MR. ivaede's hounds. 193 



whelps to each dam, I had tlieii about twenty-eight 

 couples to send out to walk; but any of these 

 failing, recourse was had to the most promising 

 young bitches to supply the deficiency. The 

 number of puppies bred in many large hunting 

 establishments is excessive, amounting sometimes 

 to nearly a hundred couples ; but as this practice 

 is a great benefit to the generality of small packs 

 in want of draft hounds, these large hound-owners 

 can indulge their fancies in this respect without 

 let or hindrance, and do some service to their less 

 fortunate brother Masters. 



The renowned John Warde, as far as my recol- 

 lection serves me, bred fewer hounds, according to 

 the strength of his pack (hunting four days a week), 

 than any Master in his time ; but, with judgment 

 and experience, the young hounds put forward 

 seldom went amiss. His old huntsman told me 

 that his master often considered a day and a night 

 before finally determining on his match-making, 

 but that his judgment seldom failed either in form 

 or good qualities. It was the fashion to abuse 

 Mr. Warde's hounds, as large, heavy, lumbering 

 animals, with huge heads and coarse neck-cloths ; 

 and it is so far true that some of the dogs were 

 Brobdignags in proportions, A hound called 

 Mimic I well remember, of height and power suf- 



o 



