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THE FOXHOUND. 



free Englishman can hardly walk half-a-mile without being checked by a wall or fence, or 

 a warning notice, the stag has so much the advantage of the hounds and horses that the chase 

 has gradually sunk into comparative disuse. With one or two exceptions, the royal Stag- 

 hounds are now almost the only representatives of this once popiilar and exciting sport. 



Or all the Dogs which are known by the common title of "hound," the Foxhound is the 

 best known. There are few animals which have received more attention than the Foxhound, 

 and none perhaps which have so entirely fulfilled the wishes of its teachers. A well-known 

 sporting author, who writes under the nom deplume of " Stonehenge," remarks, with pardon- 

 able enthusiasm, that "the modern Foxhound is one of the most wonderful animals in creation." 

 The efforts which have been made, and the sums which have been spent, in the endeavor to 

 make this animal as perfect as possible, are scarcely credible. 



FOXHOUND.— Canis famttiaiin. 



Without in the least disparaging any efforts to improve the nature and the character of 

 any animal, we cannot but draw a sad comparison between the unwearying pains that are 

 bestowed upon the condition of the Foxhound, and the neglected state of many a human being 

 in the vicinity of the palatial dog-kennel and the magnificent stables. At one establishment, 

 eight or ten thousand pounds per annum have been expended upon the Dogs and horses, and 

 this for a series of many years. As might be expected, the command of such enormous sums 

 of money, backed by great judgment on the parts of the owners and trainers of hounds, has 

 produced a race of Dogs that for speed, endurance, delicate scent, and high courage, approach 

 as near to absolute perfection as can well be imagined. 



By thus improving the condition of the domesticated Dog, the country has been bene- 

 fited, for it is impossible to improve any inhabitant of a country without conferring a benefit 

 on the land in which it is reared. Still, supposing that half the sums which are annually 

 expended on training Dogs for the amusement of the upper classes had been employed in 

 improving the condition of the uneducated and neglected poor, and had been backed by equal 

 judgment, I cannot but fancy that the country would have received a greater benefit than is 

 conferred upon it by the most admirable pack of hounds that can be conceived. 



It is supposed that the modern Foxhound derives its origin from the old English hound, 

 and its various points of perfection from judicious crosses with other breeds. For example, 

 in order to increase its speed, the greyhound is made to take part in his pedigree, and the 

 greyhound having already some admixture of the bull-dog blood, there is an infusion of stub- 

 bornness as well as of mere speed. 



