^^ 
 
 
 r^ 
 
 ':^' 
 
 V.-C 
 
 i 
 
<5 
 
 ^ €-6 
 
 .D-^ 
 
 Harvard College 
 Library 
 
 By Exchange 
 
OUGHTS 
 
 O N 
 
 H U N T I N G. 
 
 IN A SERIES OF 
 
 FAMILIAR LETTERS 
 
 TO A FRIEND. 
 
 SI QUID NOVISTI RECTIUS ISTIS, 
 
 Candidus imperti : si non, his utere mecum. — 
 
 Hor 
 
 SARUM: PRINTED BY E. E AS TON: 
 
 SOLD BY P. ELMSLY, IN THE STRAND; J. RIDLEY, St. J,AMES'b 
 
 STREET; LONDON. 
 
 AND W. SOLLERS, BLAND FORD. 
 
 MDCCLXXXI, 
 
W\ 
 
^ >*- S^ S*' Vfr' ^ S^ **- ^ *** "^ ^Or' g , 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 Following LETTERS. 
 
 LETTER 1. Page i. 
 
 I'hefubjeSf introduced — Hunting recommended not as an enter^ 
 taining exercife only, but aljo as a whole/ome one — Cervantes, 
 and the Spectator y their opinion of hunting — For whom thefe 
 letters are intended —Explanation of the frontifpiece„ 
 
 LETTER II. Page 17. 
 
 l^he kennel defcribed in all its parts. — "Plan and elevation of 
 onCy two plates J page 324. 
 
 LETTER III. Page 29. 
 
 Of hounds in general— Hounds of the middle fize recojnmended 
 
 — Aperfe5l hound defcribed—^Skirters dif approved of—^Some 
 
 ohje^ions to a large pack, 
 
 b LET- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER IV. Page 40. 
 
 Of feeding hounds ^ and managing them in the kennel — of the 
 feeder. — 
 
 LETTER V. Page sS- 
 
 Of breeding hounds y and naming them — Of the treatment of 
 the whelpSy ivhen firfi taken into the kennel — Of rounding 
 theniy and fpaying bitches — Of the number necejfary to keep 
 up the ftock-—A lifl of names. 
 
 LETTER VL Page ^6. 
 
 Of coupling young hounds y and breaking them from fheep — Of 
 the entering them.-rr' 
 
 LETTER VII. Page 87. 
 I'he fame fubjeSi continued — different methods of entering young 
 fox-hounds defcribed— -Entering them at the i/nartern cat re- 
 commended — Entering them at hare cenfured. 
 
 LETTER VIII. Page 108. 
 
 Of difeafes and their remedies — A curious prefcription for the 
 
 cure of the mange, either in man, or beajl — Obfervations on 
 
 madnefs. 
 
 LET- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER IX* Page 123. 
 Of the hunt/many and whifper-iri'-^Ohfervations on /cent. 
 
 LETTER X. Page 134. 
 
 Hare-hunting dejcribed in all its parts-^^Of the kind of hound 
 heft Juited to that diver/ton — Of the hefi method of hunting 
 them — Of the trail in a morning — Of hare-finders — A par- 
 ticular method of hare-hunting related — curious advice about 
 dreffmg a hare. 
 
 LETTER XL Page 148. 
 
 Hare-hunting continued — ^he many fhifts which a hare makes 
 defcribed — A hint to fuch /port/men, as continue talking y when 
 their hounds are at a fault — Chopping hares cenfured; di- 
 re^iions how to prevent it-^Of the harmony of a pack-^A 
 hint to fuch fportfmen as ride over their hounds. 
 
 LETTER Xn. Page 158. 
 
 Of a hare-warren — 'The hares how caught-— Beft ?nethod of 
 turning them out — How a hare may be made to run ftrait—^ 
 Time to leave off hare-hunting — Of ftag-hunting at Turin. 
 
 b 2 LET. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 LETTER XIII. Page 164. 
 'The defer iption of afox-chace attempted. 
 
 LETTER XIV. Page 175. 
 
 Remarks on the foregoing letter — when an early hour is recom- 
 mended — Some ohfervations on the drawing of hounds-^A 
 gentleman^ s extraordinary knowledge of huntings 
 
 LETTER XV. Page 186. 
 
 Remarks on letter 13 th continued — Soms directions to the 
 huntfmany and whipper-in — Of fiile in killing a fox — Of 
 changing from one fox to another — Rules to he ohfervedy when 
 this happens — Some ohfervations o^ the cafiing of hounds — 
 Riding too clofe upon them cenfured, 
 
 LETTER XVI. Page 196. 
 
 Remarks on letter i^th fill continued— ^Of halloos — Some re- 
 markahle inflances of them — When a fox ought not to he given 
 up— When is the hefl time to eat him. 
 
 LETTER XVII. Page 204. 
 
 A digreffion in favour of fox-hunting — View hallooSy when too 
 frequently given, cenfured— Of Jlopping the tail hounds, and 
 
 throw- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 throwing them in at head-^OfJkirters, when they do hurt — 
 IFhen foxes are in too great plenty ^ how to difperfe them — 
 A Frenchman's opinion of a fox-chace. 
 
 LETTER XVIII. Page 215. 
 
 When an excellent whipper-in may be of more ufe than an ex- 
 cellent hunt/man — Duty of a whipper-in — Of Jleadinefs — Of 
 hounds that kill fheep — A curious letter from a huntfman. 
 
 LETTER XIX. Page 233, 
 How a hunt/man Jhould draw his hounds. 
 
 LETTER XX. Page 251. 
 
 How he fhould cajl his hounds — What confiitutes a perfect 
 
 huntfman. 
 
 LETTER XXI. Page 271. 
 
 A hare-hunter^ an improper huntfman to a pack of fox -hounds 
 — T^he harrier, and the fox-hound, in what they materially 
 differ — Much encouragement to hounds, on had fcenting days, 
 objected to. ' 
 
 L E T- 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTER XXII. Page 282. 
 
 Blood necejfary to a pack of fox-hounds — ^he likeliefi method 
 to frocure it — Of accidents that happen in fox-hunting — Of 
 the proper time to leave off fox-hunting-^ A wanton defiruc- 
 tion of foxes cenfured — An extraordinary character of a 
 huntfman, ' 
 
 LETTER XXIII. Page 300. 
 
 Bag-foxes^ fome ohjeUions to them — A fox -court recommended 
 "--Bire^ions how cubs fhould he treated — Some caution ne- 
 cejfary in buying foxes — Of digging foxes — Badgers objected 
 to-^A method tojiink an earth — Hoiv badgers may be caught 
 — Of terriers — Of dejlroying foxes — A re?narkable injlance 
 of the lex talionis. 
 
 LETTER XXIV. Page 315. 
 
 Siibjedi concluded — Some objervations concerting the management 
 of a hunter — Summer hunting vbjeSied to — Virgil, Horace j 
 Pliny, their opinion of a country life — Hunting not Jo dan- 
 gerous as it is thought to be — Some curious quotations from 
 other authors — A hunting Jong. 
 
 THOUGHTS 
 
THOUGHTS 
 
 O N 
 
 HUNTING. 
 
 IN A SERIES OF LETTERS. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 Y, 
 
 Brlflol Hot- Wells, March 20, 1779. 
 
 O U could not have chofen, my Friend, a 
 better time than the prefent, to remind me of my 
 promife to fend you my Thoughts on Hunting j for the 
 accident that brought me hither is likely to detain me 
 fome time, nor have I any longer an excufe for not 
 obeying your commands : Indeed I have hitherto excufed 
 myfelf, in hopes fome publication or other on that fub- 
 je6t might have rendered thefe letters unneceflary j but 
 as nothing of the kind has appeared, notwithftanding 
 it is fo much wanted, I am myfelf at this time, fuffici- 
 
 B ently 
 
t THOUGHTS ON 
 
 ently idle to undertake the tafk, nor fhall I think it a 
 trifling fubjeft to write on, if you think it a neceflary 
 one : I wifh the experience I have had of that diverfion, 
 may enable me to anfwer the many queftions you arc 
 pleafed to make concerning it. 
 
 Knowing your partiality to rhyme, I could wifh to 
 fend you my thoughts in verfej but as this would take 
 me longer time, without anfwering your purpofe better, 
 I muft beg you to accept them in humble profe — in my 
 opinion, better fuited to the fubjedt. Didaftic eflays 
 Ihould be as little clogged as pofTible ; they ihould pro- 
 ceed regularly, and clearly j Ihould be eafily written, 
 and as eafily underflood, having lefs to do with words, 
 than things. The game of crambo is out of fafhion, to 
 the no fmall prejudice of the rhyming tribe i and before 
 I could find a rhyme to ^orringefj I Ihould hope to fi- 
 nilh a great part of thefe letters. I Ihall therefore with- 
 out further delay, proceed upon them : This however 1 
 mult defire to be firfl underftood between us, that when, 
 to fave trouble to us both I fay a thing /j, without- 
 'tacking a falvo to the tail of it, fuch as, in my opinion-^ 
 
 to the 
 
HUNTING. 3 
 
 to the heji of my judgment ^ &c. &c. — you Ihall not call my 
 humility in queftion, as the aflertion is not meant to be 
 mathematically certain. When I have any better au- 
 thority than my own, fuch as Somervile for inftance, 
 (who by the bye, is the only one I believe, who has 
 written on this lubjedt to be underftood), I Ihall take 
 the liberty of giving it you in his own words, to fave 
 you the trouble of turning to him. 
 
 You may remember perhaps, when we were hunt- 
 ing together at Turin, and the hounds had loft the ftag, 
 and the piqueurs, (ftill more in fault than they), knew 
 not which way to try, the King bid them ask Milord 
 Anglois \ — nor is it to be wondered at if an Engliftiman 
 fhould be thought to underftand the art of hunting, 
 when the hounds this country produces are univerfally 
 allowed to be the beft in the whole world — from which, 
 I think this inference may be drawn, that although eve- 
 ry man who follows this diverlion may not underftand 
 it, yet that it is extraordinary of the many that do, that 
 one only of any note fhould have written on the fub- 
 jeft. — It is rather unfortunate for me that the ingenious 
 B 2 iportfman 
 
4 T H O UGH T S ON 
 
 fportfman fhould have preferred writing an elegant poem'> 
 to an ufeful leflbn -, fince if he had pleafed, he might 
 eafily have faved me the trouble of writing thefe letters. 
 Is it not ftrange that in a country where the prefs is in 
 one continued labour with opinions of almoft every kind, 
 from the moft ferious and inftrufbive, to the moft ridi- 
 culous and trifling; a country befides, fo famous for 
 the beft hounds, and the beft horfes to follow them, 
 whofe authors fometimes hunt, and whofe fportfmen 
 fometimes write, that only the pradical part of hunting 
 fliould be underftood ?— -There is however no doubt but 
 the praftical part of it would be improved, were theory 
 to accompany it. 
 
 France, Germany, and Italy, are alfo filent, I believe, 
 on this fubjed, though each of thefe countries has had 
 its fportfmen. Foxes it is true they never hunt, and 
 hares but feldom ; yet the ftag and wild boar both in 
 France and in Germany are ftill purfued with the ut- 
 moft fplendour and magnificence. In Italy, I believe, 
 there has been no hunting fince the. death of the Duke 
 of Partna ; he was very fond of it, and I apprehend all 
 
 hunting 
 
HUNTING. 5 
 
 hunting in that country ceafed with him. The only 
 fjportfmen now remaining are gentlemen in green coats, 
 who taking their couteaux de chajfe along with them, 
 walk into the fields to catch fmall birds, which they call 
 andar a la caccia^ or in plain Englifh going a hunting', 
 yet it has not been fo with horfemanfhip ; that has been 
 treated fcientifically by all— In Italy by Pignatelli, — In 
 Germany by Ifenboiirg, — and in France by La Gueriniere : 
 *— Nor -are the ufeful leflbns of the Duke of Newcaftle 
 confined to this country only -, they are both read and 
 pradtifed every where ; nor is he the only noble lord who 
 has written on the fubjeft. — While on hunting, all are 
 filent; and were it not for the mufe of Somervile, 
 which has fo judicioufly and fo fweetly fung, the dog, 
 that ufeful, that honefl, that faithful, that difintercfled, 
 that entertaining animal, would be fuffered to pafs 
 unnoticed and undiftinguifhed. 
 
 A Northern court once indeed did honor this animal 
 with a particular mark of approbation and refpedl ; but 
 the fidelity of the dog has fince given place to the fa- 
 gacity of the elephant. Naturalifts, it is true, have in- 
 
 xrluded 
 
^ THOUGHTS ON 
 
 eluded dogs in the fpecific defcriptions they have given 
 us of animals. — Authors may have written on hunting, 
 and bookfellers may know many, that to fportfmen arc 
 unknown — but I again repeat that I know not any writer, 
 antient or modern, from the time of Nimrod to the 
 prefent day (one only excepted) who has given any ufe- 
 ful information to a fportfman. 
 
 It may be obje(5led, that the hunting of a pack of 
 hounds depends on the huntfmanj and that the huntf- 
 man, generally fpeaking, is an illiterate fellow, who fel- 
 dom can either read, or write j — This cannot well be 
 denied. — I muft therefore obferve, that it is impoflible the 
 bufinefs of a kennel fhould go on as it ought, unlefs 
 the mafter hinpfelf knows fomething of it; for there mull 
 be an underflanding fomewhere ; nor can any gentleman 
 enjoy this noble diverfion in perfe6tion without it. 
 
 It is the opinion of a great fportfman, that it is as 
 difficult to find a perfedl huntfman, as a good prime 
 minifter. Without taking upon me to determine what 
 requifites may be neceffary to form a good prime mi- 
 nifter. 
 
HUNTING. 7 
 
 nifter, I will defcribe fome of thofe which are efTentially 
 necelTary towards making a perfe<5t huntfman j qualities 
 which, I will venture to fay, would not difgrace more 
 brilliant fituations : — fuch as a clear head, nice obfer- 
 vation, quick apprehenfion, undaunted courage, flrcngth 
 of conftitution, adivity of body^ a good ear, and a 
 good voice. 
 
 There is not any one of thofe branches of knowledge, 
 commonly dignified with the title of arts, which has not 
 its rudiments or principles, through which a competent 
 knowledge, if not perfeftion, may be obtained : whereas 
 hunting, the fole bufmefs of fome, and the amufement 
 of the greatell part of the youth of this kingdom, feems 
 left alone to chance. Its purfuit puts us both to great- 
 er expence, and greater inconvenience than any thing 
 befides, and yet we truft our diverfion in it to the fole 
 guidance of a huntfman : We follow juft as he choofes 
 to lead us ; and we fuffer the fuccefs, or difappointmenc 
 of the chafe to depend folely on the judgment of a 
 fellow, who is frequently a greater brute than the crea- 
 ture on which he rides. I would not be uudprflood to 
 
 C mean 
 
« THOUGHTS ON 
 
 mean by this, that an huntfman fiiould be a fcholar, 
 or that every gentleman Ihould hunt his own hounds : 
 A huntfman need not be a man of letters ; but give me 
 leave to fay, that had he the bed underftanding, he 
 would frequently find opportunities of exercifing it, and 
 intricacies which might put it to the tefl. You will fay, 
 perhaps, there is fomething too laborious in the occu- 
 pation of a huntfman for a gentleman to take it upon 
 himfelf ; you may alfo think that it is beneath him ; I 
 agree with you in both, — yet I hope, he may have leave 
 
 to underftand it. If he follows the diverfion, it is a 
 
 fign of his liking it j and if he likes it, furely it is fome 
 difgrace to him to be ignorant of it. 
 
 - I FIND it will not be neceflary to fay much to recom- 
 mend a diverfion to you, which you fo profefledly 
 admire -, it would be needlefs therefore to enumerate 
 the heroes of antiquity who were taught the art of hunt- 
 ing, or the many great men, among whom was the fa- 
 mous Galen, who join in recommending it. I Ihall 
 however, remind you that your beloved hero, Henry the 
 Fourth of France, made it his chief amufement, and his 
 
 very 
 
HUNTING. 9 
 
 very love letters, ftrange as it may appear, are full of 
 little elfe : and that one of the greateft minilters this 
 country ever produced, was fo fond of this diverfion, that 
 the firfl: letter he opened, as 1 have been told, was gene- 
 rally that of his huntfinan. — In mofl countries, from the 
 earliefl times, hunting has been a principal occupation 
 of the people, either for ufe or amufemcnt, and many 
 princes have made it their chief delights — a circumftance 
 which occafioned the following hon mot. — Louis the Fif- 
 teenth was fo paflionately fond of this diverfion, that it 
 occupied him intirely^ the King of PrufTia, who never 
 hunts, gives up a great deal of his time to mufic, and 
 plays himfelf on the flute : A German, lad war meeting 
 a Frenchman, afked him very impertinently, "^ Jon 
 " maitre chajfoit toujours ? "— " ouiy ouiy* repliqua Tautre — 
 
 " // ne jone jamais de la flute, The reply was excellent, 
 
 but it would have been as well, perhaps, for mankind, if 
 that great man had never been otherwife employed.— 
 Hunting is the foul of a country life; it gives health to 
 the body, and content to the mind, and is one of the 
 few pleafures we can enjoy in fociety, without prejudice 
 either to ourfclves, or our friends. 
 
 C 2 Th£ 
 
lo THOUGHTS ON 
 
 The Speftator has drawn with infinite humour the 
 character of a man who pafles his whole life in purfuit of 
 trifles ; and I have no doubt, other Will Wimbles might 
 ftill be found. I hope however he did not think they 
 were confined to the country only. Triflers there are of 
 every denomination. — Are we not ail triflers ? and are we 
 not told that all is vanity ? — The Spedtator without doubt 
 felt great compafTion for Mr. Wimble ; yet Mr. Wimble, 
 might not have been a proper obje<fb of itj fince it is more 
 than probable he was a happy man, if the employing of 
 his time in obliging others, and pleafing himfelf can be 
 thought to have made him fo : — Whether vanity mifleads 
 us or not in the choice of our purfuits, the pleafures or 
 advantages which refult from them, will bell determine. 
 —I fear the occupation of few gentlemen will allow of 
 nice fcrutiny j occupations therefore that amufe, and are 
 at the fame time innocent, that promote exercife and 
 conduce to health, though they may appear trifles in the 
 eyes of others, certainly are not fo to thofe who enjoy 
 them : of this number I think 1 may reckon hunting; and 
 I am particularly glad the fame author furnifhes a quo- 
 tation in fupport of it; "for my own part," fays this 
 
 elegant 
 
HUNTING.' M 
 
 elegant writer, " I intend to hunt twice a week during 
 ** my ftay with Sir Roger j and fhall prefcribe the mode- 
 " rate ufe of this exercife to all my country friends, as the 
 " beft phyfic for mending a bad conflitution, and prefer- 
 " ving a good one. " — The inimitable Cervantes, alfo 
 makes honourable mention of this diverfion. He makes 
 Sancho fay — " mercy on me what pleafure can you find, 
 " any of ye all, in killing a poor beaft that never meant 
 " any harm ? " that the Duke may reply, — " you are 
 *' miftaken, Sancho i hunting wild beafts is the mofl pro- 
 " per excercife for knights and princes; for in the chace 
 " of a ftout noble beaft, may be reprefented the whole 
 *' art of war, ftratagems, policy, and ambufcades, with 
 " all other devices ufually pra6bifed to overcome an enemy 
 "with fafety. Here we are expofed to the extremities 
 " of heat and cold ; eafe and lazinefs can have no room 
 " in this diverfion -, by this we are inured to toil and hard- 
 " fhip, our limbs are ftrengthened, our joints made fupple, 
 '^ and our whole body hale and adtive : In fhort it is an 
 " exercife that may be beneficial to many, and can be 
 " prejudicial to none."— Small indeed is the number of 
 thole who in the courfe of five thoufand years have em- 
 ployed 
 
12 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 ployed themfelves in the advancement of ufeful know- 
 ledge. Mankind have been bleftwith but one Titus, that 
 we know of, and it is to be feared he has had but few 
 imitators. Days and years fly away without any account 
 taken of them, and how many may reafonably be fuppofed 
 to pafs without affording even amufement to others, 
 or fatisfadlion to ourfelves. Much more, I think, may be 
 faid in favour of the Wimbles j but it muft be confeft, 
 that the man who fpends his whole time in trifles, pafl^es 
 it contemptibly, compared with thofe who are employed 
 in refearches after knowledge ufeful to mankind, or in 
 profeflions ufeful to the ftate. 
 
 I AM glad to find you approve of the plan I propofe 
 to obferve in the courfe of thefe letters, in which it fhall 
 be my endeavour to omit nothing, that may be neceflfary 
 for you to know ; at leafl:, as far as my own obfervation 
 and experience will give me leave. The experience I 
 have had may be of ufe to you at prefent j others perhaps 
 hereafter may write more judicioufly and more fully on 
 the fubjedl : You know it is my interefl: to willi they 
 would. The few who have written on hunting, refer 
 you to their predeceffors for great part of the information 
 
 you 
 
HUNTING. 13 
 
 you might expert from them : and who their predecefTors 
 were, I have yet to learn. Even Somervile is lefs copious 
 than I could wifh, and has purpofely omitted what is not 
 to be found elfewhere ; — I mean receipts for the cure of 
 fuch difeafes as hounds are fubje6l to. He holds fuch in- 
 formation cheap, and beneath his lofty mufe. Profe has 
 no excufe, and you may depend on every information I 
 can give. — The familiar manner in which my thoughts 
 will be conveyed to you in thefe letters, will fufficiently 
 evince the intention of the author. — They are written 
 with no other defign than to be of ufe to fportfmen. — 
 Were my aim to amufe, I would not endeavour to inftru<5l. 
 A fong might fuit the purpofe better than an efTay. To 
 improve health by promoting exercifes — to excite gen- 
 tlemen who are fond of hunting to obtain the knowledge 
 neceflary to enjoy it in perfeflion j — and to leflen the pun- 
 ifhments which are too often infli6led on an animal Co 
 friendly to man, are the chief ends intended by the fol- 
 lowing letters. 
 
 I SHALL not pretend to lay down rules which are to 
 be equally good in every country ; I Ihall think myfelf 
 fufficiently juftified in recommending fuch as have been 
 
 tryed 
 
14 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 tryed with fuccefs in the countries where I have generally 
 hunted. As almoft every country has a different dialedt, 
 you will alfo excufe, I hope, any terniis that may not be 
 current v/ith you: i will take the bed care I can that their 
 number fliall be few. I need not, I think, advife you not 
 to adopt too eafily the opinions of other men. You will 
 hear a tall man fay it is nonfenfe to ride any but large 
 horfes s and every little man in company, will immedi- 
 ately fell his little horfes, buy fuch as he can hardly mount, 
 and ride them in hilly countries for which they are totally 
 unfit. Pride induces fome men to didtate; indolence 
 makes others like to be didated to ; fo both find their 
 account in it. You will not let this miflead you. — You 
 will dare to think for yourfelf. — Nor will you believe 
 every man who pretends to know what you like, better 
 
 than you do yourfelf. There is a degree of coxcombry, 
 
 I believe, in every thing : You have heard, I make no 
 doubt, that greyhounds are either black, or white, or 
 black and white j and if you have any faith in thofe 
 who fay they know beft, they will tell you there are no 
 others. — Prejudice however is by far too blind a guide to 
 be depended on. 
 
 I. HAVE 
 
H U N T I N (J. <rs 
 
 i HAVE read fomewhere, that there is no book fo bad, 
 but a judicious reader may derive fome advantage from 
 the reading of it j I hope thefe letters will not prove the 
 only exception* Should they fall into the hands of fuch 
 as are not fportfmen, I need not, I think, make any excufes 
 to them for the contents, fince the title fufHciently Ihews 
 for whom they were defigned. Nor are they meant ^or 
 fuch fportfmen as need not inftrudlion, but for thofe that 
 do i to whom^ I prefume, in fome parts at leafl, they may 
 be found of ufe. As a great book has been long 
 looked upon as a great evil, I fhall take care not 
 to fin that way at leaft, and ihall endeavour to make 
 thefe letters as Ihort as the extent of my fubje<5l will 
 admit. 
 
 You will rally me, perhaps, on the choice of my 
 frontifpiece -, but why fhould not hunting admit the 
 patronage of a lady ? The antients, you knov/, invoked 
 Diana at fetting out on the chace, and facrificed to her 
 at their return. Is not this enough to Ihew the propriety 
 of my choice ? At all events, I alTure myfeif, you will 
 approve her attendants — Healthy and Contentment. 
 
 D I SHALL 
 
1^ THOUGHT SON 
 
 I SHALL now take my leave of you for the prefent: 
 In my next letter I Ihall proceed according to your de^ 
 fire, 'till I have anfwered all your queftions. Remem*- 
 ber you are not to expedl entertainment; I wifh you 
 may find fome inftruflion : the drynefs of the fubje(5t 
 may excufe your want of the one, and I cannot doubt 
 of your indulgence fhould / fail in the other, whilft I 
 am obeying your commands. 
 
 l.ET- 
 
HUNTING. 17 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 s 
 
 I N C E you intend to make hunting your chief 
 amufement in the country, you are certainly in the right 
 to give it fome confideration before you begin, and not 
 like Mafter Stephen in the play, buy firfl a hawke, and 
 then hunt after a book to keep it by. — I am glad to 
 find that you intend to build a new kennel, as I flatter 
 myfelf the experience I have had may be of fome ufe to 
 you in the building of it : It is not only the firfl thing 
 you jfhould do, but it is alfo the moft important. As 
 often as your mind may alter, fo often may you eafily 
 change from one kind of hound to another j but your 
 kennel will flill remain the fame ; will always keep its 
 original imperfedlions, unlefs altered at a great expence, 
 to be lefs perfe6l at laft, than it might have been made 
 at firfb, had you purfued a proper plan. It is true, 
 hounds may be kept in barns, and ftables ; but thofe who 
 keep them in fuch places can beft ioform you whether 
 
 D 2 their 
 
18 T H O U G PI T S ON 
 
 their hounds are capable of anfwering the purpofes for 
 which they are kept. The fenfe of fmelling, the odora 
 canum vis, as Virgil calls it, is fo exquifite in a hound, 
 that I cannot but fuppofe every flench is hurtful to it. 
 It is that faculty on which all our hopes depends it is 
 thai which mull lead us o'er greafy fallows, where the 
 feet of the game we purfue being clogged, leave little 
 fcent behind, as well as o'er ftony roads, through watery 
 meads, and where Iheep have ftained the ground. 
 
 Cleanliness is not only abfolutely neceflary to the nofe 
 of the hound, but alfo to the prefervation of his health. 
 Dogs are naturally cleanly animals : They feldom, when 
 they can help it, dung where they lie: Air and frefh 
 flraw are neceffary to keep them healthy. They are fub- 
 je<fl to the mange ; a diforder, to which poverty and 
 naftinefs do very much contribute. Tbisj tho' eafily 
 flopped at its firfl appearance, if fuffered to continue 
 Jong, greatly lelTens the powers of the animal -, and the 
 remedies which mufl then be ufed, being in themielves 
 violent, often injure his conflitution : It had better be 
 prevented : Let the kennel therefore be your particu- 
 lar care. 
 
 " Upon 
 
HUNTING. 19 
 
 «« Upon fome little eminence erecEl, 
 
 And fronting to the ruddy dawn ; its courts 
 
 On either hand wide op'ning to receive 
 
 The fun's all-chearing beams, when mild he fliines. 
 
 And gilds the mountain tops." 
 
 Such as Somervile direfts may be the fituation ; its fize 
 muft be fuited to the number of its inhabitants -, the 
 architefture of it may be conformable to your own tafte. 
 Ufelefs expence I fhould not recommend, yet as I fuppofe 
 you will often make it a vifit, at leaft in the hunting 
 feafon, I could wifli it might have a neatnefs without, as 
 well as cleanlinefs within, the more to tempt you to it. 
 I fhould for the fame reafon w^ilh it to be as near your 
 houfe, as you will give it leave. I know there are many 
 objections to its being near : I forefee ftill more to its 
 being at a diflance : there is a vulgar faying, that it is 
 the matter's eye that makes the horfe fat j I can affure 
 you it is even more neceflary in the kennel, where clean- 
 linefs is not lefs efTential than food. 
 
 There are, I make no doubt, many better kennels than 
 mine ; fome of which I think, you fhould fee before you 
 begin to build : you can but make ufe of my plan in cafe 
 
 you 
 
20 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 you Ihould like no other better. If, in the mean time, 
 I am to give you my opinion what a kennel ought to be, 
 I muft fend you a defcription of my own, for I have not 
 feen many others. 
 
 I WOULD advife you to make it large enough at firft, 
 as any addition to it afterwards muft fpoil the appearance 
 of it. I have been obliged to add to mine, which was 
 built from a plan of my own, and intended, at firft, for 
 a pack of beagles. As my feeding-yard is too fmall, 
 I will endeavour to remedy that defed: in the plan I fend 
 you, which plan may be ftill enlarged or lefTened, as 
 you think fit ; or as your occafions may require. 
 
 I THINK two kennels abfolutely neceflary to the well- 
 being of the hounds : when there is but one, it is feldom 
 fweet; and when cleaned out, the hounds, particularly in 
 winter, fuffer both whilft it is cleaning, and as long as 
 it remains wet afterwards. To be more clearly underftood 
 by you, I Ihall call one of thefe the hunting-kennel, by 
 which I mean that kennel into which the hounds are 
 drafted which are to hunt the next day. Ufed always to 
 the fame kennel, they will be drafted with little trouble j 
 
 ihey 
 
HUNTING. 21 
 
 they will anfwer to their names more readily, and you 
 may count your hounds into the kennel with as much 
 eafe as a fhepherd counts his Iheep out of the fold. 
 
 When the feeder firft comes to the kennel in a morn- 
 ing, he fhould let out the hounds into the outer court j 
 at the fame time opening the door of the hunting-kennel, 
 left want of reft, or bad weather ftiould incline them to 
 go into it. The lodging-room fhould then be cleaned 
 out, the doors and windows of it opened, the litter ftia- 
 ken up, and that whole kennel made fweet and clean 
 before the hounds return to it again. The great court 
 and the other kennels are not lefs to be attended to, nor 
 ftiould you pafs over in filence any omiflion that is hurt- 
 ful to your hounds. 
 
 The floor of each lodging-room ftiould be brick'd, 
 and ftop'd on both fides to run to the center, with a gut- 
 ter left to carry off" the water, that when they are walhed, 
 they may be foon dry. If water ftiould ftand through 
 any fault in the floor, it ftiould be carefully mopped up -, 
 for as warmth is in the greateft degree neceflary to hounds 
 after work, fo damps are equally prejudicial. You will 
 
 think 
 
11 THOtJGHTS ON 
 
 think me, perhaps, too particular in thefe direftionsj 
 yet there can be no harm in your knowing what your 
 lervants ought to do ; as it is not impoffible but it may 
 be fometimes necefiary for you to fee that it is done. In 
 your military profefTion you are perfe6bly acquainted with 
 the duty of a common foldier, and tho' you have nb 
 further bufinefs with the minutis of it, there is no doubt 
 but you ftill find the knowledge of them ufeful to you: 
 Believe me, they may be ufeful here\ and you will pardon 
 me, I hope, if 1 wilh to fee you a Martinet in the ken- 
 nel, as well as in the field. — Orders given without (kill 
 are feldom well obeyed, and where the mafler is either 
 ignorant, or inattentive, the fervant will be idle. 
 
 I ALSO wifh that, contrary to the ufual practice in 
 building. kennels, you would have three doors; two in 
 the front, and one in the back ; the laft to have a lattice- 
 window in it, with a wooden fhutter, which is conftantly 
 to be kept clofed when the hounds are in, except in 
 fummer, when it fhould be left open all the day. This 
 door anfwers two very neceflary purpofes : It gives an. 
 opportunity of carr^^ing out the ftraw when the lodging- 
 room is cleaned, and as it is oppofite to the window, will 
 
 be 
 
HUNTING. 23 
 
 be a means to let in a thorough air, which will greatly 
 contribute to the keeping of it fweet and wholefome* 
 The other doors will be of ufe in drying the room, when 
 the hounds are out, and as one is to be kept fhut, and the 
 other hooked back, (allowing juft room for a dog to pafs) 
 they arenot liable to any objection. The greatwindow in the 
 centre fhould have a folding-fhutter; half, or the whole of 
 which, may be fliut at nights, according to the weather j and 
 your kennels by that means, maybe kept warm, or cool, juft 
 as you pleafe to have them. The two great lodging-rooms 
 are exadly alike, and as each has a court belonging to it, 
 are diftin<5t kennels, and are at the oppofite ends of the 
 buildingj in the centre of which, is the boiling-houfe, and 
 feeding-yard j and on each fide a leiTer kennel, either for 
 hounds that are drafted ofF^ hounds that are fick or lame ; 
 or for any other purpofes, as occafion may require. At 
 the back of which, as they are but half the depth of the 
 two great kennels, are places for coals, &c. for the ufe 
 of the kennel. There is alfo a fmall building in the rear 
 for hot bitches. The plan will fliew you the fize of the 
 whole. The floors of the inner courts, like to thofe of the 
 lodging-rooms, are bricked and Hoped to run to the cen- 
 tre, and a channel of water, brought in by a leaden pipe, 
 
 E runs 
 
^4 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 runs through the middle of them. In the centre of each 
 court is a well, large enough to dip a bucket to clean 
 the kennels j this muft be faced with ftone, or it will be 
 often out of repair. In the feeding-yard, it muft have a 
 wooden cover. 
 
 The benches, which muft be open to let the urine 
 through, ftiould have hinges and hooks in the wall, that 
 they may fold up, for the greater convenience of wafliing 
 out the kennel j and they fliould be made as low as pofTi- 
 ble, that a tired hound may have no difficulty in jump-^ 
 ing up i let me add, that the boiler ftiould be of caft-iron. 
 
 The reft of the kennel confifts of a large court in front, 
 which is alfo bricked, having a grafs-court adjoining, 
 and a little brook running thro' the middle of it. The 
 earth that was taken out of it, is thrown up into a mount, 
 where the hounds in fummer delight to fit. This court 
 is planted round with trees, and has befides a lime tree, 
 and fome horfe chefnut trees near the middle of it, for the 
 fake of ftiade. A high pale inclofes the whole -, part of 
 which, to the heighth of about four feet, is clofe -, the other 
 
 open i 
 
HUNTING. 15 
 
 open ; the interftices are about two inches wide. The 
 grafs-court is pitched near the pale, to prevent the 
 hounds from fcratching out. — If you cannot guefs the 
 intention of the pofts you fee in the courts, there is 
 fcarcely an inn-window on any road, where the following 
 line will not let you into the fecret.— 
 
 «' So dogs will p — where dogs have p — 'd before.'* 
 
 This is done to fdve the treesj to which the urinary 
 falts are prejudicial. If they are at firfl backward in 
 coming to them, bind fome flraw round the bottom, and 
 
 rub it with galbanum. The brook in the grafs-courC 
 
 may ferve as a flew: your fifh will be very fafe.— 
 
 At the back of the kennel is a houfe, thatched and 
 furzed up on the fides, big enough to contain at lead a 
 load of ftraw. Here jfhould be a pit ready to receive the 
 dung, and a gallows for the flefh.— The gallows fhould 
 have a thatched roof, and a circular board at the pofts of 
 it, to prevent vermin from climbing up. 
 
 A STOVE, I believe, is made ufe of in fome kennels j 
 
 E 2 buc 
 
a6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 but where the feeder is a good one, a mop, properly ufed, 
 will render it iinjieceflary. — I have a little hay-rick in 
 the grafs-yard, which I think is of ufe to keep the hounds 
 clean and fine in their coats ; you will find them fre- 
 quently rubbing themfelves againfh it : The fliade of it 
 alfo is ufeful to them in fummer. If ticks at any time 
 Ihould be troublefome in your kennel, let the v/alls of it 
 be well walhed j if that does not dellroy them, the wails 
 fliould then be white-walhed. 
 
 In the fummer when you do not hunt, one kennel will 
 
 be fufficient; the other then may be for the young hounds, 
 
 who fhould alfo have the grafs-court adjoining to it. It is 
 
 beft at that time of the year to keep them feparate, and 
 
 it prevents many accidents which otherwife might happen; 
 
 nor fhould they be put together till the hunting feafoa 
 
 begins. If your hounds are very quarelfome, the feeder 
 
 may fleep in a cot, in the kennel adjoining ; and if they 
 
 are well chaftifed at the firft quarrel, his voice will be 
 
 fujfBcient to fettle all their differences afterwards, Clofe 
 
 to the door of the kennel, let there be always a quantity 
 
 of little fwitches -, which three narrow boards, nailed to 
 
 one of the polls, will eafily contain. 
 
 My 
 
HUNTING. 27 
 
 My kennel is clofe to the road-fide, but it was una- 
 voidable. This is the reafon why my front pale is clofe, 
 and only the fide ones open; it is a great fault: avoid it 
 if you can, and your hounds will be the quieter. 
 
 Upon looking over my letter, I find, I begin recom- 
 mending with Mr. Somervile, a high fituation for the ken- 
 nel, and afterwards talk of a brook running through the 
 middle of itj I am afraid you will not be able to unite 
 thefe two advantages 3 in which cafe, there is no doubt, 
 but water fhould be preferred : The mount I have men- 
 tioned, will anfwer all the purpofes of an eminence : Be- 
 fides, there fliould be moveable flages on wheels, for the 
 hounds to lie upon ; at any rate, however, let your foil 
 be a dry one. 
 
 You will think, perhaps, my lodging-rooms higher 
 than is necelTary. I know they are confiderably higher 
 than is ufual ; the intention of which, is, to give more 
 air to the hounds 3 and I have not the leaft doubt but 
 
 they are the better for it. 1 will now no longer perfe- 
 
 (pute you with this unentertaining fubjeft, but fend you, the 
 
 plan 
 
28 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 plan of my own kennel, and take my leave of you.— - 
 
 P. S. I fend only the ground -plan and elevation, as 
 the fize of the outer-court, and grafs-court, are perfedtly 
 immaterial s the one fhould not be fmall, and the other 
 (hould be as large as you can conveniently make it. 
 
HUNTING. i 29 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 I 
 
 BEGIN this leter with alTuring you that I have 
 done with the kennel: without doubt, you will think I 
 had good need. If I have made even the name fright- 
 ful to you, comfort yourfelf with the thoughts that it 
 will not appear again. 
 
 Your criticifm on my fwitches 1 think unjuft. You 
 tell me felf-defence would of courfe make you take that 
 precaution — do you always walk with a whip in your 
 hand, or do you really think, that a walking-flick, 
 which may be a good thing to knock a dog on the head 
 with, would be equally proper to corredt him Ihould he 
 be too familiar ? — You forget, however, to put a better 
 fubftitute in the room of them. — 
 
 You defire to know, what kind of hound I would re- 
 commend : As you mention not for any particular chace, 
 or country, I underftand you generally \ and Ihall anfwer, 
 
 that 
 
30 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 that I moft approve of hounds of the middle fize. I be- 
 lieve all animals of that defcription are ftrongeft, and 
 bed able to endure fatigue. In the height, as well as the 
 colour of hounds, moft fportfmen have their prejudices j 
 but in their fhape at leaft, I think they muft all agree. 
 I know fportfmen, who boldly affirm, that a fmall hound 
 will oftentimes beat a large one -, that he will climb hills 
 better, and go through cover quicker j — whilft others, are 
 not lefs ready to affert, that a large hound, will make his 
 way in any country, will get better through the dirt, than 
 a fmall one ; and that no fence, however high, can ftop 
 him. — You have now three opinions; and I advife you to 
 adopt the one that fuits your country beft : There is, 
 however, a certain fize, beft calculated for bufinefs ; 
 which I take to be that, between the two extremes, and 
 I will venture to fay, that fuch hounds will not fuffer 
 themfelves to be difgraced, in any country. — Somervile, 
 I find, is of the fame opinion. 
 
 — — — « But here a mean 
 
 Obferve, nor the large hounds prefer, of fize 
 Gigantick ; he in the thick-woven covert 
 Painfully tugs, or in the thorny brake 
 Torn and embarrafs'd bleeds : But if too fmall. 
 
 The 
 
HUNTING. 31 
 
 The pigmy brood in every furrow fwims ; 
 Moil'd in the clogging clay, panting they lag 
 Behind inglorious ; or elfe flilvering creep 
 Benumb'd and faint beneath the fliclt'ring thorn* 
 For hounds of middle fize, active and ftrong. 
 Will better anfwer all thy various ends. 
 And crovi^n thy plcafing labours with fuccefs. 
 
 1 perfeflly agree with you, that to look well, they fKoiild 
 be all nearly of a fize, and I even think, they fhould all 
 look of the fame family.— 
 
 *' Facies non omnibus una. 
 Nee diverfa tamen, qualem decet efle fororum." 
 
 If handfome withall, they are then perfedl. With regard 
 to their being fizeable, what Somervile fays, is fo much 
 in your own way, that I fhall fend it you. 
 
 ** As fome brave captain, curious and exa(5l, 
 
 By his fix'd ftandard forms in equal ranks 
 
 His gay battalion, as one man they move 
 
 Step after ftep, their fize the fame, their arms 
 
 Far-gleaming, dart the fame united blaze : 
 
 Reviewing generals his merit own ; 
 
 How regular I how juft I and all his cares 
 
 Are well repaid, if mighty George approve. 
 
 So model thou thy pack, if honour touch 
 
 Thy gen'rous foul, and the world's juft applaufe. 
 
