FOREWORD 



Since pre-Revolutionary days chase of the 

 fox in America has been pursued with enthusiasm. 

 In the North usually with a single slow moving, 

 rather small, generally black and tan hound of long 

 ears — the object being to shoot reynard in his run- 

 way. In portions of Pennsylvania the hound varies 

 from his northern brother, having greater size and 

 longer ears. Further south in Virginia and Ken- 

 tucky, hounds have been bred for generations for 

 their racing qualities, and there a hound not dis- 

 similar to the English Foxhound of a hundred and 

 fifty years ago, has been developed. In this part of 

 the country a chase with the hounds is usually re- 

 ferred to as a "race." The several indigenous 

 American forms of foxhunting do not include the 

 practice of riding straight 'cross country. The 

 northern hunter goes on foot while the southern, 

 although usually mounted, hardly ever jumps— gates 

 and lowered rails allowing progress to points of 

 vantage from which the hounds can be heard. This 

 mode of hunting hounds is known as "hill topping," 

 the object being to test the powers of the hounds, 

 not riding. 



It was only a few years ago, hardly a quarter 

 of a century, since riding straight to hounds became 

 in any sense popular. About that time there began 

 to be developed in America hunting organizations 

 which adopted from England and Ireland certain 

 superficialities of the highly developed sport in those 

 countries without, in most cases, adopting the broad 

 and democratic views, the responsibilities and thor- 

 ough organization of the hunts of Great Britain. 



One of the most detrimental things that could 

 have occurred to organized hunting in America was 



