530 BIG GAME OF NORTH AMERICA. 



from the operation at an age subsequent to sexual develop- 

 ment. They are as fast as the best dogs; their scenting 

 powers are equal to any; their sagacity in managing the 

 working of a Fox in all its details can not be surpassed; 

 they are easier to break and train; they are quiet about 

 home, and seldom go off, on their own hook, to observe the 

 country and make mental notes of the grazing-fields of a 

 neighbor' s sheep. It is certain they are far less prone to 

 mischief than dogs. In the matter of tongue, they gener- 

 ally incline to treble, and their notes are often of a flute- 

 like sweetness. In the matter of endurance, they are not 

 surpassed. These observations are the results of personal 

 knowledge based on a wide experience. 



The color of hounds is a matter of taste. I have known 

 great Fox-dogs of almost every variety of color. The best 

 I ever knew were black-and-tans; the handsomest and 

 deepest-mouthed were hounds of the old blue-mottled breed 

 from the famous Crawford pack of Maryland. I should 

 say color is a matter of taste, music a matter of science in 

 selection, speed a thing to be tested, and it, as well as 

 endurance, belongs to particular strains. If you want to 

 breed a litter of Red Fox hounds, you will have to breed 

 the fastest bitch to be had to the fastest dog. You can do 

 it successfully in that way, and in no other. 



There are few strains of hounds, perhaps, now living, 

 which are at all reliable to kill a Red Fox. I do not 

 believe that any dogs bred, owned, trained, and run in Eng- 

 land can kill our Red Foxes. It is not by resort to 

 importations, therefore, that Red Fox dogs are to be had 

 here. They must be bred from the few American strains 

 which have demonstrated their ability to kill American 

 Red Foxes. This is no random, unsupported notion. I 

 have seen many imported dogs run, and never saw one 

 capable of staying with our own best packs. 



No doubt this declaration will bring loud jeers from 

 some people. Very well, let them jeer; I have no objection 

 to that sort of thing. In this matter, I feel that I know 

 what I am talking about. In the matter of size, English 