 F There 
 
5i THOUGHTS ON 
 
 There are necefiary points in the fhape of a hound, 
 which ought always to be attended to by a fportfrnan i 
 for if he is not of a perfed fynnmetry, he will neither 
 run faft, nor bear much work : he has much to undergo, 
 and Iliould have ftrength, proportioned to it. — Let his 
 legs be ftraight as arrows ; his feet round, and not too 
 large -, his chefl deep, and back broad ; his head fmall ; 
 his neck thin J his tail thick, andbrulhy; if he carries it 
 well, fo much the better : This laft point, however trifling 
 it may appear to you, gave rife to a very odd queftion ; 
 A gentleman (not much acquainted with hounds) as we 
 were hunting together the other day, faid, ^* I obferve, 
 *' fir, that feme of your dog's tails ftand up, and 
 ** fome hang down j pray fir, which do you reckon the hefi 
 *' hounds V — Such young hounds as are out at the elbows, 
 and fuch as are weak from the knee to the foot, fhould 
 never be taken into the pack. 
 
 I FIND that I have mentioned a fmall head, as one of 
 the neceflary points about a hound : you will pleafe to 
 underfland it as relative to heauty only ■, for as to goodne/s, 
 I believe large-headed hounds are no way inferior. Som- 
 
 eryile. 
 
HUNTING. S3 
 
 ervile. In his defcription of a perfed hound, makes no 
 mention of the head, leaving the fize of it to Phidias 
 to determine j he therefore miifl have thought it of very 
 little confequence. I fend you his words.— 
 
 — " See there with count'nance blythe. 
 
 And with a courtly grin, the fawning hound 
 
 Salutes thee covv'ring, his wide op'ning nofe 
 
 Upwards he curls, and his large floe-black eyes 
 
 Melt in loft blandifhments, and humble joy ; 
 
 His gloffy fkin, or yellow-pied, or blue. 
 
 In lights or fhades by nature's pencil drawn, 
 
 Refle6ls the various tints ; his ears and legs 
 
 Fleckt here and there, in gay enamel'd pride. 
 
 Rival the fpeckled pard ; his rufh-grown tail 
 
 O'er his broad back bends in an ample arch j 
 
 On fhoulders clean, upright and firm he ftands j 
 
 His round cat foot, ftraight hams, and wide-fpread thighs 
 
 And his low-dropping cheft, confefs his fpeed. 
 
 His ftrength, his wind, or on the fteepy hill. 
 
 Or far extended plain ; in every part 
 
 So well proportioned, that the nicer fkill 
 
 Of Phidias himfelf can't blame thy choice. 
 
 Of fuch compofe thy pack." 
 
 The colour, I think the lead material of all ; and I think 
 with our friend Foote, that a good dog, like a good can- 
 didate, cannot be of a bad colour. 
 
 F 2 MiN 
 
34 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Men are too apt to be prejudiced by the fort of hound 
 they themfelves have been mofl accuftomed to. Thofe 
 who have been ufed to the fharp-nofed fox-hound, will 
 hardly allow a large-headed hound to be a fox-hound i 
 yet both equally are fox-hounds ~ fpeed and beauty are 
 the chief excellencies of the one i whilfl ftoutnefs and ten- 
 dernefs of nofe in hunting, are charafteriftic of the other. 
 1 could tell you, that I have feen very good fport 
 with very unhandfome packs, confifling of hounds of 
 various fizes, differing from one another as much in fhape 
 and look, as in their colour j nor could I trace the leaft 
 fign of confanguinity amongft them : confidered fepa- 
 rately, the hounds were good 3 as a pack of hounds 
 they were not to be commended ; nor could you be fa- 
 tisfied with any thing, that looked fo very incomplete. — 
 You will find nothing fo eflential to your fport, as, that 
 your hounds fliould run well together ; nor can this end 
 be better attained, than by keeping them, as near as you 
 can of the fame fort, fize, and fhape, 
 
 A GREAT excellence in a pack of hounds, is the head 
 they carry i and that pack may be faid to go the faflefl, 
 
 that 
 
H U N t I N G. ^5 
 
 that can run ten miles the foonefl, notwithftanding the 
 houndsj feparately, may not run fo faft as many others. 
 A pack of hounds confidered in a colledlive body go 
 fad in proportion to the excellence of their nofes, and 
 the head they carry; as that traveller generally gets 
 fooneft to his journey's end, who flops lead upon the 
 
 road. Some hounds that I have hunted with would 
 
 creep all through the fame hole, tho' they might have 
 leapt the hedge, and would follow one another in a ftringj 
 as true as a team of cart-horfes. — I had rather fee them, 
 like the horfes of the fun, all a-hreajli 
 
 A FRIEND of mine killed thirty-feven brace of foxes 
 in one feafon : twenty-nine of the foxes were killed 
 without any intermiflion. I mud tell you at the 
 fame time, that they were killed with hounds bred 
 from a pack of harriers j nor had they, I believe, a fingle 
 (kirter belonging to them. There is a pack now in my 
 neighbourhood, of all forts and fizcs, which feldom mifs 
 a fox ; when they run, there is a long (Iring of them, 
 and every fault is hit off by an old fouthern hound. 
 However, out of the lad eighteen foxes they hunted, they 
 
 killed 
 
36 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 killed feventeen ; and I have no doubt, but as they be- 
 come more complete, more foxes will efcape from them. 
 Packs which are compofrd of hounds of various kinds, 
 feldom run well together, nor do their tongues harmonize; 
 yet they generally, I think, kill moft foxes ; but I muft 
 confefs, that iinlefs I like their ftyle of killing them, 
 whatever may be their fuccefs, I cannot be completely 
 fatisfied. I once afked the famous Will Crane, how his 
 hounds behaved — " very well, fir,' he replied j ^' they 
 '^ never come to a fault, hut they Jpread like a Jky -rocket,"" — 
 Thus it fhould always be. 
 
 A FAMOUS fportfman afked a gentleman what he 
 thought of his hounds-r-" Your pack is compofed, fir," 
 faid he, " of dogs which any other man would hang j— 
 *' they are all fkirters." — This was taken as a compliment. 
 — However, do not think I recommend it to you as fuch ; 
 for though I am a great advocate for ftyle, in the killing 
 of a fox, yet I never forgive a profefied fliirter : where 
 game is in plenty, they are always changing, and are the 
 lofs of more foxes than they kill. 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. ^y 
 
 You ask me, how many hounds you ought to keep ? 
 It is a queftlon not cafy to anfwer— from twenty to thirty 
 couple, are as many, I think, as you fliould ever take 
 into the field. The propriety of any number mufl: de- 
 pend on the ftrength of your pack, and the country you 
 are to hunt ; The quantity of hounds it may be necefTary 
 to keep, to furnifh that number for a whole feafon, muft 
 alfo depend on the country where you huntj as fome 
 countries lame hounds more than others. The takino- 
 out too many hounds, Mr. Somervile very properly calls 
 an ujelejs incumbrance. It is not fo material what the num- 
 ber is, as it is that all your hounds fhould be fteady, and 
 as nearly as poflible of equal fpeed. 
 
 When packs are very large, the hounds are feldom 
 fufficiently hunted, to be good. Few people choofe to 
 hunt every day j and if they did, it is not likely the wea- 
 ther in winter, would give them leave. You would al- 
 ways be obliged therefore, either to take but a very large 
 pack, or a great number of hounds muft be left behind ; 
 in the firft cafe, too many hounds in the field would pro- 
 bably fpoil your fportj in the fecond, hounds that remain 
 
 for 
 
3€ THOUGHTS ON 
 
 for any time without work, always get out of wind, and 
 oftentimes become riotous. About forty couple, I think> 
 will beft anfwer your purpofe. Forty couple of hunting 
 hounds will enable you to hunt three, or even four times 
 a-week -, and I will venture to fay, will kill more foxes, 
 than a greater number. Hounds, to be good, muft be 
 kept conftantly hunted -, and if I Ihould hereafter fay, a 
 fox-hound fhould be above his work, it will not be a 
 young fox-hound I (hall mean, for I think they fhould 
 feldom be left at home, as long as they are able to hunt : 
 The old and lame; and fuch as are low in flelh, you 
 fliould leave J and fuch as you are fure, idlenefs cannot 
 fpoil. 
 
 It is a great fault to keep too many old hounds : — If you 
 
 choofe your hounds fhould run well together, you fhould 
 
 not keep any longer than five, or fix feafons j though 
 
 there is no faying, with certainty, what number of feafons 
 
 a hound will lafl. Like us, fome of them have better 
 
 conftitutions, than others, and confequently will bear 
 
 more work; and the duration of all bodies, depends as 
 
 well on the ufage they meet with, as on the materials 
 
 of which they are made. 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. S9 
 
 You z(k, whether you had not better buy a complete 
 pack at once, than be at the trouble of breeding one ? 
 certainly you had, if fuch an opportunity fhould offer. 
 It fometimes happens, that hounds are to be bought for 
 lefs money than you could breed them. The gentleman,- 
 to whom my houfe formerly belonged, had a mofb famous 
 pack of fox-hounds. His goods, &c. were appraifed and 
 fold i which, when the appraifer had done, he was put 
 in mind of the hounds. — "Well, gentlemen," faid he, 
 " what (hall I appraife sbem at ? a jJoilling a-piece? — " Oh! 
 " it is too little ! " — " Is it fo,'* faid the appraifer; " why 
 " it is more than I would give for them^ I ajfure you."* >" 
 
 Hounds are not bought fo cheap, at T!atterJalVs. 
 
40 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 JL AM glad you do not difapprove the advantage I have 
 made of my friend Somervile. I was doubtful whether 
 you would not have abufed me for it, and have compa- 
 red me to fome of thofe would-be fine gentlemen, 
 who to cut a figure, tack an embroidered edging on 
 their coarfe cloth. — 1 fhall be cautious, however, of a- 
 bufing your indulgence, and fhall not quote my poet 
 oftener than is neceffary ; but where we think the fame 
 thing, you had better take it in his words, than mine. 
 — I Ihall now proceed in an account of the feeding of 
 hounds J and management of them in the kennel. 
 
 A GOOD feeder is an eflential part of your ellablilh- 
 ment. — Let him be young and a6bive j and have the re-^ 
 putation at leaft, of not difliking work: he Ihould be 
 good-tempered, for the fake of the animals intrufted to 
 his care j and who, however they may be treated by him, 
 
 cannot 
 
HUNTING. 41 
 
 cannot complain. He fhould be one who will ftriflly 
 obey any orders you may give ] as well with regard to 
 the management, as to the breeding of the hounds j and 
 fhould not be folely under the direction of your huntfman. 
 It is true I have feen it otherwife — I have known a pack 
 of hounds belong, as it were, entirely to the huntfman — 
 a ftable of horfes belong to the groom — whilft the 
 mafter had little more power in the diredtion of either, 
 than a perfeft ftranger. — This you will not fufFer. I know 
 you choofe to keep the fupreme command in your own 
 hands -, and though you permit your fervants to remon- 
 ftrate, you do not fufFer them to difobey. — He who allows 
 a huntfman to manage his hounds as he pleafes, without 
 controul, literally keeps them for bis amufement.— 
 You defire to know what is required of a feeder •, — I will 
 tell you as well as I can. 
 
 As our fport depends entirely on that exquifite fenfe 
 of fmelling, fo peculiar to the hound ; care mull be taken 
 to preferve it : and cleanlinefs is the fureft means. The 
 keeping your kennel fweet and c/^^?/, cannot therefore be 
 too much recommended to the feeder, nor fhould you on 
 
 G 2 any 
 
42 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 any account, admit the leaft deviation from it. If he fees 
 you exacSl, he will be fo himfelf. — This is a very efTential 
 part of his bufinefs. The boiling for the hounds; mix- 
 ing of the meat; and getting it ready for them at proper 
 hours, is what your huntfman will of courfe take proper 
 care of; nor is it ever likely to be forgotten. I mull cau- 
 tion you not to let your dogs have their meat too hot; 
 for 1 have known it have bad confequences j you fhould 
 alfo order it to be mixed up as thick as poffible. — When 
 the feeder has cleaned his kennel in the morning, and 
 prepared his meat, it is ufual for him on hunting-days, 
 (in an eftablifhment like yours) to exercife the horfes of 
 the huntfman and whipper-in ; and in many ftables it is 
 alfo the feeder who looks after the huntfman's horfe when 
 he comes in from huntings whilft the huntfman feeds the 
 hounds. When the hounds arc not out, the huntfman, 
 and whipper-in, of courfe, will exercife their own horfes j 
 and that day, the feeder has little elfe to mind, but the 
 cleaning of his kennel. Every pofllble contrivance has 
 been attended to in the plan I fent you, to make that 
 part of his work eafy \ all the courts, except the grafs- 
 one, being brickcdj, and floped on purpofe. There is 
 
 alfo 
 
HUNTING. 43 
 
 alfo plenty of water, without any trouble in fetching it; 
 and a thorough air through the kennels, to afllft in dry- 
 ing them again. — Should you choofe to encreafe your 
 number of fervants in the ftable, in that cafe, the bufi- 
 nefs of the feeder may be confined entirely to the kennel. 
 — there Ihould be always two to feed hounds properly -, 
 the feeder and the huntfman. 
 
 SoMERvaE ftrongly recommends cleanlinefs in the 
 following lines. — 
 
 <* O'er all let cleanlinefs prefide, no fcraps 
 
 Beftrew the pavement, and no half-pick'd bones, 
 
 To kindle fierce debate, or to difguft 
 
 That nicer fenfe, on which the fportfman's hope. 
 
 And all his future triumphs muft depend. 
 
 Soon as the growling pack with eager joy 
 
 Have lapp'd their fmoking viands, morn or eve, 
 
 From the full ciftern lead the dudtile ftreams. 
 
 To wafh thy court well-pav'd, nor fpare thy pains. 
 
 For much to health will cleanlinefs avail. 
 
 Seek'ft ihou for hounds to climb the rocky fteep. 
 
 And brufh th'entangled covert, whofe nice fcent 
 
 O'er greafy fallows, and frequented roads 
 
 Can pick the dubious way ? Banifh far off 
 
 Each noifome ftench, let no ofFenfive fmell 
 
 Invade thy wide inclofure, but admit 
 
 The nitrous air, and purifying breeze." 
 
 Somervile 
 
44 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Somervile is fo perfeftly right in this, that if you can 
 make your kennel a vifit every day, your hounds will be 
 the better for it ; when I have been long abfent from " 
 mine, I have always perceived a difference in their looks. 
 1 fhall now take notice of that part of the management 
 of hounds in the kennel, which concerns the huntfman, 
 as well as the feeder. — Your huntfman muft always at- 
 tend the feeding of the hounds which fhould be drafted, 
 according to the condition they are in. In all packs, 
 fome hounds will feed better than others; fome there 
 are that will do with lefs meat; and it requires a nice 
 eye, and great attention, to keep them all in equal flefli : 
 — it is what diftinguifhes a good kennel-huntfman, and 
 
 has its merit. It is feldom, I think, that huntfmen 
 
 give this particular all the attention it deferves : they 
 feed their hounds in too great a hurry; and not often, I 
 believe, take the trouble of calling their eye over them, 
 before they begin : and yet, to diftlnguifli, with any ni- 
 cety, the order a pack of hounds are in, and the different 
 degrees of it, is furely no eafy tafk ; and to be done well, 
 requires no fmall degree of circumfpe6lion : You had 
 better not exped your huntfman to be very exacSt ; where 
 precifion is required, he will moft probably fail. 
 
 Whent 
 
HUNTING. 45 
 
 When I am prefent myfelf, I make feveral drafts. 
 When my huntfman feeds them, he calls them all over 
 by their names, letting in each hound as he is called : it 
 has its life — it ufes them to their names, and teaches 
 them to be obedient. Were it not for this, I Ihould dif- 
 approve of it entirely ; fince it certainly requires more 
 coolnefs and deliberation, to diftinguifli with precifion 
 which are beft entitled to precedence, than this method 
 of feeding will admit of j and unlefs flefh is in great 
 plenty, thofethat are called in laft, may not have a tafteof it. 
 To prevent this inconvenience, fuch as are low inflefh, 
 had better I think, be all drafted off into a feparate kennel ; 
 by this means, the hounds that require flejh, will have an 
 equal fliare of it. If any are much poorer than the reft, 
 they Ihould be fed again — fuch hounds cannot be fed 
 too often. If any in the pack are too fat, they fhould be 
 drafted off, and not fuffered to fill themfelves. The 
 others ffiould eat what they will of the meat. The days 
 my hounds have greens or fulphur, they generally are let 
 in all together \ and fuch as require flejh^ have it given 
 to them afterwards. — Having a good kennel-huntfman, 
 it is not often I take this trouble ^ yet I feldom go in 
 to my kennel, but I give myfelf the pleafure of feeing 
 
 fuch 
 
46 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 fuch hounds fed, as appear to me to be in want of It. I hive 
 been told that in one kennel in particular, the hounds 
 are under fuch excellent management, that they conftantly 
 are fed with the door of the feeding-yard open -, and the 
 rough nature of the fox-hound is changed into fo much 
 politenefs, that he waits at the door, till he is invited in ; 
 and what perhaps is not lefs extraordinary, he comes out 
 again, whether he has fatisfied his hunger or not, the mo- 
 ment he is defired : the effefb of fevere difcipline. But 
 fince this is not abfolutely neceflary, and hounds may be 
 good without it ; and fince I well know your other a- 
 mufements will not permit you to attend to all this ma- 
 noeuvring J I would by no means wifh you to give fuch 
 power to your huntfman. The bufinefs would be injudi- 
 cioufly done, and mofl probably would not anfwer your 
 expeftations. — The hound would be tormented mal-a-pro- 
 pos ; — an animal fo little deferving of it from our hands, 
 that I fliould be forry to difturb his hours of repofe by 
 unnecefTary feverity. You will perceive it is a nice, 
 affair; and I affure you I know no huntfman who is equal 
 to it. The gentleman who has carried this matter to its 
 utmoft perfeftion, has attended to it regularly himfclf ; 
 has conftantly a6ted on fixed principles j from which he has- 
 
 never 
 
HUNTING. 47 
 
 never deviated, and I believe has fucceeded to the very 
 
 utmoft of his vvifhes. All hounds, (and more efpeci- 
 
 ally young ones) fhould be called over often in the ken- 
 nel j and naoft huntfmen pra6life this lefTon, as they feed 
 their hounds. — They flog them while they feed them — 
 and if they have not always a belly-full one way, they fel- 
 dom fail to have it the other. It is not, however, my inten- 
 tion to oppofe fo general a pradice, in which there may 
 be fome utility; I fhall only obferve, that it fhould be 
 ufed with difcretion i lefl the whip fhould fall heavily in 
 the kennel on fuch as never deferve it in the field. 
 
 My hounds are generally fed about eleven o'clock ; 
 and if I am prefent myfelf, I take the fame opportunity 
 to make my draft for the next day's hunting. I feldom, 
 when I can help it, leave this to my huntfman ; tho' it 
 is necefTary he fhould be prefent when the draft is made, 
 that he may know what hounds he has out. 
 
 It is a bad cuflom to ufe hounds to the boiling-houfe, 
 as it is apt to make them nice, and may prevent them 
 from ever eating the kennel-meat. What they have, 
 fhould always be given them in the feeding-yard, and 
 
 H for 
 
48 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 for the fame reafon, though it fhould be flefh, it is better 
 it fhould have fome meal mixed with it. 
 
 If your hounds are low in flefh, and have far to go 
 to cover, they may all have a little thin lap again in the 
 evening; but this fhould never be done if you hunt early. 
 Hounds, I think, fhould be fharp-fet before huntings 
 they run the better for it. 
 
 If many of your hounds after long refl fhould be too 
 fat : by feeding them for a day or two on thinner meat 
 than you give the others, you will find it anfwer better, 
 I think, than the ufual method of giving them the fame 
 meat, and ftinting them in the quantity of it. 
 
 If your hounds are turned into the grafs-court to empty 
 themfelves after they have been fed, it will contribute 
 not a little to the cleanlinefs of the kennel. 
 
 I have heard that it is a cuflom in fome kennels, to 
 Ihut up the hounds for a couple of hours after they come 
 in from hunting, before they are fedj and that other 
 hounds are fhut up with them, to lick them clean. — My 
 
 ufual 
 
HUNTING. 49 
 
 ulual way is to fend a whipper-in on before, that the 
 meat may be got ready againft they come, and they are 
 fed immediately j and having filled their bellies, they are 
 naturally inclined to reft. — If they have had a fevere day, 
 they are fed again fome hours after. As to the other me- 
 thod above-mentioned, it may be more convenient per- 
 haps, to have the hounds all together : but I cannot think 
 it neceflary, for the reafon that is given i and I fhould 
 apprehend a parcel of idle hounds fhut up amongft fuch 
 as are tired and inclined to reft, would difturb them 
 more than all their licking would make them amends 
 for. When you feed them twice, they had better be put 
 all together after the fecond feeding, than the firft. 
 
 Every day when hounds come in from hunting, they 
 fhould be carefully looked over, and invalids immedi- 
 ately taken care of. Such as have fore htty fhould have 
 them well waftied out with brine. If you will permit thofe 
 hounds that are unable to work, to run about your houfe, 
 it will be of great fervice to them. 
 
 Every Thurfday during the hunting-feafon, my hounds 
 have one pound of fuiphur given them in their meat; 
 
 H 2 and 
 
50 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 and every Sunday throughout the year, they have plenty 
 of greens boiled up with it : I find it better to fix the 
 days, as it is then lefs liable to be forgotten. — I ufed to 
 give them the wafh from the kitchen, but I found it made 
 them thirfty, and it is now omitted in the hunting-feafon. 
 — A horfe frefh killed, is an excellent meal for hounds 
 after a very hard day 3 but they Ihould not hunt till the 
 third day after it. — The bones broken, are good food for 
 poor hounds, as there is great proof in them. — Sheep's 
 trotters are very fweet food, and will be of fervice when 
 horfe-flefli is not to be had. — Bullocks's bellies may be 
 alfo of fome ufe if you can get nothing elfe. — Oatmeal, 
 I believe, makes the bell meat for hounds; barley, is 
 certainly the cheapeft j and in many kennels they give 
 barley on that account 3 but it is heating, does not mix 
 up fo well, nor is there near fo much proof in it, as in 
 oatmeal. If mixed, an equal quantity of each, it will 
 then do very well, but barley alone will not. — Much alfo 
 depends on the goodnefs of the meal itfelf, which, I be- 
 lieve, is not often attended to. If you do not ufe your 
 own, you fhould buy a large quantity of it any time be- 
 fore harveft, and keep it by you— there is no other cer- 
 tainty, I believe, of having it old\ which is more mate- 
 rial 
 
HUNTING. 51 
 
 rial than, perhaps, you are aware of. I have heard that 
 a famous Chefhire huntfman feeds his hounds with wheat; 
 which he has found out to be the befl food. He gives it 
 them with the bran — it would, I believe, caufe no little 
 difturbance in many neighbourhoods, if other fportfmen 
 were to do the fame. 
 
 I AM not fond of bleeding hounds, unlefs I fee they want 
 it; though it has long been a cuilom in my kennel to 
 phyfic them twice a year, after they leave off hunting, and 
 before they begin. It is given in hot weather, and at an 
 idle time. It cools their bodies, and without doubt is of 
 fervice to them. If a hound is in want of phyfic, I pre- 
 fer giving it in balls. It is more eafy to give him in this 
 manner the quantity he may want, and you are more cer- 
 tain that he takes it. In many kennels, I believe, they 
 alfo bleed them twice a year, and fome people think it 
 prevents madnefs. — The anointing of hounds, or drejjing 
 them, as huntfmen call it, makes them fine in their coats : 
 It may be done twice a year, or oftener, if you find it necef- 
 fary. As I fhall hereafter have occafion to write onthedifeafes 
 of hounds, and their cures, I will fend you at the fame 
 time a receipt for this purpofe. During the fummer months 
 
 when 
 
ij» THOUGHTS ON 
 
 when my hounds do not hunt, they have feldom any flefh 
 allowed them; and are kept low, contrary, I believe, to 
 the ufual praftice of mofl kennels, where mangey hounds 
 in fummer, are but too often feen. Huntfmen fometimes 
 content themfelves with checking this diforder, when with 
 lefs trouble perhaps they might prevent it. A regular 
 courfe of whey and vegetables during the hot months mufl 
 certainly be wholefome, and are without doubt, the caufe 
 that a mangey hound is an unufual fight in my kennel. 
 Every Monday and Thurfday my hounds go for whey till 
 the hunting-feafon begins i are kept out feveral hours, 
 and are often made to fwim through rivers during the hot 
 weather. After their laft phyfic, and before they begin 
 hunting, they are exercifed on the turnpike road to harden 
 theirfeet, which are walhed with ftrong brine, as foon as tliey 
 come in. — Little ftraw is neceflary during the fummer; 
 but when they hunt they cannot have too much, or have 
 it changed too often. — In many kennels they don't boil 
 for the hounds in fummer, but give them meal only; in 
 mine it is always boiled ; but with this difference, that it 
 is mixed up thin, inftead of thick. — Many give fpurge- 
 laurel in fummer, boiled up in their meat -, as I never ufe 
 it, I cannot recommend it,— The phyfic 1 give is two 
 
 pounds 
 
HUNTING. 53 
 
 pounds of fulphur, one pound of antimony, and a pint 
 and a-half of fyrrup of buckthorn, for about forty couple 
 
 of hounds. In the winter feafon, let your hounds be 
 
 fhut up warm at night. If any hounds after hunting are 
 mifling, the llraw-houfe door Ihould be left openj and 
 if they have had a hard day, it may be as well to leave 
 fome meat there for them. 
 
 I HAVE enquired of my feeder, who is a very good one, 
 (and has had more experience in thefe matters than any 
 one you perhaps may get) how he mixes up his meat. 
 He tells me, that in his opinion, oatmeal and barley mixt, 
 an equal quantity of each, make thebeft meat for hounds. 
 The oatmeal he boils for half an hour, and then puts out 
 the fire, puts the barley into the copper, and mixes both 
 well together. I afked him why he boiled one and not 
 the other — he told me, boiling, which made oatmeal 
 thick, made barley thin j and that when you feed with 
 barley only, it fhould not be put into the copper, but be 
 fcalded with the liquor, and mixed up in a bucket. I find 
 there is in my kennel a large tub on purpofe, which con- 
 tains about half a hogfhead. 
 
 You 
 
54 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 You little think, perhaps, how difficult it is to be a 
 good kennel-huntfman, nor can you as yet know the ni- 
 cety that is required in feeding hounds properly. You 
 are not aware that fome hounds will hunt bell when fed 
 late ; others when fed early :— that fome fhould have but 
 little J that others cannot have too much: however, if 
 your huntfman obferves the rules I have here laid down, 
 his hounds will not do much amifs i but Ihould you at 
 any time wifh to rencherir upon the matter, and feed each 
 particular hound fo as to make the moft of him, you mufl 
 learn it of a gentleman in Leicefterlhire, to whom the 
 noble fcience of fox-hunting is more beholden than to 
 any other. I Ihall myfelf fay nothing further on the 
 fubjeftj for as your huntfman will not have the fenfc 
 of the gentleman I allude to thercy nor you perhaps his 
 patience, an eafier method I know will fuit you belt. 
 I fhall only advife you, while you endeavour to keep 
 your hounds in good order, not to let them get too fat\ 
 It will be impoffible for them to run if they are.— A fat 
 alderman would cut a mighty ridiculous figure were he 
 inclined to run a race. 
 
HUNTING, 
 
 55 
 
 LETTER V. 
 
 w. 
 
 E are now about to treat of the breeding of 
 hounds i and it is the fagacious managennent of this bu- 
 finefs on which all our future fuccefs depends. Is it not 
 extraordinary, that no other country fhould equal us in 
 this particular ? and that the very hounds procured from 
 hence, fhould degenerate in a foreign country ! 
 
 *' In thee alone, fair land of liberty ! 
 Is bred the perfect hound, in fcent and fpeed 
 As yet unrivall'd, while in other climes 
 Their virtue fails, a weak degen'rate race." 
 
 SOMERVILE. 
 
 Happy climate for fportfmen ! where nature feems as it 
 were to give them an exclufive privilege of enjoying this 
 diverfion. To preferve, however, this advantage, great care 
 fhould be taken in the breed ; I fhall therefore according 
 to your defire, fend you fuch rules as I obferve myfelf. 
 — Confider the fize, fhape, colour, conftitution, and na- 
 
 I tural 
 
1^ THOUGHTS ON 
 
 tural difpofition of the dog you breed frorrij as well as 
 the finenefs of his nofe j his ftoutnefs, and method of 
 hunting. On no account breed from one that is not jlout^ 
 that is not tender-nojed, or that is a Jkirter. Somervile en- 
 joins ftill further^. 
 
 « Obferve with care his fhape, fort, colour, fize. 
 Nor will fagacious huntfmen lefs regard 
 His inward habits j the vain babbler fhun. 
 Ever loquacious, ever in the wrong. 
 His foolifh offspring fhall offend thy ears 
 With falfe alarms, and loud impertinence. 
 Nor lefs the Ihifting cur avoid, that breaks 
 Illufive from the pack j to the next hedge 
 Devious he ftrays, there ev'ry mufe he tries. 
 If haply then he crofs the ftreaming fcent. 
 Away he flies vain-glorious j and exults 
 As of the pack fupreme, and in his fpeed 
 And flrength unrivail'd. Lo ! caft far behind 
 His vex'd alTociates pant, and lab'ring flrain 
 To climb the fteep afcent. Soon as they reach 
 Th'infulting boalter, his falfe courage fails. 
 Behind he lags, doom'd to the fatal noofe. 
 His mafler's hate, and fcorn of all the field. 
 What can from fuch be hop'd, but a bafe brood 
 Of coward curs, a frantic, vagrant race ? " 
 
 It is the judicious crofs that makes the complete pack. 
 The faults and imperfedions in one breed, may be re<5li- 
 
 fied 
 
HUNTING. 57 
 
 fied in another; and if this is properly attended to, I fee 
 no reafon why the breeding of hounds may not improve, 
 till improvement can go no farther. If ever you find £l 
 crofs hit, always purfue it. — Never put an old dog to an 
 old bitch. — Be careful that they arc healthy which you 
 breed from ; or you are not likely to have a healthy ofF- 
 fpring. — Should a favourite dog Ikirt a little, put him to 
 a thorough line-hunting bitch, and fuch a crofs may 
 fucceed : my objedtion to the breeding from fuch a 
 hound is, that as lldrting is what moll fox-hounds ac- 
 quire from pra6lice, you had better not make it natural 
 to them. A very famous fportfman has told me, that he 
 frequently breeds from brothers and fillers : — As I fliould 
 be very unwilling to urge any thing in oppofition to fuch 
 authority, you had better try it; and if it fucceeds in 
 hounds, it is more I believe than it ufually does in other 
 animals. — A famous cocker aflured a friend of mine, that 
 the third generation, (which he called a nick) he had 
 found to fucceed very well, but no nearer: As I have 
 neither trycd one nor the other, I cannot fpeak with 
 any certainty about them. 
 
 I 1 Give 
 
j» THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Give particular orders to your feeder, to watch over 
 the bitches with a cautious eye, and feparate fuch as 
 are going to be proud, before it is too late. The ad- 
 vances they make frequently portend mifchief as well as 
 love J and, if not prevented in time, will not fail to fet 
 the whole kennel together by the ears, and may occafion 
 the death of your beft dogs ; care only can prevent it.— 
 
 *« Mark well the wanton females of thy pack, 
 
 That curl their taper tails, and frifking court 
 
 Their pyebald mates enamour'd ; their red eyes 
 
 Flafh fires impure ; nor reft, nor food they take, 
 
 Goaded by furious love. In fep'rate cells 
 
 Confine them now, left bloody civil wars 
 
 Annoy thy peaceful ftate, " Somervile. 
 
 I have known huntfmen perfeftly ignorant of the breed 
 of their hounds, from inattention in this particular i and I 
 have alfo known many a good dog fall a facrifice to it. 
 
 The earlier in the year you breed, the better: January, 
 February, and March, are the beft months. Late pup- 
 pies feldom come to much j if you have any fuch, put 
 them to the beft walks. — ^Whea the bitches begin to ge^ 
 big, let them not hunt any more : it proves frequently 
 
 fatal 
 
HUNTING. 59 
 
 fatal to the whelps j fometimes to the bitch herfelf i nor 
 is it fafe for them to remain much longer in the kennel.— 
 If one bitch has many puppies, more than flie can well 
 rear, you may put fome of them to another bitch ; or if 
 you deilroy any of them, you may keep the beft coloured. 
 They fometimes will have an extraordinary number i<— I 
 have known an inftance of one having fifteen: and a friend 
 of mine, whofe veracity I cannot doubt, has aflured me 
 that a hound in his pack brought forth fixteen, all alive. 
 When you breed from a very favourite fort, and can have 
 another bitch warded at the fame time, it will be of 
 great fervice, as you may then fave all the puppies.— 
 Give particular orders, that the bitches be well fed with 
 fiefh i and let the whelps remain till they are well able to 
 take care of themfelves : They will foon learn to lap milk, 
 which will relieve the mother.— The bitches, when their 
 whelps are taken away from them, fhould be phyficked j 
 I generally give them three purging balls, one every 
 other morning. If a bitch brings only one or two pup- 
 pies, and you have another bitch that will take them j by 
 putting the puppies to her, the former will be foon fit 
 to hunt again j Ihe Ihould, however, be phyficked firfl ; 
 
 and 
 
66 T Jl O U G H T S ON 
 
 and if her dugs are anointed with brandy and water, it 
 will alfo be of fervice. The diftemper makes dread- 
 ful havoc with whelps at their walks } greatly owing, I 
 believe, to the little care that is taken of them there. 1 
 am in doubt whether it might not be better to breed them 
 up yourfelf, and have a kennel on purpofe. You have a 
 large orchard paled in, which would fuit them exaftly ; 
 and what elfe is wanted might eafily be obtained. There 
 is, however, an objeftion that perhaps may ftrike you :— - 
 If the diftemper once gets amongft them, they muft all 
 have itj yet notwithftanding thatj as they will be con- 
 ftantly well fed, and will lie warm, I am confident it 
 would be the faving of many lives. If you fhould adopt 
 this method, you muft remember to ufe them early to go 
 in couples ; and when they get of a proper age, they muft 
 be walked out often ; for Ihould they remain confined, 
 they would neither have the ftiape, health, or underftand- 
 ing, they ought to have. When I kept harriers, I bred 
 up fome of the puppies at a diftant kennel 3 but having 
 no fervants there to exercife them properly, I found them 
 much inferior to fuch of their brethren, as had the luck 
 to furvive the many difficulties, and dangers they had un- 
 der- 
 
HUNTING. 6i 
 
 dergone at their walks j thefe were afterwards equal to any- 
 thing, and afraid of nothing ; whilft thofe that had been 
 nurfed with fo much care, were weakly, and timid, and 
 had every difadvantage attending private education. 
 
 I HAVE often heard as an excufe for hounds not hunting 
 
 a cold fcent, that they were too high bred 1 confefs, 
 
 I know not what that means : but this 1 know, that hounds 
 
 are frequently too ill-bred to be of any fervice. It is 
 
 judgment in the breeder, and patiepce afterwards in the 
 huntfman, that make them hunt. 
 
 Young hounds are commonly named when firfl: put 
 out, and fometimes indeed ridiculoufly enough j nor is it 
 eafy, when you breed many, to find fuitable or harmoni- 
 ous names for all ; particularly, as it is ufual to name all 
 the whelps of one litter, with the fame letter, which 
 (to be fyftematically done) Ihould alfo be the initial letter 
 of the dog that got them, or the bitch that bred them. 
 A baronet of my acquaintance, a literal obferver of 
 the above rule, fent three young hounds of one litter to 
 a friend, all their names beginning, as he /aid with the 
 
 letter G. Gowler, Govial, and Galloper, 
 
 It 
 
6^ THOUGHTS ON 
 
 It is indeed of little confequence what huntlmen call 
 their hounds j yet if you diflike an unmeaning name, 
 would it not be as well to leave the naming of them till 
 they are brought home ? They foon learn their names, and 
 a fhcrter lift would do. — Damons and Delias would not 
 then be necefTary ; nor need the facred names of Titus 
 and Trajan be thus degraded. It is true there are many odd 
 names which cuftom authorifes ; yet I cannot think, be- 
 caufe fome drunken fellow or other, has chriftened his 
 dog Tipler, or Tapfter, that there is the leaft reafon to 
 follow the example. Pipers and Fiddlers, for the fake of 
 their mufick, we will not objeft to j but Tiplers and Tap- 
 fters your kennel will be much better without. 
 
 However extraordinary you may think it, I can aflure 
 you I have myfelf feen a white Gipfey, a grey Ruby, a 
 dark Snowball, and a Blueman of any colour but i?lue. 
 The huntfman of a friend of mine being afked the name 
 of a young hound, faid, " it was Lyman." " Lyman ! " 
 faid his mafter, " why James, what does Lyman mean ? " 
 " Lord, fir ! " replied James, " what does any thing mean?** 
 — A farmer, who bred up two couple of hounds for me, 
 
 whofe 
 
HUNTING. 63 
 
 whofe names were Merryman, and Merrylafs j Ferryman, 
 and Furious j upon my enquiring after them, gave this 
 
 account : Merryman and Merrylafs are both dead i but 
 
 " Ferryman fir, is a fine dog, and fo is Ferrylajs." Ma- 
 dam, an ufual name among hounds, is often, I believe, 
 very difrefpe6lfully treated : I had an inft:ance of it the 
 other day in my own huntfman, who after having rated 
 Madam a great deal to no purpofe (who to confefs the 
 truth, was much given to do otherwife than fhe (hould) 
 flew into a violent pafiion, and hallooed out as loud as 
 he could — Madam i you d^-^d hitch I 
 
 As you defire a Hit of names, I will fend you one. 
 I have endeavoured to clafs them according to their dif- 
 ferent genders; but you will perceive fome names may 
 be ufed indifcriminately for either. It is not ufual, I be- 
 lieve, to call a pointer Ringwood, or a greyhound Har- 
 mony; and fuch names as are exprefilve of fpeed, ftrength, 
 courage, or other natural qualities in a hound, I think 
 mofl; applicable to them. Damons and Delias I have left 
 out; the bold Thunder and the brifl<. Lightning, if you 
 pleafe, may fupply their places ; unlefs you prefer the me- 
 
 K thod 
 
^ T H O U G H T S O N 
 
 thod of the gentleman I told you of, who intends nam- 
 ing his hounds from the p — ge i and, 1 fuppofe, he at 
 the fame time will not be unmindful of the p — y c rs. 
 
 If you mark the whelps in the fide, (which is called 
 branding them) when they are firfl put out, (or perhaps 
 it may be better done after they have been out fome time,) 
 it may prevent their being flolen. 
 
 When young hounds are firll taken in, they Ihoiild 
 be kept feparate from the pack j and as it will happen at 
 a time of the year, when there is little or no hunting, you 
 may eafily give them up one of the kennels, and grafs- 
 court adjoining. Their play ends frequently in a battle; 
 it is therefore lefs dangerous, where they are all equally 
 matched. What Somervile fays on this fubjeft is ex- 
 ceedingly beautiful. — 
 
 *' But here v/ith watchful and obfervant eye, 
 
 Attend their fi-olicks, which too often end 
 
 In bloody broils and death. High o'er thy head 
 
 Wave thy refounding whip, and with a voice 
 
 Fierce-menacing o'er-rule the ftern debate. 
 
 And quench their kindlii'.g rage ; for oft in fport 
 
 Begun, combat enfues, growling they fnarl, 
 
 Then 
 
HUNTING. 65 
 
 Then on their haunches rear'd, rampant they feize 
 Each other's throats, with teeth, and claws, in gore 
 Befmear'd, they wound, they tear, 'till on the ground. 
 Panting, half dead the conquer'd champion lies : 
 Then fudden all the bafe ignoble crowd 
 Loud-clam'ring feize the helplefs worried wretch, 
 And thirfting for his blood, drag diff'rent ways 
 His mangled carcafs on th'enfanguin'd plain. 
 O breafts of pity void ! t'opprefs the weak, 
 To point your vengeance at the friendlefs head. 
 And with one mutual cry infult the fall'n ! 
 Emblem too juft of man's degen'rate race." 
 
 If you find they take a diflike to any particular hound, 
 the fafeft way will be to remove him -, or it is very pro- 
 bable they will kill him at lad. When a feeder hears 
 the hounds quarrel in the kennel, he halloo's to them to 
 flop them. He then goes in amongft them, and flogs 
 every hound he can come near. — How much more rea- 
 fonable as well as more efficacious would it be, were he 
 to fee which were the combatants, before he fpeaks to 
 them. Punifhment would then fall as it ought, on the 
 guilty only. In all packs there are fome hounds more 
 quarelfome than the reft -, and it is to them v,/e owe all 
 the mifchief that is done. If you find chaftifement can- 
 not quiet them, it may be prudent to break their holders j 
 
 K 2 for 
 
66 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 for fince they are not neceflary to them for the meat they 
 have to eat, they are not likely to ferve them in any good 
 purpofc* 
 
 Young hounds fhould be fed twice a day, as they 
 feldom take kindly at firft to the kennel--meat, and the 
 diftemper is very apt to feize them at this time*— — It is 
 better not to round them till they are thoroughly fettled 5 
 nor (hould it be put off till the hot weather, for then they 
 would bleed too much. — If any of the dogs are thin over 
 the back, or any more quarelfome than the reft, it will 
 be of ufe to cut them : I alfo fpay fuch bitches, as I 
 think I Ihall not want to breed from j they are more ufe- 
 ful, are ftouter, and are always in better order : — befides, 
 it IS abfolutely neceflary if you hunt late in the fpring ; 
 or your pack will be Very Ihort for want of it. It may 
 be right to tell you, that the latter operation does not al- 
 ways fucceed ; it will be neceffary therefore to employ a 
 fliilful perfon, and one on whom you can depend ; for if 
 it is ill done, though they cannot have puppies, they will 
 go to heat notwithftanding; of which I have known 
 many inftances ; and that I apprehend would not anfwer 
 
 your purpofe at anv rate. 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. 67 
 
 You afk me what number of young hounds you fhould 
 breed to keep up your flock ? it is a queftion, I believe, 
 no man alive can anfwer. — It depends altogether on con- 
 tingencies. The deficiencies of one year muft be made 
 up the next. I fhould apprehend from thirty, to thirty* 
 five couple of old hounds^ and from eight to twelve 
 couple of young ones would, one year with another, 
 bell fuit an eilablifhment which you do not intend fliould 
 much exceed forty couple. This rule, I think, you 
 {hould at the fame time obferve— never to part with an 
 ufeful old hound, or enter an unhandfomc young one. 
 
