3 o8 KENNELS AND KENNEL MANAGEMENT. 



hunting hounds to their regular day's work. If the former, they 

 are brought back to kennel at eleven o'clock, fed, and returned to 

 their regular lodging-room, or in some kennels they are still kept 

 in a separate room during the day and night, always taking care 

 that they are not turned into a room while the floor is damp, and 

 that strict cleanliness is practised nevertheless. The hour of feed- 

 ing is generally fixed for eleven o'clock, but for the day before 

 hunting it should be an hour or two later, varying with the dis- 

 tance they have to travel. Water should be constantly provided, 

 taking care that the troughs are raised above the height at which 

 dogs can pass their urine into it, which they will otherwise be 

 constantly doing. As before remarked, iron troughs are the best. 

 After feeding the hounds should remain quiet for the rest of the 

 day, only stirring them in removing them from their day-room to 

 their night-room, if two are allowed, which, I think, is an excellent 

 practice. 



The food of hounds is composed of meal flavoured with broth, 

 to which more or less flesh is added, or with greaves as a substi- 

 tute when flesh cannot be obtained. The relative value of the 

 various meals is described at page 290, but I may here remark 

 that old oatmeal is the recognised food of hounds, though Indian 

 meal is an excellent substitute. After boiling the flesh till the 

 meat leaves the bones readily, take all out with a pitchfork, and 

 put it to cool, skim all the fat off the broth, and fill up with water 

 to the proper quantity ; next mix the meal carefully with cold 

 water, and then pour this into the hot broth, keeping it con- 

 stantly stirred till it thickens ; after which it should be boiled very 

 gently till it has been on the fire for half an hour, continuing the 

 stirring to prevent its burning. Lastly, draw the fire and ladle out 

 the stuff into the coolers, where it remains till it has set, when 

 it acquires the name with the solidity of "puddings." There 



