THEIR DISTINCTIVE FEATURES. 221 



tan. These are of the larger kmd — large hi the 

 head, with heavy ears, long backs, and short legs, 

 and, although not very speedy, sticking like leeches 

 to the scent. 



There is another variety, of hghter colours and 

 lighter action, merry, musical little fellows, more 

 active in their habits and paces, and quite equal 

 to press a hare off her foil ; and these I think far 

 superior to the slow^er sort, unless a man prefers 

 to run round and round half-a-dozen fields all 

 day, like a horse in a mill. I have seen some 

 very clever packs used for hare-hunting, composed 

 entirely of dwarf fox-hounds, from eighteen to 

 twenty inches in height, which in good hunting 

 days would run into their game in twenty or 

 thirty minutes when the hare ran straight ; but 

 on other days, w^ith a bad scent, and short-running 

 hare, they were continually going too far ahead, 

 making their casts in fox-hound style. There is 

 a very prevalent opinion that no dog can hunt a 

 low or bad scent so wxU as a thorough-bred fox- 

 hound. That might have been the case some 

 years ago, before the^^^c^ advocates of the present 

 day repudiated nose or hunting, as quite out of 

 fashion, and unnecessary qualifications. 



The natural dash and flash of the fox-hound 

 have, however, always been, in my opinion, incon- 