 I WOULD advife you in breeding, to be as little preju- 
 diced as pofTible, in favour of your own fortj but fend 
 your befl bitches to the befl dogs, be they where they 
 may. — Thofe who breed only a few hounds, may by chance 
 have a good pack] whilft thofe who breed a great many, 
 (if at the fame time they underfland the bufinefs) reduce 
 it to a certainty. You fay you wifh to fee your pack as 
 
 complete as Mr. M I's : believe me, my good friend, 
 
 unlefs you were to breed as many hounds, it is totally 
 impoflible. Thofe who breed the greatefl number of 
 hounds, have a right to expefl the befl pack; at leafl 
 it mufl be their own fault, if they have it not. 
 
68 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Names of HOUNDS. 
 
 A, dogs. Awful 
 
 A 
 
 ble 
 Ador 
 Adamant 
 Adjutant 
 Agent 
 Aider 
 Aimwell 
 Amorous 
 Antic 
 Anxious 
 Arbiter 
 Archer 
 Ardent 
 Ardor 
 Arrogant 
 Arfenic 
 Artful 
 Artift 
 Atlas 
 Atom 
 Auditor 
 Augur 
 
 A. bitches. 
 
 Accurate 
 Aftive 
 Acflrefs 
 Affable 
 Agile 
 Airy- 
 Amity 
 Angry- 
 Animate 
 Artifice 
 Audible 
 
 B. dogs. 
 
 Bachelor 
 
 Banger 
 
 Baffler 
 
 Barbarous 
 
 Bellman 
 
 Bender 
 
 Blafter 
 
 Bluecap 
 
 Blueman 
 
 Blufter 
 
 Boafler 
 
 Boifterous 
 
 Bonnyface 
 
 Bouncer 
 
 Bowler 
 
 Bravo 
 
 Brawler 
 
 Brazen 
 
 Brilliant 
 
 Brufher 
 
 Brutal 
 
 Burlier 
 
 Buftler 
 
 B. bitches. 
 
 Baneful 
 Bafhful 
 Bawble 
 Beauteous 
 
 Beauty 
 
 Beldam 
 
 Bellmaid 
 
 Blamelefs 
 
 Blithfome 
 
 Blowzy 
 
 Bluebell 
 
 Bluemaid 
 
 Bonny 
 
 Bonnybell 
 
 Bonnylafs 
 
 Boundlefs 
 
 Brevity 
 
 Brimftone 
 
 Bufy 
 
 Buxom 
 
 C. dogs. 
 
 Caitiff 
 
 Capital 
 
 Captain 
 
 Captor 
 
 Carol 
 
 Carver 
 

 HUN 
 
 TING. 
 
 69 
 
 Carver 
 
 Counfellor 
 
 Crafty 
 
 Dauntlefs 
 
 Cafter 
 
 Countryman 
 
 Crazy 
 
 Delicate 
 
 Catcher 
 
 Courteous 
 
 Credible 
 
 Defperate 
 
 Catchpole 
 
 Coxcomb 
 
 Credulous 
 
 Delliny 
 
 Caviller 
 
 Craftfman 
 
 Croney 
 
 Dian 
 
 Cerberus 
 
 Cralher 
 
 Cruel 
 
 Diligent 
 
 Challenger 
 
 Critic 
 
 Curious 
 
 Docile 
 
 Champion 
 
 Critical 
 
 
 Document 
 
 Charon 
 
 Crowner 
 
 
 Doubtful 
 
 Chafer 
 
 Cruifer 
 
 D. dogs. 
 
 Doubtlefs 
 
 Chaiinter 
 
 Crufty 
 
 Damper 
 Danorer 
 
 Dreadful 
 
 Ch left an 
 
 Cryer 
 
 Dreadlefs 
 
 Chimer 
 
 Curfew 
 
 Dangerous 
 
 Dulcet 
 
 Chirper 
 
 Currier 
 C. bitches. 
 
 Dapper 
 Dapfter 
 Darter 
 
 
 Choleric 
 Claimant 
 
 E. dogs. 
 
 Clamorous 
 
 Capable 
 
 Dalher 
 
 Eager 
 
 Clangor 
 
 Captious 
 
 Dafhwood 
 
 Earneft 
 
 Clafher 
 
 Carelefs 
 
 Daunter 
 
 Effort 
 
 Climbank 
 
 Careful 
 
 Dexterous 
 
 Elegant 
 
 Clinker 
 
 Carnage 
 
 Difputant 
 
 
 
 Eminent 
 
 Combat 
 
 Caution 
 
 Downright 
 
 Envious 
 
 Combatant 
 
 Cautious 
 
 Dragon 
 
 Envoy 
 
 Comforter 
 
 Charmer 
 
 Dreadnouo;ht 
 
 Errant 
 
 Comrade 
 
 Chauntrefs 
 
 Driver 
 
 Excellent 
 
 Comus 
 
 Chearful 
 
 Cherriper 
 
 Circe 
 
 Dufter 
 
 
 Conflid 
 
 E. bitches. 
 
 Conqueror 
 
 
 Conqueft 
 
 Clarinet 
 
 D. bitches. 
 
 Eafy 
 
 Conftant 
 
 Clio 
 
 Dainty 
 
 Echo 
 
 Contell 
 
 Comely 
 
 Daphne 
 
 Ecftacy 
 
 Coroner 
 
 Comical 
 
 Darling 
 
 Endlefs 
 
 Cottager 
 
 Courtefy 
 
 Dafhaway 
 
 Energy 
 
 Enmity 
 
70 
 
 THOUGH IS ON 
 
 Enmity 
 EfTay 
 
 F. dogs. 
 
 Fadtor 
 
 Factious 
 
 Fatal 
 
 Fearnought 
 
 Ferryman 
 
 Fervent 
 
 Finder 
 
 Firebrand 
 
 Flagrant 
 
 Flalher 
 
 Fleece'm 
 
 Fleecer 
 
 Flinger 
 
 Flippant 
 
 Flourifher 
 
 Flyer 
 
 Foamer 
 
 Foiler 
 
 Foreman 
 
 Foremoft 
 
 Forefight 
 
 Forefter 
 
 Forward 
 
 Fulminant 
 
 Furrier 
 
 F. hitches. 
 Faithful 
 
 Fairmaid 
 
 Fairplay 
 
 Famous 
 
 Fancyful 
 
 Fafhion 
 
 Favorite 
 
 Fearlefs 
 
 Feftive 
 
 Fickle 
 
 Fidget 
 
 Fiery 
 
 Fireaway 
 
 Firetail 
 
 Flighty 
 
 Flourifh 
 
 Flurry 
 
 Forcible 
 
 Fretful 
 
 Friendly 
 
 Frifky 
 
 Frolic 
 
 Frolicfome 
 
 Funnylafs 
 
 Furious 
 
 Fury 
 
 G. dogs. 
 Gainer 
 Gallant 
 Galliard 
 Galloper 
 Gamboy 
 Gamefter 
 
 Garrulous 
 
 General 
 
 Genius 
 
 Gimcrack 
 
 Giant 
 
 Glancer 
 
 Glider 
 
 Glorious 
 
 Goblin 
 
 Governor 
 
 Grapler 
 
 Grafper 
 
 Griper 
 
 Growler 
 
 Grumbler 
 
 Guider 
 
 G. bitches. 
 Galley 
 Gambol 
 Gamefome 
 Gayety 
 Gayly 
 Gaylafs 
 Ghaftly 
 Giddy 
 Gladnefs 
 Gladfome 
 Governefs 
 Graceful 
 Graceiefs 
 Gracious 
 Grateful 
 
 Gravity 
 
 Guilefomc 
 
 Guilty 
 
 H. dogs. 
 Hannibal 
 Harbinger 
 Hardiman 
 Hardy 
 Harlequin 
 Harrafler 
 Havock 
 Hazard 
 Headftrong 
 Hearty 
 Hedtor 
 Heedful 
 Hercules 
 Hero 
 Highflyer 
 Hopeful 
 Hotfpur 
 Humbler 
 Hurtful 
 
 H. bitches. 
 Hafty 
 Handfome 
 Harlot 
 Harmony 
 Hazardous 
 Heedlefs 
 Hellen 
 
 Heroine 
 
tl U N T 1 N Gi 
 
 n 
 
 Heroine 
 Hideous 
 Honefly 
 Hoflile 
 
 I. dogs. 
 
 Jerker 
 
 Jiiigler 
 
 Impetus 
 
 Jockey 
 
 Jolly 
 
 Jolly-boy 
 
 Joftler 
 
 Jovial 
 
 Jubal 
 
 Judgment 
 
 Jumper 
 
 I. hitches. 
 
 Jealoufy 
 
 Induftry 
 
 Jollity 
 
 Joyful 
 
 Joyous 
 
 L. dogs. 
 
 Laborer 
 
 Larum 
 
 Lafher 
 
 Launcher 
 
 Leader 
 
 Leveller 
 
 Liberal 
 
 Libertine 
 
 Liftor 
 
 Lifter 
 
 Lightfoot 
 
 Linguift 
 
 Liilener 
 
 Lounger 
 
 Lucifer 
 
 Lunatic 
 
 Lunger 
 
 Lurker 
 
 Lufty 
 
 L. hitches. 
 
 Lacerate 
 
 Laudable 
 
 Lavifli 
 
 Lawlefs 
 
 Lenity 
 
 Levity 
 
 Liberty 
 
 Lightning 
 
 Lightfome 
 
 Likely 
 
 Liflbme 
 
 Litigate 
 
 Lively 
 
 Lofty 
 
 Lovely 
 
 Luckylafs 
 
 Lunacy 
 
 M. dogs. 
 Manager 
 Manful 
 Marefchal 
 Markfman 
 Marplot 
 Martial 
 Marvelous 
 Matchcm 
 Maxim 
 Maximus 
 Meanweil 
 
 ' Medler 
 Menacer 
 Mendall 
 Mender 
 Mentor 
 Mercury 
 Merlin ' 
 Merryboy 
 Merry man 
 MclTmate 
 Methodiil 
 Mighty 
 Militant 
 Minikin 
 Mi fere ant 
 Mittimus 
 
 L 
 
 Monarch 
 
 Monitor 
 
 Motley 
 
 Mounter 
 
 Mover 
 
 Mungo 
 
 Mufical 
 
 Mutinous 
 
 Mutterer 
 
 Myrmidon 
 
 M. bitches, 
 
 Madcap 
 
 Magic 
 
 Matchlefs 
 
 Melody 
 
 Merry lafs 
 
 Mindful 
 
 Minion 
 
 Miriam 
 
 Mifchief 
 
 Modifli 
 
 Monody 
 
 Mufic 
 
 N. dogs. 
 
 Nervous 
 
 Neftor 
 
 Nettler 
 
 Nfwfman 
 
 Nimrod 
 
 Noble 
 
3^ 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Noble 
 Nonfuch 
 Novel 
 Noxious 
 
 N. bitches. 
 
 Narrative 
 
 Neatnefs 
 
 Needful 
 
 Negative 
 
 Nicety 
 
 Nimble 
 
 Noify 
 
 Notable 
 
 Notice 
 
 Notion 
 
 Novelty 
 
 Novice 
 
 P. dogs, 
 
 Pasan 
 
 Pageant 
 
 Paragon 
 
 Paramount 
 
 Partner 
 
 Partyman 
 
 Pealer 
 
 Penetrant 
 
 Perfea 
 
 Perilous 
 
 Pertinent 
 
 Petulant 
 
 Phoebus 
 
 Piercer 
 
 Pilgrim 
 
 Pillager 
 
 Pilot 
 
 Pincher 
 
 Piper 
 
 Playful 
 
 Plodder 
 
 Plunder 
 
 Politic 
 
 Potent 
 
 Prater 
 
 Prattler 
 
 Premier 
 
 Prefident 
 
 Preflo 
 
 Prevalent 
 
 Primate 
 
 Principal 
 
 Prodigal 
 
 Prowler 
 
 Prompter 
 
 Prophet 
 
 Profper 
 
 Profperous 
 
 Pryer 
 
 P. bitches, 
 Paflion 
 
 Paflime 
 
 Patience 
 
 Phoenix 
 
 Phrenetic 
 
 Phrenzy 
 
 Placid 
 
 Playful 
 
 Pleafant 
 
 Pliant 
 
 Pofitive 
 
 Precious 
 
 Prettylafs 
 
 Previous 
 
 Prieftefs 
 
 Probity 
 
 Prudence 
 
 R. dogs. 
 
 Racer 
 
 Rager 
 
 Rallywood 
 
 Rambler 
 
 Ramper 
 
 Rampant 
 
 Rancour 
 
 Random 
 
 Ranger 
 
 Ranfack 
 
 Rantaway 
 
 Ranter 
 
 Rapper 
 
 Ratler 
 
 Ravager 
 
 Ravenous 
 
 Reacher 
 
 Reafoner 
 
 Redlor 
 
 Regent 
 
 Render 
 
 Refonant 
 
 Reftive 
 
 Reveler 
 
 Rifier 
 
 Rigid 
 
 Rigour 
 
 Ringwood 
 
 Rioter 
 
 Rifker 
 
 Rockwood 
 
 Romper 
 
 Roufer 
 
 Router 
 
 Rover 
 
 Rudefby 
 
 Ruffian 
 
 Ruffler 
 
 Ruler 
 
 Rumager 
 
 Rumbler 
 
 Rumour 
 
 Runner 
 
 Rural 
 
 Ruilier 
 
 Ruftic 
 
 R. bitches, 
 
HUNTING. 
 
 73 
 
 k. bitches. 
 
 Racket 
 
 Rally 
 
 Rantipole 
 
 Rapid 
 
 Rapine 
 
 Rapture 
 
 Rarity 
 
 Raihnefs 
 
 Rattle 
 
 Reptile 
 
 Refolute 
 
 Reftlefs 
 
 Rhapfody 
 
 Riddance 
 
 Riot 
 
 Rival 
 
 Roguifh 
 
 Ruin 
 
 Rummage 
 
 Ruthlefs 
 
 S. dogs. 
 
 Salient 
 
 Sampler 
 
 Sampfon 
 
 Sancftion 
 
 Sapient 
 
 Saucebox 
 
 Saunter 
 
 Scalper 
 
 Scamper 
 
 Schemer 
 
 Squabbler 
 
 Squeaker 
 
 Statellnan 
 
 Specious 
 
 Speedy 
 
 Spiteful 
 
 Scourer 
 Scramble 
 
 Steady 
 Stickler 
 
 Spitfire 
 Sportful 
 
 Screamer 
 
 Stinger 
 
 Sportive 
 
 Screccher 
 
 Stormer 
 
 Sportly 
 
 Scuffler 
 
 Searcher 
 
 Settler 
 
 Stranger 
 Stripling 
 Striver 
 
 Sprightly 
 
 Stately 
 
 Stoutnefs 
 
 Sharper 
 
 Strivewell 
 
 Strenuous 
 
 Shifter 
 
 Strokcr 
 
 Strumpet 
 
 Signal 
 
 Stroller 
 
 Surety 
 
 Singer 
 
 Singwell 
 
 Skirmifh 
 
 Struggler 
 
 Sturdy 
 
 Subtile 
 
 Succour 
 
 Suppler 
 
 Surly 
 
 Sybil 
 Symphony 
 
 Smoker 
 
 Social 
 
 Solomon 
 
 T. dogs. 
 Tackier 
 
 Solon 
 
 Swaggerer 
 
 Talifman 
 
 Songfler 
 
 Sylvan 
 
 Tamer 
 
 Sonorous 
 
 
 Tangent 
 
 Soundwell 
 
 
 ""Tartar 
 
 Spanker 
 
 Special 
 
 Specimen 
 
 S. bitches. 
 Sanguine 
 
 Tatler 
 
 Taunter 
 
 Teafer 
 
 Spinner 
 Splendor 
 
 Sappho 
 Science 
 
 Terror 
 Thraflier 
 
 Splenetic 
 
 Scrupulous 
 
 Threatner 
 
 Spoiler 
 
 Spokefman 
 
 Sportfman 
 
 Shrewdnefs 
 
 Skilful 
 
 Songftrefs 
 
 Thumper 
 
 Thunderer 
 
 ThwacLer 
 
 Thwar- 
 
 L 2 
 
74 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Thwarter 
 
 Twig'em 
 
 Vagrant 
 
 Verity 
 
 Tickler 
 
 Tyrant 
 
 Valiant 
 
 Vicious 
 
 Tomboy 
 
 
 _ Valid 
 Valorous 
 
 Vidory 
 
 Topmoft 
 
 
 Viftrix 
 
 Topper 
 
 T, hitches. 
 
 Valour 
 
 Vigilance 
 
 Torment 
 
 Tattle 
 
 Vaulter 
 
 Violent 
 
 Torrent 
 
 Telltale 
 
 Vaunter 
 
 Viperous 
 
 Torturer 
 
 Tcmpeft 
 
 Venture 
 
 Virulent 
 
 Tofler 
 
 Tentative 
 
 Venturer 
 
 Vitiate 
 
 Touchflone 
 
 Termagant 
 
 Venturous 
 
 Vivid 
 
 Tracer 
 
 Terminate 
 
 Vermin 
 
 Vixen 
 
 Tragic 
 
 Terrible 
 
 Vexer 
 
 Vocal 
 
 Trampler 
 
 Tefty 
 
 Viftor 
 
 Volatile 
 
 Tranfit 
 
 Thankful 
 
 Vigilant 
 
 Voluble 
 
 Tranfport 
 
 Thoughtful 
 Tidings 
 
 Vigorous 
 Vigour 
 
 
 Traveller 
 
 
 Trimbufh 
 
 Toilfome 
 
 Villager 
 
 W. dogs. 
 
 Trimmer 
 
 Tradable 
 
 Viper 
 
 Wanderer 
 
 Triumph 
 
 Tragedy 
 
 Volant 
 
 Warbler 
 
 Trojan 
 
 Trelpaf§ 
 
 Voucher 
 
 Warnino" 
 
 Trouncer 
 
 Trifle 
 
 
 Warrior 
 
 Truant 
 Trueboy 
 
 Trivial 
 Trollop 
 
 V. bitches. 
 
 Warwhoop 
 Wayward 
 
 Trueman 
 
 Troublefome 
 
 Vanquiih 
 
 Wellbred 
 
 Trudger 
 
 Truelafs 
 
 Vehemence 
 
 Whipfler 
 Whynot 
 
 Trufty 
 
 Truemai4 
 
 Vehement 
 
 Tryal 
 
 Tunable 
 
 Vengeance 
 
 Wildair 
 
 Tryer 
 
 Tuneful 
 
 Vengeful 
 
 Wildman 
 
 Trywell 
 
 . 
 
 . Venomous 
 
 Wilful 
 
 Tuner 
 
 
 ' Venturefome 
 
 Wifdom 
 
 Turbulent 
 
 V. dogs. 
 
 Venus 
 
 Woodman 
 
 Twanger 
 
 Vagabond 
 
 Verify 
 
 Worker 
 
 
 
 
 Work- 
 
HUNTING. 
 
 7$ 
 
 Workman 
 
 Worthy- 
 Wrangler 
 Wreftler 
 
 W. bitches. 
 Waggery 
 
 Waggifh 
 
 Wagtail 
 
 Wanton 
 
 Warfare 
 
 Warlike 
 
 Wafpilh 
 
 Wafteful 
 
 Watchful 
 
 Welcome 
 
 Welldone 
 
 Whim fey 
 
 Whirligig 
 
 Wildfire 
 
 Willing 
 
 Wifhful 
 
 Wonderful 
 
 Worry 
 
 Wrathful 
 
 Wreakful 
 
 L£ T. 
 
76^ THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 A 
 
 FTER the young hounds have been rounded, and 
 are well reconciled to the kennel, know the huntfman, 
 and begin to know their names, they fhould be put into 
 couples, and walked out amongft the fheep. 
 
 If any are particularly fnappifh, and troublefome, you 
 fhould leave the couples loofe about their necks in the 
 kennel, till you find they are more reconciled to them. If 
 any are more ftubborn than the reft, you Ihould couple 
 them to old hounds, rather than to young ones; and 
 you fhould not couple two dogs together when you can 
 avoid it. Young hounds are aukvv^ard at firilj 1 fhould 
 therefore advife you to fend out a few only at a time with. 
 your people on foot^ they will foon afterwards become 
 handy enough to follow a horfe, and care fliould be taken 
 that the couples be not too loofe, left they fhould flip their 
 
 necks 
 
HUNTING. 7^ 
 
 necks out of the collar, and give trouble in the catching 
 of them again. 
 
 When they have been walked often in this manner 
 amongft the llieep, you may then uncouple a few at a time, 
 and begin to chaftife fuch as offer to run after them ; but 
 you will foon find that the cry of ware Jheep^ will flop 
 them fufHciently, without the whip ; and the lefs this is 
 ufed, the better. With proper care and attention you 
 will foon make them afhamed of it, but if once fuffered 
 to tafle the blood, you may find it difficult to reclaim 
 them afterwards. Various are the methods ufed to break 
 fuch dogs from fheep j fome will couple them to a ram, but 
 that is breaking them with a vengeance ; you had better 
 hang them. — A late lord of my acquaintance, who had 
 heard of this method, and whofe whole pack had been 
 often guilty of killing fheep, determined to punifh them, 
 and to that intent put the largefl ram he could find into 
 his kennel. The men with their whips and voices, and 
 the ram with his horns, foon put the whole kennel into 
 confufion and difmay, and the hounds and ram were then 
 left together. Meeting a friend foon after, " come," fays 
 he, " come with me to the kennel, and fee what rare fport 
 
 '^ the 
 
;^8 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 " the ram makes among the hounds ; the old fellow lays 
 " about him ftoutly, I affure you — egad he trims them— 
 " there is not a dog dares look him in the face." — His 
 friend, who is a companionate man, pitied the hounds 
 exceedingly, and aiked if he was not afraid that fome of 
 them might be fpoiled — " No, d — n them," faid he, " they 
 " deferve it, and let them fuffer." — On they went-— all was 
 quiet — they opened the kennel door, but faw neither ram 
 nor hound. — The ram. by this time was entirely eaten 
 up, and the hounds having filled their bellies, were re- 
 tired to reft. 
 
 It without doubt is beft when you air your hounds, 
 to take them out feparately; the old ones one day, ano- 
 ther day the young -, but as I find your hounds are to have 
 their whey at a diftant dairy, on thofe days both old and 
 young may be taken out together, obferving only to 
 take the young hounds in couples, when the old ones 
 are along with them. Young hounds are always ready 
 for any kind of mifchief, and idlenefs might make even 
 old ones too ready to join them in it. Befides, fhould 
 they break off from the huntfman, the whipper-in is ge- 
 nerally too ill-mounted at this feafon of the year, eafily 
 
 to 
 
HUNTING. 79 
 
 to head them, to bring them back. Run no Tuch rifk. 
 My hounds were near being fpoiled by the mere accident 
 of a horfe's falling. The whipper-in was thrown from 
 his horie. The horfe ran away, and the whole pack 
 followed him. A flock of fheep, which were at a little 
 diftance, took fright, began to run, and the hounds pur- 
 fued them. The moft vicious fet on the reft, and feveral 
 fheep were foon pulled down, and killed. I mention 
 this to fhew you what caution is neceflary whilft hounds 
 are idle ; for though the fall of the horfe was not to be 
 attributed to any fault of the man, yet had the old 
 hounds been taken out by themfelves, or had all die 
 young ones been in couples, it is probable fo common an 
 accident would not have produced fo extraordinary an 
 event. 
 
 It is now time to ftoop them to a fcent. You had 
 
 better enter them at their own game — it will fave you 
 much trouble afterwards. Many dogs, I believe, like 
 that fcent bed which they were firft blooded to j but be 
 that as it may, it is certainly moft reafonable to ufe them 
 to that which it is intended they ftiould hunt. It may 
 not be amifs when they firft begin to hunt, to put light 
 
 M collars 
 
8q thoughts on 
 
 collars on them. Young hounds may eafily get out of 
 their knowledge; and fhy ones, after they have been much 
 beaten, may not choofe to return home. Collars, in that 
 cafe, may prevent their being loft. 
 
 You lay, you fhould like to fee your young hounds run 
 a trail-fcent. — I have no doubt that you would be 
 glad to fee them run over an open down, where you could 
 fo eafily obferve their adtion, and their fpeed. I do not 
 think the doing of it once or twice could hurt your 
 hounds i and yet as a fportfman, I dare not recommend it 
 to you. All that I fhall fay of it is, that it is lefs bad 
 than entering them at hare, A cat is as good a trail as 
 any ; but on no account fhould any trail be ufed after 
 your hounds are {looped to a fcent. 
 
 I KNOW an old fportfman, a clergyman, who enters his 
 young hounds firfl: at a cat, which he drags along the 
 ground for a mile or two, at the end of which he turns 
 out a badger, firfl taking care to break his teeth ; he 
 takes out about two couple of old hounds along with 
 the young ones to hold them on. He never enters his 
 young hounds but at vermin; for he fays, ^^ train up a 
 
 child 
 
HUNTING. Si 
 
 child in the way he JJdouU go^ and when he is old he will not 
 depart from it,'' 
 
 Summer hunting, though ufeful to young hounds, Is 
 prejudicial to old ones j I think therefore you will do well 
 to referve fome of the befl of your draft-hounds to enter 
 your young hounds with, fele6ting fuch as are mod likely 
 to fet them a good example. I need not tell you they 
 Ihould not be fkirrers ; but, on the contrary, lliould be 
 fair hunting hounds, fuch as love a fcent, and that hunt 
 clofeft on the line of it ; it will be neceflary that fome of 
 them fhould be good finders, and all muft be fteady : 
 Thus you procure for your young hounds the befl inflruc- 
 tions, and at the fame time prevent two evils, which 
 would necefTarily enfue, were they taught by the whole 
 packi one, that of corrupting, and getting into fcrapes, 
 fuch as are not much wifer than themfelves ; and the 
 other, that of occafioning much flogging and rateing, 
 which always fhies and interrupts the hunting of an old 
 hound. An old hound is a fagacious animal, and is not 
 fond of trufting himfelf in the way of an enraged whip- 
 per-in, who, as experience has taught him, can flog, and 
 can flog unjuflly.-^ — By attending to this advice, you 
 
 M 2 will 
 
^ THOUGHTS ON 
 
 will improve one part of your pack, without any injury to 
 the other; whilft fuch as never feparate their young hounds 
 from the old, are not likely to have any of them fteady. 
 
 You afk, at what time you fhall begin to enter your 
 young hounds ? — that queflion is eafily anfwered ; for you 
 certainly fhould begin with them as Joon as you can. The 
 time muft vary in different countries : In corn countries 
 it may not be pofTible to hunt till after the corn is cut j 
 in grafs countries you may begin fooner ; and in wood- 
 lands you may hunt as foon as you pleafe.-^If you have 
 plenty of foxes, and can afford to make a facrifice of 
 fome of them for the fake of making your young hounds 
 fleady, take them firft where you have leaft riot, putting 
 fome of the fteadieft of your old hounds amongft them. 
 If in fuch a place you are fortunate enough to find a litter 
 of foxes, you may affure yourfelf you will have but little 
 trouble with your young hounds afterwards. 
 
 Such young hounds as are moft riotous at firft, gene- 
 rally fpeaking, I think, are beft in the end. A gentle- 
 man in my neighbourhood was fo thoroughly convinced 
 of this, that he complained bitterly of a young pointer 
 
 to 
 
HUNTING. 83 
 
 to the perfon who gave it hun, becaiife he had done no 
 mi/chief. However, meeting the fame perfon fome time 
 after, he told him the dog he believed would prove a 
 good one at laft. — " How fo," replied his friend, " it was 
 '' but the other day that you faid he was good for nothing." 
 " True — hit he has killed me nineteen turkies fince that.'' 
 
 If owing to a fcarcity of foxes you fhould ftoop your 
 hounds at hare, let them not have the blood of her at 
 lead J nor, for the fake of confiftency, give them much 
 encouragement. Hare-hunting has one advantage- 
 hounds are chiefly in open ground, where you can eaflly 
 command them i but, notwithflanding that, if foxes are 
 in tolerable plenty, keep them to their own game, and 
 do not forget the advice of my friend the dodor. 
 
 Frequent hallooing is of ufe, I think, with young 
 hounds i it keeps them forward, prevents their being lofl, 
 and hinders them from hunting after the reft. The oftener 
 therefore a fox is feen and hallooed, the better i it ferves 
 to let them in, makes them eager, makes them exert 
 themfelves, and teaches them to be handy. I muft tell 
 you, at the fame time I fay this, that I by no means 
 
 approve 
 
14 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 approve of much hallooing to old hounds ; and though I 
 frequently am guilty of it myfelf, it is owing to my fpi- 
 rits, which lead me into an error that my judgment 
 condemns. It is true, there is a time when hallooing is 
 of ufe ; a time when it does hurt ; and a time when it is 
 perfedly indifferent •, but it is long pradice, and great 
 attention to hunting, that mud teach you the application. 
 
 Hounds, at their firft entering, cannot be encouraged 
 
 too much. When they are become handy, love a fcent, 
 
 and begin to know what is rights it will be foon enough 
 
 to chaftife them for doing wrong -y in which cafe one 
 
 fevere beating will fave a deal of trouble. You fliould 
 
 recommend to your whipper-in, when he flogs a hound, 
 
 to make ufe of his voice as well as his whip j and let him 
 
 remember, that the fmack of the whip is often of as 
 
 much ufe as the lalh, to one that has felt it. If any are 
 
 very unfleady, it will not be amifs to fend them out by 
 
 themfelves, when the men go out to exercife their horfes. 
 
 If you have hares in plenty, let fome be found fitting, and 
 
 turned out before them, and you will foon find the moft 
 
 riotous will not run after them. If they are to be made 
 
 lieady from deer, they fhould fee them often, and they 
 
 will 
 
HUNTING. 85 
 
 will not regard them ; and if, after a probation of this 
 kind, you turn out a cub before them, with fome old 
 hounds to lead them on, you may alTure yourfelf they 
 will not be unfleady long ; for as Somervile rightly 
 obferves, 
 
 *' Eafy the lefTon of the youthful train, 
 
 When inftintSl prompts, and when example guides." 
 
 Flogging hounds in kennel, the frequent pradlice of mofl 
 huntfmen, I hold in abhorrence ; it is unreafonable, unjuft, 
 and cruel ; and, carried to the excefs we fometimes fee it, 
 is a difgrace to humanity. Hounds that are old offenders, 
 that are very riotous, and at the fame time very cunning, 
 may be difficult to catch : fuch hounds may be excepted^ — 
 they deferve punifhment whenever it happens, and you 
 
 fhould not fail to give it them when you can. This 
 
 you will allow is a particular cafe, and neceffity may ex- 
 
 cufe it but let not the peace and quiet of your kennel 
 
 be often thus difturbed. When your hounds offend, pu- 
 nifh them : — when caught in the fad, then let them fuf- 
 fer — and if you are fevere, at leaft be jufl. 
 
 When your young hounds ftoop to a fcent, are become 
 handy, knov/ a rate, and flop eafily, you may then begin 
 
 to 
 
86 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 to put them into the pack, a few only at a time i nor do 
 I think it advifeable to begin this, till the pack have been 
 out a few times by themfelves, and are got well in blood. 
 I fhould alfo advife you to take them the firft day where 
 they are mofl fure to find j as long reft makes all hounds 
 riotous, and they may do that en gaite de c^uVy which they 
 would not think of at another time. 
 
 If your covers are large, you would find the ftrait 
 horn of ufe, and I am forry to hear you do not approve 
 of it. You afl^ me why I like it ? — not as a mufician, I 
 can aflure you. — It fignifies little, in our way, what the 
 noife is, as long as it is underftood. 
 
 LET- 
 
HUNTING. 2^ 
 
 LETTER VII. 
 
 u. 
 
 NLESS I had kept a tegular journal of all that has 
 been done in the kennel from the time when my young 
 hounds were firfl taken in, to the end of the lafl feafon, 
 it would be impolTible, I think, to anfwer all the quef- 
 tions which, in your laft letter, you afk concerning them. 
 I wifh that a memory, which is far from being a good 
 one, may enable me to give the information you defire. 
 If I am to be more circumftantial than in my former letter, 
 I muft recolledl, as well as I can, the regular fyftem of my 
 own kennel ; and if I am to write from memory, you will, 
 without doubt, excufe the lucidus ordo which may be want- 
 ing — it Ihall be my endeavour, that the information thefe 
 letters contain, fhall not miflead you. 
 
 You defire me to explain what I mean by hounds 
 being handy^ — It relates to their readinefs to do whatever 
 is required of them ; and particularly, when caft, to 
 turn eafily which way the huntfman pleafes. 
 
 N I WAS 
 
88 THOUGHTSON 
 
 I WAS told the other day by a Iportfman, that he con- 
 fiders the management of hounds as a regular fyftem of 
 education, from the time when they are firft taken into the 
 kennel : I perfeflly agree with that gentleman ; and am 
 welt-convinced, that if you expeft fagacity in your hound 
 when he is old, you muft be mindful what inftrudion he 
 receives from you in his youth; for as, he is of all animals 
 the moft docile, he is alfo moft liable to bad habits. A 
 diverfity of charadter, conftitution, and difpofition, are 
 to be obferved among them; which, to be made the 
 moft of, muft be carefully attended to, and treated dif- 
 ferently, I do not pretend to have fucceeded in it myfelfi 
 yet you will perceive, perhaps, that I have paid fome 
 attention to it. 
 
 I BEGIN to hunt my young hounds in Auguft. The 
 employment of my huntfman the preceding months, is 
 to keep his old hounds healthy and quiet, by giving 
 them proper exercife, and to get his young hounds for- 
 ward. They are called over often in the kennel j it ufes 
 them to their names, to the huntfman, and to the whip- 
 per-in. They are walked out often among flieep, hares, 
 iind deer ; it ufes them to a rate. Sometimes he turns 
 
 * down 
 
HUNTING. %g 
 
 down a cat before them, which they hunt up to and kill j 
 and, when the time of hunting approaches, he turns out 
 badgers or young foxes, taking out fome of the fteadieft of 
 his old hounds to lead them on — this teaches them to 
 hunt. He draws fmall covers and furze brakes with them, 
 to ufe them to a halloo, and to teach them obedience. 
 If they find improper game, and hunt it, they are flopped 
 and brought back; and as long as they will ftop at a rate, 
 they are not chaflifed. Obedience is all that is required 
 of them, till they have been fufficiently taught the game 
 they are to hunt. An obftinate deviation from it after- 
 wards is never ■pardoned. It is an obfervation of the mar- 
 chefe Beccaria, that ** La certezza di un caftigo, benche 
 " moderate fara fempre una maggiore impreffione, che 
 " non il timore di un altro piu terribile, unite colla 
 *' fperan^ja, della 'impunita. 
 
 When my young hounds are taken out to air, my huntf- 
 man takes them into the country in which they are to begin 
 to hunt. It is attended with this advantage j they acquire 
 a knowledge of the country, and when left behind at any 
 time, cannot fail to find their way home more eafily. 
 
 fN" 2 When 
 
96 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When they begin to hunt, they are firft taken into a 
 large cover of my own, which has many ridings cut in it ; 
 and where young foxes are turned out every year on 
 purpofe for them. Here it is they are taught the fcent 
 they are to hunt, are encouraged to purfue it, and are 
 flopped from every other. Here they are blooded to fox. 
 1 muft alfo tell you that as foxes are plentiful in this 
 cover, the principal earth is not flopped, and the foxes 
 are checked back, or fome of them let in, as may befl 
 fuit the purpofe of blooding. After they have been 
 hunted a few days in this manner, they are then fent to more 
 diflaot covers, and more old hounds are added to themj 
 there they continue hunting till they are taken into 
 the pack, which is feldom later than the beginning 
 of September ; for by that time they will have learned 
 what is required of them, and they feldom give much 
 trouble afterwards. In September, I begin to hunt in 
 earned, and after the old hounds have killed a few foxes, 
 the young hounds are put into the pack, two or three 
 couple at a time, till all have hunted. They are then 
 divided ; and as I feldom have occafion to take in more 
 than nine or ten couple, one half are taken out one day, 
 the other half the next, till all are Heady. 
 
 ♦ Two 
 
HUNTING. 91 
 
 Two other methods of entering young hounds I have 
 pradtifed occafionally, as the number of hounds have 
 required ; for inftance, when that number is very con- 
 fiderable, I make a large draft of my fteadiell: hounds, 
 which are kept with the young hounds in a feparate kennel, 
 and are hunted with them all the fore part of the feafon. 
 This, when the old hounds begin to hunt, makes two 
 diftin6l packs, and is always attended with great trouble 
 and inconvenience. Nothing hurts a pack fo much as 
 to enter many young hounds, fince it muft weaken it 
 confiderably by robbing it of thofe which are the mod 
 fteady; and yet, young hounds can do nothing without 
 their alTiftance. Such, therefore, as conflantly enter their 
 young hounds in this manner, will, fometimes at leaft, 
 have two indifferent packs, inftead of one good one. 
 
 In the other method, the young hounds are well awed 
 from llieep, but never (looped to a fcent, till they are 
 taken out with the pack ; they are then taken out a few 
 only at a time ; and if your pack is perfectly Heady, and 
 well manned, may not give you much trouble. The 
 method I firft mentioned, which is the one I moft com- 
 monly pradlife, will be neceflary when you have nriany 
 
 young 
 
92 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 young hounds to enter i when you have only a few, the 
 laft will be moft convenient. The other, which requires 
 two diflincft packs, is on too extenfive a plan to fuit your 
 eflablifhment, requiring more horfes and hounds than you 
 intend to keep. 
 
 Though I have mentioned, in a former letter, from eight 
 to twelve couple of young hounds, as a fufficient number 
 to keep up your pack to its prefent eflablifhment, yet it 
 is always beft to keep a few couple more than you want 
 in referve, in cafe of accidents : fmce from the time you 
 make your draft, to the time of hunting, is a long period j 
 and their exiflence at that age and feafon very preca- 
 rious : befides, when they are fafe from the diforder, they 
 are not always fafe from each other -, and a fummer, I 
 think, feldom pafTes without fome lofTes of that kind. 
 At the fame time I mufl tell you, that I fhould decline 
 the entering of more than are necefTary to keep up the 
 pack, fince a greater number would only create ufelefs 
 trouble and vexation. 
 
 You wifh to know what number of old hounds you 
 fhould hunt with the young ones :— that mufl depend on 
 
 the 
 
HUNTING. 93 
 
 the ftrength of your pack, and the number which you 
 choofe to fpare j if good and fteady, ten or twelve cou- 
 ple will be fufficient. 
 
 The young hounds, and fuch old ones as are intended 
 to hunt along with them, Ihould be kept in a kennel by 
 themfelves, till the young hounds are hunted with the 
 pack. I need not, I am fure, enumerate the many rea- 
 fons that make this regulation neceflary. 
 
 I NEVER truft my young hounds in the foreft till they 
 have been well blooded to fox, and feldom put more than 
 a couple into the pack at a time. The others are walked 
 out amongft the deer, when the men exercife their horfes, 
 and are feverely chaftifed if they take any notice of them. 
 They alfo draw covers with them ; choofing out fuch, 
 where they can beft fee their hounds, and moft eafily 
 command them, and where there is the lead chance to 
 find a fox. On thefe occafions I had rather they fliould 
 have to rate their hounds, than encourage them. It 
 requires lefs judgment i and, if improperly done, is lefs 
 dangerous in its confequences. One halloo of encou- 
 ragement to a wrong fcent, more than undoes all that you 
 
 have been doing, 
 
 Wh£n 
 
94 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When young hounds begin to love a fcent, it may 
 be of ufe to turn out a badger before them ; you will 
 then be able to difcover what improvement they have 
 made j I mention a badger, on a fuppofition that young 
 foxes cannot fo well be fpared -, befides the badger, being 
 a flower animal, he may eafily be followed, and driven 
 the way you choofe he fhould run. 
 
 The day you intend to turn out a fox, or badger, you 
 will do well to fend them amongfl; hares, or deer. A little 
 rating and flogging, before they are encouraged to ver- 
 min, is of the greateft ufe, as it teaches them both what 
 they fhould, and what they Ihould not do j I have known 
 a badger fun feveral miles, if judicioufly managed j for 
 which purpofe he Ihould be turned out in a very open 
 country, and followed by a perfon who has more fenfe 
 than to ride on the line of him. If he does not meet 
 with any cover or hedge in his way, he will keep on for 
 feveral miles j if he does, you will not be able to get 
 
 him any farther. You fhould give him a great deal 
 
 of law, and you will do well to break his teeth. 
 
 If you run any cubs to ground in an indifferent coun- 
 try, and do not want blood, bring them home, and they 
 
 will 
 
HUNTING. 9^ 
 
 will be of ufe to your young hounds. Turn out bag 
 foxes to your young hounds, but never to your old ones. 
 1 objeft to them on many accounts ; but of bag-foxes I 
 fliall have occafion to fpeak hereaf:er. 
 
