126 NATURAL HISTORY IN ANECDOTE. 



mentioned places, notwithstanding the multitude of market- 

 people that went along the same road, and of travellers that 

 had occasion to come; and when the bloodhound came to 

 the market town, he passed through the streets without 

 taking notice of any of the people there, and ceased not 

 till he had gone to the house where the man he sought 

 rested himself, and where he found him in an upper room, 

 to the wonder of those who had accompanied him in this 

 pursuit." 

 The Seeut -^ Strong characteristic of the Bloodhound is 

 of the of course his remarkable scent for blood. 

 Bloodhound. "Bloodhounds," says Bingley,. "were formerly 

 used in certain districts lying between England and Scot- 

 land, that were much infested by robbers and murderers; 

 and a tax was laid on the inhabitants for keeping and 

 maintaining a certain number of these animals. Some few 

 are yet kept in the northern parts of the kingdom, and in 

 the lodges of the royal forests, where they are used in pur- 

 suit of deer that have been previously wounded. They are 

 also sometimes employed in discovering deer-stealers, whom 

 they infallibly trace by the blood that issues from the wounds 

 of their victims. A very extraordinary instance of this 

 occurred in the New Forest, in the year 1810, and was 

 related to me by the Right Hon. G. H. Rose. A person, 

 in getting over a stile into a field near the Forest, remarked 

 that there wa« blood upon it. Immediately afterwards he 

 recollected that some deer had been killed, and several 

 sheep stolen in the neighbourhood; and that this might 

 possibly be the blood of one that had been killed in the 

 preceding night. The man went to the nearest lodge to 

 give information; but the keeper being from home, he was 

 under the necessity of going to Rhinefield Lodge, which 

 was at a considerable distance. Toomer, the under-keeper, 

 went with him to the place, accompanied by a bloodhound. 

 The dog, when brought to the spot, was laid on the scent; 



Digitized by Microsoft® 



