HUNTING DIRECTORY. 247 



on Scent. 



hoar frost is very often of short continuance, changeable 

 and uncertain, both as to its time and place of falling ; 

 and hence all those difficulties are easily resolved. Let 

 the huntsman, as soon as he is out of his bed, examme 

 but the glass windows, which commonly discover whether 

 any hoar frost has fallen, what time it came, and in what 

 condition of continuance or gomg off it is for the present. 

 If it appears to have fallen at two, three, or four in the 

 morning, (suppose in the month of October, and other 

 times of the year must be judged of in proportion) and 

 to be going off about day break, it may then be expected 

 that there will be a great difficulty or impossibility of 

 trailing to her seat, because her morning retreat being 

 on the top of the frozen dew, the scent is either dissolved 

 or corrupted with it, or dissipated and exhaled. 'Tis 

 true (after such a night) the dogs will find work in every 

 field, and often hunt in full cry ; but it will be generally 

 backward, and always in vain, her midnight ramblings 

 (which were covered by the frost) being now open, fresh, 

 and fragrant. If the said frost begins later in the morn- 

 ing, after puss is seated, there is nothing to be done till 

 that is gone off; and this is the reason that we often see 

 the whole pack picking out a walk at nine or ten, in the 

 same path where Siveet-lijjs herself could not touch at 

 seven. Again, if the frost began early enough, and con- 

 tinues steadily till you are gotten into the fields, you may 

 then make it good to her seat, as well as at other times 

 on naked ground ; though you must expect to run a 

 great risk of losing her at the going off of the frost, ac- 

 cording to the observations already laid down. 



" It is also to be remembered, that there is no small 

 accidental difference in the very particles of scent; I 