 The day after your hounds have had blood, is alfo A 
 proper time to fend them where there is riot, and to chaf- 
 tife them if they deferve it : it is always bell to correft 
 them when they cannot help knowing what they are 
 corrected for. When you fend out your hounds for this 
 purpofe, the later they go out, I think the better, as the 
 worfe the fcent is, the lefs inclinable will they be to run 
 it, and of courfe, will give lefs trouble in flopping them.. 
 It is a common pradlice with huntfmen to flog their hounds 
 moft unmercifully in the kennel : I have already told you 
 I like it not -, but if many of your hounds are obflinately 
 riotous, you may with lefs impropriety put a live hare 
 into the kennel to them ; flogging them as often as they 
 approach her j they will then have fome notion at leaft, 
 for what they are beaten : but, let me intreat you, before 
 this charivari begins, to draft off' your fleady hounds : 
 An animal to whom We. owe fo much good diverfion, 
 
 O fliQuld 
 
96 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 fhould not be ill ufed unneceflarily. — When a hare is put 
 into the kennel, the huntfman and both the whippers-in 
 fhould be prefent, and the whippers-in fhould fiog every 
 hound, calling him by his name, and rating him as often 
 as he is near the hare, and upon this occafion they can- 
 not cut them too hard, or rate them too much ; when 
 they think they have chaftifed them enough, the hare 
 fhould then be taken away, the huntfman fliould halloo 
 off his hounds, and the whippers-in fhould rate them to 
 
 him. If any one loves hare more than the reft, you 
 
 may tie a dead one round his neck, flogging him and 
 rating him at the fam« time. This pofTibly may make 
 him afhamed of it. I never bought a lot of hounds in 
 my life that were not obliged to undergo this difcipline ,-— 
 either hares are lefs plentiful in other countries, or other 
 fportfmen are lefs nice in making their hounds fteady 
 from them. 
 
 I would advife you to hyntyour large covers with your 
 young hounds ; it will tire them out j a necefTary ftep 
 towards making them fteady -, and will open the cover 
 againft the time you begin in earneft, and by difturbing 
 
 the 
 
HUNTING. $7 
 
 the large covers early in the year, foxes will be fhy of 
 them in the feafon, and Ihew you better chaces : befides, 
 as they are not likely to break from thence, you can do 
 no hurt to the corn, and may begin before it is cut. 
 
 If your hounds are very riotous,, and you are obliged 
 to flop them very often from hare, it will be advifeable, 
 I think, to try on (however late it may be) till you find 
 a fox, as the giving them encouragement Iliould, at fuch 
 a tim.e, prevail over every other confideration. 
 
 Though all young hounds, I believe, are given to riot, 
 yet the better they are bred, the lefs trouble will they 
 be likely to give you. Pointers, well-bred, fland natu- 
 rally; and high-bred fox-hounds love their own game 
 beft. Such, however, as are very riotous, fhould have 
 little reft : you fhould hunt them one day in large covers, 
 where foxes are in plenty ; the next day they fhould be 
 walked out am.ongft hares, and deer, and ftopped from 
 riot ; the day following be hunted again as before. Old 
 hounds, that I have had from other packs (particularly 
 fuch as have been entered at hare) I have fometimes found' 
 
 2 incor- 
 
98 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 incorrigible; but I never yet knew a young hound (o riot- 
 ous, but, by this management, he foon became fteady. 
 
 When hounds are rated, and do not anfwer the rate, 
 they fhould be coupled up immediately, and be made to 
 know the whipper-in : in all probability this method will 
 fave any farther trouble. Thefe fellows fometimes flog 
 hounds unmercifully, and fome of them feem to take 
 pleafure in their cruelty; 1 am fure, however, 1 need not 
 defire you to prevent the excefs of it. 
 
 I HAVE heard, that no fox-hounds will break off to 
 deer, after once a fox is found. — I cannot fay the expe- 
 rience I have had of this divcrfion will any ways juftify 
 the remark ; let me advife you therefore, to feek a furer 
 dependance. Before you hunt your young hounds where 
 hares are in plenty, let them be awed, and flopped from 
 hare : before you hunt amongft deer, let them not only 
 fee deer, but let them draw covers where deer are; for 
 you muft not be furprized, if, after they are fo far fteady, 
 as not to run them in view, they fhould challenge on 
 the fcent of them. Unlefs you take this method with 
 
 your 
 
HUNTING. 99 
 
 your young hounds, before you put them into the pack, 
 you will run a great rifque of corrupting fuch as are fteady, 
 and will lofe the pleafure of hunting with fleady hounds. 
 I have already told you that after my young hounds are 
 taken into the pack, I ftill take out but very few at a 
 time, when I hunt among deer. I alfo change them when 
 I take out others j for the fleadinefs they may have acquired 
 could be but little depended on, were they to meet with 
 any encouragement to be riotous. 
 
 I coNfFEss I think fii'fl imprefTions of more confequence 
 than they are in general thought to be : I not only enter 
 my young hounds to vermin on that account, but I even 
 ufe them, as early as I can, to the ftrongeft covers and 
 thickeft brakes, and I feldom find they are ever fliy of 
 them afterwards. A friend of mine has alTured me, that 
 he once entered a fpaniel to fnipes, and the dog, ever after 
 was partial to them^ preferring them to every other bird. 
 
 If you have martern cats within your reach, as all 
 hounds are fond of their fcent, you will do well to enter 
 your young hounds in covers which they frequent. The 
 
 martern 
 
ICO T H O U G H T S O N 
 
 martern cat being a fmall animal, by running the thickeft- 
 breaks it can find, teaches hounds to run cover, and is 
 
 therefore of the greateft ufe.- 1 do not much approve 
 
 of hunting them with the old hounds ; they fhew but little 
 fport, are continually climbing trees ; and as the covef 
 they run feldom fails to fcratch and tear hounds confide- 
 rably, I think you might be forry to fee your whole pack 
 disfigured by it. The agility of this little animal is really 
 wonderful j and though it falls frequently from a tree, in 
 the midft of a whole pack of hounds, all intent on catch- 
 ing it, there are but few inftances, I believe, of a martern's 
 being caught by them in that fituation. 
 
 In fummer, hounds might hunt in an evening; — I 
 know a pack, that after having killed one fox in the morn- 
 ing with the young hounds, killed another in the evening 
 with the old ones. Scent generally lies well at the clofe 
 of the day, yet there is a great objeftion to hunting at 
 that time ; animals are then more eafily difturbed, and you 
 have a greater variety of fcents than at an earlier hour. 
 
 Having given you all the information I can pofTiblj 
 recoiled, with regard to my own management of young 
 
 hounds. 
 
H U T N I N G. loi 
 
 hounds, I fhall now take notice of that part of your lafl: 
 letter, where I am forry to find that our opinions differ.— 
 Obedience, you fay, is every thing neceffary in a hound, 
 and that it is of little confequence by what means it is 
 obtained. I cannot concur altogether in that opinion ; 
 for I think it very neceffary, that the hound fhould at the 
 fame time underftand you. Obedience, under proper ma- 
 nagement, will be a neceffary confequence of it. Obe- 
 dience, furely, is not all that is required of them : they 
 lliould be taught to diftinguifh of themfelves right from 
 wrong, or I know not how they are to be managed j when, 
 as it frequently happens, we cannot fee what they are at, 
 and muft take their words for it. A hound that hears a 
 voice which has often rated him, and that hears the whip 
 he has often felt, I know, will flop.— I alio know, he will 
 commit the fame fault again, if he has been accuftomed 
 to be guilty of it. 
 
 Obedience, you very rightly obferve, is a neceffary 
 quality in a hound, for he is ufelefs without it. It is 
 therefore an excellent principle, for a huntfman to fet out 
 upon J yet, good as it is, I think it may be carried too 
 
 far. 
 
102 T H OUGHTS ON 
 
 far. I would not have him infill on too much, or tor- 
 ment his hounds, mal a propos, by exadting of them by 
 force what is not abfolutely neceffary to your diverfion. 
 You fay, he intends to enter your hounds at hare — is it 
 to teach them obedience ? — Does he mean to encourage 
 
 vice in them, to correal it afterwards ? 1 have heard, 
 
 indeed, that the way to make hounds fleady from hare, is 
 to enter them at hare : that is, — to encourage them to hunt 
 her. It requires more faith than I pretend to, to believe 
 lb flrange a paradox. 
 
 It concerns me to be obliged to differ from you in 
 opinion j but fince it cannot now be helped, we will pur- 
 fue the fubjeft, and examine ]^ throughout j permit me 
 then to afk you, what it is you propofe from the entering 
 of your hounds at hare ? Two advantages, I Ihall pre- 
 fume, you expedt from it : — The teaching of your hounds 
 to hunt, and teaching them to be obedient. How- 
 ever neceffary you may think thefe requifites in a hound, 
 I cannot but flatter myfelf they are to be acquired by 
 lefs exceptionable means. The method I have already 
 mentioned to make hounds obedient, as it is pradtifed in 
 
 my 
 
HUNTING. 103 
 
 my own kennel— that of calling them over often in the 
 kennel, to ufe them to their names, and walking them 
 out often amongfl: fheep, hares, and deer, from which 
 they are ftopped to nfe them to a rate, in my opinion, 
 would anfwer your purpofe better. The teaching your 
 hounds to hunt, is by no means fo neceffary as you feem 
 to imagine. Nature will teach it them, nor need you 
 give yourfelf fo much concern about it. Art only will 
 be neceffary to prevent them from hunting what they 
 ought 720t to hunt — and do you really think your method 
 a proper one to accomplilh it ? 
 
 The firft and moll cflential thing towards making 
 hounds obedient, I fuppofe, is to make them underftand 
 you ; nor do I apprehend you will find any difficulty on 
 their parts, but fuch as may be occafioneci on yours. The 
 language we ufe to them, to convey our meaning fhould 
 never vary : — (till lefs, fhould we alter the very meaning 
 of thiC terms we ufe. Would it not be abfurd to en- 
 courage, when we mean to rate ? and if we did, could 
 we expe(5l to be obeyed ? — You will not deny this, and 
 yet you are guilty of no lefs an inconfiftency, when you 
 encourage your hounds to run a fcent to-day, which you 
 
 P know. 
 
104 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 know, at the Tame time, you mujft be obliged to break 
 them from to-morrow: — is it not running counter tojuf- 
 tice and to reafon. 
 
 I CONFESS there is fome ufe in hunting young hounds, 
 where you can eafily command them -, but even this you 
 may pay too dearly for. Enter your hounds in fmall 
 covers, or in fuch large ones as have ridings cut in them ; 
 whippers-in can then get at them, can always fee what 
 they are at, and I have no doubt that you may have a 
 pack of fox-hounds fteady to fox by this means, without 
 adopting fo prepofterous a method as that of firft making 
 hare-hunters of them. You will find, that hounds, thus 
 inftru6ted what game they are to hunt, and what they 
 are not, will flop at a word; becaufe they will under- 
 lland you j and, after they have been treated in this man^ 
 ner, a fmack only of the whip, will fpare you the inhu- 
 manity of cutting your hounds in pieces (not very juftly) 
 for faults v/hich you yourfelf have encouraged them to 
 commit, 
 
 I THINK, in your laft letter, you feem very anxious to 
 get your young hounds well blooded to fox, at the fame 
 
 time 
 
HUNTING. 105 
 
 time tliat you talk of entering them at hare. How am 
 I to reconcile fuch contradidtions ? If the blood of fox 
 is of fo much ufe, furely you cannot think the blood of 
 hare a matter of indifference, unlefs you fhould be of 
 opinion that a fox is better eating. — Nature, I fuppofe, 
 never intended they fhould hunt flieep, yet we very well 
 know, when once they have killed fheep, that they have 
 no diflike to mutton afterwards. 
 
 You have conceived an idea, perhaps, that a fox-hound 
 is defigned by nature to hunt a fox. Yet, furely, if that 
 was your opinion, you would never think of entering him 
 at any other game. I cannot, however, think nature 
 defigned the dog, which we call a fox-hound, to hunt fox 
 only, fince we know he will alfo hunt other animals. 
 That a well-bred fox-hound may give a preference to 
 vermin, casteris paribus, I will not difpute : I think it 
 very poITible he may j but this I am certain of — that every 
 fox-hound will leave a bad fcent of foxj for a good one 
 of either hare or deer, unlefs he has been made fteady 
 from them j and in this, I Ihall not fear to be contradifted. 
 But, as I do not wifh to enter into abllrufe rcafoiiing 
 
 P 2 with 
 
io6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 with you, or think it any ways material to our prefent 
 purpofe, whether the dogs we call fox-hounds were ori- 
 ginally defigned by nature to hunt fox or not, we will 
 drop the fubjed:. I muft at the fame time beg leave to 
 obferve, that dogs are not the only animals in which an 
 extraordinary diverfity of fpecies has happened fince the 
 days of Adam. Yet a great naturalift tells us, that man 
 is nearer, by eight degrees, to Adam, than is the dog to 
 the firft dog of his race j fince the age of man is four 
 fcore years, and that of a dog but ten. It therefore fol- 
 lows, that if both fhould equally degenerate, the alte- 
 ration would be eight times more remarkable in the dog 
 than man. 
 
 The two mofl neceffary queftions which refult from 
 the foregoing premifes, are — whether hounds entered at 
 hare are perfectly fteady, afterwards, to foxj — and whether 
 fteadinefs is not attainable by more reafonable means. — 
 Having never hunted with gentlemen who follow this 
 praftice, I muft leave the firft queftion for others to de- 
 termine i but having always had my hounds fteady, I can 
 jTiyfelf anfwer the fecond. 
 
 The 
 
HUNTING. 107 
 
 The objections I have nowmade to the treatment of young 
 hounds, by fome huntfmen, though addrefTed, my friend, 
 to you, are general objeftions, and fhould not perfonally 
 offend you. I know no man more juft, or more humane, 
 than you are. The difapprobation you fo ftrongly marked 
 in your laft letter, of the feverity ufed in fome kennels, 
 the noble animal we both of us admire, is much beholden 
 to you for. Your intention of being prefent yourfelf, 
 the firft time a hound is flogged, to fee how your new 
 whipper-in behaves himfelf, is a proof of benevolence, 
 which the Italian author of the moll humane book, could 
 not fail to commend you for. Huntfmen and whippers- 
 in are feldom fo unlucky as to have your feelings ; yet 
 cuftom, which authorifesthem to flog hounds unmercifully, 
 
 does not do away the barbarity of it.- A gentleman 
 
 feeing a girl fkinning eels alive, afked her, " if it was not 
 very cruel" — " O not at all, fir," replied the girl, " they 
 ** he ufed to it.'' 
 
 LET" 
 
loS THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER VIII. 
 
 O U defire to know, if there is any remedy for the 
 diftemper among the dogs. I fhall therefore mention all 
 the diforders which my hounds have experienced, and 
 point out the remedies which have been of fervice to 
 them. The diftemper you enquire about, is, I believe, 
 the moft fatal, (the plague only excepted) that any 
 animal is fubjecft to. It has not been long known in this 
 country, but it is almoft inconceivable what numbers it 
 has deftroyed in fo fhort a period} — feveral hundreds, I 
 c-an myfelf place to this mortifying account. It feems 
 happily to be now on the decline j at leaft, it is lefs fre- 
 quent, and more mild i and, I think, it is probable, that 
 in time, it may be entirely removed. The cfFe6ls of it 
 are too generally known to need any defcription of them 
 here -, — I wifh the remedies were known as well ! 
 
 A BROTHER fportfman communicated to me a remedy, 
 which, he faid, his hounds had found great benefit from, 
 
 viz. 
 
li U N T I N G. 109 
 
 viz. An ounce of Peruvian bark, in a glajs of Tort wine, 
 taken twice a day. It is not infallible i but in fome flages 
 of this diforder, is certainly of ufe. The hound moft 
 infeded, that ever I knew to recover, was a large flag- 
 hound ; he lay five days without being able to get off the 
 bench \ nor did he receive any nourilhment during the 
 whole time, but the medicine, with which, he drank three 
 
 bottles of Port wine. You may think, perhaps, the 
 
 feeder drank his lliare j — it is probable he might, if it 
 had not been fent ready mixed up with the bark. — I once 
 tried the poudre unique, thinking it a proper medicine for 
 a diforder which is faid to be putrid , but 1 cannot fay 
 any thing in its favour, with regard to dogs, at leafl. — 
 Norris's drops I have alfo given, and with fuccefs. I gave 
 a large fpoonful of them in an equal quantity of Port 
 wine, three times a day , as the dog grew better, I lefTened 
 the quantity. — When dogs run much at the nofe, nothing 
 will contribute more to the cure of them, than keeping 
 that part clean ; when that cannot conveniently be done, 
 emetics will be necefTary j the befl I know, is a large 
 fpoonful of common fait, diffolved in three fpoonfuls of 
 warm water. — The firfl fymptom of this diforder, gene- 
 rally, is a cough. — As foon as it is perceived amongfl my 
 
 young 
 
no 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 young hounds, great attention is paid to them. They 
 have plenty of clean draw, and are fed oftener and better 
 than at other tinnes ; as long as they continue to eat the 
 kennel meat, they are kept together -, as foon as any of 
 them refufe to feed, they are removed into another kennel, 
 the door of the kennel is left open in the day, and they 
 are only ihut up at night ; and, I think, being out in the 
 air, is of great fervice to them. To fuch as are very 
 bad, I give Norris's drops ; to others emetics ; whilft 
 fome, only require to be better fed than ordinary, and 
 need no other remedy. They Ihould be fed from the 
 kitchen, when they refufe the kennel meat. Some- 
 times they will lofe the ufe of their hinder parts ; — bleed- 
 ing them, by cutting off the laft joint of the tail, may, 
 perhaps, be of fervice to them. I cannot fpeak of it with 
 any certainty, yet I have reafon to think, that I once faved 
 a favourite dog by this operation. In fhort, by one me- 
 thod or another, I think they may always be recovered. 
 
 The likeliefl prefervative for thofe that are well, is the 
 keeping of them warm at night, and high fed. This dif- 
 order being probably infectious, it is better to provide 
 an hofpital for fuch as are feized with it, which fhould 
 
HUNTING. Ill 
 
 he in the back part of the kennel. — ^There is no doubt 
 biit fome kennels are healthier than others, and confe- 
 quently lefs liable to it. I apprehend mine to be one of 
 thofe ; for in a dozen years, 1 do not believe I have loft 
 half that number of old hounds, notwithftanding the 
 great number of whelps I lofe at their walks. Neigh- 
 bouring kennels Jiave not been equally fortunate ; I have 
 obferved in fome of them a diforder unknown in mine : 
 I mean a fweliing in the fide, which fometimes breaks, 
 but foon after forms again, and generally proves fatal at 
 
 laft. 1 think, I heard a friend of mine fay, whofe 
 
 kennel is fubjeft to this complaint, that he never knew 
 but one inftance of a dog v/ho recovered from it. I have, 
 however, fince known another, in a dog I had from him, 
 which I cured by frequently rubbing with a digeilive 
 ointment : the tumour broke, and formed again feveral 
 times, till at lait it went entirely away. The diforder we 
 have now been treating of, has this, I think, in common 
 with the putrid fore throat, that it ufually attacks the 
 weakeft. Women are m.ore apt to catch the fore throat 
 than men -, children, than women -, and young hounds 
 more readily catch this diforder, than old. — When it feizes 
 whelps at their walks, or young hounds, when firft taken 
 
 Q^ frpm 
 
iia THOUGHTS ON 
 
 from therrij it is then mod dangerous. I alfo think that 
 madnefs, their inflammatory fever, is lefs frequent than 
 it was, before this diforder was known. 
 
 There are few diforders which dogs are fo fubjeft to 
 as the mange. Air and exercife, wholefome food, and 
 cleanlinefs, are the beft prefervatives againft it. Your 
 feeder fhould be particularly attentive to it, and when 
 he perceives any fpot upon them, let him rub it with the 
 following mixture : 
 
 A pint of train oil, 
 
 Half a pint of oil of turpentine, 
 
 A quarter of a pound of ginger, in powder, 
 
 Half an ounce of gunpowder, finely powdered. 
 
 Mixed up cold. 
 
 If the diforder fhould be bad enough to refift that, three 
 mild purging balls, one every other day, fhould be given^ 
 and the dog laid up for a little while afterwards. — For 
 the red mange, you may ufe the following : 
 
 Four ounces of quickfilver, 
 Two ounces of Venice turpentine, 
 One pound of hog's lard, 
 
 The 
 
HUNTING. 113 
 
 The quickfilver and turpentine are to be rubbed together, 
 till the globules all difappear. When you apply it, you 
 muft rub an ounce, once a day, upon the part affefted, 
 for three days fucceflively. This is to be ufed when the 
 hair comes off, or any rednefs appears. How wonderful 
 is the fatigue which a fox-hound undergoes ! Could you 
 count the miles he runs, the number would appear almofl 
 incredible. This he undergoes cheerfully j and, perhaps, 
 three times a week, through a long feafon. His health, 
 therefore, well deferves your care ; nor fliould you fuffer 
 the lead taint to injure it. Huntfmen are frequently 
 too negligent in ' this point. I know one in parti- 
 cular, a famous one, too, "^hofe kennel was never free 
 from the mange, and the fmell of brimftone was often- 
 times flronger, I believe, in the nofes of his hounds, than 
 
 the fcent of the fox. If you chufe to try a curious pre- 
 
 fcription for the cure of the mange, in the Phil. Tranf. 
 No. 25, p. 45ij you will find the following: 
 
 " Mr. Coxe procured an old mungrel cur, all over 
 " mangey, of a middle fize, and having fome hours be- 
 *' fore fed him plentifully with cheefe-parings and milk, 
 " he prepared his jugular vein 3 then he made a ftrong 
 
 0^2 " liga- 
 
114 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 " ligature on his neck, that the venal blood might be 
 " emitted with the greater impetus j after this, he took 
 " a young land fpaniel, about the fame bignefs, and pre- 
 *^ pared his jugular vein likewife, that the defcendant 
 " part might receive the mangey dog's blood, and the 
 " afcendant, difcharge his own into a difh ; he tranf- 
 " fufed about fourteen or fixteen ounces of the blood 
 " of the hife^ed, into the veins of the found dog; by 
 " this experiment there appeared no alteration in the 
 " found one, but the mangey dog was in about ten days, 
 *' or a fortnight's time perfedbly cured j and poffibly this 
 ** is the quickeft and furefl: remedy for that difeafe, 
 *' either in man or beafl." 
 
 Hounds fometimes are bitten by vipers : — fweet oil has 
 been long efteemed as a certain antidote ; fome lliould be 
 applied to the part, and fome taken inwardly. Though 
 a friend of mine informs me, that the common cheefe 
 rennet, externally applied, is a more efficacious remedy 
 than oil, for the bite of a viper. — They are liable to 
 wounds and cuts — Friar's balfam is very good, if applied 
 immediately -, yet, as it is apt to fhut up a bad wound 
 
 too 
 
HUNTING. 115 
 
 too foon, the following tindlure, In fuch cafes, may per- 
 haps be preferable j at leaft, after the firft drefling or two— 
 
 Of Barbadoes aloes, two ounces. 
 Of myrrh, pounded, three ounces. 
 Mixed up with a quart of brandy. 
 
 The bottle fhould be well corked, and put into a bark 
 bed, or dunghill, for about ten days or a fortnight. — 
 The tongue of the dog, in moft cafes, is his befl furgeon ; 
 where he can apply thatj he feldom needs any other re- 
 medy. — A green, or feton, in the neck, is of great relief 
 in mofi: diforders of the eyes; and I have frequently 
 known dogs almofl blind, recovered by it. — It is alfo of 
 fervice when dogs are fhaken in the fhoulders, and has 
 made many found. In the latter cafe there fhould be two, 
 one applied on each fide, and as near the jQioulder as 
 
 poiTible. The following ointment may be ufed to 
 
 difperfe fwellings, 
 
 Of frefli mutton fuet, tried, two pounds, 
 
 Of gum elemi, one pound. 
 
 Of common turpentine, ten ounces. 
 
 The gum is to be melted with the fuet, and, when taken 
 from the fire, the turpentine is to be mixed with it, ftrain- 
 
 ins 
 
ii6 THOUGHTS OK 
 
 ing the mixture whilft it is hot. — Dogs, frequently, are 
 flubbed in the foot. The tindture before-mentioned, and 
 this, or any digeftive ointment, will foon recover them. — 
 For (trains, I ufe two thirds of fpirits of wine, and one 
 of turpentine, mixed up together. Hounds, from blows, 
 or other accidents, are often lame in the ftifle. This, 
 frequently applied, and long refl, are the likelieft means 
 I know to recover them. — The following excellent re- 
 medy for a Ilrain, with which I have cured myfelf, and 
 many others, I have alfo found of benefit to dogs, when 
 llrained in the kg or foot. 
 
 Dissolve two ounces of camphire in half a pint of fpirits 
 of wine, and put to it a large bullock's gall. The part 
 affected muft be rubbed before the fire, three or four 
 times a day. 
 
 Sore feet are foon cured with brine, or fait and vinegar, 
 
 a handful of fait to a pint of vinegar. A plaifter of 
 
 black pitch is the beft cure for a thorn in either man, 
 
 horfe, or dog ; and I have known it fucceed, after every 
 
 thing elfe had failed. If the part is much inflamed, a 
 
 common poultice bound over the plaifter, will afTift in 
 
 the cure. 
 
 If 
 
HUNTING. 117 
 
 If hounds are much troubled with worms, the bed 
 cure I know, is the following : 
 
 Of pewter pulverized, i drachm 7 grs. 
 Of iEthiop's mineral, 16 grs. 
 
 This is to be given three times, once every other day, 
 and the dog fhould be kept warm, and from cold water. 
 Whey, or pot liquor, may be given him two or three 
 hours after, and fhould be continued, inftead of meat, 
 during the time he is taking the medicine. The beft 
 way of giving it, is to mix it up with butter, and then 
 to make it into balls, with a little flour. 
 
 When a dog is rough in his coat, and fcratches much, 
 two or three purging balls, and a little refl afterwards, 
 feldom fail to get him into order again. To make dogs 
 fine in their coats, you fhould ufe the following drefEng : 
 
 One pound of native fulphur. 
 One quart of train oil, 
 One pound of oil of turpentine. 
 Half a pound of foap. 
 
 My hounds are drefTed with it two or three times only in a 
 year i in fome kennels, I am told, they drefs them once in 
 two months. The more frequently it is done, the cleaner, 
 
 I fup- 
 
118 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 I fupDofe, your hounds will look. Should you choofe 
 
 to drefs your puppies, before they are put out to their 
 walks, the following receipt, which I received from a 
 friend of mine in StafFordfhire (the perfon already men- 
 tioned in this letter, an excellent fportfman, to whom I 
 have many obligations) will anfwer the purpofe beft, and 
 on their change of diet, from milk, to meat, may be fome- 
 times neceflary : 
 
 Three quarters of an ounce of qulckfilver. 
 Half a pint of fpirits of turpentine, 
 Four ounces of hog's lard, 
 One pound of foft foap. 
 
 Three ounces of common turpentine, in which the quick- 
 lilvcr muft be killed. 
 
 Infllnft direfls dogs, when the ftomach is out of order, 
 to be their own phyfician ; and it is to them we owe our 
 knowledge how to relieve it. It may appear foreign to 
 our prefent purpofe ; yet as it is much (if true) to the 
 honour of animals in general, I mufi beg leave to add, 
 what a French author tells us : — that alfo by the hippo- 
 potamus, we are inflrufled how to bleed, and by the crane, 
 
 how to give a clyfter. 
 
 " Mad- 
 
HUNTING. 119 
 
 Madness, thou dreadful malady j what ihall I fay to 
 thee ! or what prefervative fhall I find againft thy en- 
 venomed fang ! Somervile, who declines writing of lefler 
 ills, is not filent on the fubje(fl of this. 
 
 " Of lelTer ills the mufe declines to fing, 
 
 Nor ftoops fo low ; of thefe each groom can tell 
 
 The proper remedy." 
 
 I wi(h this worthy gentleman, to whom we have already 
 been fo much obliged, had been lefs fparing of his in- 
 Itrudbions ; fince it is poffible groomiS may have all the 
 knowledge he fuppofes them to have, and their mafters 
 may Hand in need of it. No man, I believe, will com- 
 plain of being too well informed j nor is any knowledge 
 unneceflary which is likely to be put in pradtice ; — the 
 executive part is full fufficient to trufl in a groom's hands. 
 The advice Somervile gives on the fubjecl of madnefs, is 
 worth your notice : 
 
 *'• When Sirius reigns, and the fun's parching beams 
 Bake the dry gaping furface, vifit thou 
 Each ev'n and morn, with quick obfervant eye, 
 Thy panting pack. If in dark fullen mood. 
 The glouting hound refufe his wonted meal, 
 Retiring to fome clofe, obfcure retreat, 
 
 Jl Gloomy 
 
120 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Gloomy, difconfolate ; with fpccd remove 
 The poor infe«Slious wretch, and in flrong chains 
 Bind him fufpedled. Thus that dire difeafe 
 Which art can't cure, wife caution may prevent." 
 
 Plenty of water, whey, greens, phyfic, air, and exercile, 
 fuch as I have before mentioned, have hitherto preferved 
 my kennel from its baneful influence ; and I make no 
 doubt you will alfo find their good cffefts. If, notwith- 
 flanding, you fliould at any time have reafon to fufpeft 
 the approach of this evil, let your hounds be well obferved 
 at the time when they feed ; there can be no danger whilil 
 they will eat. Should a whole pack be in the fame pre- 
 dicament, they muft be chained up feparate ; and I fliould 
 be very cautious what experiment I tried to cure them s 
 for I have been told by thofe who have had madnefs in 
 their kennels, and who have drenched their hounds to 
 cure it, that it was the occafion of its breaking out a long 
 time afterwards, and that it continued to do fo, as long 
 as they gave them any thing to put it off. — If a few dogs 
 only have been bitten, you had better hang them. — If 
 you fufpe6b any, you had better feparate them from the 
 reft J and a fhort time, if you ufe no remedy, will deter- 
 mine whether they really are bitten, or not.— -Should you. 
 
HUNTING. 121 
 
 however, be defirous of trying a remedy, the following 
 prefcription, I am told, is a very good one. 
 
 Of Turbith's mineral eight grains. 
 Ditto fixtcen grains, 
 Ditto thirty-two grains. 
 
 This is to be given for three mornings fuccefTively ; 
 beginning the firft day with eight grains, and increafing 
 it according to the above direcftion. The dog fhould. 
 be empty when he takes it, and fhould have been bled the 
 day before. The dofe fhould be given early in the morn- 
 ing, and the dog may have fome thin broth, or pot liquor, 
 about two or three o'clock, but nothing elfe during the 
 time he takes the medicine ; he fhould alfo be kept from 
 water. The befl way to give it is in butter, and made 
 up into balls, with a little flour. Care mufl be taken 
 that he does not throw it up again. After the laft day 
 of the medicine, he may be fed as ufual. Various are the 
 drenches and medicines which are given for this diforder, 
 and all faid to be infallible : this lafb, however, I prefer. 
 The whole pack belonging to a gentleman in my neigh- 
 bourhood was bitten ; and he afTures me, he never knew 
 an inftance of a dog who went mad, that had taken this 
 medicine. — The caution I have recommended to you, I 
 
 R 2 flatter 
 
122 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 flatter myfelf will preferve you from this dreadful malady, 
 for which I know not how to recommend a remedy. 
 Several years ago 1 had a game -keeper much bitten in 
 the flefhy part of his thigh; a horfe, that was bitten at 
 the fame time, died raving mad ; the man was cured by 
 Sir George Cob's medicine. — I have heard the Ormfkirk 
 medicine is alfo very good. I have given it to feveral 
 people in my neighbourhood, and, I believe, with fuccefs; 
 at lead, I have not, as yet, heard any thing to the con- 
 trary. — Though I mention thefe as the two mod favourite 
 remedies, I recommend neither. Somervile's advice, 
 which I have already given, is what I recommend to 
 you — if properly attended to, it will prevent the want of 
 any remedy. 
 
 P. ^S". A Treatife on canine madnefs, written by Dr. 
 James, is well worth your reading. You will find, that 
 "he prefcribes the fame remedy for the cure of madnefs in 
 dogs, as I have mentioned here, but in different quan- 
 tities. 1 have however taken the liberty of recommending 
 the quantities above-mentioned, as they have been known 
 to fucceed in my neighbourhood, and as the efficacy of 
 them has been very frequently proved, 
 
 L E T^ 
 
HUNTING. 123 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 i. HE variety of qiieftions which you are pleafed 
 to ailc concerning the huntfman, will be better anfwered, 
 I think, when we are on the fubjeft of hunting. In the 
 mean time, I will endeavour to defcribe what a good 
 huntfman fhould be. He Ihould be young, flrong, and 
 a6live, bold and enterprifingj fond of the diverfion, and 
 indefatigable in the purfuit of it ; he Ihould be fenfible 
 and good tempered -, he ought alfo to be fober -, he Ihould 
 be exa6l, civil, and cleanly j he fhould be a good horfe- 
 man, and a good groom j his voice fhould be ftrong 
 and clear, and he fhould have an eye fo quick, as to per- 
 ceive which of his hounds carries the fcent, when all are 
 running ; and fliould have fo excellent an ear, as always 
 to diflinguiHi the foremoft hounds, when he does not 
 fee them. He fhould be quiet, patient, and without 
 conceit. Such are the excellencies which conftitute a 
 good huntfman : He fhould not, however, be too fond 
 
 of 
 
 ^ 
 
124 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 of difplaying them, till necefTity calls them forth. — He 
 fliould let his hounds alone, whilft they can hunt, and 
 he fhoiild have genius to aflifl them, when they cannot. 
 
 With regard to the whipper-in, as you keep two of them, 
 (and no pack of fox-hounds is complete, without) the 
 firft may be confidered as a fecond huntfman, and fhould 
 have nearly the fame good qualities. It is neceflary be- 
 fides, that he Ihould be attentive and obedient to the 
 huntfman ; and as his horfe will probably have mod to 
 do, the lighter he is, the better j but if he is a good 
 horfeman, it will fuiEciently overballance fuch an ob- 
 jeftion. — He mull not be conceited. 1 had one for- 
 merly, who, inftead of flopping hounds as he ought, 
 would try to kill a fox by himfelf. This fault is un- 
 pardonable ; — he fhould always maintain to the huntf- 
 man's halloo, and flop fuch hounds as divide from it. 
 When flopped, he fhould get forward with them after 
 the huntfman. 
 
 He mufl always be contented to a6b an under part, 
 except when circumllances may require that he fhould a(5l 
 otherwife ; and the moment they ceafe, he mufl not fail 
 
 to 
 
HUNTING. tis 
 
 to refume his former ftation. — You have heard me fay, 
 that where there is much riot, I prefer an excellent whip- 
 per-in to an excellent huntfman. — The opinion, I believe, 
 is new j — I muft therefore endeavour to explain it. — My 
 meaning is this : that I think I fliould have better fport, 
 and kill more foxes with a moderate huntfman, and an 
 excellent whipper-in, than with the befb of huntfmen, 
 without fuch an afliflant. You will fay, perhaps, that a 
 good huntfman will make a good whipper-in ; — not fuch 
 a one as I mean ; — his talent muft be born with him. 
 My reafons are, that good hounds, (and I would not keep 
 bad ones) ftand oftener in need of the one, than the 
 other ; and genius, which in a whipper-in, if attended 
 by obedience, his firft requifite, can do no hurt; in a 
 huntfman, is a dangerous, though defirable quality ; and 
 if not accompanied with a large Ihare of prudence, and I 
 may fay humility, will often fpoil your fport, and hurt 
 your hounds. A gentleman told me, he heard the famous 
 Will Dean, when his hounds were running hard in a line 
 with Daventry, from whence they were at that time many 
 miles diftant, fwear exceedingly at the whipper-in, fay- 
 ing, " fVbal hufinejs have you here .?" the man was amazed 
 at the queftion, " why dorCt you knowj" laid he, " and he 
 
126 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 <c ^ — J to yoUi that the great earth at Daventry is open |"-** 
 The man got forward, and reached the earth juil tunc 
 enough to fee the fox go in. — If therefore w]iippers-in 
 are at liberty to ad: as they Ihall think right, they are 
 much lefs confined, than the huntfman himfelf, who mufl: 
 follow his hounds j and confequently they have greater 
 fcope to exert their genius, if they have any. 
 
 I had a difpute with an old fportfman of my acquaint- 
 ance, who contended, that the whipper-in fhould always 
 attend tlie huntfman, to obey his orders; (a ftable-boy, 
 in that cafe, would make as good a whipper-in, as the beft:) 
 but this is fo far from being the cafe, that he Ihould 
 be always on the oppofite fide of the cover from him, or 
 I am much millaken in my opinion : if within hearing of 
 his halloo, he is near enoughs for that is the hunting 
 fignal he is to obey. — The ftation of the fecond whipper-in 
 may be near the huntfman, for which reafon any boy 
 that can halloo, and make a whip fmack, may anfwer the 
 purpofe. 
 
 Your firfl whipper-in being able to hunt the hounds 
 occafionally, will anfwer another good purpofe; — it will 
 
 keep 
 
HUNTING. 127 
 
 k^ep your huntfman in order. — They are very apt to be 
 impertinent, when they think you cannot do without 
 them. 
 
 At going from the kennel, the place of the firfl whip- 
 per-in is before the hounds ; that of the fecond whipper-in 
 fhould be fome diftance behind them ; if not, I fear they 
 will not befuftered even to empty themTelves, let their wants 
 be ever fo great; for as foon as a boy is made a whipper-in, 
 he fancies, he is to whip the hounds whenever he can get 
 at them, whether they deferve it, or not. 
 
 I HAVE always thought a huntfman a happy man : his 
 office is pleafing, and at the fame time flattering; we pay 
 him for that which diverts him, and he is enriched by 
 his greatell pleafure ; nor is a General, after a vidlory, 
 more proud, than is a huntfman who returns with his 
 fox's head. 
 
 I HAVE heard that a certain Duke, who allowed no vails 
 to his fervants, afked his huntfman, v/hat he generally 
 made of his field money, and gave him Vv'hat he afked, 
 iinftead of it : This went on very well for fom.e time, till 
 
 S at 
 
128 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 at laft the huntfman defired an audience. — " Your Grace, 
 *' faid he, is very generous, and gives me more than ever 
 " I got from field-money in my life; yet I come to beg a 
 *' favour of your Grace : — That you would let me take 
 " field-money again ; for I have not half the pleafure 
 " now in killing a fox, that I had before. 
 
 As you aflc my opinion of fcent, I think I had better 
 give it you before we begin on the fubjedt of hunting. I 
 muft, at the fame time, take the liberty of telling you, 
 that you have puzzled me exceedingly ; for fcent is, I 
 believe, what we fportfmen know leaft about j and, to 
 ufe the words of a great clafTic writer j 
 
 Hoc Jum contentuSi quod etiam ft quo quidque fiat ignoremj 
 quid fiat inteUigo.—-Cic. de div. 
 
 SoMERviLE, who, as I have before obferved, is the only 
 one I know of, who has thrown any light on the fubjeft 
 of hunting, fays, I think, but little about fcent i I fend 
 you his words j I Ihall afterwards add a few of my own. 
 
 Should 
 
12 f 
 
 HUNTING. 
 
 " Should fome more curious fportfmen here inquire. 
 
 Whence this fagacity, this wond'rous power 
 
 Of tracing ftep by ftep, or man, or brute ? 
 
 What guide invincible points out their way. 
 
 O'er the dark marfh, bleak hill, and fandy plain ? 
 
 The courteous mufe fhall the dark caufe reveal. 
 
 The blood that from the heart inceflant rolls 
 
 In many a crimfon tide, then here, and there 
 
 In fmaller rills difparted, as it flows 
 
 Propell'd, the ferous particles evade. 
 
 Thro' th' open pores, and with the ambient air 
 
 Entangling mix, as fuming vapours rife, 
 
 And hang upon the gently purling brook, 
 
 There by the incumbent atmofphere comprefs'd 
 
 The panting chace grows warmer as he flies. 
 
 And thro the net-work of the fkin perfpires ; 
 
 Leaves a long — fteaming — trail behind j which by 
 
 The cooler air condens'd remains, unlefs 
 
 By fome rude ftorm difpers'd, or rarify'd 
 
 By the meridian fun's intenfer heat, 
 
 To every fhrub the warm eflluvia cling. 
 
 Hang on the grafs, impregnate earth and Ikies. 
 
 With noftrils opening wide, o'er hill, o'er dale, 
 
 The vig'rous hounds purfue, with ev'ry breath 
 
 Inhale the grateful fteam, quick pleafures fting 
 
 Their tingling nerves, while they their thanks repay. 
 
 And in triumphant melody confefs 
 
 The titillating joy. Thus on the air 
 
 Depends the hunters hopes." 
 
