HARE-HUNTIXG. 293 



or his pointers pottering round him after the manner of 

 spaniels 1 Of course he would not. Why, then, should we, in 

 hunting, expect to bring everything to one dead level, one 

 standard of excellence, let that standard be ever so high ? 

 Somerville knew better, and wrote, — 



A different honnd for every difllerent cliase 

 Select with judgment. 



Even the old blue mottle, slow as he is, has his uses, and 

 there are yet countries where he is the right hound in the right 

 place. There is no country that hounds cannot be bred to 

 suit, and show sport over, but if a man expects all hunting to 

 be like a quick thing with the Quorn, unless his means enable 

 him to go to Melton, he had better turn to some other amuse- 

 ment. Let him not, therefore, look with contempt on men who 

 will hunt under any circumstances rather than not hunt at all — 

 men in whose hearts the love of hounds and their work is so 

 engrafted that hunting in any shape is a pleasure to them. 

 To these ardent spirits it is astonishing what amusement may 

 be derived, even from a pack of foot-beagles, and I, for one, 

 should very much like to see the style of hunting, in which the 

 man who only owns a thick stick, and a pair of hob-nailed 

 boots, can join as well as the owner of a stud of hunters, more 

 prevalent, because I am convinced that the more innocent 

 pleasures are placed within the reach of the public, the better 

 they will be in every way, and I am in accord with the old 

 clergyman who said he had no time to sin in the winter, for lie 

 hunted six days a week, and preached twice on Sundays. 



