170 



HUNTING IN THE SNOW. 



which may be down in their eyes, or such as may have 

 had fits, should have a little blood taken from them, and 

 all of them may have a little dressing rubbed on their 

 arms, briskets, flanks, elbows, and hocks ; a moderate 

 dose of salts may then be administered, with which some 

 mix syrup of buckthorn, it is a very strong purgative, 

 but I am convinced it is a thing which the stomach is 

 a long time getting rid of, which is evident by the 

 manner in which hounds lap water, when out, for 

 many days after, therefore no favourite of mine. 

 Strong exercise, after the effects of the physic have 

 worked off, must be given, for at least six or seven 

 hours daily. Perhaps I may be singular in my opinion, 

 and not so happy as to persuade others to imbibe the 

 same taste ; but I should prefer hunting the whole of 

 the long frosts, providing there was snow sufficient to 

 counteract the concussion from the hard ground. One 

 anecdote I have recorded of kiUing a fox in the snow, 

 which was ancle deep, and I can assure my readers, 

 that I have repeatedly gone out in large woodlands, 

 when it lay much thicker on the ground, and enjoyed 

 excellent sport; of course I am not trying to prove 

 that it is as practicable for a man to ride over a country 

 in a deep snow as in open weather; but I am thoroughly 

 convinced from experience, that hounds had much 

 better be employed in rummaging the extensive dis- 

 trict of woods which some hunting countries are blessed 

 with, during a long frost, providing the snow is suf- 

 ficiently deep, than crawling about the lanes and roads 

 in the immediate vicinity of their kennel for two short 

 hours and spending the rest of the day on their benches, 

 while the men who have the care of them are getting 