 S 2 I CAN- 
 
I30 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 I CANNOT agree with Mr. Somervile, in thinking fcentr 
 depends on the air only. It depends alfo on the foil. 
 Without doubt, the beft fcent is that, which is occafioned 
 by the effluvia, as he calls it, or particles of fcent, which 
 are conftantly perfpiring from the game, as it runs, and 
 are flrongeft and moft favourable to the hound, when 
 kept, by the gravity of the air,to the height of his bread i 
 for then, it neither is above his reach, nor is it necefiary 
 he fhould ftoop for it. At fuch times, fcent is faid to lie 
 hreaji high. Experience tells us, that difference of foil, 
 occafions difference of fcent j and on the richncfs of foil 
 and the moderate moifture of it, does fcent alfo depend, 
 I think, as well as on the air. At the time leaves be- 
 gin to fall, and before they are rotted, we know that 
 the fcent lies ill in cover. This alone would be a fufH- 
 cient proof, that fcent does not depend on the air only, 
 A difference of fcent is alfo occafioned by difference of 
 motion ; the fafter the game goes, the lefs fcent it leaves. 
 When game has been ridden ^fter, and hurried on by 
 imprudent fportfmen, or has been courfed by Iheep dogs, 
 th^ fcent is lefs favourable to hounds j one reafon of 
 which may be, th^t the particles of fcent are then more 
 <diflipatcd, 
 
 I BELIEVE 
 
HUNTING. 131 
 
 I BELIEVE it is very diiHcult to afcertain what fcent ex- 
 
 a6bly is ; I have known it alter very often in the fame 
 
 day ; I believe, however, it depends chiefly on two things, 
 
 *^ the condition the ground is in^ and the temperature of the air,''* 
 
 both of which, I apprehend, fhould be moift:, v/ithout 
 
 being wet : when both are in this condition, the fcent is 
 
 then perfect ; and vice verfa, when the ground is hard, 
 
 and the air dry, there feldom will be any fcent. — It fcarce 
 
 ever lies with a north, or an eaft wind ; a foutherly wind 
 
 without rain, and a wefterly wind that is not too rough, 
 
 are the moft favourable. — Storms in the air are great 
 
 enemies to fcent, and feldom fail to take it entirely away. 
 
 — A fine fun fliiny day, is not often a good hunting day i 
 
 but what the French ca\\y Jour des dames, warm without fun, 
 
 is generally a perfed one : there are not many fuch in a 
 
 whole feafon. — In fome fogs, I have known the fcent lie 
 
 high; in others, not at all; depending, I believe, on the 
 
 quarter the wind is then in. — I have known it lie very 
 
 high in a mift, when not too wet ; but if the wet hangs 
 
 much on the boughs and bufhes, it falls on the fcent, 
 
 and deadens it. When the dogs roll, the fcent, I have 
 
 frequently obferved feldom lies; for what reafon, I know 
 
1^2 Thoughts on 
 
 not; but, with permilTion, if they fmell (Irong, when 
 they firft come out of the kennel, the proverb is in their 
 favour ; and that fmell is a prognoflic of good luck.-— 
 When the cobwebs hang to the bulhes, there is feldom 
 much fcent. — During a white froft the fcent lies high ; 
 as it alfo does when the frofl is quite gone : there is a time, 
 juft as it is going off, when it never lies : it is a critical 
 minute for hounds, in which their game is frequently loft. 
 In a great dew the fcent is the fame. In heathy countries, 
 where the game brufties as it goes along, fcent feldom 
 fails. Where the ground carries, the fcent is bad for a 
 very evident reafon, which hare- hunters, who purfue their 
 game over greafy fallows, and through dirty roads, have 
 
 great caufe to complain of. A wet night frequently 
 
 produces good chaces ; as then, the game never like to 
 run the cover, or the roads. — It has been often remarked, 
 that fcent lies beft in the richeft foils j and countries which 
 are favourable to horfes, are feldom fo to hounds. I have 
 alfo obferved, that In fome particular places, fcent never 
 lies. 
 
 Never take out your hounds on avery windy,or bad day. 
 
 " Thefe 
 
HUNTING. 133 
 
 « Thefe inaufpicious days, on other cares 
 Employ thy precious hours ; th' improving friend 
 With open arms embrace, and from his lips 
 Glean faience, feafon'd with good-natur'd wit ; 
 But if th' inclement (kies, and angry Jove, 
 Forbid the pleafing intercourfe, thy books 
 Invite thy ready hand, each facred page 
 Rich with the wife remarks of heroes old." 
 
 The fentiments of Mr. Somervile always do him honour, 
 but on no occafion, more than on this. 
 
 In reading over my letter, I find I have ufed the word 
 fmelly in a fenfe that perhaps you will criticize. A gen- 
 tleman, who, I fuppofe, was not the fweeteft in the world, 
 fitting in the front boxes at the playhoufe, on a crowded 
 night, his neighbour very familiarly told him, ht Jmelt 
 firong\ — " No, Sir,'* replied he, with infinite good hu- 
 mour, — it is you xki2Xjmell — \ftink. 
 
 LET- 
 
1J4 THOUGHTS d N 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 Thoi]ght I had been writing all this time to a fox- 
 hunter -, and hitherto my letters have had no other objefl. 
 I now receive a letter from you, full of quellions about 
 hare-hunting ; to all of v/hich you expeft an anfwer. I 
 mull tell you, at the fame time, that though I kept har- 
 riers many years, it was not my intention, if you had not 
 alked it, to have written on the fubjed. By inclination, 
 I was never a hare-hunter j I followed this diverfion more 
 for air, and exercife, than for amufement ; and if I could 
 have perfuaded myfelf to ride on the turnpike road to 
 the three-mile ftone, and back again, I Hiould havQ 
 thought I had had no need of a pack of harriers. — Ex- 
 cufe me, brother hare-hunters ! I mean not to offend j 
 I fpeak only of the country where I live. The hare- 
 hunting there, is fo bad, that, did you know it, your won- 
 der would be, how I could have perfevered in it fo long, 
 not that I fliould forfake it now. I refpcd hunting in 
 
 what- 
 
H U N T I N G. i3(| 
 
 whatever fhape it appears ; it is a manly, and a\vholefome 
 exercife, and feems, by nature, defigned to be the amufe- 
 ment of a Briton. 
 
 You afl-i, how many hounds a pack of harriers Ihould 
 confift of? and what kind of hound is beft fuited to that 
 
 diverfion ? You fhould never, I think, exceed twenty 
 
 couple in the field j it might be difficult to get a greater 
 number to run well together, and a pack of harriers can- 
 not be complete if they do not : befides, the fewer hounds 
 you have, the lefs you foil the groundj which you other- 
 wife would find a great hindrance to your hunting.— ^Your 
 other queftion is not eafily anfwered -, the hounds, I think, 
 mod likely to Ihow you fport, are between the large flow 
 hunting harrier, and the little fox beagle -, one is too dull, 
 too heavy, and too flow ; the other, too lively, too light, 
 and too fleet. The firll, it is true, have mod excellent 
 nofes, and 1 make no doubt will kill their game at laft, if 
 the day be long enough -, but, you know, they are fliort 
 in winter, and it is bad hunting in the dark. The others, 
 on the contrary, fling and dafli, and are all alive j but 
 every cold blafi: affed:s them, and if your country is deep 
 and wet, it is not impolTible but fon^e of them may be 
 
 T drowned. 
 
1^6 THOUGHTSON 
 
 drowned. My hounds were a crofs of both thefe kinds, 
 in which it was my endeavour to get as much bone and 
 
 ftrengthj in as fmall a compafs as pofTible. It was a 
 
 difficult undertaking. — I bred many years, and an infinity 
 of hounds, before I could get what I wanted : I, at laft, 
 had the pleafure t;o fee them very handfome, fmall, yet 
 very bony ; they ran remarkably well together -, ran faft 
 enough s had all the alacrity you could defire, and would 
 hunt the coldeft fcent. — When they were thus perfect, I 
 did, as many others do — I parted with them. • 
 
 It may be necefTary to unfay, now I am turned 
 hare-hunter again, many things I have been faying, as 
 a fox-hunter, as I hardly know any two things, of the 
 fame genus, (if I may be allowed the expreffion) that 
 differ fo entirely. What I faid in a former letter, about 
 the huntfman and whipper-in, are among the number : 
 as to the huntfman, I think, he fhould not be young : I 
 fliould moft certainly prefer one, as the French call it, 
 d^un certain age, as he is to be quiet and patient j for pa- 
 tience, he fhould be a very Grizzle j and the more quiet 
 he is, the better. He fhould have infinite perfeverance i 
 
 for 
 
HUNTING. 137 
 
 for a hare ihould never be given up, whilft it is poflible 
 to hunt her : fhe is fure to flop, and therefore may always 
 be recovered. Were it ufual to attend to the breed of 
 our huntfmen, as well as to that of our hounds, I know 
 no family that would furnilh a, better crofs than that of 
 the filent genileman^ the fpeftator mentions : a female of 
 his line, croffed with a knowing huntfman, woilld pro- 
 bably produce a perfed: hare-hunter. 
 
 The whipper-in alfo ha3 little to do with the one, I 
 before defcribed : yet he may be like the fecond whipper- 
 in to a pack of fox-.hounds ; the liable-boy who is to 
 follow the huntfman J but I would have him flill more 
 confined, for he fhould not dare even to Hop a hound, or 
 fmack a whip, without the huntfman's order. Much 
 noife and rattle is diredtly contrary to the firft principles 
 of hare-hunting, v/hich is to be perfe6liy quiet, and to 
 let your hounds alone. 1 have feen few hounds fo good 
 as town packs, that have no profelTed huntfman to 
 follow them. If they have no one to help them, they 
 have at the fame time, no one to fpoil them 5 which, 
 I believe, for this kind of hunting, is ftill more 
 
 T 1 material. 
 
13? T H O U G H T S O N 
 
 material. I Ihould, however, mention a fault I have 
 obferved, and which luch hounds muft of neceffity 
 fometimes be guilty of, that is, running back the heel. 
 Hounds are naturally fond of fcent ; if they cannot carry 
 it forward, they will turn, and hunt it back again : hounds, 
 that are left to themfelves, make a fault of this, and it 
 is, I think, the only one they commonly have. — Though 
 it is certainly beft to let your hounds alone, and thereby 
 to give as much fcope to their natural inftindt, as you 
 can; yet, in this particular inftance, you Ihould check 
 it mildly ; for, as it is almoft an invariable rule in all 
 hunting, to make the head good, you ihould encourage 
 them to try forward firftj which may be done without 
 taking them off their nofes, or without the leaft prejudice 
 to their hunting. If trying forward fhould not fucceed, 
 they may then be fuffered to try back again, which you will 
 find them all ready enough to do j for they are fcnfible 
 how far they brought the fcent, and where they left it. 
 The love of fcent is natural to- them, and they have infi- 
 nitely more fagacity in it, than we ought to pretend to, — 
 I have no doubt, but they often think us very obflinate, 
 and very foolilh. 
 
 Harriers, 
 
HUNTING. 139 
 
 Harriers, to be good, like all other hounds, muft be 
 kept to their own game. If you run fox with them, you 
 fpoil them. Hounds cannot be perfed, unlefs ufed to 
 one fcent, and one (lile of hunting. Harriers run fox in 
 fo different a ftile from hare, that it is of great differvice 
 to them, when they return to hare again. It makes them 
 wild, and teaches them to Ikirt, — The high fcent, which 
 a fox leaves, the flraitnefs oi^ his running, the eagernefs 
 of the purfuit, and the noife that generally accompanies 
 it, all contribute to fpoil a harrier. 
 
 I HOPE, you agree with me, that it is a fault in a 
 pack of harriers to go too faft; for a hare is a little 
 timorous animal, that we cannot help feeling fome coiip- 
 palTion for, at the very time when we are purfuing her de- 
 ftrudtion : we fhould give fcope to all her little tricks, nor 
 kill her foully, and over-matched. Inftinft inftrufts her 
 to make a good defence, when not unfairly treated ; and 
 I will venture to fay, that, as far as her own fafety is con- 
 cerned, ihe has more cunning than the fox, and makes 
 many fhifts to fave her life, far beyond all his artifice. 
 Without doubt, you have often heard of hares, who, from 
 the miraculous efcapes they have made, have been thought 
 
 witckts 4 
 
HO THOUGHTS ON 
 
 witches -y but, I believe, you never heard of a fox that 
 had cunning enough to be thought a wizzard. 
 
 They, who like to rife early, have amufement in feeing 
 the hare trailed to her form ; it is of great fervice to 
 hounds i it alfo fhews their goodnefs to the huntfman, 
 more than any other hunting, as it difcovers to him thofe 
 who have the moft tender nofes» But, I confefs, I fel- 
 dom thought it worth while to leave my bed a moment 
 fooner on that account. I always thought hare-hunting 
 Ihould be taken as a ride after breakfaft, to get us an 
 appetite to our dinner. If you make a ferious bufinefs 
 of it, 1 think you fpoil it. Hare-finders, in this cafe, 
 are neceflary : it is agreeable to know where to go im- 
 mediately for your diverfion, and not beat about for 
 hours perhaps, before you find. It is more material, I 
 think, with regard to the fecond hare than the firil : for 
 if you are warmed with your gallop, the waiting long in 
 the cold afterwards, is, I believe, as unwholefome, as ic 
 is difagreeable. Whoever does not mind this, had better 
 let his hounds find their own game -, they will certainly 
 hunt it with more fpirit afterwards, and he will have 
 a pleafure hijufelf in expedtation, which no certainty can 
 
 ever 
 
HUNTING. 141 
 
 ever give. Hare-finders make hounds idle j they alfo 
 make them wild. Mine knew the men, as well as I did 
 myfelf i could fee them almoft as far ; and would run, 
 full cry, to meet them. Hare-finders are of one great 
 ufe J they hinder your hounds from chopping hares, which 
 they otherwife could not fail to do. I had in my pack 
 one hound in particular, that was famous for it j he would 
 challenge on a trail very late at noon, and had as good a 
 knack at chopping a hare afterwards; he was one that 
 liked to go the fhorteft way to work, nor did he choofe to 
 take more trouble than was neceflary. — Is it not wonder- 
 ful that the trail of a hare fhould lie after fo many hours, 
 when the fccnt of her dies away fo foon ? 
 
 Hares are faid, (I know not with what truth) to fore- 
 fee a change of weather, and to feat themfelves accord- 
 ingly. This is however certain, that they are feldom 
 found in places much expofed to the wind. In inclofures, 
 I think, they more frequently are found near to a hedge, 
 than in the middle of a field. They, who make a pro- 
 fefllon of hare- finding, (and a very advantageous one it is, 
 in fome countries) are direfled by the wind v/here to look 
 
 for 
 
142 TiiouGnrs ON 
 
 for their game. With good eyes and nice obfervatioft/ 
 they are enabled to find them, in any weather. You may 
 make forms, and hares will fit in them. I have heard 
 it is a common praftice with fiiepherds on the Wilt- 
 fliire downs j and by making them on the fide of hills, 
 they can tell at a diftance oft^", whether there are hares 
 in them, or not. Without doubt, people frequently 
 do not find hares, from not knowing them in their 
 forms. A gentleman, courfing with his friends, was 
 Ihewn a hare that was found fitting — " Is ibat a hare .«'" 
 he cried,-»— " therii by JovCj I found two this mornings as we 
 " rode along" 
 
 Though the talent of hare-finding is certainly of ufe, 
 and the money collected for it, when given to Ihepherds, 
 is money well bellowed by a fportfman, as it tends to the 
 prefervation of his game j yet I think, when it is indif- 
 criminately given hare-finders often are too well paid. 
 I have known them frequently get more than a guinea 
 for a fingle hare. I myfelf have paid five lliillings in a 
 morning, for hares found fitting. To make our compa- 
 nions pay d<farly for their diverfion, and oftentimes fo 
 
 much 
 
HUNTING. 143 
 
 much more than it is worth. To take from the pockets 
 of men who oftentimes can ill afford it, as much as would 
 pay for a good dinner afterwards, is, in my opinion, a 
 very ungenerous cuftom ; and this confideration induced 
 me to colleft but once, with my own hounds, for the 
 hare-finders. The money was afterwards divided amongft 
 them, and if they had lefs than half a crown each, I 
 
 myfelf fupplied the deficiency. An old mifer, whp had 
 
 paid his fliilling, complained bitterly of it afterwards, and 
 faid, " he had been made to pay a jhilUngfor two-penny-worth 
 f« of /port:' 
 
 When the game is found, you cannot be too quiet *. 
 The hare is an animal fo very timorous, that Ihe is fre- 
 quently headed back, and your dogs are liable to over- 
 run the fcent, at every inftant : It is befJr, therefore, to 
 keep a confiderable way behind them, that they may have 
 room to turn, as foon as they perceive they have loft the 
 fcent i and, if treated in this manner, they will feldom 
 over-run it much. Your hounds, through the whole 
 chace, (hould be left almoft entirely to themfelves, nor 
 ^ould they be hallooed too much : when the hare doubles, 
 
 U they 
 
144 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 they fhould hunt through thofe doubles j nor is a hare 
 
 hunted fairly, when hunted otherwife. They fliould 
 
 follow her every ftep fhe takes, as well over greafy fallows, 
 as through large flocks of fheep ; nor fhould they ever 
 be caft, but when nothing can be done without it. I 
 know a gentleman, a pleafant fportfman, but a very ir- 
 regular hare-hunter, who does not exa<5^iy follow the 
 method here laid down ; as his method is very extraordi- 
 nary, I will relate it to you. His hounds are large and 
 fleet i they have at times hunted every thing ; red deer, 
 fallow deer, fox, and hare -, and muft in their nature have 
 been moft excellent j fince, notwithftanding the variety 
 of their game, they are ftill good. When a hare is found 
 fitting, he feldom fails to give his hounds a view j and 
 as they all halloo, and make what noife they can, fhe is 
 half frightened to death immediately. This done, he 
 then fends his whipper-in, to ride after her, with particular 
 direftions not to let her get out of his fight ; and he has 
 found out, that this is the only proper ufe of a whipper- 
 in. — If they come to a piece of fallow, or a flock of fiieep, 
 the hounds are not fufiered to hunt any longer> but are 
 capped and hallooed as near to the hare as pofllble; by 
 
 this 
 
HUNTING. 145 
 
 this time the poor devil is near her end, which the next 
 view generally finiflies j the ftrongeft hare, in this man- 
 ner, feldom {landing twenty minutes j but my friend fays, 
 a hare is good eating, and he therefore^ thinks he cannot 
 kill too many of them. By what Martial fays, I fuppofe 
 he was of the fame opinion. — 
 
 *' Inter quadrupedcs gloria prima lepus." 
 
 A propos to the eating of them. — I muft tell you, that 
 in the Encyclopedie, a book of univerfal knowledge, 
 where, of courfe, I expected to find fomething on hunt- 
 ing, which might be of fervice jtp you, as a fportfman, 
 to know, I found the following advice, about the drefllng 
 of a hare, which may be of ufe to your cook ; and the 
 regard I have for your health will not fuffer me to conceal 
 it from you. — *' On mange le levraut roti dans quelques 
 " provinces dii royaime^ en Gajcogne et en Languedoc, 
 ** par exempkj avec 'une fauce compojec de vinaigre et 
 " de Jucre^ qui eft mawvaije^ maljalne en foi ejfentiel 
 *^ lementSy mats qui eft Jurtout ab^ninable pcur tons ceux 
 ^' qui ny font pas accoutumes." You, without doubt, 
 therefore, will think yourfelf obliged to the authors of 
 the Ei)cyclopedie for their kind and friendly information. 
 
 U 2^ HavinjG 
 
146 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Having heard of a fmall pack of beagles to be dif- 
 pofed of in Derbyfhire, I fent my coachman, the perfon 
 whom I could at that time beft fpare, to fetch them. It 
 was a long journey, and not having been ufed to hounds, 
 he had fome trouble in getting them along j alfo, as ill 
 luck would have it, they had not been out of the kennel 
 for many weeks before, and were fo riotous, that they run 
 after every thing they fawj flieep, cur-dogs, and birds 
 of all forts, as well as hares and deer, I found had been 
 his amufement, all the way along : however, he loft but 
 one of the hounds by the way; and when I alked him what 
 he thought of them, he faid — " they could not fail of 
 ** being good hounds, for they would hunt, any thing,''* 
 
 In your anfwer to my laft letter, you alk, of what fer- 
 vice it can be to a huntfman to be a good groom, and 
 whether I think he will hunt hounds the better for it. — 
 I wonder you did not rather afk why he Ihould be cleanly ? 
 — I ihould be more at a lofs how to anfwer you. My 
 huntfman has always the care of his own horfes j I never 
 yet knew one, who did not think himfelf capable of it j it 
 is for that reafon I wilh him to be a ^ood groom. I 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. 147 
 
 You fay, you cannot fee how a huntfman of genius 
 can fpoil your fport, or hurt your hounds ? — I will tell 
 you how : — by too much foul play he frequently will catch 
 a fox before he is half tired j — and by lifting his hounds 
 too much, he will teach them to fhuffle. — —An improper 
 ufe of the one, may fpoil your fport; too frequent ufe of 
 the other muft hurt your hounds. 
 
 LET- 
 
148 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 I 
 
 Have already obferved, that a trail in the morning is 
 of great fervice to hounds, and that to be perfefb they 
 Ihould always iind their own game -, for the method of 
 hare-finding, though more convenient, will occafion fome 
 vices in them, which it will be impolfible to corred;. 
 
 Mr. Somervile's authority flrengthens my obfervation* 
 that when a hare is found, all Ihould be quiet ; nor fhould 
 you ride near your hounds, till they are well fettled to 
 the fcent. 
 
 -Let all be hufh'd. 
 
 No clamour loud, no frantic joy be heard ; 
 Left the wild hound run gadding o'er the plain 
 Untra6i:able, nor hear thy chiding voice." 
 
 The natural eagernefs of the hounds will, at fuch a 
 time as this, frequently carry even the beft of them, wide 
 of the fcent, which too much encouragement, or prefTing 
 too clofc upon them, may continue beyond all polTibility 
 
 of 
 
HUNTING. 149 
 
 of recovery j this fhould be always guarded againft. — 
 After a little while, you have lefs to fear. — You may then 
 approach them nearer, and encourage them more ; leav- 
 ing, however, at all times, fufficient room for them to 
 turn, fhould they over-run the fcent. On high roads, and 
 dry paths, be always doubtful of the fcent, nor give them 
 much encouragement i but when a hit is made on either 
 fide, you may halloo as much as you pleafe, nor can 
 you then encourage your hounds too much. A hare 
 generally defcribes a circle as fhe runs ; larger or lefs, 
 according to her ftrength, and the openn^fs of the coun- 
 try. In inclofures, and where there is much cover, the 
 circle is for the moft part fo fmall, that it is a conftant 
 
 puzzle to the hounds. Tiiey have a Gordian knot, in 
 
 that cafe, ever to unloofe ; and thcpgh it may afford 
 matter of Ipeculation to the philofopher, it is always con- 
 trary to the wifhes of the fportfman. — Such was the coun- 
 try I hunted in for many years. 
 
 " Huntfman ! her gait obferve : if in wide rings . 
 
 She wheel her mazy way, in the fame round 
 
 Perfifting flill, fhe'll foil the beaten track. 
 
 But if fhe fly, and with the fav'ring wind 
 
 Urge her bold courfe, lefs intricate thy tafk : 
 
 Pufh on thy pack." Somerv. 
 
 Befides 
 
I50 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Befides running the foil, they frequently make doubles^ 
 which is going forward, to tread the fame fteps back 
 again, on purpofe to confufe their purfuers j and the fame 
 manner in which they make the firll double, they gene- 
 rally continue, whether long or Ihort. This information, 
 therefore, if properly attended to by the huntfman, may 
 alfo be of ufe to him in his cafts. 
 
 When they make their double on a high road, or 
 dry path, and then leave it with a fpring, it is often th& 
 occafion of a long fault : the fpring, which ahare makes 
 on thefe occafions, is hardly to be credited, any more, 
 than is her ingenuity in making it ; both are wonderful ! 
 
 -let cavillers deny 
 
 That brutes have reafon ; fure *tis fomething more : 
 *Tis heav'n directs, and llratagems infpire. 
 Beyond the fhort extent of human thought." 
 
 SpMERir. 
 
 She frequently, after running a path a confiderable way, 
 will make a double, and then flop till the hounds hav^ 
 paft her; Ihe will then fteal away as fecretly as Ihe can, 
 and return the fame way ihe came. This is the greateft 
 of all trials for hounds. It is fo hot a foil, that in the 
 bcft packs there are not many hounds that can hunt it j 
 
 you 
 
HUNTING. ip 
 
 you mufl follow thofe hounds that can, and try to hit h.er 
 off where fhe breaks her foil, which in all probability 
 flie will foon do, as fhe now flatters herfelf Ihe is fecure. — 
 When the fcent lies bad in cover, Ihe will fometimes hunt 
 the hounds. — 
 
 " -. The covert's utmoft bound 
 
 Shly fhe fkirts ; behind them cautious creeps. 
 And in that very track, (o lately flain'd 
 By all the fteaming crowd, feems to purlue 
 The foe fhe flies. " 
 
 SoM. 
 
 When the hounds are at a check, make your huntfman 
 ftand flill, nor fufFer him to move his horfe one way or 
 the other : hounds lean naturally towards the fcent, and 
 if he does not fay a word to them, will foon recover it. 
 If you fpeak to a hound at fuch a time, calling him by 
 his name, which is too much the pradlice, he feldom 
 fails to look up in your face, as much as to fay, wha^ th^ 
 deuce do you want '^ — when he ftoops to the fcent again, is 
 it not probable he means to fay, you fooi you, let me alone. 
 
 When your hounds are at fault, let not a word be faid: 
 let fuch as follow them ignorantly and unworthily, fland 
 
 X all 
 
152 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 all aloof — Proculj procul ejie profani! for whijft fuch arc 
 chattering, not a hound will hunt. ApropoSj Sir, a poli- 
 tician will fay, — What news from America? — Apropos^ — Do 
 you think both the Admirals will be tried ? — Or, a propos, 
 — Did you hear what has happened to my grand-mother ? 
 Such queftions are, at fuch a time, extremely troublefome, 
 
 and very mal-a-propos. Amongft the antients, it was 
 
 reckoned an ill ojien to fpeak in liunting — I wifh it were 
 thought fo now. — Hoc age^ Ihould be one of the firft maxims 
 in hunting, as in life j and I can aflure you, when I am 
 in the field, I never wilh to hear any other tongue than 
 
 that of a hound. < A neighbour of mine was fo truly a 
 
 hare-hunter in this particular, that he would not fuffer 
 any body to fpeak a word when his hounds were at a fault : 
 — 'A gentleman happened to cough, he rode up to him 
 immediately, and faid, " / wijh. Sir, wilh all my heart, 
 your cough was hetter^ 
 
 In a good day, good hounds feldom give up the fcent 
 at head j if they do, there is generally an obvious reafon 
 for it : this obfervation a huntfman Ihould always make j 
 it will dired his caft. If he is a good one, he will be at- 
 tentive, as he goes, not only to his hounds, nicely ob- 
 
 ferving 
 
HUNTING. 153 
 
 ferving which have the lead, and the degree of fcent they 
 carry, but alio to the various circumflances that are con- 
 tinually happening from change of weather, and dijfference 
 of ground. He will alfo be mindful of the diflance 
 which the hare keeps before the hounds, and of her for- 
 mer doubles, and he will remark what point fhe makes 
 to. All thefe obfervations will be of ufe, fhould a long 
 fault make his afiiflance neceflary j and if the hare has 
 headed back, he will carefully obferve, whether llie met 
 any thing in her courfe to turn her, or turned of her own 
 accord. When he calls his hounds, let him begin, by 
 making a fmail circle ; if that will not do, then let him 
 try a larger ; he afterwards may be at liberty to perfevere 
 in any call he may judge moft likely. As a hare ge- 
 nerally revifits her old haunts, and returns to the place 
 where fhe was firft found, if the fcent is quite gone, and 
 the hounds can no longer hunt, that is as likely a cafl: as 
 
 any to recover her. Let him remember this in all 
 
 his calls, that the hounds are not to follow his horfeS 
 heels, nor are they to carry their heads high, and nofes 
 in the air.— At thefe times they mult try for the fcent, or 
 they will never find it, and he is either to make his 
 
 X 2 caft 
 
154 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 cafl flow, or quick, as he perceives his hounds try, and as 
 the fcent is either good or bad. 
 
 Give particular diredlions to your huntfman to prevent 
 his hounds, as much as he can, from chopping hares. 
 Huntfmen like to get blood at any ratej and when hounds 
 are ufed to it, it would furprife you to fee how atten- 
 tive they are to find opportunities. A hare mufl be 
 
 very wild, or very nimble to efcape them. I remember, 
 in a furzy country, that my hounds chopped three hares 
 in one morning ; for it is the nature of thofe animals 
 cither to leap up before the hounds come near them, and 
 J^eal away J as it is called i or elfe to lie clofe, till they 
 
 put their very nofes upon them. Hedges, alfo, are 
 
 very dangerous ; if the huntfman beats the hedge himfelf, 
 which is the ufual pradtice, the hounds are always upon 
 the watch, and a hare mufl have good luck to efcape them 
 all. The bell way to prevent it, is to have the hedge 
 well beaten at fome diflance before the hounds. 
 
 Hares feldom run fo well, as when they do not 
 know where they are. They run well in a fog, and ge- 
 nerally 
 
HUNTING. 155 
 
 nerally take a good country. If they fet ofF down the 
 wind, they feldom return j you then cannot pufh on your 
 hounds too much. "When the game is finking, you will 
 perceive your old hounds get forward i they then, will 
 run at head. 
 
 " Happy the man, who with unrivall'd fpeed 
 Can pafs his fellows, and with plcafure view 
 Tiie ftruggling pack j how in the rapid courfe 
 Alternate they prefide, and joftling pufh 
 To guide the dubious fcent; how giddy youth 
 Oft babbling errs, by wifer age reprov'd ; 
 How, niggard of his ftrength, the wife old hound 
 Hangs in the rear, 'till fome important point 
 Roufe all his diligence, or till the chace 
 Sinking he finds ; then to the head he fprings, 
 With thirft of glory fir'd, and wins the prize," 
 
 SoM. 
 
 Keep no babblers j for though the reft of the pack foon 
 find them out, and do not mind them, yet it is unpleafant 
 to hear their noife ; nor are fuch fit companions for the 
 reft. 
 
 Though the Spe6lator makes us laugh at the oddity of 
 his friend, Sir Roger, for returning a hound, which he 
 faid was an excellent hajs^ becaufe he wanted a counter- 
 
 tenor ', 
 
1^6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 ienor j yet I am of opinion, that if we attended more to 
 the variety of the notes frequently to be met with in 
 the tongues of hounds, it might greatly add to the har- 
 mony of the pack. I do not know that a complete con- 
 cert could be attained, but it would be eafy to prevent 
 difcordant founds. 
 
 Keep no hound that runs falfe : the lofs of one hare is 
 more than fuch a dog is worth. 
 
 I THINK it is but reafonable to give your hounds a hare 
 fometimes : I always gave mine the laft they killed, if I 
 thought they deferved her. 
 
 It is too much the cuftom^ firft, to ride over a dog, 
 and then cry ware horfe. — Take care not to ride over your 
 hounds : I have known many a good dog fpoiled by it : 
 in open ground fpeak to them firft -, you may afterwards 
 ride over them, if you pleafe ; but in roads and paths 
 they frequently cannot get out of your way ; it furely 
 then is your bufinefs, either to flop your horfe, or break 
 the way for them, and the not doing it, give me leave 
 to fay^ is abfurd and cruel j nor can that man be called 
 
 a good 
 
HUNTING. 157 
 
 a good fportfrnan, who thus wantonly dcftroys his own 
 fport. — Indeed, good fportfmen feldom ride on the line 
 of the tail hounds. 
 
 You afk how my warren hares are caught ? — it fliall be 
 the fubjed of my next letter. 
 
 LET- 
 
158 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XII. 
 
 Y 
 
 O U wilh to know how my warren hares are caught ? 
 they are caught in traps, not unlike the comnnon rat-traps. 
 I leave mine always at the mufes, but they zxtjet only, 
 when hares are wanted : the hares, by thus conftantly 
 going through them, have no miftruft, and are eafily 
 caught. Thefe traps fhould be made of old wood, and 
 even then, it will be fome time before they will venture 
 through them. Other mufes muft be alfo left open, 
 leaft a diftafte Ihould make them forfake the place. To 
 my warren I have about twenty of thefe traps ; though, 
 as the (lock of hares .is great, I feldom have occafion to 
 fet more than five or fix, and fcarcely ever fail of catching 
 as many hares. The warren is paled in, but I found it 
 neceflary, to make the mufes of brick j that is, where the 
 traps are placed. Should you at any time, wifli to make 
 a hare-warren, it will be necefTary for you to fee one firft, 
 and examine the traps, boxes, and ftoppers, to all which, 
 
 there 
 
HUNTING. 159 
 
 there are particularities, not eafy to be defcribed. Should 
 you find the hares, towards the end of the feafon, fhy of 
 the traps, from having been often caught, it will be ne- 
 ceflary to drive them in with fpaniels. Should this be 
 the cafe, you will find them very thick round the warren ; 
 for the warren -hares will be unwilling to leave it, and, 
 when dillurbed by dogs, will immediately go in. 
 
 If you turn them out before greyhounds, you cannot 
 give them too much law; if before hounds, you cannot 
 give them too little : for reafons which I will give you 
 prefently. Tho' hares, as I told you before, never run 
 fo well before hounds, as when they do not know where 
 they are ; yet before greyhounds it is the reverfe ; and 
 your trap-hares, to run well, ihould always be turned 
 out within their knowledge : They are naturally timid, 
 and are eafily difheartened, when they have no point to 
 make to, for fafety. 
 
 If you turn out any before your hounds, (which, if it 
 is not your wifh, I fhall by no means recommend,) don't 
 give them much time, but lay on your hounds as foon as 
 tliey are out of view ; if you do not, they will very likely 
 
 y ftop> 
 
i6o T H O U G H T S O N 
 
 flop, which is often fatal. — Views are at all times to be 
 avoided, but particularly with trap-hares; for, as thefe 
 know not where they are, the hounds have too great an 
 advantage over them. — It is beft to turn them down the 
 wind; they hear the hounds better, and feldom turn a- 
 gain. — Hounds for this bufinefs, fhould not be too fleet. 
 — Thefe hares, run ftraight and make no doubles ; they 
 leave a ftrong fcent, and have other objections in com- 
 mon with animals turned out before hounds ; they may 
 give you a gallop, but they will fliew but little hunting. 
 — The hounds are to be hunted like a pack of fox-hounds, 
 as a trap-hare runs very much in the fame manner, and 
 will even top the hedges. What I fhould prefer to catch- 
 ing the hares in traps, would be, a warren in the midft 
 of an open country, which might be flopped clofe on 
 hunting-days. This would fupply the whole country 
 with hares, which, after one turn round the warren, would 
 mofl probably run flraight an end. — -The number of hares 
 a warren will fupply, is hardly to be conceived ; I feldom 
 t-urned out lefs in one year than thirty brace of trap- 
 hares; befides a great many more killed in the environs, 
 of which no account was taken. My warren is a wood of 
 near thirty acres; one of half the fize would anfwer 
 
 the 
 
HUNTING. ,6r 
 
 the purpofe to the full as well. Mine is cut out, into 
 many walks i a fmaller warren fliould have only onCy and 
 ■ that round the outfide of it. No dog fhould ever be fuf- 
 fered to go into it : and traps fhould be kept conftantly 
 fet for floats and polecats.— It is faid, parfley makes hares 
 ftrong ; they certainly are very fond of eating it : it there- 
 fore cannot be amifs to fow fome within the warren, as 
 it will be a means of keeping your hares more at home. 
 
 I HAD once fome converfation with a gentleman about 
 the running of my trap-hares, who faid he had been 
 told that the catching a hare, and tying a pie^e of rib- 
 bon to her eary was a fure way to make her run ftratt.-^ 
 I make no doubt of it— and fo would a canijler tyed to 
 her tail, 
 
 I AM forry you fhould think I began my firfl letter 
 ofl the fubjea: of hare-hunting, in a manner that might 
 offend any of my brother fportfmen. It was not hare- 
 hunting I meant to depreciate, but the country I had 
 hunted hare in.— It is very good diverfion in a good coun- 
 try :— you are. always certain of fportj and if you really 
 love to fee your hounds -hunt, the hare, when properly 
 hunted, will fhewyoxi' more'of it, tharf'ariy other animal. 
 
 Y2 You 
 
i62 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 You afk me, what is the right time to leave off hare- 
 hunting ? — You fhould be guided in that by the feafon.: 
 you fhould never hunt after March j and, if the feafon 
 is forward, you fhould leave off fooner. 
 
 Having now fo confiderably exceeded the plan I firfl 
 propofed, you may wonder, if I omit to fay any thing of 
 Jlag-hunting. Believe me, if I do, it will not be for want 
 of refpedl, but becaufe I have feen very little of it. It is 
 true, I hunted two winters at Turin ; but their hunting, 
 you know, is no more like ours, than is the hot meal 
 you there fland up to ea.t, to the Englifh breajifafl you 
 iit down to here. — ^Were I to defcribe their .manner of 
 hunting, their infinity of dogs, their number of huntfmen, 
 their relays of horfes, their great faddles, great bitts, and 
 jack boots, it would be no more to our prefent purpofe, 
 than the defcription of a wild boar chace in Germany, 
 or the hunting of jackalls in Bengal. Ceji une chajfe 
 magnifiqiie^ et voila toui. — However, to give you an idea 
 of their huntfmen, I nrjuft t^U you that one day, the flag 
 (which is very unufual) broke cover, and left the fo- 
 refl ; a circumflance, which gave as much pleafure to me> 
 as difpleafurc to all the reft— it put every thing into con- 
 fufion. — I followed one of the hiintfrneo, thinking h^ 
 
 knew 
 
HUNTING. 1^3 
 
 knew the country bell, but it was not long before we were 
 feparated ; the firft ditch we came to flopped him : I, 
 eager to go on, halloo'd out to him, allonSy Piqueuryfautez 
 donc.—^^^ Non pardi, " replied he, very coolly, " c'eji; un 
 
 *' double fojfe — je ne Jatite pas des double fojfes. There 
 
 was alfo an odd accident the fame day, which, as it hap* 
 pened to a great man, even to the King himfelf, you 
 may think interellingi befides it was the occafion of a 
 hon mot worth your hearing — The King, eager in the 
 purfuit, rode into a bog, and was difmounted-— he was 
 not hurt — he was foon on his legs, and we were all Hand- 
 ing round him. — One of his old Generals, who was at 
 fome diflance behind, no fooner faw the King off his 
 horfe, but he rode up full gallop to know the caufe, 
 " ^'efi ce que ceft I qu^eji ce que c'efi " cries the old ge- 
 neral, and in he tumbles into the fame bog. Count Ke- 
 venhuller, v/ith great humour replied, pointing to the 
 ^f place, voila ce que c'ejl ! vcila ce que c'ejl, — 
 
 With regard to the ftag-hunting in this country, as I 
 have already told you, I know but little of it \ you will 
 without doubt think that a good reafon for my faying no- 
 thing about it, 
 
 LET- 
 
i64. THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER Xlll. 
 
 j[ N fome of the preceding letters we have, 1 think, fet- 
 tled the bufinefs of the kennel in all its parts, and deter- 
 mined what fhould be the number, and what are the 
 neceflary qualifications of the attendants on the hounds : 
 we alfo agree in opinion, that a pack fhould confifl: of 
 about twenty-five couple j I fhall now proceed to give 
 fome account of the ufe of them. You defire I would be 
 as particular, as if you were to hunt the hounds yourfelf : 
 To obey you, therefore, I think I had better fend you a 
 defcription of an imaginary chace, in which I Ihall be at 
 liberty to defcribe fuch events as probably may happen, 
 and to which your prefent inquiries feem mofl to leads a 
 further and more circumftantial explanation of them will 
 neceflarily become the fubjed of my future letters. I am 
 at the fame time well aware of the difficulties attending 
 fuch an undertaking. A fox chace is not eafy to be de- 
 fcribed — yet as even a faint defcription of it may ferve, 
 
 to 
 
HUNTING. 165 
 
 to a certain degree, as an anfwer to the various queftions 
 you are pleafed to make concerning that diverfion, I fliall 
 profecute my attempt in fuch a manner, as I think may 
 fuit your purpofe beft. — As I fear it may read ill, it fhall 
 not be long. A gentleman, to whofe underftanding na- 
 ture had moll evidently been fparing of her gifts, as 
 often as he took up a book, and met with a paffage 
 which he could not comprehend, was ufed to write in the 
 margin oppofite matiere emhrouillee^ and gave himfelf no 
 further concern about it. As different caufes have been 
 known to produce the fame effeds, fhould you treat me 
 in like manner, I fhall think it the fevereft cenfure that 
 can be paffed upon me. Our friend Somervile, I appre- 
 hend, was no great fox-hunter j yet all he fays on the 
 fubjedl of hunting is fo fenfible and juft, that I fhall turn 
 to his account of fox-hunting, and quote it where I can.— 
 The hour in the morning, moll favourable to the diverfionj 
 is certainly an early one i nor do I think I can fix it better 
 than to fay, the hounds fhould be at the cover at fun-rif- 
 ing. Let us fuppofe we are arrived at the cover fide. — 
 
 <« — — . Delig-htful fcene ! 
 
 Where all around is gay, men, horfes, dogs \ 
 
 And in each fmiling countenance appears 
 
 Frcfh blooming health, and univerfal joy. SoMERv. 
 
i66 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Now let your huntfman throw in his hounds as quietly 
 as he can, and let the two whippers-in keep wide of him 
 on either hand, fo that a fingle hound may not efcape 
 them ; let them be attentive to his halloo, and be ready to 
 encourage, or rate, as that diredls; he will, of courfe, draw 
 up the wind, for reafons which I fhall give in another place. 
 — Now if you can keep your brother fportfmen in order, 
 and put any difcretion into them, you are in luck j they 
 more frequently do harm than good : if it be pofTible, 
 perfuade thofe, who wifli to halloo the fox off, to ftand 
 quiet under the cover fide, and on no account to halloo 
 him too foon : if they do, he moll certainly will turn 
 back again : could you entice them all into the cover, 
 your fport, in all probability, would not be the worfe 
 for it. 
 
 How well the hounds fpread the cover ! the huntfman 
 
 you fee is quite deferted, and his horfe, which fo lately 
 
 had a crowd at his heels, has not now one attendant left. 
 
