HUNTING DIRECTORY. ^55 



Influence of the Wind on Scent. 



with a soft southern wind, for instance) the hounds will 

 run breast high over good land, and on such occasions 

 the scent will be found much superior even on the worst 

 land. When the scent is most propitious to the sports- 

 man's hopes, it would seem to float for a considerable 

 time at that precise elevation as to enable the hound to 

 run with his utmost speed, (as Beckford has noticed) : 

 the particles of scent not only adhere to the herbage and 

 other obstacles with which they come in contact on the 

 immediate line of the chase, but float and fill up a con- 

 siderable space, as is clearly proved by many of the 

 hounds very frequently running breast high at an evident 

 distance to the windward of the line of the chase. On 

 the contrary, when the scent is bad (as with a cold, 

 harsh, easterly wind) it can be made out (if at all) only 

 by thorough line-hunting hounds ; while those dogs, 

 which, under other circumstances, ran so brilliantly, are 

 not able to recognise it. Experience convinces every 

 sportsman that, over fallows or beaten roads, scent never 

 lies well : the reason is evident : — there is no herbage or 

 other attractive objects to detain the floating particles, 

 and the consequence is, that if the hounds do not follow 

 on over such places immediately after the chase has 

 passed, they are not able to hunt — the scent has been 

 dissipated. Scent will continue, precisely according to 

 the air or atmosphere, for a longer or a shorter period. 

 Whenever the chase brushes against a number of ob- 

 stacles, as when running amongst heath, for instance, 

 the scent cannot be otherwise than excellent; (unless 

 the atmosphere be vei'y unfavourable indeed ;) nor can 

 a fox stand up long before the hounds under such cir- 

 cumstances : renard seems conscious of the advantage 



