her ' seat.' 



Foxes also often make use of extra cunning tactics, 

 as is well known to be the case. I shall, however, 

 make mention of one or two anecdotes later on, which, 

 even if apparently exaggerated, I am quite inclined to 

 believe, judging from the cunning displayed by a tame 

 one which I kept for several years, I believe that 

 they are as cunning as many human beings, and 

 infinitely more so than any other animal which I ever 

 met with. 



I once watched a vixen teaching: her cubs to hunt 

 water-hens and rats (the cubs were then about two 

 months old), and it was most interesting to notice the 

 tactics she employed in getting down wind so as to 

 avoid being scented or heard, and she accomplished 

 her object just as scientifically as the wariest of stalkers 