 How fteadily they draw! you hear not a fingle hound j yet 
 
 none are idle. Is not this better than to be fubjeft to 
 
 continual difappointment, from the eternal babbling of 
 
 unfteady hounds? 
 
 «' See! 
 
HUNTING. 167 
 
 See ! how they range 
 
 Difpers'd, how bufily this way and that. 
 They crofs, examining with curious nofe 
 Each likely haunt. Hark ! on the drag I hear 
 Their doubtful notes, preluding to a cry 
 More nobly full, and fwell'd with every mouth." 
 
 SoMERVILE. 
 
 How mufical their tongues ! — Now as they get nearer to 
 him, how the chorus fills ! Hark ! he is found. — Now, 
 where are all your forrows, and your cares, ye gloomy 
 fouls ! Or where your pains, and aches, ye complaining 
 ones ! one halloo has difpelled them all. — What a crafh 
 they make ! and echo feemingly takes pleafure to repeat 
 the found. The aftonifhed traveller forfakes his road, 
 lured by its melody j the liHening ploughman now Hops 
 his plough J and every diftant Ihepherd neglefts his flock, 
 and runs to fee him break. What joy ! what eagernefs 
 in every face ! 
 
 " How happy art thou, man, when thou'rt no more 
 Thy felf ! when all the pangs that grind thy foul. 
 In rapture and in fweet oblivion loft, 
 Yield a ihort interval, and eafe from pain f 
 
 vSoMERV. 
 
 Z Mark 
 
i6S THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Mark how he runs the cover's utmofl limits, yet dares 
 not venture forth j the hounds are ftill too near. — That 
 check is lucky j-— now, if our friends head him not, he 
 will foon be off — hark ! they halloo : by G — d he's gone. 
 
 -Hark ! what loud fliouts 
 
 Re-echo thro' the groves ! he breaks away : 
 
 Shrill horns proclaim his flight. Each ftraggling hound 
 
 Strains o'er the lawn to reach the diftant pack. 
 
 *Tis triumph all, and joy." 
 
 Now huntfman get on with the head hounds j the whip- 
 per-in will bring on the others after you : keep an atten- 
 tive eye on the leading hounds, that fhould the fcent fail 
 them, you may know at leaft how far they brought it. 
 
 Mind Galloper y how he leads them ! — It is difficult to 
 diftinguifh which is firft, they run in fuch a ftile ; yet he 
 is the foremofl hound. — The goodnefs of his nofe is not 
 lefs excellent than his fpeed ; — How he carries the fcent ! 
 and when he lofes it, fee how eagerly he flings to recover 
 it again. — There— now he's at head again— fee how they 
 
 top the hedge ! Now, how they mount the hill ! 
 
 Obferve what a head they carry ^ and fhew me, if you 
 can, one fhuffler or fkirter amongft them all: are they 
 
 not 
 
HUNTING. 169 
 
 not like a parcel of brave fellows, who, when they un- 
 dertake a thing, determine to fhare its fatigue and its 
 dangers equally amongft them. 
 
 *« Far o'er the rocky hills we range. 
 
 And dangerous our courfe ; but in the brave 
 True courage never fails. In vain the ftream 
 In foaming eddies whirls, in vain the ditch 
 Wide-gaping threatens death. The craggy fleep. 
 Where the poor dizzy fhepherd crawls with care. 
 And clings to every twig, gives us no pain ; 
 But down we fweep, as ftoops the falcon bold 
 To pounce his prey. Then up th' opponent hill. 
 By the fwift motion flung, we mount aloft : 
 So fhips in winter feas now Aiding fmic 
 Adown the fteepy wave, then tofs'd on high 
 Ride on the billows, and defy the ftorm." 
 
 SOMERV. 
 
 It was then the fox I faw, as we came down the hill ;— 
 thofe crows diredled me which way to look, and the 
 ftieep ran from him, as he paft along. The hounds are 
 now on the very fpot, yet the Iheep flop them not, for 
 they dalli beyond them. Now fee v/ith what eagernefs 
 they crofs the plain. — Galloper no longer keeps his place, 
 Brujher takes it -, fee how he flings for the fcent, and hov/" 
 impetuoufly he runs ! — How eagerly he took the lead, 
 
 Z 2 and 
 
 # 
 
170 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 and how he ftrives to keep it ; yet Vi5for comes up apace. 
 —He reaches him ! — See what an excellent race it is be- 
 tween them ! It is doubtful which will reach the cover 
 
 firfl.— -How equally they run ;— how eagerly they ftrain j 
 
 -^now Victor, — Viclor ! Ah! Brufher, you are beat; 
 
 Vidor firft tops the hedge.— See there ! fee how they all 
 take it in their flrokes! the hedge cracks with their weight; 
 fo many jump at once. ■ ■ 
 
 Now haftes the whipper-in to the other fide the cover ; 
 ■—he is right, unlefs he heads the fox. 
 
 « Heav'ns ! what melodious ftrains ! how beat our hearts 
 
 Big with tumultuous joy ! the loaded gales 
 
 Breathe harmony ; and as the tempeft drives 
 
 From wood to wood, thro' ev'ry dark recefs 
 
 The foreft thunders, and the mountains fhake," SoM, 
 
 Liften ! — the hounds have turned. — They are now in 
 two parts : The fox has been headed back, and we have 
 changed at laft, — 
 
 Now, my lad, mind the huntfman's halloo, and flop 
 
 to thofe hounds which he encourages. — He is right; — 
 
 that, doubtlefs, is the hunted fox ;— Now they are off 
 
 again,— 
 
 '' What 
 
HUNTING. 171 
 
 « What lengths we pafs ! where will the wand'ring chace 
 Lead us bewilder'd ! fmooth as fwallows fkim 
 The iiew-fhorn mead, and far more fvvift we fly. 
 See my brave pack ; how to the head they prefs, 
 Juftling in clofe array, then more difFufe 
 Obliquely wheel, while from their op'ning mouths 
 The vollied thunder breaks. 
 
 Look back and view 
 
 The ftrange confufion of the vale below. 
 
 Where fore vexation reigns ; 
 
 Old ase laments 
 
 His vigour fpent : the tall, plump, brawny youth 
 Curfes his cumbrous bulk ; and envies now 
 The fhort pygmean race, he whilom kenn'd 
 With proud infulting leer. A chofen few 
 Alone the fport enjoy, nor droop beneath 
 Their pleafmg toils." 
 
 SoMERV. 
 
 Ha ! a check. — Now for a moment's patience.— We prefs 
 too clofe upon the hounds.— Huntfman, Hand ftill : as 
 yet they want you not.— How admirably they fpread ! 
 how wide they call ! is there a fingle hound that does not 
 try ? if fuch a one there be, he ne'er fhall hunt again. 
 There, T!rueman is on the fcent ; he feathers, yet ftill is 
 doubtful ; 'tis right ! how readily they join him ! See 
 
 thofe 
 
tji THOUGHTS ON 
 
 thofe wide cafting hounds, how they fly forward, to re- 
 cover the ground they have lofl ! Mind Lightnings how fhe 
 dafhes 3 and Mungo, how he works ! Old Frantic, too, now 
 pulhes forward i fhe knows, as well as we, the fox \i 
 
 finking. 
 
 -Ha ! yet he flies, nor yields 
 
 To black defpair. But one loofe more, and all 
 His wiles are vain. Hark ! thro' yon village now 
 The rattling clamour rings. The barns, the cots. 
 And leaflefs elms return the joyous founds. 
 Thro' ev'ry homeftall, and thro' ev'ry yard. 
 His midnight walks, panting, forlorn, he flies ; 
 
 Th' unerring hounds 
 
 With peals of echoing vengeance clofe purfue." 
 
 SoMERV. 
 
 Huntfman 1 at fault at laft ? How far did you bring the 
 fcent ? — Have the hounds made their own caft ?— Now 
 make yours. You fee that Iheep-dog has been courfing 
 the fox ;— get forward with your hounds, and make a 
 wide caft. 
 
 Hark ! that halloo is indeed a lucky one, — If we can 
 hold him on, we may yet recover him i for a fox, fo much 
 diftrefled, mufl ftop at laft. We now fhall fee if they 
 
 will 
 
HUNTING. 173 
 
 will hunt, as well as run ; for there is but little fcent, and 
 the inapending cloud ftill makes that little lefs. How 
 they enjoy the fcent j fee how bufy they all are j and 
 how each in his turn prevails. 
 
 Huntsman! be quiet ! Whilft the fcent was good, you 
 prefs'd on your hounds; — it was well done. Your hounds 
 were afterwards at fault i — you made your caft with judg- 
 ment, and loft no time. You now muft let them hunt -, — 
 with fuch a cold fcent as this, you can do no good. — They 
 muft do it all themfelvesj — lift them now, and not a 
 hound will ftoop again. — Ha ! a high road, at fuch a 
 time as this, when the tendereft-nofed hound can hardly 
 own the fcent ! — Another fault ! That man at work, then, 
 has headed back the fox. — Huntfman ! caft not your 
 hounds now, you fee they have over-run the fcent ; have 
 a little patience, and let them, for once, try back. 
 
 We now muft give them times— -fee where they bend 
 towards yonder furze brake i I wifti he may have ftopped 
 there.- --Mind that old hound, how he dafhes o'er the 
 furze; I think he winds him;' — Now for a frefli eutapis:-^ 
 Hark; they halloo :-— Aye, there he goes. 
 
 It 
 
174 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 It is near over with him j had the hounds caught view 
 he muft have died. — He will hardly reach the cover •, — 
 fee how they gain upon him at every ilroke ! It is an 
 admirable race ; yet the cover faves him* 
 
 Now be quiet, and he cannot efcape us j we have the 
 
 wind of the hounds, and cannot be better placed; — 
 
 how fhort he runs ! — he is now in the very ftrongeft part 
 
 of the cover. — What a crafil ! every hound is in, and 
 
 every hound is running for him. That was a quick turn! 
 
 — Again another; — he's put to his laft Ihifts. — Now 
 
 Mi/chief is at his heels, and death is not far off.— Ha ! 
 
 they all flop at once j — all filent, and yet no earth is open. 
 
 Liften ! — now they are at him again. — Did you hear that 
 
 hound catch view ? they had over -run the fcent, and the 
 
 fox had laid down behind them. Now, Reynard, look to 
 
 yourfelf. How quick they all give their tongues ! — Little 
 
 Dreadnought, how he works him 1 the terriers, too, they 
 
 now are fqueaking at him. — How clofe Vengeance purfues ! 
 
 how terribly fhe prefTes I it is juft up with him. — Gods ! 
 
 what a crafh they make j the whole wood refounds. — That 
 
 turn was very fhort.'— There — now i — aye, now they have 
 
 him. Who-hoop. 
 
 LET- 
 
H U N T I N G. 175 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 OX-Hunting, however lively and animating it liiay 
 be in the field, is but a dull, dry fubjed; to write upon j 
 and I can now allure you, from experience, that it is 
 much lefs difficult to follow a fox-chace, than to defcribe 
 one. You will eafily imagine, that to give enough of 
 variety to a fmgle adlion, to mjake it interefting, and to 
 defcribe in a few minutes, the events of, perhaps, as 
 many hours ; though it pretends to no merit, has at leaft 
 fome difficulty and trouble : and you will as eafily con- 
 clude, that I am glad they are over. 
 
 You defire me to explain that part of my laft letter, 
 which fays, if we can hold him on, we may now recover him. 
 — It means, if we have fcent to follow on the line of him, 
 it is probable he will flop, and we may hunt up to him 
 again. You alfo objeft to my faying f^/f^ a fox i you 
 call it a bad expreffion, and fay, it is notfportly ; I believe 
 
 A a that 
 
J7« THOUGHTS ON 
 
 that I have not often ufed it j and when I have, it has 
 been to diftinguilh betwixt the hunting a fox down, as 
 you do a hare, and the killing of him with hard running, 
 —You tell me, I fhould always kill a fox. I might an- 
 fwer — that, I muft catch him, firft. 
 
 You fay, I have not enlivened my chace with many 
 halloos : it is true, I have not j and what is worfe, I fear 
 I am never likely to meet your approbation in that par- 
 ticular i for fhould we hunt together, then I make no 
 doubt you will think I halloo too much ; a fault which 
 every one is guilty of, who really loves this animating 
 fport, and is eager in the purfuit of it. Believe me, I 
 never could halloo in my life, unlefs after hounds j and 
 the writing a halloo, appears to me almofl as difficult as 
 to pen a whifper, 
 
 Your friend A , you fay, is very fevere on us, 
 
 fox-hunters ; — no one is more welcome. However, he 
 ought to have known that the profeflion of fox-hunting 
 is much altered fince the time of Sir John Vanburgh; and 
 the intemperance, clownilhnefs, and ignorance of the 
 old fox-hunter, is quite worn out; a much truer defi- 
 
 nitiorv 
 
HUNTING. 177 
 
 tiitlon of* one might now be made than that which he 
 has left — Fox-hunting is now become the amufement of 
 gentlemen ; nor need any gentleman be afhamed of it.—* 
 
 I SHALL now begin to anfv/er your various queflions^ 
 as they prefent themfelves. Though I was glad of this 
 expedient, to methodize, in fome degree, the variety we 
 have to treat of, yet I was well aware of the impoflibility 
 of fufficiently explaining myfelf in the midft of a fox- 
 chace, whofe rapidity, you know very well, brooks no 
 delay ; now is the time, therefore, to make good that 
 deficiency : what afterwards remains on the fubjedl of 
 hunting will ferve as a fupplement to the reft^ in which, 
 I fhall flill have it in my power to introduce whatever 
 may be now forgotten, or give a further explanation of 
 fuch parts, as may feem to you to require it. For fince 
 my fole view in writing thefe letters, is to make the in- 
 ftru(5lion they contain of fome ufe to you, if you fhould 
 want it, if not, to others ; the being as clear and as 
 explicit as I can, will be far beyond all other confiderations. 
 Repetitions, we know, are (hocking things -, yet, in writ- 
 ing fo many letters on the fame fubjedt, I fear it will be 
 difficult to avoid them. 
 
 A a a First, 
 
178 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 First, then, as to the early hour recommended in my 
 former letter : — I agree with you, it requires explanation ; 
 but you will pleafe to confider, that you defired me to 
 fix the hour moft favourable to the fport, and without 
 doubt, it is an early one. You fay, I do not go out fo 
 early myfelf: — It is true that I do not i do phyficians 
 always follow their own prefcriptions ? — Is it not iufficient 
 that their prefcriptions be good ? However, if my hounds 
 are out of blood, I go out early, for then it becomes 
 neceffary to give them every advantage. At an early hour 
 you are feldom long before you find. — The morning is 
 the time of the day, which generally affx^rds the beftfcent, 
 and the animal himfelf, which, in fuch a cafe, you are 
 more than ever defirous of killing, is then leaft able to 
 run away from you. The want of reft, and perhaps a 
 full belly, give hounds a great advantage over him. — I 
 expedt, my friend, that you will reply to this " that a fox- 
 hunter, then, is not 2i fair /port/man, — He certainly is not j 
 and what is more, would be very forry to be miftaken for 
 one. — He is otherwife from principle. — -In his opinion, a 
 fair fportfman, and a foolifh fportfpnan, are fynonymous ; 
 he, therefore, takes every advantaoc of the fox he can. — 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. 179 
 
 You will afk, perhaps, if he does not fometimes fpoll his 
 own fport by this ? — It is true, he fometimes does, but 
 then he makes his hounds j the whole art of fox-hunting 
 being to keep the hounds well in blood. Sport is but a 
 fecondary confideration with a true fox-huinter : — The 
 firft is, the killing of the fox j-^hcnce arife the eagernefs 
 of purfuit, and the chief pleafure of the chace. I confefs, 
 I efteem blood fo neceflary to a pack of fox-hounds, that 
 with regard to myfelf, I always return home better 
 pleafed with but an indifferent chace, with death at the end 
 of it, than with the beft chace poffible, if it ends with 
 the lofs of the fox. Good chaces, generally fpeaking, 
 are long chaces i and, if not attended with fuccefs, 
 never fail to do more harm to hounds, than gobd. 
 Our pleafures, I believe, for the mod part, are greater 
 during the expeftation, than the enjoyment : In this 
 cafe, reality itfelf warrants the idea, and your prefenr 
 fuccefs is almoft a fure fore-runner of future fport. 
 
 I REMEMBER to havc hcatd an odd anecdote of the 
 
 late Duke of R , who was very popular in his 
 
 neighbourhood. — A butcher, at Lyndhurft, a lover of 
 the fport, as often as he heard the hounds return from 
 
 hunting, 
 
ISO THOUGHTS ON 
 
 hunting, came out to meet them, and never failed CO 
 afk the Duke what fport he had ? " Very good, I 
 *' thank you, honeft friend."—" Has your Grace killed 
 a fox ?" — " No : — We have had a good run, but we 
 "have not killed." — " P/?>^w /" cried the the butcher, 
 with an arch look, pointing at him at the fame time 
 wath his finger; — and this was fo conftantly repeated, 
 that the Duke, when he had not killed a foXy was 
 ufed to fay, be was afraid to meet the butcher. 
 
 You alls:, why the huntfman is to draw fo quietly, and 
 why up the wind ? With regard to his drawing quietly, 
 that may depend on the kind of cover which he is draw- 
 ing, and alfo on the feafon of the year. If your covers 
 are fmall, or fuch from which a fox cannot break unfeen, 
 then noife can do no hurt j if you draw at a late hour, and 
 when there is no drag, then the more the cover is dis- 
 turbed, the better; the more likely you are to find. Late 
 in the feafon foxes generally are wild, particularly in 
 covers that are often hunted. If you do not draw 
 quietly, he will fometimes get off a long way before you : 
 when you have any fufpicion of this, fend on a whipper-in 
 
 to 
 
 J 
 
HUNTING. i8i 
 
 to the oppofite fide of the cover, before you throw in 
 your hounds. — With regard to the drawing up the wind, 
 that is much more material. You never fail to give the 
 wind to a pointer and fetter j why not to a hound ? — Be- 
 fides, the fox, if you draw up the wind, does not hear 
 you coming ; and your hounds, by this means, are never 
 out of your hearing j befides, if he turns down the wind, 
 as mod probably he will, it lets them all in.' — Suppofe 
 yourfelf afting dire6lly contrary to this, and then fee 
 what is likely to be the confequence. 
 
 You think, I am too fevere on my brother fportfmen. 
 — If I am more fo than they deferve, I am forry for it. I 
 know many gentlemen, who are excellent fportfmen, yet 
 I am forry to fay, the greater number of thofe who ride 
 after hounds, are not; and it is thofe only that I allude 
 to. Few gentlemen will take any pains, few of them 
 will flop a hound, though he fhould run riot clofe befide 
 them, or will place themfelves for a moment, though 
 it be to halloo a fox -, it is true, they will not fail to hal- 
 loo, if he comes in their way, and they will do the fame 
 
 to as many foxes as they fee. Some will encourage 
 
 hounds 
 
i82 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 hounds which they do not know; it is a great fault : was 
 every gentleman who follows hounds to fancy himfelf a 
 huntfman, what noife, what confufion would enfue ! I 
 confider many of them as gentlemen riding out, and I am 
 never fo well pleafed, as when I fee them ride home again. 
 You may perhaps have thought that I wifhed them all to 
 be huntfmen.— Molt certainly not; — but the more alTift- 
 ants a huntfman has, the better in all probability, the hounds 
 will be. Good {enfe, and a little obfervation, will foon 
 prevent fuch people from doing amifs j and 1 hold it as an 
 almoft invariable rule in hunting, that thofe who do not 
 know how to do good, are always liable to do harm : there 
 is fcarce an inilant, during a whole chace, when a fportf- 
 man ought not to be in one particular place : and I will 
 venture to fay, that if he is not fhere , he might as well 
 be in his bed. — 
 
 I MUST give you an extraordinary inllance of a gen- 
 tleman's knowledge of hunting. — He had hired a houfe 
 in a fine hunting country, with a good kennel belonging 
 to it, in the neighbourhood, of two packs of fox-hounds, 
 of which mine was one ; and that he might offend neither, 
 
 intended^ 
 
HUNTING. 183 
 
 intended, as he faid, to hunt with both. He offered me 
 the ufe of his kennel, which, for fome reafons, I chofe 
 to decline j it was afterwards offered to the other gentle- 
 man, who accepted it. The firfl day the hounds hunted 
 his country, he did not appear. The fecond day, the 
 hounds were no fooner at the cover fide, than my friend 
 faw an odd figure, ftrangely accoutred, riding up, with 
 a fpaniel following him. " Sir," faid he, " it gave me 
 " great concern not to be able to attend you, when you 
 " was here before j I hope you was not offended at it ; for, 
 *' to Ihew you how well I am inclined to affift your hunt, 
 '* you fee, — I have brought my little dog." 
 
 There are two things, which I particularly recommend 
 to you J the one, is to make your hounds fleady, the other to 
 make them all draw. Many huntfmen are fond of having 
 them at their horfes heels ; but, believe me, they never 
 can get fo well, or fo foon together, as when they fpread 
 the cover : befides, I have often known when there have 
 been only a few finders, that they have found their fox, gone 
 down the wind, and been heard of no more that day. 
 
 B b Never 
 
i84 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Never take out an old unfteady hound j young ones 
 properly awed from riot, and that will ftop at a rate, 
 may be put into the pack, a few at a time j but an old 
 hound, that is vitious, fhould not efcape hanging ; let 
 him be ever fo good in other refpefts, I will not excufe 
 him i for a pack mufl be wretched indeed, that can ftand 
 in need of fuch afllftance. — 
 
 There is infinite pleafure in hearing a fox well found. — 
 When you get up to his kennel, with a good drag, the 
 chorus increafing as you go, it infpires a joy more eafy 
 to feel, than to defcribe. With regard to my own feel- 
 ings, I had fooner hear one fox found in this lively manner, 
 than ride the bell hare chace that was ever run. 
 
 Much depends on the firft finding of your fox. Dimi^ 
 diumfa5ii, qui bene c<epit, habet, which we learned at Weft- 
 minfter, is verified here; for I look upon a fox well 
 found, to be half killed. I think people generally are 
 in too great a hurry on this occafion.-— There is an en- 
 thufiafm attending this diverfion, which, in this inftance 
 in particular, ought always to be reflrained. — The hounds 
 
 are 
 
HUNTING. 185 
 
 are always mad enough when they find their fox j if the 
 men alfo are mad, they make mad work of it indeed. — 
 A gentleman of my acquaintance, who hunts his own 
 hounds, and is not lefs eager than the reft of us, yet 
 very well knows the bad confequences of being fo, to 
 prevent this fault in himfelf, always begins by taking a 
 pinch of fnufF, he then fings part of an old fong, " Some 
 Jay care killed the cat" &c. — By this time his hounds get 
 together, and fettle to the fcent.— He then halloos, and 
 rides, as if the d — I drove. 
 
 If the fox breaks cover, you will fometimes fee a young 
 fportfman fet out after him, to ride him. He never fails 
 to aik fuch a one, " Do you think you can catch him y SirV^-^ 
 " No'' — " Why then be fo good as to let my hounds try, 
 " — if they can'* 
 
 B b 2 LET- 
 
i86 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 I 
 
 Left off juft as I had found the fox : I now, therefore, 
 with your leave, will fuppofe, that the hounds are running 
 hinn. You defire I would be more particular with regard 
 to the men. — It was always my intention to be fo. To 
 begin then, the huntfman fhould certainly fet off with his 
 foremoft hounds, and I fhould wifli him to keep as clofe 
 to them afterwards as he conveniently can -, nor can any 
 harm arife from it, unlefs he has not common fenfe. No 
 hounds then can flip down the wind, and get out of his 
 hearing ; he will alfo fee how far they carry the fcent j a 
 neceffary knowledge -, for without it, he never can make 
 a cafl, with any certainty. 
 
 You will find it not lefs neceffary for your huntfman 
 to be adlive in preffing his hounds forward, while the 
 fcent is good, than to be prudent in not hurrying them 
 beyond it, when it is bad. Your's, you fay, is a good 
 
 horfe- 
 
HUNTING. 187 
 
 horfeman ; it is of the utmofl confequence to your fport, 
 nor is it pofTible for a huntfman to be of much ufe, who 
 is not ; for the firfl thing, and the very Ji}7e qua non, of a 
 fox-hunter, is to ride up to his head hounds. It is his 
 bufincfs to be ready at all times, to lend them that alTiIl- 
 ance they fo frequently ftand in need of, and which, when 
 they are firfl at a fault, is then mofl critical. A fox-hound, 
 at that time, will exert himfelf mofl; he afterwards cools, 
 and becomes more indifferent about his game. Thofe 
 huntfmen who do not get forward enough, to take advan- 
 tage of this eagernefs and impetuofity, and dire6l it pro- 
 perly, feldom know enough of hunting to be of much 
 ufe to them afterwards. 
 
 You will perhaps find it more difficult to keep your 
 whipper-in back, than to get your huntfman forward j at 
 leafl, I always have found it fo. It is however necefTary; 
 nor will a good whipper-in leave a cover whilft a fingle 
 hound remains in it ; for this reafon, there fhould be 
 two ; one of which fhould be always forward with the 
 huntfman. You cannot conceive the many ills that may 
 happen to hounds that are left behind. I do not know, 
 that I can enumerate one half of them i but this you may 
 
 be 
 
i88 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 be certain of, that the keeping them together, is the fureft 
 means to keep them Heady. When left to themfelves' 
 they feldom refufe, I believe, any blood they can get ; they 
 acquire many bad habits -, they become conceited, a ter- 
 rible fault in any animal j and they learn to tye upon the 
 fcent ; an unpardonable- fault in a fox-hound: befides 
 this, they frequently get a trick of hunting by themfelves, 
 and they feldom are worth much afterwards. The lying 
 out in the cold, perhaps the whole night, can do no good 
 to their conftitutions j nor will the being worried by 
 Iheep-dogs or maftiffs, be of fervice to their bodies : all 
 this, however, and much more, they are liable to. — I 
 believe, I mentioned in my fourth letter, that the ftraw- 
 houfe door fhould be left open when any hounds arc 
 miffing. 
 
 Every country is foon known, and nine foxes out of 
 ten, with the wind in the fame quarter, will follow the 
 fame track. — It is eafy therefore for the Vv'hipper-in to cut 
 fhort, and catch the hounds again ; at lead it is fo in the 
 country where I hunt. With a high fcent you cannot 
 pufh on hounds too much. — Screams keep the fox 
 forward, at the fame time that they keep the hounds to- 
 
 gether. 
 
HUNTING. |8^ 
 
 gether, or let in the tail hounds j they alfo enliven the 
 fport, and if difcreetly ufed, are always of fervice, but in 
 cover, they fhould be given with the greateft caution. 
 
 Most fox-hunters, wifh to fee their hounds run in a 
 good ftyle. I confefs, I am myfelf one of thofe. I hate 
 to fee a firing of them, nor can I bear to fee them creep, 
 where they can leap. It is the dafli of the fox-hound 
 which diftinguifhes him as truly, as the motto of William 
 of Wickham, diftinguifhes us. A pack of harriers, if 
 they have time, will kill a fox j but I defy them to kill 
 him in the flyle in which a fox ought to be killed ; they 
 muft hunt him down. If you are to tire him out, you 
 mufl exped to be tired yourfelf alfo : I never wifh a chace 
 to be lefs than one hour, or to exceed two : it is fufficiently 
 long, if properly followed ; — it will feldom be longer, 
 unlefs there is a fault fomewhere ; — either in the day, in 
 the huntfman, or in the hounds. What Lord Chatham 
 once faid of a battle, is particularly applicable to a fox - 
 chace : — it fhould ht Jhort^ Jharpj and decifive. 
 
 There is, I believe, but little difference in the fpeed 
 of hounds of the fame fize^ the great difference is in the 
 
 head 
 
190 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 head they carry; and in order that they may run well to- 
 gether, you fhould not keep too many old hounds : after 
 five or fix feafons, they generally do more harm than 
 good : if they tie upon the fcent, and come hunting after, 
 hang them up immediately, let their age be what it 
 may : there is no getting fuch conceited devils on •, they 
 will never come to a halloo, which every hound that is 
 off the fcent, or behind the reft, ihould not fail to do, 
 and are always more likely to draw you back, than 
 help you forward. 
 
 You think me too fevere on Ikirters. — I muft confefs, 
 that I have but one obje6lion to them, and it is this : — I 
 have conflantly feen them do more harm than good. 
 
 Changing from the hunted fox to a frefh one, is one 
 of the worft accidents that can happen to a pack of fox- 
 hounds ; and it requires all the obfervation, and all the 
 ingenuity that man is capable of, to guard againft it. 
 Could a fox-hound difti«guifli a hunted fox, as the deer- 
 hound does, the deer that is blown ; fox-hunting would 
 then be perfed. There are certain rules, that ought to be 
 obferved by huntfmen. A huntfman lliould always liften 
 to his hounds, whilft they are running in cover i he fhould 
 
 be 
 
HUNTING. 191 
 
 be particularly attentive to the head hounds, and he fhould 
 be conflantly on his guard againft a fkirter, for if there 
 
 are two fcents, he muft be wrong. Generally fpeaking, 
 
 the bell fcent is leaft likely to be that of the hunted fox : 
 and as a fox feldom fufFers hounds to run up to him, as 
 long as he is able to prevent it; fo nine times out of ten, 
 when foxes are halloo'd early in the day, they are all 
 frefh foxes. The hounds molt likely to be right, are the 
 hard-running line-hunting hounds ; or fuch as the huntf- 
 man knows had the lead, before there arofe any doubt of 
 
 changing. With regard to the fox, if he breaks over 
 
 an open country, it is ho fign that he is hard run, for they 
 feldom at any time will do that, unlefs they are a great 
 way before the hounds. Alfo, if he runs up the wind— - 
 they feldom ever do that, when they have been long 
 hunted, and grow weak ; and when they run their foil, 
 that alfo may diredt him. All this, as you muft needs 
 perceive, requires a good ear, and nice obfcrvation, 
 and indeed, in that confifts the chief excellence of a 
 huntfman. 
 
 C c When 
 
192 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When the hounds divide, and are in two parts, the whip- 
 per-in, in flopping, muft attend to the huntfman, and wait 
 for his halloo, before he attempts to ftop either : for want 
 of proper management in this particular, I have known the 
 hounds {topped at both places, and both foxes loft by 
 it. — If they have many fcents, and it is quite uncertain 
 which is the hunted fox, let him ftop thofe that are far- 
 theft down the wind, as they can hear the others, and will 
 reach them fooneft : in fuch a cafe, there will be little ufe 
 in fl:opping thofe that are up the wind. 
 
 When hounds are at a check, let every one be filent : 
 but as I have already faid fo much on that head in my 
 eleventh letter on hare-hunting, I beg leave to refer you 
 to it, Whippers-in are frequently at this time coming on 
 with the tail hounds. They Ihould never halloo to them, 
 when the hounds are at fault ; the leaft thing does hurt 
 at fuch a time, but a halloo, more than any other. 
 The huntfman, at a check, had better let his hounds 
 alone, or content himfelf with holding them forward, 
 without taking them off their nofes. Hounds that are 
 not ufed to be caft, a tout bout de champt will of themfelves 
 acquire a better caft, than it is in the power of any huntf- 
 man 
 
HUNTING. 193 
 
 man to give them j will fpread more, and try better for 
 the fcentj and, if they are in health and fpirits, they will 
 
 want no encouragement. 
 
 If they are at fault, and have made their own call:, (which 
 the huntfman fhould always firft encourage them to do) 
 it is then his bufinefs to aflift them further ] but, except 
 in fome particular inftances, I never approve of their be- 
 ing caft, as long as they are inclined to hunt. The firft 
 caft I bid my huntfman make, is generally a regular one; 
 not choofing to rely entirely on his judgment: if that 
 does not fucceed, he is then at liberty to follow his 
 own opinion, and proceed, as obfervation and genius may 
 diredl. When fuch a caft is made, I like to fee fome 
 
 mark of good fenfe and meaning in it : whether down 
 
 the wind, or towards fome likely cover, or ftrong earth : 
 however, as it is at beft uncertain, and as the huntfman 
 and the fox may be of different opinions, I always wifh 
 to fee a regular caft, before I fee a knowing one ; which, 
 as a laft refource, ftiould not be called forth, till it is 
 wanted. The letting hounds alone is but a negative 
 goodnefs in a huntfman ; whereas it is true, that this laft 
 
 ■ C c 2 Ihows 
 
t94 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Ihows real genius ; and, to be perfe6b, mufi: be born with 
 him. — There is a fault however which a knowing huntf- 
 man is too apt to commit : — he will find a frefli fox, and 
 then claim the merit of having recovered the hunted one. 
 —It always is dangerous to throw hounds into a cover 
 to retrieve a loft fcent j and, unlefs they hit him in, is not 
 to be depended on. Driven to the laft extremity, fhould 
 a knowing caft, not fucceed, your huntfman is in no 
 wife blameable : mine, I remember, loft me a good 
 chace, by perfevering too long in a favourite caft j but 
 he gave me fo many good reafons why the fox ought 
 to have gone that way, that I returned perfectly well 
 fatisfied, telling him at the fame time, that, if the fox was 
 a fool J he cculd not help it. 
 
 Gentlemen, when hounds are at fault, are too apt 
 themfelves to contribute to their remaining fo. They 
 ftiould always ftop their horfes fome diftance behind the 
 hounds, and, if it is poffible to be filent, this is the time 
 to be fo ; they (hould be careful not to ride before the 
 hounds, or ride over the fcent, nor fliould they ever 
 meet a hound in the face, unlefs with a defign to ftop 
 him,-^Should you at any time be before the hounds, turn 
 
 your 
 
HUNTING. 195 
 
 your horfe's head the way they are going, get out of 
 their way, and let them pafs you. 
 
 In dry weather, foxes, particularly in heathy countries, 
 will run the roads. If gentlemen, at fuch times, will 
 ride clofe upon the hounds, they may drive them miles, 
 without any fcent. High-mettled fox-hounds are fel- 
 dom inclined to flop, whilft horfes are clofe at the heels 
 of them. 
 
 An acquaintance of mine, a good iportfman, but a 
 very warm one, when he fees the company prefiing too 
 clofe upon his hounds, begins with crying out, as loud 
 as he can, hold hard. — If any one perfifts, after that, he 
 begins moderately at firft, and fays, / beg. Sir, you will 
 flop your horje : — Pray, Sir, Jlop : — God blefs you. Sir, flop ; 
 God d — nyour blood. Sir, flop your horfe. 
 
 I AM now, as you may perceive, in a very violent paf- 
 fion ; fo I v/ill e'en flop the continuation of this fubjeft, 
 till I am cool again, 
 
 LET- 
 
196 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 I 
 
 Ended my laft letter, I believe, in a violent paflTion. 
 The hounds, I think, were at fault alfo. I fhall now 
 continue the further explanation of my thirteenth letter 
 from that time. 
 
 The firft moment that hounds are at a fault, is a critical 
 one for the fport : people then lliould be very attentive. 
 Thofe who look forward, perhaps, may fee the foxj or 
 the running of fheep, or the purfuit of crows may give 
 them fome tidings of him.' Thofe who liften, may 
 fometimes take a hint which way he is gone, from the 
 chattering of a magpie, or perhaps, be at a certainty from 
 a diftant halloo : nothing that can give any intelligence, 
 
 at fuch a time as this, is to be negledted. Gentlemen 
 
 are too apt to ride all together : were they to fpread 
 more, they might fometimes be of fervice ; particularly, 
 fuch as from a knowledge of the fport, keep down the 
 
 wind 5 
 
HUNTING. 197 
 
 wind i it would then be difficult for either hounds, or fox, 
 to efcape their obfervation. 
 
 You fhould, however, be cautious how you go to a 
 halloo. The halloo itfelf muft, in a great meafure, diredt 
 you i and though it affords no certain rule, yet you may 
 frequently guefs by it, whether it is to be depended on, 
 or not. At the fowing time, when boys are bird-keeping, 
 if you are not very much on your guard, their halloo will 
 fometimes deceive you. It is beft, when you are in doubt, 
 to fend on a whipper-in to know; the worft then, that 
 can befal you, is the lofs of a little time ; whereas, if 
 you gallop away with the hounds to the halloo, and are 
 obliged to return, it is a chance, if they try for the 
 fcent afterwards : on the other hand, if you are certain 
 of the halloo, and intend going to it, then the fooner you 
 get to it, the better. I have been more angry with my 
 huntfman, for being flow at fuch a time as this, than for 
 
 any other fault whatfoever. Huntfmen who are flow 
 
 at getting to a halloo, are void of common fenfe. — 
 
 They frequently commit another fault by being in too 
 great a hurry when they get there. It is hardly credible 
 
 how 
 
198 THOUGH IS ON 
 
 how much our eagernefs is apt, at fuch a time, to millead 
 our judgment: for inflance, when we get to the halloo, the 
 firft queflions are natural enough : — did you fee the fox ? — ■ 
 which way did he go ?— The man points with his finger per- 
 haps, and then away you all ride as faft as you can j and 
 in fuch a hurry, that not one will flay to hear the anfwer 
 which you all were fo defirous of knowing : the general 
 confequence of which is, you miftake the place, and are 
 obliged to return to the man, for better information.— 
 Depend upon it, the lefs hurry you are in, on this occa- 
 fion, the lefs time you lofe ; and wherever the fox was 
 feen for a certainty, whether near, or diftant, that will 
 not only be the fureft, but alfo the bell place to take the 
 fcent ; and, befides the certainty of going right, you will 
 alfo, I believe, get on fafter than you would by any 
 other means. — 
 
 That hailoos are not always to be depended on will 
 be fufficiently evinced by the following inftances. 
 
 My hounds being at a long fault, a fellow halloo'd to 
 them from the top of a rick, at feme diflance off. The 
 
 huntf- 
 
HUNTING. t^^ 
 
 huntfman, as you will believe, fluck fpnrs to his horfe, 
 halloo'd, till he was almoft hoarfe, and got to the man 
 as quickly as he could : the man flill kept hallooing; 
 and as the hounds got near him, " here, faid he — here — 
 ** here the fox is gone :'*' — " Is he far before us ?" cried the 
 huntfman — " how long ago was it that you faw him ?"■— 
 " No, mailer, I have wot feen him; but I Jmclt him here 
 " this morning, when I came to ferve my flieep." — 
 
 Another inftance was this: — we were trying with fome 
 deer-hounds for an out-lying flag, when we faw a fellow 
 running towards us in his Ihirt : we immediately con- 
 cluded that we Ihould hear fome news of the flag, and 
 fet out joyfully to meet him : our firil queflion was, if 
 he had feen the flag ? " No, Sir, I have not feen him, hut 
 cc ^y ^ij-Q dreamt as how Jhe Jaw him t'other night,'' 
 
 Once a man halloo'd us back a mile, only to tell us, 
 we were right before ^ and we loll the fox by it. 
 
 A GENTLEMAN, feeing his hounds at fault, rode up to a 
 man at plough, and with great eagernefs allied him, if 
 he had feen the fox. — " The fox. Sir?"-—" Yes, d — n you, 
 
 D d " the 
 
20O THOUGHTS ON 
 
 " the fox J did you never fee a fox ?" " Pray, Sir, if I 
 
 " may be fo bould, what fort of a looking creature may he 
 " be ? has hefiorf earSt and a long tail? " Tes." — " why 
 *' then, I can afTure you. Sir, I have feen nojuch thing." 
 
 We are agreed, that hounds ought not to be caft, as 
 long as they are able to hunt j and though the idea, that 
 a hunted fox never flops, is a very neceflary one to a fox- 
 hunter, that he may be aftive, and may lofe no time, yet 
 tired foxes will ftop, if you can hold them on s and I 
 have known them ftop, even in wheel-ruts on the open 
 down, and leap up in the midft of the hounds. A tired 
 fox ought pot to be given up ; for he is killed fome- 
 times very unexpectedly. If hounds have ever prefled 
 him, he is worth your trouble \ perfeverance may recover 
 him, and, if recovered, he moft probably will be kil- 
 led; nor fhould you defpair, whilft any fcent remains. 
 The bufinefs of a huntfman is only difficult, when the 
 fcent dies quite away s and it is then he may fhew his 
 judgment, when the hounds are no longer able to fhew 
 theirs. — The recovering aloft fcent, and getting nearer to 
 the fox by a long caft, requires genius, and is therefore 
 
 what 
 
HUNTING. 201 
 
 what few huntfmen are famous for.— When hounds are 
 no longer capable of feeling the fcent, it all refts with 
 the huntfman ♦, either the game is entirely given up, or is 
 only to be recovered by him, and is the effedl of real 
 genius, fpirit, and obfervation. 
 
 When hounds are at cold hunting, with a bad fcent, 
 it is then a good time to fend a whipper-in forward ; if 
 if he can fee the fox, a little mobbing, at fuch a time 
 as this, may reafonably be allowed. 
 
 When hounds are put to a check on a high road, by 
 the fox being headed back, if in that particular cafe you 
 fuffer them to try back, it gives them the beft chance of 
 hitting off the fcent again, as they may try on both fides 
 at once. 
 
 When hounds are running in cover, you cannot be 
 too quiet. If the fox be running fhort, and the hounds 
 are catching him* not a word Ihould then be faid : it is 
 a difficult time for hounds to hunt him, as he is conti- 
 nually turning, and will fometimes lie down, and let them 
 pafs him. 
 
 D d 2 I HAVE 
 
202 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 I HAVE remarked, that the greateft danger of lofmg a 
 fox is at the firft finding of him, and when he is finking ; 
 at both of which times, he frequently will run ftiort, and 
 the eagernefs of the hounds is too apt to carry them be- 
 yond the fcent. — When a fox is firft found, I wiih every 
 one would keep behind the hounds, till they are well fet- 
 tled to the fcent ; and when the hounds are killing him, 
 I wifh them to be as filent as they can. 
 
