MARKING HOUNDS. 23 



they were bred, or to which litters they belonged. 

 These "private marks," as they are called in the 

 kennel, are generally made on the lips, the deaf ears, 

 or by cutting off the ear-buttons ; another way of 

 marking them is, by dipping a thread into wet gun- 

 powder, or Indian ink, and drawing it with a needle 

 under the inside skin of the ear, in the shape of a T a 

 V an X, or any other device which may take the 

 marker s fancy — it is a neat way of doing the business, 

 and attended with less pain than clipping the lips or 

 ears. "It is the judicious cross," says Mr. Beckford, 

 " that makes the pack complete. The faults and 

 imperfections in one breed may be rectified from 

 another, and if this be properly attended to, I see no 

 reason why the breeding of hounds may not improve 

 till improvement can go no farther." And in another 

 place, he gives the following advice. " In breeding, I 

 would advise you to be as little prejudiced as possible 

 in favour of your own sort, but send your best bitches 

 to the best dogs, be they where they may. Those 

 who breed only a few hounds, may by chance have a 

 good pack, whilst those who breed a good many, may 

 (if at the same time they understand the business) 

 reduce it to a certainty." The custom of sending out 

 bitches to a distance, is attended with a very great 

 expense ; nevertheless, it is the only path to be pur- 

 sued, where the breeding department is on a large 

 scale, and perfection in the pack is the grand deside- 

 ratum. But at the same time the person sent with 

 the bitches should invariably see the operation con- 

 summated, as it is a well known and accredited fact, 

 that the huntsman of one of the first establishments of 



