HARRIERS AND FOX-HOUNDS 157 



or fancy of the Master, I will, as next in order, give my 

 ideas of the animal to be employed in this chase. 

 Thorough-bred fox-hounds do not become harriers by 

 merely running hares ; neither will harriers become fox- 

 hounds by chasing a fox. The two breeds are quite 

 distinct, or at least were so a few years since ; and in 

 some parts of England, but particularly in Wales, original 

 packs of harriers are to be found without any mixture of 

 fox-hound blood ; and these, in my opinion, are the best 

 hounds for the purpose. The distinguishing colours of 

 the primitive race are blue-mottled, fawn, or black and 

 tan. These are of the larger kind — large in 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 lighter 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 slower 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, with 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 well as a thorough-bred fox-hound. That might have 

 been the case some years ago, before the pace 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. 