 When he is caught, I like to fee hounds eat him ea- 
 gerly. In fome countries, I am told, they have a me- 
 thod of treeing himj it is of ufe to make the hounds 
 eager; it lets them all in; they recover their wind, and 
 eat him more readily. I fhould advife you, at the fame 
 time, not to keep him too long, as I do not imagine the 
 hounds have any appetite to eat him, longer than whilft 
 they are angry with him. 
 
 The fame author, whom I quoted in my tenth letter, 
 and who tells us, how we fhould mi eat a hare, is alfo 
 kind enough to tell us, whtn vit Jhould eat a fox i I wifh 
 he had alfo added the beft manner of drefling him : void 
 ce qii'il dit^—^^ La chair du Renard eft moins mauvaije que 
 
 " Quelle 
 
HUNTING. ao3 
 
 " c'el-le du loup j les chiens et mme les Hommes en mangent en 
 " automney Jurtout lorjqu' il s" eft nourri et engraijfede raijins"-— 
 You would have been better pleafed, I make no doubt, 
 if the learned gentleman had told you how to hunt him, 
 rather than when to eat him. 
 
 1 SHALL end this letter with an anecdote of a late 
 huntfman of mine, who was a great flip-flop, and always 
 called fucceflively, Juccejsfully . One day, when he had 
 been out with the young hounds, I fent for him in, and 
 alfked him what fport he had had, and how the hounds 
 behaved ? — *' Very good fport. Sir, and no hounds could 
 " behave any better.'* — " Did you run him long ?" — 
 " They ran him, and pleafe your honour, upwards of three 
 
 " \iomsJuccefsfuUy" " iSo, then, you did kill him?" — 
 
 " Ohy nOi Sir, we loft him at laft," 
 
 LET- 
 
204 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XVII. 
 
 R 
 
 O X-Hunting, an acquaintance of mine fays, is only 
 followed becaufe you can ride hard, and do lefs harm in 
 that, than in any other hunting. There may be fomc 
 truth in the obfervation •, but to fuch as love the riding 
 part only of hunting, would not a trail fcent be much more 
 fuitable ? Gentlemen who hunt for the fake of a ride, who 
 are indifferent about the hounds, and know little of the 
 bufinefs, if they do no harm, it is to the full as much 
 as we have reafon to exped from them ; whilft thofe of 
 a contrary defcription, do good, and have much greater 
 pleafure. Such as are acquainted with the hounds, and 
 can at times afTift them, find the fport more interefting, 
 and frequently have the fatisfadion to think, that they 
 themfelves contribute to the fuccefs of the day. This is 
 a pleafure you often enjoy? a pleafure, without any regret 
 attending it. I know not what effed it may have on you j 
 
 but. 
 
HUNTING. 205 
 
 but, I know that my fpirits are always good after good fport 
 in hunting j nor is the reft of the day ever difagreeable to 
 me afterwards. What are other fports, compared with this, 
 which is full of enthufiafm ! fiihing is, in my opinion, a 
 dull diverfion ; — (hooting, though it admits of a com- 
 panion, does not allow of many : — both, therefore may 
 be confidered as felfilh, and folitary amufements, com- 
 pared with hunting ; to which, as many as pleafe, are 
 welcome. The one might teach patience to a philofo* 
 pherj and the other, though it occafions great fatigue 
 to the body, feldom affords much occupation to the mind. 
 Whereas fox-hunting is a kind of warfares — its uncer- 
 tainties, its fatigues, its difficulties, and its dangers, ren- 
 dering it interefting above all other diverfions,-. That 
 
 you may more readily pardon this digreffion, I return to 
 anfwer your letter now before me, 
 
 I AM glad to hear that your men have good voices ; 
 mine, unluckily, have nor. I have a friend, who hunts 
 his own hounds, who has the ftrangeft voice, and the 
 oddeft halloo, I ever heard. He has, however, this ad- 
 vantage : — no dog can poffibly miftake his halloo for 
 another. — Singularity conftitutes an elTential part of a 
 
 huntf- 
 
2o6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 huntfman's halloo : — it is for that reafon alone, I prefer 
 
 the horn, to which, I obferve, hounds fly more readily 
 
 than to the huntfman's voice. Good voices certainly are 
 
 pleafmg ; yet it might be as well, perhaps, if thofe, who 
 
 have them, were lefs fond of fhewing them. When a 
 
 fox is halloo'd, thofe who underftand this bufmefs, and 
 
 get forward, may halloo him again ; yet let them be told, if 
 
 the hounds go the contrary way, or do not feem to come 
 
 on, upon the line of him, to halloo no more. With re- 
 
 o-ard to its being the hunted fox, the fox which every 
 
 man halloos, is the hunted fox in his own opinion, though 
 
 he feldom has a better reafon for it, than becaufe he faw 
 
 him. — Such halloos as ferve to keep the hounds together, 
 
 and to get on the tail hounds, are always of ufe •, it is the 
 
 halloos of encouragement to the leading hounds, when 
 
 injudicioufly given, that fpoil your fport. I am forry to 
 
 fay view halloos, frequently, do more harm, than good. 
 
 They are pleafing to fportfmen, but prejudicial to hounds. 
 
 If a (Irong cover be full of foxes, and they are often hal- 
 
 loo'd, hounds feldom take much pains in hunting them j — 
 
 hence arifes that coldnefs and indifference, which fome- 
 
 times may be perceived in fox-hounds, while purfuing 
 
 their game. 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. 207 
 
 You afk me, if I would take off my hounds to a hal- 
 loo ? — If they are running with a good fcent, I moft cer- 
 tainly would not i if otherwife, and I could depend upon 
 the halloo, in fome cafes, I think, I would ; for inftance, 
 when the fox is a great way before them, or perfiils in 
 running his foil ; for fuch foxes are difficult to kill, un- 
 lefs you endeavour to get nearer to them by fome means 
 
 or other. When you hunt after them, it frequently 
 
 happens that the longer you run, the further you are 
 behind. 
 
 When hounds are out of blood, and a fox runs his 
 foil, you need not fcruple to flop the tail hounds, and 
 throw them in at head^ or, if the cover has any ridings 
 cut in it, and the fox be often feen, your huntfman, by 
 keeping fome hounds at his horfe's heels, at the firfl halloo 
 that he hears, may throw them in clofe at him. — This 
 will put him out of his pace, and perhaps, put him off 
 his foil. — It v/ill be neceffary, when you do this, that 
 the whipper-in Ihould flop the pack from hunting after, 
 
 and get forward with them to the huntfman. 1 have 
 
 already given it as my opinion, that hounds m.ay be hal- 
 
 E e ioo'd 
 
2oS T H OUGHTS ON 
 
 loo'd too much. — If they are often ufcd to a halloo, they 
 will expeft it, and may trufl, perhaps, to their ears, and 
 eyes, more than to their nofes. If they are often taken 
 from the fcent, it teaches them to ihuffle, and probably 
 will make them flack in cover : it (hould be done, there- 
 fore, with great caution j not too often j and always fhould 
 be well-timed. Famous huntfmen, I think, by making 
 too frequent a ufe of this, fometimes hurt their hounds. 
 I have heard of a fportfman, who never fuffers his hounds 
 to be lifted i he lets them pick along the coldefl- fcent, 
 through flocks of flieep : this, is a particular llyle of fox- 
 hunting, which, perhaps, may fuit the country, in which 
 that gentleman hunts. I confefs to you, I do not think 
 it would fucceed in a bad fcenting country, or indeed, 
 in any country, where foxes are wildj— whilft hounds can 
 get on with the fcent, it cannot be right to take them ofi^ 
 from it ; but when they are flropped for want of it, it can- 
 not then be wrong to give them every advantage you 
 can. 
 
 It is wrong to fuffer hounds to hunt after others that 
 are gone on with the fcent, for how are they to get up to 
 
 them. 
 
HUNTING. 209 
 
 them, with a worfe fcent ? — Befides, it makes them tye 
 on the Icent, teaches them to run dog, and deftroys that 
 laudable ambition of getting forward, which is the chief 
 excellence of a fox-hound. A good huntfman will fel- 
 dom fufFer his head hounds to run away from him j if it 
 fhould fo happen, and they are flill within his hearings 
 he finks the wind with the reft of the pack, and gets to 
 
 them as faft as he can. Though I fuffer not a pack of 
 
 fox-hounds to hunt after fuch as may be a long way be- 
 fore the reft, for reafons which I have juft given i yet, 
 when a fingle hound is gone on with the fcent, I fend a 
 whipper-in to ftop him. Were the hounds to be taken 
 off the fcent to get to him, and he fhould no longer have 
 any fcent when they find him, the fox would be loft by it. 
 This is a reafon, why in large covers, and particularly 
 fuch as have many roads in them, fiiirting hounds fhould 
 be left at home on windy days. 
 
 Skirters, I think, you may find hurtful, both in men 
 and dogs. Such as fkirt to fave their horfes, often head 
 the fox. Good fportfmen never quit hounds, but to be 
 of fervice to them : with men of this defcrlption, fkirting 
 
 E e 2 becomes 
 
210 THOUGHTS OV 
 
 becomes a neceflary part of fox-hunting, and is of the 
 greateft life. Skirters ! beware of a furze-brake. If you 
 head back the fox, the hounds, moft probably will kill 
 him in the brake. Such as ride after the hounds, at the 
 fame time that they do no good, are leaft likely to do 
 harm ; — let fuch only as underftand the bufinefs, and 
 mean to be of fervice to the hounds, ride wide of them. 
 I cannot however allow, that the riding clofe up to hounds, 
 is always a fign of a good fportfman j-^if it were, a mon- 
 key, on a good horfe, would be the beft fportfman in the 
 
 field. Here mud I cenfure, (but with refpefl) that 
 
 eager fpirit which frequently interrupts, and fometimes 
 is fatal to fport in fox-hunting; for, though I cannot fub- 
 fcribe to the doflrine of my friend ****** <f that a pack of 
 " fox-hounds would do better without ahuntfman, than with 
 *^ one ; and that if left to themfelves, they would never 
 " lofe a fox ;" — yet, if allowing them their ufual atten- 
 dants, he had objefled only to the fportfmen who follow 
 them, I muft have joined ifliie with him. Whoever has 
 followed hounds, has feen them frequently hurried be- 
 yond the fcent i and whoever is converfant in hunting, 
 mufl know, that the fteam. of many horfes, carried by 
 
 the 
 
HUNTING. 
 
 211 
 
 the wind, and mixed with a cold fcent, is prejudicial 
 to it, 
 
 . It fometimes happens, that a good horfeman is not Co 
 well in with hounds, as an indifferent one, becaufe he 
 feldom will condefcend to get off his horfe. I believe, 
 the befl way to follow hounds acrofs a country, is to keep 
 on the line of them, and to difmount at once, when you 
 come to a leap, which you do not choofe to take; for in 
 looking about for eafier places, much time is loft. In 
 following hounds, it may be ufeful to you to know, that 
 when in cover, they run up the wind, you cannot in rea- 
 fon be too far behind them, as long as you have a per- 
 fe6t hearing of them, and can command them j and, on 
 the contrary, when they are running down the wind, you 
 cannot keep too clofe to them. 
 
 You complain, that foxes are in too great plenty ; be- 
 lieve me, it is a good fault. I fhould as foon have ex- 
 pected to haA'-e heard your neighbour R complain 
 
 of having too much money j however, it is not without a 
 remedy ; hunt the fame covers conftantly, and you will foon 
 
 diiperfe 
 
2M THOUGHTS ON 
 
 difperfe them. If your pack be ftrong enough, divide 
 it J hunt every day, and you will catch many tired foxes. 
 I remember to have killed a brace in one morning, in 
 the ftrongeft feafon ; the firft in ten minutes, the fecond 
 in half an hour. — If your own pack be not ftrong enough 
 to hunt more than every other day, get a pack of har- 
 riers to hunt hare in the cover, the intermediate day. 
 Foxes thus difturbed, will fhift their quarters ; they know 
 their enemies, and fmell in the night, where they have 
 been in the day, and will not ftay where they are likely 
 to be difturbed by them. Follow them for one week in 
 this manner, and I do not think you will have any rea- 
 fon, afterwards, to complain that they are in too great 
 plenty. 
 
 When covers are much difturbed, foxes will fometimes 
 break as foon as they hear a hound. Where the country 
 round is very open, the fox leaft likely to break is the 
 one which you are hunting ; be will be very unwilling to 
 quit the cover, if it be a large one, unlefs he can get a 
 great diftance before the hounds. If you are defirous to 
 get a run over fuch a country, the likelieft means will be, 
 
 to 
 
HUNTING. 213 
 
 to poft a quiet and fkilful perfon to halloo one off, and 
 lay on to him. The further he is before you, the lefs 
 likely he will be to return. The bed method, however, 
 to hunt a cover like this, is to flick conflantly to it, not 
 fuffering the hounds to break, as long as one fox remains; 
 do -this, two or three hunting days following; foxes will 
 then fly, and you will have good chaces. 
 
 Nothing is more hurtful to hounds, than the frequent 
 changing of their country ; fhould they change from a 
 good fcenting country to a bad one, unlefs they have 
 luck on their fides, they may be fome time without kil- 
 ling a fox ; whereas hounds have always a great advan- 
 tage in a country which they are ufed to. They not only 
 know better where to find their game, but they will alfo 
 purfue it, with more alacrity afterwards. 
 
 This letter began by a digrefTion in fav^our of hunting; 
 it will end with the opinion of a Frenchman, not fo fa- 
 vourable to it. This gentleman was in my neighbour- 
 hood on a vifit to the late Lord C , who, being a 
 
 great fportfman, thought he could not oblige his friend 
 
 more, 
 
214 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 more, than by offering him to partake of an amufementy 
 which he himfelf was fo fond of; he therefore mounted 
 him on one of his beft horfes, and fhewed him a fox- 
 chace. The Frenchman, after having been well Ihaken, 
 dirted, tired, run away with, and thrown down; was 
 allied, on his return, " comment il avoit troiive la chaffe.'l — 
 " Morbleul Milord j' faid he, Ihrugging up his flioulders^ 
 ^' voire chajfe eft une chajfe diabolique."' 
 
 L E T- 
 
HUNTING. 215 
 
 LETTER XVIII. 
 
 B 
 
 EFORE I proceed on my fubjedl, give me leave 
 to fet you right in one particular, where I perceive I have 
 been mifunderflood by you. You fay, you little expefted 
 to fee the abilities of a huntfman degraded beneath that 
 of a whipper-in. This is a ferious charge againft me, 
 as a fportfman; and though I cannot allow that I have 
 put the cart before the horfe, in the manner you are 
 pleafed to mention, yet you have made it necelTary for 
 me to explain myfelf further about it. 
 
 I MUST therefore remind you, that I fpeak of my own 
 country only, a country full of riot, where the covers are 
 large, and where there is a chace full of deer, and full 
 of game. In fuch a country as this, you that knov/ fo 
 well how necefiary it is for a pack of fox-hounds to be 
 fteady, and to be kept together, ought not to wonder 
 that I fhould prefer an excellent whipper-in, to an excel- 
 
 -F f lent 
 
2i6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 lent huntfman. No one knows better than you do, how 
 eflential a good Adjutant is to a regiment : believe me, 
 a good whipper-in is not lefs fo to a pack of fox-hounds. 
 But, I muft beg you to obferve, that I only mean, that 
 / could do better with mediocrity in the one, than in the other. — 
 If I have written any thing in a former letter that implies 
 more, I beg leave to retra6t it in this. — Yet I muft confefs 
 to you, that a famous huntfman I am not very ambitious 
 to have, unlefs it necelTarily followed, that he muft have 
 famous hounds -y a conclufion I cannot admit, as long as 
 thefe, fo famous gentlemen, will be continually attempt- 
 ing to do themfelves, what it would be much better if 
 they would permit their hounds to do : befides, they fel- 
 dom are good fervants, are always conceited, and fome- 
 times impertinent. I am very well fatisfied, if my huntf- 
 man knows his country, knows his hounds, and rides well 
 up to them, and has fome knowledge of the nature of the 
 animal which he is in purfuit of; and fo far am I from 
 wiftiing him to be famous, that I hope he will ftill con- 
 tinue to think, that his hounds know beft how to hunt 
 a fox. 
 
 You 
 
HUNTING. ^17 
 
 You fay^ you agree with me, that a huntfrnan fhould 
 flick clofe to his hounds. — If then his place is fixed, 
 and that of the firft whipper-in (where you have two) 
 is not, I cannot but think genius may be at leaft as ufeful 
 in one, as in the other: for inftance, while the huntfrnan 
 is riding to his head hounds, the whipper-in, if he has 
 genius, may fhew it in various ways i he may clap for- 
 ward to any great earth, that may, by chance, be open j — 
 he may fink the wind to halloo, or mob a fox, when the 
 fcent fails ] — he may keep him off his foil; — he may Hop 
 the tail hounds, and get them forward ; and has it fre- 
 quently in his power to aflift the hounds, without doing 
 them any hurt, provided he has fenfe to diflinguilh where 
 he is wanted mod. Befides, the mod efiential part of 
 fox-hunting, the making, and keeping the pack fteady, 
 depends entirely upon him ; as a huntfrnan Ihould feldom 
 rate, and never flog a hound. — In fliort, I confider the 
 firft whipper-in as a fecond huntfrnan j and, to be perfe6t, 
 he fhould be as capable of hunting the hounds, as the 
 huntfrnan himfelf. 
 
 You cannot too much recommend to your whipper-in 
 to get to the head of his hounds, before he attempts to 
 
 F f 2 flop 
 
2i8 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 flop them. The rating behind is to little purpofe, and if 
 they are in cover, may prevent him from knowing who 
 the culprits are. When your hounds are running a fox, 
 he then fhould content himfelf with flopping fuch as are 
 riotous, and fliould get them forward. They may be 
 condemned upon the fpot, but the punifhment fhould be 
 deferred till the next day, when they may be taken out 
 on purpofe to commit the fault, and fuffer the punifh- 
 ment. I agree with you, that young hounds cannot be 
 awed too muchj yet fuffer not your punifhment of them 
 to exceed their offence. — I could wifh to draw a line be- 
 twixt juftice and barbarity. 
 
 A WHIPPER-IN, while breaking in young hounds, fome- 
 
 times will rate them, before they commit the fault : this 
 
 prevents them, for that times but they will be jull as 
 
 ready to begin the next opportunity. Had he not better 
 
 let them quite alone, till he fees what they would be at ? 
 
 The difcipline then may be proportioned to the degree of 
 
 the off'ence. Whether a riotous young hound runs little 
 
 or much, is of fmall confequence, if he be not encouraged : 
 
 it is the blood only that fignifies, which in every kind of 
 
 riot fhould carefully be prevented. 
 
 My 
 
HUNTING. 219 
 
 My general orders to my whipper-in, are, if when he 
 rates a hound, the hound does not mind him, to take 
 him up immediately, and give him a fevere flogging. 
 Whippers-in are too apt to continue rating, even when 
 they find that rating does not avail. There is but one 
 way to flop fuch hounds, which is, to get to the heads of 
 
 them.' 1 alfo tell him, never on any account to flrike 
 
 a hound, unlefs the hound is at the fame time fenfible 
 ■what it is for ;— never to flrike a hound that does not de- 
 ferve it, and to flrike thofe hard that do. 
 
 It is feldom necefTary to flog hounds to make them 
 obedient, fince obedience is the firfl lefTon they are taught. 
 Yet, if any are more riotous than the refl, they may re- 
 ceive a few cuts in the morning, before they leave the 
 kennel. 
 
 When hounds are unfteady, every pofTible means fhould 
 
 be taken to make them otherwife.- A hare, or a deer, 
 
 put into the kennel amongft them, may then be necefTary. 
 Huntfmen are too fond of kennel difcipline. You already 
 know my opinion of it. I never allow it, but in cafes of 
 
 great 
 
210 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 great necefllty. — I then am always prefent myfelf, to pre- 
 vent the excefs of it. To prevent an improper and bar- 
 barous ufe of fuch difcipline, I have already told you, is 
 one of the chief objefts of thefe letters. — If what Mon- 
 taigne fays be true, " that there is a certain general claim 
 of kindnefs and benevolence, which every creature has a 
 right to from us," furely we ought not to fuffer unnecef- 
 fary feverity to be ufed with an animal, to whom we are 
 obliged for fo much diverfion ; and what opinion ought 
 we to have of the huntfman, who inftids it on an animal, 
 to whom he owes his daily bread. 
 
 Such of my hounds as are very riotous, are taken out 
 by themfelves on the days when they do not hunt, and 
 properly punifhed ; and this is continued whilft my pa- 
 tience lallsj which of courfe depends on the value of the 
 dog. — It is a trial betwixt the whipper-in and the dog, 
 which will tire firft ; and the whipper-in, I think, gene- 
 rally prevails.—- If this method will not make them Heady, 
 no other can ; they then are looked upon as incorrigible, 
 and are put away. 
 
 Such 
 
HUNTING. 
 
 221 
 
 Such hounds, as are notorious offenders, fhould alfo 
 feel the lalh, and hear a rate, as they go to the cover; it 
 may be an ufeful hint to them, and may prevent a feverer 
 flogging afterwards. A fenfible whipper-in will wait his 
 opportunity to fingle out his hound; he will then hit him 
 hard, and rate him well i whilft a foolifli one will often 
 hit a dog he did not intend to hit •, will ride full gallop 
 into the midfl of the hounds; will, perhaps, ride over 
 fome of the beft of them, and put the whole pack into 
 confufion. — This is a manoeuvre I cannot bear to fee. 
 
 Have a care ! are words which feldom do any harm j 
 fince hounds, when they are on a right fcent, will not 
 mind them. Let your whipper-in be careful how he encou- 
 rages the hounds j that, improperly done, may fpoil your 
 pack. 
 
 A WHIPPER-IN will rate a hound, and then endeavour 
 to flog him. A dog, after having been rated, will na- 
 turally avoid the whip. — Tell your whipper-in, whenever 
 a hound deferves the lalh, to hit him firfl:, and rate him 
 afterwards. 
 
 Where 
 
lit THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When there are two whippers-in, one ought always t6 
 be forward. When there is only oncy he, to be perfeft, 
 fhould be a very Mungo, here, there, and every where. 
 
 Yoij will find it difficult to keep your people in their 
 proper places ; I have been obliged to flop back my- 
 felf to bring on hounds, which my fervants had left 
 behind. I cannot give you a greater proof how necefTary 
 it is, that a whipper-in fhould bring home all his hounds, 
 than by telling you, that I had loft an old hound for ten 
 days, and fent all the country over to enquire after him ; 
 and at laft, when I thought no more about him, in draw- 
 ing a large cover in the country where he had been loft>, 
 he joined the pack j he -^as exceedingly emaciated, and 
 it was a long time before he was recovered.— How he: 
 fubfifted all that time, I cannot imagine. When any of 
 your hounds are miffing, you fhould fend the whipper-in 
 back immediately to look for them ; — it will teach him 
 to keep them more together. 
 
 The getting forward the tail hounds is a neceflary part 
 of fox-hunting, in which you will find a good whipper-in 
 of the greateft ufe. He muft alfo get forward himfelf at 
 times, when the huntfman is not with the hounds ; but 
 
 the 
 
H U N T I N G, 223 
 
 the fecond whipper-in, (who frequently is a young lad, 
 ignorant of his bufinefs) on no account ought to encou- 
 rage or rate a hound, but when he is quite certain it is 
 right to do it •, nor is he ever to get forward, as long as a 
 fingle hound remains behind. 
 
 Halloo forward^ is certainly a neceffary and a good 
 halloo ; but is it not ufed too indifcriminately ? — it is for 
 ever in the mouth of a whipper-in. If your hounds are 
 never ufed to that halloo, till after a fox is found, you 
 will fee them fly to it. — At other times, other halloos will 
 anfwer the purpofe of getting them on as well. 
 
 Most huntfmen, I believe, are jealous of the whipper- 
 in 3 tiiey frequently look on him as a fucceflbr, and there- 
 fore do not very readily admit him into the kennel; yet, 
 in my opinion, it is neceffary he fhould go there, for he 
 Qught to be well acquainted with the hounds, who fhould 
 know and follov/ him, as well as the huntfman, 
 
 I AM forry to hear your hounds are fo unfteady ; — it is 
 fcarcely pofllble to have fport with unfteady hounds; they 
 
 G s are 
 
224 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 are half tired before the fox is found, and are not to be 
 depended upon afterwards. — It is a great pleafure when a 
 hound challenges, to be cerain he is right : it is a cruel 
 difappointment to hear a rate immediately fucceed it, and 
 the fmacking of whips, inilead of halloos of encourage- 
 ment. A few riotous and determined hounds do a deal 
 of mifchief in a pack. — Never, when you can avoid it, 
 put them among the reft i— let them be taken out by 
 themfelves, and well chaftifed, and if you find them in- 
 corrigible, hang them. The common faying, evil com- 
 munications corrupt good mannersj holds good with regard 
 to hounds j they are eafily corrupted. The feparating of 
 the riotous ones from thofe which are fteady, anfwers 
 many good purpofes. It not only prevents the latter 
 from getting the blood they fliould not, but it alfo pre- 
 vents them from being over awed by the fmacking 
 of whips, v/hich is too apt to obllrud: drawing, and 
 going deep into cover. — A couple of hounds, which I 
 received from a neighbour laft year, were hurtful to my 
 pack. They had run with a pack of harriers ; and, as I 
 foon found, were never afterwards to be broken from 
 h^re, It was the beginning of the feafon, covers were 
 
 thick. 
 
HUNTING. 225 
 
 thick, hares in plenty, and we feldom killed lefs than 
 five or fix in a morning. The pack at laft got Co much 
 blood, that they would hunt them as if they were de- 
 figned to hunt nothing elfe. — I parted with the two 
 hounds ; and the others, by proper management, are be- 
 come as fteady as they were before. You will remind 
 me, perhaps, that they were draft hounds. — It is true, 
 they were fo j but they were three or four years hunters ; 
 an age when they might be fuppofed to have known 
 
 better. 1 advife you, unlefs a known good pack of 
 
 hounds are to be difpofed of, not to accept old hounds. 
 I mention this to encourage the breeding of hounds, 
 and as the likelieft means of getting a handfome, good^ 
 ^.Tid Jieady pack : though I give you this advice, it is true, 
 I have accepted draft-hounds myfelf, and fome have been 
 very good : but they were the gift of the friend, men- 
 tioned by me in a former letter ; and, unlefs you meet 
 with fuch another, old hounds will not prove worthy your 
 acceptance: — they never can be very good, and may bring 
 vices along with them, to fpoil your pack. If old hounds 
 are unlleady, it may not be in your power to make them 
 otherwife ; and I can aflure you from experience, that an 
 
 G g 2 unfleady 
 
226 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 unfteady old hound will give you more trouble than all 
 your young ones. The latter will at leaft ftop ; but an 
 obftinate old hound will frequently run mute, if he finds 
 he can run no other way : befides, old hounds, that are 
 unacquainted with your people, will not readily hunt for 
 them, as they ought ; and fuch as were fteady in their 
 own pack, may become unfteady in yours. I once faw 
 an extraordinary inftance of this, when I kept harriers. 
 Hunting one day on the downs, a well-known fox-hound 
 of a neighbouring gentleman came and joined us, and as 
 he both ran fafter than we did, and flcirted more, he 
 broke every fault, and killed many hares. I faw this hound 
 often in his own pack afterwards, where he was perfeftly 
 fteady; and, though he conftantly hunted in covers, 
 where hares were in great plenty, I never remember to 
 have feen him run one ftep after them, 
 
 I AM forry to hear fo bad an accident has happened to 
 your pack, as that of killing jfheep ; but, I apprehend, 
 from your account of it, that it proceeded from idlenefs, 
 rather than vice. The manner in which the ilieep were 
 killed, may give you fome infight into it; old prafti- 
 
 tioners 
 
HUNTING. 227 
 
 tioners generally feizing by the neck, and feldom, if ever, 
 behind. This, like other vices, fometimes runs in the 
 blood : in an old hound, it is, I believe, incorrigible : 
 the beft way, therefore, will be to hang all thofe, which, 
 after two or three whippings, cannot be cured of it. In 
 fome countries hounds are more inclined to kill fheep, 
 than they are in others. Hounds may be fteady in coun- 
 tries where the covers are fenced -, and fheep are only to 
 be feen in flocks, either in large fields, or on open downs j 
 and the fame hounds may be unfteady in forefls and 
 heathy countries, where the fheep are not lefs wild than 
 the deer. However, hounds, fhould they move but a 
 flep after them, fhould undergo the feverefl: difcipline ; 
 if young hounds do it from idlenefs, thatj and plenty of 
 work, may reclaim them 3 for old hounds, guilty of this 
 vice, I know, as I laid before, of but one fure remedy — 
 ihe halter. 
 
 Though I fo flrongly recommend to you, to make 
 your hounds fteady, from having feen unfteady packs, 
 yet 1 muft alfo fay, that I have frequently feen the men 
 even more unfteady than the hounds. It is fhocking to 
 hear hounds halloo'd one minute, and rated the next. — 
 
 Nothins: 
 
128 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Nothing offends a good fportfnfian fo much, or is in itfelf 
 fo hurtful. I will give you an inftance of the danger of 
 it J — my beagles were remarkably fteady; they hunted 
 hare in Cranbourn Chace, where deer are in great plenty, 
 and would draw for hours, without taking the leaft notice 
 of them. When tired of hare-hunting, I was inclined to 
 try if I could find any diverfion in hunting of fallow 
 deer. I had been told it would be impoflible to do it 
 with the fame hounds ; and, to put it to the trial, I took 
 them into a cover of my own, which has many ridings 
 cut in it, and where are many deer. The firfl deer we 
 faw, we halloo'd, and by great encouragement, and con- 
 ftant hallooing, there were but few of thefe fteady hounds 
 but would run the fcent. — They hunted deer conflantly 
 from that day, and never loft one afterwards.— Dogs are 
 fenfible animals -, they foon find out what is required of 
 them, when we do not confufe them by our own heed- 
 lefihefs : when we encourage them to hunt a fcent they 
 have been rated from, and, perhaps, feverely chaftifed 
 for hunting, they muft needs think us very cruel, capri- 
 cious, and inconfiftcnt. 
 
 If 
 
HUNTING. 229 
 
 If you know any pack that Is very iinfleady, depend 
 upon it, either no care has been taken in entering the 
 young hounds to make them fteady, or elfe, the men, 
 afterwards, by hallooing them on improperly, and to a 
 wrong fcent, have forced them to become fo. 
 
 The firft day of the feafon, I advife you to take out 
 your pack where you have lead riot, and where you are 
 moft fure to find : for, notwithftanding their fteadinefs 
 at the end of the lafl feafon, long reft, may have made 
 them otherwife. If you have any hounds more vitious 
 than the reft, they ftiould be left at home a day or two, 
 till the others are well in blood : your people, without 
 doubt, will be particularly cautious, at the beginning of 
 the feafon, what hounds they halloo to ; for if they fhould 
 be encouraged on a wrong fcent, it will be a great hurt 
 to them. 
 
 The firft day that you hunt in the foreft, be alfo parti- 
 cularly cautious, what hounds you take out. All fhould be 
 fteady from deer ; you afterwards may put others to them, 
 a few at a time. I have feen a pack draw fteadily enough j 
 and yet, when running hard, fall on a weak deer, and reft 
 
 as 
 
230 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 as contented, as if they had killed their fox. Thefe 
 hounds were not chadifed, though caught in the fa<5t, but 
 were fuffered to draw on for a frefh fox ; I had rather 
 they had undergone fevere difcipline. — The finding of 
 another fox with them afterwards, might then have been 
 of fervice j otherwife, in my opinion, it could only ferve 
 to encourage them in the vice, and make them worfe 
 and worfe. 
 
 I MUST mention an inllance of extraordinary fagacity 
 in a fox beagle, which once belonged to the Duke of 
 Cumberland. I entered him at hare, to which he was 
 immediately lb Heady, that he would run nothing elfe. 
 When a fox was found by the beagles, which fomctimes 
 happened, he would conftantly come to the heels of the 
 huntfman's horfe : fome years afterwards I hunted fox 
 only, and though I parted with mofl of the others, I kept 
 him : he went out conftantly with the pack, and as hares 
 were fcarce in the country I then hunted, he did no hurt : 
 the moment a fox was found, he came to the horfe's 
 heels. This continued fome time, till catching view of 
 a fox that was finking, he ran in with the reft, and was 
 
 well blooded. He, from that time to the day of his 
 
 death. 
 
HUNTING, 
 
 231 
 
 death, was not only as fteady a hound to fox, as ever I 
 
 knew, but became alfo our very beft finder. 1 bred 
 
 fome buck-hounds from him, and they are remarkable 
 for never changing from a hunted deer.— 
 
 Your huntfman's weekly return is a very curious one : 
 —he is particularly happy in the fpelling. My huntfman 
 is author of the enclofed. It may make you laugh, and 
 is perhaps no improper return for yours. 
 
 SIR 
 
 H. 
 
 .ONORED I beg your honouers pardon a thoufand 
 times my wicked daufter is brout to bed this day God be 
 praisd the child Is dead har mother nor I new nothing of 
 
 it nor nobody as I can hear off tis that vile fellow R 
 
 P at as he has adled fuch a Roges part fhe fliall 
 
 not have him by no means I am all mod at my wits end 
 I dont now what to do. I bag your honouer will Confider 
 me and Let har flay in har place I dont hear but that all 
 har fellow farvants likes har very well I have been out 
 
 H h with 
 
23% THOUGHTS ON 
 
 with the hounds this day to ayer the froft is very bad the 
 hounds are all pure well at prefent and horfes Ihepard has 
 had a misfortin with his mare Ihe hung harfelf with the 
 holter and throd har felf and broak har neck and frac tard 
 Ikul fo we was forsd to nock har In the head from your 
 ever dutyful Humbel Sarvant. 
 
 Wednefday evening 
 
 LET- 
 
HUNTING. 233 
 
 LETTER XIX. 
 
 F, 
 
 INDING, by your laft letter, that an early hour 
 does not fuit you, I will mention fome particulars which 
 may be of ufe to you, when you hunt late : an early hour 
 is only neceflary where covers are large, and foxes fcarcej 
 where they are in plenty, you may hunt at any hour you 
 pleafe. When foxes are weak, by hunting late you have 
 better chaces -, when they are ftrong, give me leave to 
 tell you, you muft hunt early, or you will not always kill 
 them. I think, however, when you go out late, you 
 fhould go immediately to the place where you are moft 
 likely to find ; which, generally fpeaking, is the cover 
 that hounds have been leaft in. If the cover be large, 
 you fhould drav/ only fuch parts of it as a fox is likely to 
 kennel in j it is ufelefs to draw any other at a late hour. 
 Beiides, though it is always right to find as foon as you 
 can, yet it is never fo necefiary as when the day is far 
 H h 2 advanced^ 
 
234 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 advanced ; — if you do not find foon, a long and tirefomc 
 day is generally the confequence. Where the cover is 
 thick, you ihould draw it as exaftly as if you were trying 
 for a hare; particularly if it be furzyj for, when there 
 is no drag, a fox, at a late hour, will lie till the hounds 
 come clofe upon him. — Having drawn one cover, let your 
 huntfman ftay for his hounds, and take them along with 
 him to another : I have known hounds to find a fox after 
 the huntfman had left the cover. The whippers-in are 
 not to be fparing of their whips, or voices, on this occafion, 
 and are to come through the middle of the cover, to be 
 certain that they leave no hounds behind. 
 
 A HUNTSMAN wiU complain of hounds for (laying be- 
 hind in cover. — It is a great fault, and makes the hound 
 that has it of little value j — a fault frequently occafioned 
 by his own mifmanagement. Having drawn one cover, 
 he hurries away to another, and leaves the whipper-in 
 to bring on the hounds after him ; but the whipper-in 
 is feldom lefs defirous of getting forward than the huntf- 
 man j and, unlefs they come off eafily, it is not often 
 that he gives himfelf much concern about them. — Alfo, 
 hounds, that are left too long at their walks, will acquire 
 
 this 
 
HUNTING. 235 
 
 this trick from hunting by thenafelves, and are not eafily 
 broken of it. Having faid all I can at prefent recoi- 
 led- of the duty of a whipper-in, 1 fliall now proceed to 
 give you a further account of that of a huntfman. What 
 has already been faid on the fubje6l of drawings and 
 cajiingi related to the fox-chace defcribed in a fornner 
 letter. Much, without doubt, is ftill left to fay j and I 
 will endeavour, as well as I am able, to make good the 
 
 deficiency. 1 fhall confider, firft, in what manner he 
 
 Ihould drawj and afterwards, how he Ihould caft his 
 hounds. 
 
 The fixing on the country you intend to hunt, a day 
 or two before, is a great hindrance to fport in fox-hunt- 
 ing. You, that have the whole country to yourfelf, and 
 can hunt on either fide of your houfe, as you pleafe, 
 fhould never, (when you can help it) fix your place of 
 hunting, till you fee what the weather is. The moft pro- 
 bable means to have good chaces, is to choofe your coun- 
 try according to the wind. 
 
 Hounds that lie idle, are always out of wind, and 
 •are eafily fatigued. The firll day you go out after a long 
 
 frofl 
 
236 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 frofV, you cannot exped much fport ; take, therefore, 
 confiderably more than your ufual number of hounds, 
 and tlirow them into the largeft cover that you have ; 
 if any foxes are in the country, it is there you will find 
 them. After once or twice going out in this manner, you 
 fhould reduce your number. 
 
 Before a huntfman goes into the kennel to draft his 
 hounds, let him determine within himfelf the number of 
 hounds he intends to take out; as likeV/ife the number 
 of young hounds that he can venture in the country where 
 he is going to hunt. Different countries may require dif- 
 ferent hounds : fome may require more hounds than others: 
 it is not an eafy matter to draft hounds properly; nor can 
 any expedition be made in it, without fome method. 
 
 I SELDOM fuffer many unfteady hounds to be taken out 
 together ; and when I do, I take care that none fliall go 
 with them but fuch as they cannot fpoil. 
 
 When the place of meeting, and time are fixed, every 
 huntfman ought to be as exadt to them as it is poffible for 
 him to be. On no account is he to be hefcrre the time ; 
 
 yet. 
 
HUNTING. i^j 
 
 yet, on fome occafions, it might be better, perhaps, for 
 
 the diverfion, were he permitted to be after it. The 
 
 courfe your huntfman intends to take in drawing, ought 
 alfo to be well underftood before he leaves the kennel. 
 
 If your huntfman, without inconvenience, can begin 
 drawing at the fartheft cover down the wind, and fo draw 
 from cover to cover up the wind till you find, let him 
 do it : it will have many advantages attending it : he will 
 draw the fame covers in half the time \ — your people 
 cannot fail of being in their proper places ; — you will 
 have lefs difficulty in getting your hounds ofFj — and as 
 the fox will moft probably run the covers that have been 
 already drawn, you are certain not to change. 
 
 Judicious huntfmen will obferve where foxes like beft 
 to lie. — In chaces and forefls, where you have a great 
 tra6t of cover to draw, fuch obfervation is neceffary, or 
 you will lofe much time in finding. Generally fpeaking, 
 I think they are fondeft of fuch as lie high, and are dry 
 and thick at bottom ; fuch alfo as lie out of the wind ^ 
 and fuch as are on the funny fide of hills. — The fame 
 
 cover 
 
i38 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 cover where you find one fox, when it has remained quiet 
 any time, will probably produce another. 
 
 It is to little purpofe to draw hazle coppices at the 
 time when nuts are gathered -, furze covers, or tv/o or 
 three years coppices, are then the only quiet places a fox 
 can kennel in : fbey alfo are difturbed when pheafant- 
 fhooting begins, and older covers are more likely. 
 The feafon when foxes are mofl wild and ftrong is 
 about Chriilmas j a huntfman, then, mud iofe no time in 
 drawing ; he muft draw up the wind j unlcfs the cover be 
 very large, in which cafe it may be better perhaps to 
 crofs it, giving the hounds a fide wind, left he fhould be 
 obliged to turn down the wind at laft : — in either cafe let 
 him draw as quietly as he can. 
 
 Young coppices, at this time, are quite bare : the moft 
 likely places are four or five years coppices, and fuch as 
 are furzy at bottom. 
 
 It is eafy to perceive, by the account you give of your 
 hounds, that they do not draw well; your huntfman, there- 
 fore, muft be particularly attentive to them after a wet 
 
 night. 
 
HUNTING. 439 
 
 flight. The beft drawing hounds are fhy of fearching 
 a cover, when it is wet j yours, if care is not taken, will 
 not go into it at all : your huntfman fhould ride into 
 the likelieft part of the cover, and, as it is probable there 
 will be no drag, the clofer he draws the better : he muft 
 not draw too much an end, but fhould crofs the cover 
 backwards and forwards, taking care at the fame time to 
 give his hounds as much the wind as poflible. 
 
 It is not often you will fee a pack perfedly fteady, 
 where there is much riot, and yet draw well : fome 
 hounds will not exeft themfelves, till others challenge, 
 and are encouraged, 
 
 I fear the many harriers you have in your neighbour- 
 hood will be hurtful to your fport; by conftantly dif- 
 turbing the covers, they will make the foxes fhy, and 
 when the covers become thin, there will be but little 
 chance of finding foxes in them : furze covers are then 
 the moft likely places. Though I like not to fee a 
 huntfman to a pack of fox -hounds ever off his horfe, yet, 
 at a late hour, he fhould draw a furze cover as flowly as 
 if he were himfelf on foot. I am well convinced that 
 
 I i huntf- 
 
240 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 huntfmen, by drawing in too great a hurry, leave foxes 
 fometimes behind them. I once faw a remarkable in- 
 ftance of it with my own hounds : we had drawn, (as we 
 thought) a cover, which, in the whole, confided of about 
 ten acres ; yet, whilft the huntfman was blowing his horn, 
 to get his hounds off, one young fox was halloo'd, and 
 another was feen immediately after : it was a cover on 
 the fide of a hill, and the foxes had kennelled clofe to- 
 gether at an extremity of it, where no hound had been. — 
 
 Some huntfmen draw too quick, fome too flow. The 
 
 time of the day, the behaviour of his hounds, and the 
 covers they are drawing, will dired an obferving huntf-. 
 man in the pace which he ought to go. When you try a^ 
 furze brake, let me give you one caution, — never halloo 
 a fox till you fee he is got quite clear of it ; when a fox 
 is found in fuch places, hounds are fure to go off well 
 with him -, and it mufl be owing either to bad fcent, bad. 
 hounds, bad management, or bad luck, if they fail, to- 
 kill him afterwards. 
 
