August 29, 1 9 14 
LAND AND WA T E R 
Copy/ight, Sport and General 
pursuit of a hound which was running a hare, he pulled him 
up with the remark : " Let him alone ; he'll stop soon enough 
when he sees what he is after." And so it proved ; but there 
are not many huntsmen at the present day who conduct their 
early operations on quite such lenient principles. Still, 
even now there are men who let their puppies start 
by hunting whatsoever they like so long as they do hunt 
something, and afterwards by degrees stop them from all 
kinds of riot. 
Opinions vary also as to the size of the pack to take into 
the large woodlands. A few- Masters even now believe to 
some extent in the doctrine which used to be held by owners 
of strong kennels in the early days — that of starting cub- 
hunting with very large packs. I believe it w^as Mr. Meynell, 
again, who began by taking as many as eighty couple into 
the field in August. No doubt it was sweet to the ears of a 
keen hunting man to hear the woodlands echo with the music 
of such an enormous number of hounds. And how they 
must have made the startled foxes fly ! But Mr. Meynell 
discovered that better results could be obtained with a far 
smaller pack, and he soon brought the number down to about 
thirty couple. Still, there are Masters to-day who believe 
in making quite a call upon the resources of their kennel, 
when the early work begins in the extensive woodlands. 
The B!i Woods First 
It has been said — but I have never known an instance 
myself — that some Masters are disposed to think that by 
" nursing " the big coverts instead of hunting them, they 
are more likely to find in them and have good sport from them 
in winter. It would be a huge mistake, for, as the author 
of " Notitia Venatica " laid down, so long as there is a chance 
"of finding and killing foxes in the larger woodlands during 
the first part of cubhunting at all events, hounds should on 
no account be taken to draw small spinneys. Perhaps 
there are easy-going short-sighted huntsmen who prefer 
small coverts to large ones, if they hold enough cubs to 
provide his young hounds with a lesson and a sufficiency 
of blood. But I have never met the Master who allowed 
the big woodlands to be neglected during September when 
there was a chance to draw them. 
And that recalls the fact that in some countries all the 
big woodlands unfortunately are not open to hounds during 
cubhunting. There are shooting men who loyally see to it 
that a few litters of foxes are reared in their woodlands, 
realising that the loss of game they occasion is not after all 
serious. Yet they cherish a dislike to hounds drawing their 
coverts before the shooting parties have been held, and in 
so acting they largely discount the value of their generous 
services in preserving foxes. The drawing of the cove ts 
during cubhunting makes all the difference in the world 
to the sport later in the season, and it is quite a mistake to 
imagine that shooting prospects suffer thereby in any material 
degree. A few pheasants may desert the disturbed coverts 
for the time being, but they are quickly back in their original 
haunts. This has been proved again and again, and j^hooting 
AN EXPECTANT FIELD 
in October and November certainly cannot suffer at all by 
visits of the hounds in the latter part of August and the 
beginning of September. 
Education for the Youn^ Follower 
If during this preliminary campaign there are far smaller 
fields than usual — in fact, if those who come out to see the 
early morning work in the coverts are confined to a few 
farmers and sporting residents — so much better for the Masters 
and their huntsmen. The class of sportsmen who get the 
real enjoyment out of cubhunting arc what may be called 
the scientific sportsmen, the genuine houndmen. These it 
is who love to see the young entry at work, and to watch 
the progress of their education day by day. There are 
pleasures and delights in September woodland hunting 
which the man who hunts to ride cannot detect or appreciate, 
and large promiscuous crowds at the covert-side during 
cubhunting are often an intolerable nuisance. We wish 
to make no acquaintance with our familiar friends the 
"tailers " and thrusters until November is here ; we do not 
wish to have recalled yet what it is to put up with the jostling 
and jamming at the gaps and gates. 
Cubhunting no more exists for the Young Rapids 
of the chase than does the rehearsal at the theatre for the 
ungodly gods. Yet when September is advanced, and the 
cubs begin to fly at the first challenge, then may some of 
the recruits among the field be the better for an occasional 
morning with the hounds. They will learn more perhaps 
in an hour than they would in a week in the hunting field in 
mid-winter ; they may learn to appreciate some of the 
difficulties of hounds and huntsmen ; they may be steadied 
by a few mild ratings and expostulations on the part of those 
in authority. There is then something to be said for a field 
during cubhunting, for if the cubs and the puppies that 
have been put on benefit by gradual initiation into what 
is expected of them, why not also the young follower of 
hounds. No one wants to see cubhunting become a fashion- 
able amusement, and I think harm may often come — does 
come — from the advertising of cubhunting meets in the 
local newspapers long before the preliminary business has 
taken on the semblance of the Real Thing, nevertheless, when 
September has almost run its course, and October darts 
in the open are being anticipated, surely the young sportsman 
and sportswoman genuinely anxious to learn the game 
should not be discouraged. Cubhunting is a fine prepara- 
tory school all round, and the character of the coming season 
will depend very much upon how the lessons are learnt in 
the next six or eight weeks. Unhappily the war has broken 
out, and the whole prospect of hunting has been clouded over 
this autumn. We must look beyond this winter for a return 
to the normal aspect for our national sport. In the meantime 
let us congratulate ourselves that such a sport has so long 
flourished in these islands, providing us with a ready means of 
securing horses in a time of national emergency and so many 
brilliant horsemen with the valour and spirit to serve their 
country in a terrible crisis such as the present. 
967 