 It is ufual in moft packs to rate, as foon as a young 
 hound challenges. They often are wrong, yet, fince it is 
 not impolTible that they may fometimes be right, is .it 
 
 not 
 
HUNTING. 141 
 
 not better to have a little patience, in order to fee whe- 
 ther any of the old ones will join, before any thing is faid 
 to them. 
 
 Never hunt your fmall covers, till you have well rattled 
 the large ones fir ft ; for until the foxes are thinned and 
 difperfed, where they are in plenty, it muft be bad policy 
 to drive others there to encreafe the number. — If you 
 would thin your foxes, you muft throw off at the fame 
 cover as long as you can find a fox. If you come off with 
 the firft fox that breaks, you do not difturb the cover, 
 and may exped to find there again the next day ; but 
 where they are fcarce, you fhould never draw the fame 
 cover two days following. 
 
 When a fox ftinks from his kennel, gets a great way 
 before the hounds, and you are obliged to hunt after him 
 with a bad fcent ; if you are in a country where foxes are 
 in plenty, and you know where to find another, you had 
 better do it. 
 
 While hounds are drawing for a fox, let your people 
 place themfelves in fuch a manner that he cannot go off 
 
 I i 2 unfeen. 
 
242 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 unfeen. I have known them He in Iheep's fcrapes on the 
 fide of hills, and in fmall bufhes, where huntfmen never 
 think of looking for them j yet, when they hear a hound, 
 they generally fhift their quarters, and make for clofer 
 covers. — Gentlemen fhould take this neceflary part of 
 fox-hunting on themfelves, for the whipper-in has other 
 bufinefs to attend to, 
 
 I APPROVE not of long drags in large covers j they 
 give too great an advantage to the fox, who frequently 
 fets off a long way before you. This may be prevented 
 by throwing your hounds into that part of the cover, in 
 which he is moft likely to kennel : for want of this pre- 
 caution, a fox fometimes gets fo far the ftart of hounds, 
 that they are not able to do any thing with him after- 
 wards. Alfo, when hounds firft touch on a drag, fome 
 huntfmen are fo carelefs, that while they are going on 
 with it the wrong way themfelves, a fingle hound finds 
 the fox, and is not caught any more by the pack, till he 
 has loft: him again. 
 
 Foxes are faid to go down the wind to their kennel j 
 but, I believe, they do not always obferve that rule. 
 
 Hunts- 
 
HUNTING. 24S 
 
 Huntsmen, whilft their hounds are drawing, or are at 
 a fault, frequently make fo much noife themfelves, that 
 they can hear nothing elfe : they fhould always have an 
 ear to an halloo. I once faw an extraordinary inftance 
 of the want of it in my own huntfman, who was making 
 fo much noife with his hounds, which were then at a 
 fault, that a man halloo'd a long while before he heard 
 him ; and when he did hear him, fo little did he know 
 whence the halloo came, that he rode a couple of miles 
 the wrong way, and loft the fox. 
 
 When hounds approach a cover which it is intended 
 they fhould draw, and dafh away towards it, whippers-in 
 ride after them to ftop them. It is too late, and they 
 had better let them alone j it checks them in their draw- 
 ing, and is of no kind of ufe j it will be foon enough to 
 begin to rate when they have found, and hunt improper 
 game j if a huntfman has his hounds under good com- 
 mand, and is attentive to them, they will not break off 
 till he choofes they Ihould. If he goes by the fide of 
 a cover which he does not intend to draw, his whippers-in 
 muft -be in their proper places ; but if he rides up to a 
 cover with them unawed, uncontrouled ; a cover where 
 
 they 
 
'244 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 they have been ufed to find, they muft be flack indeed, 
 if they do not dafli into it. It is for that reafon better, 
 I think, not to come to a cover always the fame way ; 
 hounds, by not knowing what is going forward, will be 
 lefs likely to break off, and will draw more quietly. I 
 have feen hounds fo flafhy, that they would break away 
 from the huntfman as foon as they faw a cover 3 and I 
 have feen the fame hounds ftop, when they got to the 
 cover fide, and not go into it. It is want of proper dif- 
 cipline which occafions faults like thefe. Hounds that 
 are under fuch command as never to leave their huntf- 
 man till he encourages them to do it, will be then fo 
 confident, that they will not return to him again. 
 
 Were fox-hounds to ' ftop, like ftop- hounds, at the 
 fmack of a whip, they would not do their bufinefs. the 
 worfe for it, and it would give you many advantages very 
 effential to your fport :— fuch, as when they have to wait 
 under a cover fide ; — when they run riot ; — when they 
 change fcents ; — when a fingle hound is on before j — and 
 when a fox is headed back into a cover. Hounds that 
 are not under good command, fubje6t you to many in- 
 conveniencies ; and you may, at times, be obliged to go 
 
 out 
 
HUNTING. 245- 
 
 out of your way, or be made to draw a cover againft 
 your will. A famous pack of hounds, in my neighbour- 
 hood, I mean, the late Lord C— -n's, had no fault 
 but what had its rife from bad management 3 nor is it 
 pofTible to do any thing with a pack of fox-hounds, unlefs 
 they are obedient. They fhould both love, and fear the 
 huntfmanj they Ihould fear him much, yet they Ihould 
 love him more. — Without doubt hounds would do more 
 for huntfmen, if they loved them better. Dogs, that are 
 conftantly with their matters, acquire a wonderful deal of 
 penetration, and much may be done through the medium 
 of their afFedlions. I attribute the extraordinary fagacity 
 of the buck-hound to the manner in which he is treated. 
 He is the conftant companion of his inftrudlor and bene- 
 fadlor, the man v/horn he was firft taught to fear, and has 
 fince learned to love. Can we wonder that he Ihould be 
 obedient to him ? Oft have we viewed, with furprife, the 
 hounds and the deer amufing themfelves familiarly toge- 
 ther on the fame lawn ; living, as it were, in the moll 
 friendly intercourfe ; and, with no lefs furprife have we 
 heard the keeper give the word, when inflantly the very 
 
 nature 
 
146 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 nature of the dog feemed changed j roufcd from his 
 peaceful ftate, he is urged on with a relentlefs fury, which 
 only death can fatisfy ; the death of the very deer he is 
 encouraged to purfue. — The bufinefs of the day over, 
 fee him follow carelefs and contented, his matter's fteps, 
 to repofe on the fame lawn, where the frightened deer 
 again return, and arc again indebted to his courtefy 
 for their wonted paflure. Wonderful proofs of obe- 
 dience, fagacity, and penetration ! The many learned 
 dogs, and learned horfes that fo frequently appear, and 
 aflonifh the vulgar, fufEciently evince what education is 
 capable of j and it is to education I muft chiefly attribute 
 the fuperior excellence of the buck-hound, fince I have 
 feen high-bred fox-hounds do the fame under the fame 
 good matters. But to return to my fubjed. — 
 
 Young foxes, that have been much difturbed, will lie 
 at ground. I once found feven or eight in a cover, where 
 the next day I could not find one -■> nor were they to be 
 found elfewhere : the earths, at fuch times, fliould be 
 ftopt three or four hours before day, or you will find no 
 foxes. 
 
 The 
 
HUNTING. 247 
 
 The firft day you hunt a cover that is full of foxes, and 
 you want blood, let them not be checked back into the 
 cover, which is the ufual pra6lice at fuch times, but let 
 fome of them get off : if you do not, what with conti- 
 nual changing, and fometimes running the heel, it is 
 probable you will not kill any. Another precaution, I 
 think, may be alfo neceflary : that is, to flop fuch earths 
 only as you cannot dig. — If fome foxes fhould go to 
 ground, it will be as well j and if you fhould be in want 
 of blood at lafl, you will then know where to get it. 
 
 It is ufual, when people are not certain of the flea- 
 dinefs of their hounds from deer, to find a fox in an ad- 
 jacent cover, that they may be on their right fcent when 
 they come where deer are. I have my doubts of the pro- 
 priety of this proceeding: if hounds have not been well 
 awed from deer, it is not fit they at any rate fhould come 
 among them ; but if hounds are tolerably fleady, I had 
 rather find a fox wiih them amongft deer, than bring them 
 afterwards into covers where deer are. By drav/ing 
 amongfl them, they in fome degree will be awed from the 
 fcent, and pofTibly may flick to the fox, when once he is 
 found i but fliould unfleady hounds, when high on their 
 
 K k mettle. 
 
248 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 mettle, run into a cover where deer are in plenty, there 
 is no doubt, that the firft check they come to, they will 
 all fall off. I always have found hounds moft inclined 
 to riot, when moft upon their mettle s — fuch as are given 
 to fheep, will then kill fheep ; and fuch as are not quite 
 fteady from deer, will then be moft likely to break off 
 after them. When hounds are encouraged on a fcent, 
 if they lofe that fcent, it is then an unfteady hound is 
 ready for any kind of mifchief, 
 
 I HAVE been more particular than I otherwife ftiould 
 have been, upon a fuppofition that your hounds draw 
 ill ; however, you need not obferve all the cautions I 
 have given, unlefs your hounds require them, 
 
 Some art may be neceffary to make the moft of the 
 country that you hunt. I would advife you not to draw the 
 covers near your houfe, while you can find elfewhere; it 
 will make them certain places to find in, when you go 
 out late, or may otherwife be in want of them. For the 
 fame reafon, I would advife you not to hunt thofe covers 
 late in the feafon ;— they ftiould not be much difturbed 
 after Chriftmas. Foxes will then refort to them, will 
 
 breed 
 
HUNTING. 249 
 
 breed there, and you can prcferve them with little 
 trouble. 
 
 Though a huntfman ought to be as filent as poffible 
 at going into a cover, he cannot be too noify at coming 
 out of it again; and if at any time he fhould turn back 
 fuddenly, let him give as much notice of it as he can to 
 his hounds, or he will leave many of them behind him; 
 and fhould he turn down the wind, he may fee no more 
 of them. 
 
 I SHOULD be forry-that the filence of my huntfman 
 Ihould proceed from either of the following caufes.-— . 
 A huntfman that I once knew (who, by the bye, I believe 
 is at this time, a drummer in a marching regiment) 
 went out one morning fo very drunk, that he got off 
 his horfe in the midfb of a thick cover, laid himfelf 
 down, and went to deep : — he was loft, nobody knew 
 what was become of him, and |he gwas at laft found in 
 the fituation I have juft defcribed. He had however- 
 great good luck on his fide; for at the very inftant he 
 was found, a fox was halloo'd ; upon which he mounted his 
 
 Kk 2 horfe. 
 
250 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 horfe, rode defperately, killed his /ox handfomely, and 
 was forgiven. 
 
 I REMEMBER another huntfrnan filent from a different 
 caufe J this was a fulky one. Things did not go on to 
 pleafe him ; he therefore alighted from his horfe in the 
 middle of a wood, and, as quietly as he could, colledted 
 his hounds about him -, he then took an opportunity, when 
 the coaft was clear, to fet off filently, and by himfelf, for 
 another cover ; however, his mafter, who knew his tricks, 
 fent others after him to bring him back j they found him 
 running a fox mofl merrily, and to his great aftonilh- 
 ment, they flopped the hounds, and made him go back 
 along with them. This fellow had been often very fe- 
 vcrely beaten, but was ftubborn and fulky to the laft. 
 
 To give you an idea before I quit this fubjed, how 
 little fome people know of fox-hunting, I muft tell you, 
 that not long ago, a gentleman afked me if I did not fend 
 people out the day before, to find where the foxes lay. 
 
 What relates to the calling of hounds, lliall be the 
 fubjed of my next letter. 
 
 LET- 
 
HUNTING. 251 
 
 LETTER XX. 
 
 I 
 
 N my feventeenth letter, I gave you the opinion of my 
 
 friend ****** " that a pack of fox-hounds j if left en- 
 
 " tirely to themf elves y would never lofe a fox^\ I am always 
 forry, when I differ from that gentleman in any thing j 
 yet I am fo far from thinking they never would lofe a 
 fox, that I doubt much, if they would ever kill one. 
 There are times, when hounds fhould be helped, and at 
 all times they mufl be kept forward : hounds will na- 
 turally tie on a cold fcent, when flopped by flieep, or 
 other impediments ; and when they are no longer able to 
 get forward, will oftentimes hunt the old fcent back a- 
 gain J if they find that they can hunt no other. It is the 
 judicious encouraging of hounds to hunt, when they can- 
 not run, and the preventing them from lofing time by 
 hunting too much, when they might run, that diftin- 
 guifhes a good fportfman from a bad one. Hounds that 
 
 have 
 
252 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 have been well taught, will caft forward to a hedge of 
 their own accord : but you may alTure yourfelf, this ex- 
 cellence is never acquired by fuch as are left entirely to 
 themfelves. To fuffer a pack of fox-hounds to hunt 
 thro' a flock of fheep, when it is fo eafy to make a regu- 
 lar caft round them, is, in my judgment, the height of 
 abfurdity, — it is wilfully lofing time to no j^urpofe. I 
 have indeed been told, that hounds at no time fhould be 
 taken off their nofes : I fhall only fay, in anfwer to this, 
 that a fox-hound who will not bear lifting, is not worth 
 the keepings and I will venture to fay, it fhould be made 
 part of his education. 
 
 Though I like to fee fox -hounds caft wide and for- 
 ward, and diflike to fee them pick a cold fcent through 
 flocks of Iheep to no purpofe, yet I muft beg leave to 
 obferve, that I diflike ftill more to fee that unaccountable 
 hurry, which huntfmen willfometimes put themfelves into, 
 the moment their hounds are at a fault. Time ought al- 
 ways to be allowed them, to make their own caft -, and if 
 a huntfman is judicious, he will take that opportunity to 
 confider, what part he himfelf has next to aftj but, inftead of 
 
 thisj 
 
HUNTING. 253 
 
 this, I have feen hounds hurried away the very inflant they 
 came to a fault, a wide call made, and the hounds at 
 laft brought back again to the very place from whence 
 they were fo abruptly taken, and where, if the huntfman 
 had had a minute's patience, they would have hit off the 
 fcent themfelves. It is always great impertinence in a 
 huntfman to pretend to make a cafl" himfelf, before the 
 hounds have made theirs. Prudence lliould direft him 
 to encourage, and I may fay, humour his hounds, in the 
 cafl they feem inclined to make, and either to ftand flill, 
 or trot round with them, as circumftances may require. 
 
 I HAVE feen huntfmen make their cafl: on bad ground, 
 when they might as eafily have made it on good. I have 
 feen them fuffer their hounds to try in the midft of a flock 
 of fheep, when there was a hedge near where they might 
 have been fure to take the fcent ^ and I have feen a cad 
 made with every hound at their horfes heels. When a 
 hound tries for the fcent, his nofe is to the ground : when 
 a huntfman makes a call, his eye fhould be on his houndsj 
 and when he fees them fpread wide, and try as they ought, 
 his call may then be quick. 
 
 When 
 
254 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When hounds are at a fault, and the huntfman hdl- 
 loos them off the line of the fcent, the whippers-in fnnack- 
 ing their whips, and rating them after him, if he trots 
 away with them, may not they think the bufinefs of the 
 day is over ? — Hounds never, in my opinion, (unlefs in 
 particular cafes, or when you go to a halloo) fhould be 
 taken entirely off their nofes ; but when lifted, Ihould 
 be conftantly made to try as they go. Some huntfmen, 
 have a dull, flupid way of fpeaking to their hounds ; at 
 thefe times, little fhould be faid ; and that Ihould have 
 both meaning, and expreffion in it. 
 
 When your huntfman makes a call, I hope he makes it 
 perfed: one way, before he tries another, as much time is 
 loft in going backwards and forwards. You will fee 
 huntfmen, when a forward caft does not fucceed, come 
 (lowly back again j — they Ihould return as faft as they 
 can. 
 
 When hounds are at a fault, and it is probable that 
 the fox has headed back, your caft forward Ihould be 
 fhort, and quick; for the fcent is then likely to be behind 
 
 vou ; 
 
HUNTING. 255 
 
 you : too obflinate a perfeverance forward, has been the 
 lofs of many foxes. In heathy countries, if there are 
 many roads, foxes will always run them, in dry wea- 
 ther i when hounds therefore over-run the fcent, if your 
 huntfman returns to the firft crofs road, he probably will 
 hit off the fcent as-ain. 
 
 In lafge covers, if there are many roads, in bad 
 fcenting days when thefe roads are dry, or after a thaw, 
 when they carry, it is neceffary your huntfman fhould be 
 near to his hounds to help them, and hold them forward. 
 Foxes will run the roads at thefe times, and hounds can- 
 not always own the fcent. When they are at a fault on a 
 dry road, let not your huntfman turn back too foon, let 
 him not flop till he can be certain that the fox is not 
 gone on ; the hounds fhould try on both fides the road 
 at once : if he perceives that they try on one fide only, 
 on his return, let him try the other. 
 
 If a fox runs up the wind, when firft found, and after- 
 wards turns, he feldom, if ever, turns again. This obfer- 
 vation may not only be of ufe to your huntfman in his 
 
 L 1 caft. 
 
acS THOUGHTS ON 
 
 caft, ^but may be of ufe to you, if you fhould lofe the 
 hounds. 
 
 When you are purfuing a fox over a country, the fcent 
 being bad, and the fox a long way before, without ever 
 having been prefled, if his poin tfhould be for ftrong earths 
 that are open, or for large covers, where game is inplenty, 
 it may be a6ting wifely to take off the hounds at the firft 
 fault they come to j for the fox will go many miles to 
 your one, and probably will run you out of all fcent j 
 but if he fhould not, you will be likely to change at 
 the firft cover you come into : when a fox has been hard 
 preffed, I have already given it as my opinion, that he 
 never fhould be given up. 
 
 When you would recover a hunted fox, and have no 
 longer fcent to hunt him by, a long caft to the firft cover 
 which he feems to point to, is the only refource you have 
 left : — get there as faft as you can ; and then let your 
 hounds try as (lowly and as quietly as poffible : if hunt- 
 ing after him is hopelefs, and a long caft does not fucceed, 
 you had better give him up. Need I remind you that, 
 
 when 
 
HUNTING. 257 
 
 when the fcent lies badly, and you find it impofTible 
 for hounds to run, you had better return home ; 
 fince the next day may be more favourable. It furely is 
 a great fault in a huntfman to perfevere in bad weather, 
 when hounds cannot run, and when there is not a pro- 
 bability of killing a fox. Some there are, who, after 
 they have loft one fox for want of fcent to hunt him by, 
 will find another ; this makes their hounds flack, and 
 fometimes vitious : it alfo difturbs the covers to no pur- 
 pofe. Some fportfmen are more lucky in their days than 
 others. If you hunt every other day, it is polTible they 
 may be all bad, and the intermediate days all good ; an 
 indifferent pack, therefore, by hunting on good days, 
 may kill foxes, without any merit -, and a good pack, not- 
 withftanding all their exertion, may lofe foxes which they 
 deferved to kill. 
 
 A PERFECT knowledge of his country certainly is a great 
 help to a huntfman : if yours, as yet, has it not, great 
 allowance ought to be made. Tlie trotting away with 
 hounds to make a long and knowing caft, is a privilege 
 which a new huntfman cannot pretend to : an experienced 
 
 L 1 2 one 
 
258 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 one may fafely fay, a fox has made for fuch a cover, 
 when he has known perhaps, that nine out of ten, 
 with the wind in the fame quarter, have conftantly gone 
 thither. 
 
 In a country where there are large earths, a fox that 
 knows the country, and tries any of them, feldom fails 
 to try the reft. A huntfman may take advantage of thisj 
 they are certain cafts, and may help him to get nearer to 
 bis fox. 
 
 Great caution is neceflary when a fox runs into a v'lU 
 lage : if he is halloo'd there, get forward as faft as you can. 
 Foxes, when tired, will lie down any where, and are often 
 loft by it.— A wide caft is not the beft to recover a tired 
 fox with tired hounds j — they fhould hunt him out, inch 
 by inch, though they are ever fo long about it; for the 
 reafon I have juft given ; — thai he will lie down any where. 
 
 In chaces and forefls, where high fences are made to 
 preferve the coppices, I like to fee a huntfman put only 
 a few hounds over, enough to carry on the fcent, and get 
 
 forward 
 
 I 
 
HUNTING. 259 
 
 forward with the refl -, it is a proof that he knows his 
 bufinefs. 
 
 A HUNTSMAN muft take care, where foxes are in plenty, 
 that he does not run the heel ; for it frequently happens, 
 that hounds can run the wrong way of the fcent better 
 than they can the right, when one is up the wind, and the 
 other down. 
 
 Fox-Hunters, I think, are never guilty of the fault of 
 trying up the wind, before they have tried down -, I have 
 known them lofe foxes, rather than condefcend to try up 
 the wind at all. 
 
 When a huntfman hears a halloo, and has five or fix 
 couple of hounds along with him, the pack not running, 
 let him get forward with thofe which he has ; when they 
 are on the fcent, the others will foon join them. 
 
 Let him lift his tail hounds, and get them forward 
 after the rejl \ it can do no hurt; but let him be cautious 
 how he lifts any hounds to get them forward before the refl-y 
 it always is dangerous, and foxes are fometimes loft by it. 
 
 When 
 
i6o THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When a fox runs his foil in cover, if you fufFer all your 
 hounds to hunt on the line of him, they will foil the 
 ground, and tire thentifelves to little purpofe. I have 
 before told you, that your huntfman, at fuch a time, may 
 Hop the tail hounds, and throw them in at head. I am 
 almoft inclined to fay, it is the only time it Ihould be 
 done. — Whilft hounds run ftrait, it cannot be of any ufe, 
 for they will get on fafter with the fcent, than they would 
 without it. 
 
 When hounds are hunting a cold fcent, and point 
 towards a cover, let a whipper-in get forward to the op- 
 pofite fide of it : fhould the fox break before the hounds 
 reach the cover, flop them, and get them nearer to him. 
 
 When a fox perfiils in running in a ftrong cover, lies 
 down often behind the hounds, and they are flack in 
 -hunting him, let the huntfman get into the cover to them. 
 It may make the fox break, it may keep him off his foil, 
 or may prevent the hounds from giving him up. 
 
 It is not often that flow huntfmen kill many foxes ; 
 they are a check upon their hounds, which feldom kill a 
 
 fox 
 
HUNTING. 261 
 
 fox but with a high fcent, when it is out of their power 
 to prevent it. What avails it to be told which way the 
 fox is gone, when he is fo far before, that you cannot hunt 
 him ? A Newmarket boy, with a good underftanding 
 and a good voice, might be preferable, perhaps, to an 
 indifferent and (lack huntfman ; he would prefs on his 
 hounds whiift the fcent was good, and the foxes he killed 
 
 he would kill handfomely. A perfeft knowledge of 
 
 the intricacies of hunting is chiefly of ufe to flow huntf- 
 men, and bad hounds, fince they more often fl:and in need 
 of it. Adlivity is the firft requiflte in a huntfman to a 
 pack of fox-hounds j a want of it no judgment can make 
 amends for ; but the mofl: difficult of all his undertakings 
 is the diftinguifliing betwixt diff^erent fcents, and knowing, 
 with any certainty, the fcent of his hunted fox. Much 
 fpeculation is here required ; — the length of time hounds 
 remain at fault ; — difference of ground i — change of wea- 
 ther i — all thefe contribute to increafe the difficulty, and 
 require a nicety of judgment, and a preciflon, much above 
 the comprehenfion of moft huntfmen. 
 
 When hounds are at a fault, and cannot make it out 
 of themfelves, let the firft caft be quicks the fcent is 
 
 then 
 
262 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 then good, nor are the hounds likely to go over it ; 35 
 the fcent gets worfe, the caft fhould be flower, and be more 
 qautioufly made. This is an eflential part of hunting, 
 and which, I am forry to fay, few huntfmen attend to. 
 I wifh they would remember the following rules, viz. 
 that with a good fcent, their caft fhould be quick -, with a 
 bad (cent J ^ow : — and that, when the hounds are picking 
 alono- a cold I'cent, — they are not to caft them at all. 
 
 When hounds are at a fault, and ftaring about, trufting 
 folely to their eyes, and to their ears -, the making a caft 
 with them, I apprehend, would be to little purpofe. The 
 likelieft place for them to find the fcent, is where they 
 left it ; and when the fault is evidently in the dog, a 
 forward caft is leaft likely to recover the fcent. 
 
 When hounds are making a good and regular caft, 
 trying for the fcent as they go, fufFer not your huntf- 
 man to fay a word to them j it cannot do any good, and 
 probably may make them go over the fcent. 
 
 When hounds come to a check, a huntfman Ihould 
 obferve the tail hounds j they arc leaft likely to over-run 
 
 the 
 
HUNTING. 263 
 
 the fcent, and he may fee by them how far they brought 
 it : in mofl packs there are fome hounds that will fhew 
 the point of the fox, and if attended to, will dired his 
 call. — When fuch hounds follow unwillingly, he may be 
 certain the reft of the pack are running without a fcent. 
 
 When he cafts his hounds, let him not caft wide, with- 
 out reafon ; for, of courfe, it will take more time. 
 Huntfmen, in general, keep too forward in their cafls -, 
 or, as a failor would fay, keep too long on one tack. They 
 fhould endeavour to hit off the fcent by crofling the line 
 of it. — 1'wo parallel linesj you know, can never meet. 
 
 When he goes to a halloo, let him be careful, left his 
 hounds run the heel, as much time is loft by it. I once 
 faw this miftake made by a famous huntfman : — after we 
 had left a cover, which we had been drawing, a difturbed 
 fox was feen to go into it; he was halloo'd, and we re- 
 turned. The huntfman, who never enquired where the 
 fox v/as feen, or on which Jide the cover he entered, threw 
 his hounds in at random j and, as it happened, on the 
 oppofite fide : they immediately took the heel of him, 
 
 M m broke 
 
2^4 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 broke cover, and hunted the fcent back to his very 
 kennel. 
 
 Different countries require different cafls] fuch 
 huntfmen as have been ufed to a wood land, and inclofed 
 country, I have feen lofe time in an open country, where 
 wide calls are always neceffary. 
 
 When you want to caft round a flock of Iheep, the 
 whipper-in ought to drive them the other way, left they 
 Ihould keep running on before you, 
 
 A FOX feldom goes over, or under a gate, when he can 
 avoid it. 
 
 Huntsmen are frequently very conceited, and very 
 obftinate. Often have I feen them, when their hounds 
 came to a check, turn dire6tly back, on feeing hounds 
 at head, which they had no opinion of. Thty fupp of ed 
 the fox was gone another way j in which cafe Mr. Bayes's 
 remark in the rehearfal always occurs to me, " that, if 
 '^ he Jhould noty what then becomes - of their fuppofe."^' — Better, 
 furely, would it be, to make a Ihort caft forward firft j they 
 
 then 
 
HUNTING. 265 
 
 then might be certain the hounds were wrong, and of courfe, 
 could make their own caft with greater confidence. — The 
 advantage, next to that of knowing where the fox is gone, 
 is that of knowing, with certainty, where he is not. 
 
 Most huntfmen like to have all their hounds turned after 
 them, when they make a caft: I wonder not at them for 
 it, but I am always forry when I fee it done -, for till I 
 find a huntfman that is infallible, I fhall continue to think, 
 the miOre my hounds fpread, the better i as long as they 
 are within fight or hearing, it is fufficient. Many a time 
 have I feen an obftinate hound hit off the fcent, when 
 an obftinate huntfman, by cafting the wrong way, has 
 done all in his power to prevent it. Two foxes I remem- 
 ber to have feen killed, in one day, by fkirting hounds, 
 whilft the huntfman was making his caft the contrary way. 
 
 When hounds, running in cover, come into a road, 
 and horfes are on before, let the huntfman hold them 
 quickly on beyond where the horfes have been, trying the 
 oppofite fide as he goes along. Should the horfemen 
 have been long enough there to have headed back the 
 fox, let them then try back. Condemn me not for fuffering 
 
 M m 2 hounds 
 
26^ THOU G H T S ON 
 
 hounds to try backy when the fox has been headed back j I 
 recommend it at no other time, 
 
 When your hounds divide into many parts, you had 
 better go off with the firft fox that breaks. The ground 
 will foon get tainted, nor will hounds like a cover where 
 they are often changing. 
 
 The heading a fox back at firll, if the cover be not 
 a large one, is oftentimes of fervice to hounds, as he 
 will not flop, and cannot go off unfeen. When a fox 
 has been hard run> I have known it turn out otherwife j 
 and hounds, that would eafily have killed hin^ out of the 
 cover, have left him in it. 
 
 When a fox has been often headed back on one fide 
 of a cover, and a huntfman knows there is not any body 
 on the other fide to halloo him, the firft fault his hounds 
 come to, let him caft that way, left the fox fhould be gone 
 off; and if he is in the cover, he m^y ftill recover him, 
 
 . Suffer not your huntfman to take out a lame hound. 
 If any are tender-footed, he will tell you, perhaps, that 
 
 they 
 
HUNTING. 267 
 
 they will not mind it when they are out; — probably they 
 may not j but how will they be on the next day ? A 
 hound, not in condition to run, cannot be of much fer- 
 •vice to the pack, and the taking him out at that time 
 may occafion him a long confinement afterwards. — Put 
 it not to the trial, 
 
 I HAVE feen huntfmen hunt their young hounds in cou- 
 ples. Let me beg of you not to fufFer it. I know you 
 would be forry to fee your hounds hanging acrofs a hedge, 
 grinning at each other : yet it is an accident that often 
 has happened ; and it is an accident fo likely to happen, 
 that I am furprifed any man of common fenfe will run 
 the rifque of it. — If neceflary, I had much rather they 
 fhould be held in couples at the cover fide, till the fox 
 is found. 
 
 The two principal things which a huntfman has to 
 
 attend to, are the keeping of his hounds healthy Tindjleady, 
 
 The firft is attained by cleanlinefs and proper food j the 
 
 latter, by putting, as feldom as poffible, any unfteady 
 
 ones amongft them., 
 
 Whest 
 
268 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 When a fox is loft, the huntfman, on his return home, 
 fhould examine himfelf, and endeavour to find in what 
 he might have done better ; he may, by this means, make 
 the very lofing of a fox of ufe to him. 
 
 Old tyeing hounds, and a hare-hunter turned fox- 
 hunter, are both as contrary to the true fpirit of fox- 
 hunting, as any thing can poflibly be. One is continu- 
 ally bringing the pack back again; the other as con- 
 ftantly does his beft to prevent them from getting forward. 
 The natural prejudices of mankind are fuch, that a man 
 feldom alters his ftyle of hunting, let him purfue what 
 game he may; befides, it may be conftitutional, as he 
 is himfelf flow or aftive, dull or lively, patient or im- 
 patient; it is for that reafon I objefl to a hare-hunter 
 for a pack of fox-hounds ; for the fame ideas of hunting 
 will moft probably ftick by him as long as he lives. 
 
 Your huntfman is an old man; fhould he have been 
 working hard all his life on wrong principles; he may 
 
 be now incorrigible. 
 
 Sometimes 
 
HUNTING. 269 
 
 Sometimes you will meet with a good kennel huntfman, 
 fometimes an aftive and judicious one in the field j fome 
 are clever at finding a fox, others are better after he is 
 found J whilft perfection in a huntfman, like perfe6lion 
 in any thing elfe, is fcarcely any where to be met with : 
 there are not only good, bad, and indifferent huntfmen, 
 but there are perhaps a few others, who, being as it were 
 of a different fpecies, fhould be claffed apart j — I mean, 
 fuch as have real ^genius. It is this peculiar excellence, 
 which I told you in a former letter, I would rather wifh 
 my firfl whipper-in to be poiTefTed of, than my huntfman \ 
 and one reafon among others, is, that he, I think, would 
 have more opportunities of exercifing it. 
 
 The keeping hounds clean and healthy, and bringing 
 them into the field in their fuUeft vigour, is the excellence 
 of a good kennel huntfman : if, befides this, he makes 
 his hounds both love and fear him ; if he is a6live, and 
 preffes them on, whilft the fcent is good, always aiming 
 to keep as near to the fox as he can ; if, when his hounds 
 are at fault, he makes his caft with judgment, not cafl- 
 ing the wrong way firft, and blundering on the right at 
 laft, as many do ; if, added to this, he is patient and 
 
 perfe- 
 
27C5 T il O U G H t S 6 I^ 
 
 perfevering, never giving up a fox, whilft there remains \ 
 
 a chance of killing him, he then is a perfe6t huntfman. 
 
 Did I not know your love of this diverfion, I fliould 
 think, by this time, I muft have tired you completely., 
 You are not particular, however, in your partiality to iti 
 for to fhew you the efFeft which fox-hunting has on thofe 
 who are really fond of it, I muft tell you, what happened 
 
 fo me not long ago. My hounds, in running a foxj 
 
 croffed the great Weftern road, where I met a gentleman 
 travelling on horfeback, a fervant, with a portmanteau;, 
 following him. He no fooner faw me, than he rode up 
 to me, with the greateft eagernefs, " Sir/* faid he, " are 
 you after a fox .?"— When I told him, we were, he imme^ 
 diately ftuck fpurs to his horfe, took a monftrous leap, 
 and never quitted us any more, till the fox was killed. — • 
 I fuppofe, had I faid, we were after a hare, my gentle- 
 man would have purfued his journey. 
 
 LET- 
 
HUNTING. 271 
 
 LETTER XXI. 
 
 OUR huntfman, you fay, has hunted a pack of 
 harriers. It might have been better^ perhaps, had he 
 never {cen one, fince fox-hunting and hare-hunting differ 
 almoft in every particular : fo much fo, that I think it 
 might not be an improper negative definition of fox- 
 hunting to fay, it is, of all hunting, thai which refembles 
 hare-hunting the leaft. A good huntfman to a pack of 
 harriers feldom fucceeds in fox-hunting : like old hounds, 
 they dwell upon the fcent, . and cannot get forward ; nor 
 do they ever make a bold caft ; fb much are they afraid 
 of leaving the fcent behind them. Hence it is, that they 
 poke about, and try the fame place ten times over, 
 rather than they will leave it ; and vAien they do, are 
 totally at a lofs which way to go, for want of knowing 
 the nature of the animal they are in purfult of. As hare- 
 hounds fhould fcarcely ever be caft, halloo'd, or taken 
 off" their nofes, they think to hunt their fox-hounds in 
 
 N n the 
 
272 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 the fame manner j but it will not doj nor could it pleafc 
 you, if it would, Take away the fpirit of fox-hunting, 
 and it is no longer fox-hunting ; it is ftale fmall beer 
 compared to brilk champaign. You would alfo find in it 
 more fatigue than pleafure. It is faid, there is a pleafure 
 in being mad, which only mad men know •, and it is the en- 
 thufiafm, I believe, of fox-hunting, which is its beft fup- 
 port ; ftrip it of that, and you then, I think, had better 
 let it quite alone. 
 
 The hounds themfelves alfo differ in their manner of 
 hunting. The beagle, who has always his nofe to the 
 ground, will puzzle an hour on one fpot, fooner than 
 he will leave the fcent -, while the fox hound, full of life 
 and fpirit, is always dafhing and trying forward. A high-r 
 bred fox-hound, therefore, fhews himfelf to mod advan- 
 tage, when foxes are at their ftrongeft, and run an end. 
 A pack of harrier^ will kill a cub, better, perhaps, than 
 a pack of fox-hounds ; but, when foxes are ftrong, they 
 have not the method of getting on with the fcent, which 
 fox-hounds have', and generally tire themfelves before 
 the fox. To kill foxes, when they are ftrong, hounds 
 
 muft 
 
HUNTING. 473 
 
 muft run, as well as hunt -, befides, the catching of a fox 
 by hard running, is always preferred in the opinion of a 
 fox-hunter. Much depends^ in my opinion, on the flyle 
 with which it is done; and I think, without being fo- 
 phiOiical, a diftindtion nnight be made betwixt the hunt- 
 ing of a fox, and fox-hunting. Two hackneys become 
 not racers by running round a courfe ; nor does the mere 
 hunting of a fox change the nature of the harrier. I have 
 alfo feen a hare hunted by high-bred fox-hounds ; but 
 I confefs to you, it gave me not the leafl: idea of what hare 
 hunting ought to be. Certain ideas are neceffarily annexed 
 to certain words ] this is the ufe of language t and when a 
 fox-hound is mentioned, I fhould expefl not only a parti- 
 cular kind of hound, as to make, fize, and ftrength, by 
 which the fox-hound is eafyto bediftinguifhedi but I fliould 
 alfo expeft by fox-hunting, a lively, animated, and eager 
 purfuit, as the very effence of it. Eas^ernefs and impe- 
 tuofity are fuch effential parts of this diverfion, that I 
 am never more furprifed than when I fee a fox-hunter 
 without them. One bold herd, or reproof unneceflarily 
 given, would chill me more than a north-eaft wind ; it 
 would damp my fpirits, and fend me home. The en- 
 
 N n 2, thufiafm 
 
274 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 thufiafm of a fox-hunter fhould not be checked in its 
 career, for it is the very life and foul of fox-hunting. 
 It is the eagernefs with which you purfue your game, 
 that makes the chief pleafure of the chacej and what 
 animal do you purfue with the fame eagernefs you do 
 5 fox ? 
 
 Knowing your partiality to hounds that run in a good 
 ftyle, I advife you to obferve ftriftly yours, when a fox 
 is finking in a ftrong cover -, that is the time to fee the 
 true fpirit of a fox-hound. If they fpread not the cover, 
 but run tamely on the line of one another, I fhall fear 
 it is a fort that will not pleafe you long. — A fox-hound, 
 that has not fpirit and ambition to get forward at fuch a 
 time as this, is at no time likely to do much good. 
 
 You talked, in your laft letter, of pretty hounds : cer- 
 tainly I fhould not pretend to criticife others, who am fo 
 irrcorredt myfelf ; yet, with your leave, I think I can fet 
 you right in that particular. Pretty, is an epithet im- 
 properly applied to a fox-hound : we call a fox-hound 
 handfome, when he is ftrong, bony, of a proper fize, and 
 of exa6l fymmetry j and fitnefs is made eflential to beauty. 
 
 A 
 
HUNTING. 275 
 
 A beagle may be pretty ; but according to my idea of 
 of the word, a fox-hound cannot : but as it is not to be 
 fuppofed, that you will keep a pack of fox-hounds for 
 the pleafure of looking at them, without doubt you will 
 think goodnefs more neceflary than beauty. Should you 
 ever be ambitious to have a handfome pack of hounds, 
 on no account muft you enter an ugly dog, left you Ihould 
 be tempted to keep him afterwards. 
 
 I ONCE heard an old fportfman fay, that he thought a 
 fox, to Ihew fport, fhould run four hours at leaft i and, 
 I fuppofe, he did not care how flow his hounds went 
 after him. This idea, however, is not conceived in the 
 true fpirit of fox-hunting; which is not to walk down a 
 fox, or ftarve him to death, but to keep clofe at him, 
 and kill him as foon as you can. I am convinced a fox- 
 hound may hunt too much ; if tender nofed, and not 
 over-hurried, he will always hunt enough; whilft the 
 higheft-bred hounds may be made to tye on the fcent, by 
 improper management. 
 
 It is youth and good fpirits which fuit beft with fox- 
 hunting ; flacknefs in the men, occafions flacknefs in the 
 
 hounds ; 
 
276 T H O U G H T S O N 
 
 hounds, and one may fee, by the manner in which hounds 
 hunt, what kind of men they have been accuftomed to. 
 The fpeedieft hounds may, by degrees, be rendered flow ; 
 and it is impoflible for the bell to do their bufinefs as 
 they ought, unlefs they are followed with life and fpirit. 
 Suclv>men as are flack themfelves, will be always afraid 
 of hurrying their hounds too much ; and by carrying this 
 humour too far, commit a fault which has nothing to 
 excufe it. The befl method to hunt a fox, they fay, is 
 never, on any account to cafl; the hounds ; but, on the 
 contrary, to let them tye upon the fcent as long as they 
 will, and that they will hit it off^ at lall. I agree with 
 them, partly ;— it certainly muft be the befl method to 
 hunt a fox, for by this means you may hunt him from 
 morning till night ; and, if you have the luck to find 
 him, may hunt him again the next day : — the likeliefl 
 method, however, to catch him, is to take every advan- 
 tage of him you can. 
 
 All hounds go fall enough with a good fcent; but it 
 is the particular' excellence of a fox-hound, when rightly 
 managed, to get on fafter with an indifferent fcent, than 
 any other hound : it is the bufinefs of a huntfman to 
 
 encou- 
 
HUNTING, 277 
 
 encourage this ♦, and here, mofi probablyy the hare-hunter 
 ■will fail. He has been ufed to take his time; he has 
 enjoyed a cold fcent, like a fouthern hound ; and has fat 
 patiently upon his horfe, to fee his hounds hunt. It is, 
 to be fure, very pretty to fee ; and when you confider that 
 the hare is all the time, perhaps, within a few yards of 
 you, and may leap up the next minute, you are perfedtly 
 contented with what you are about; but it is not fo in 
 fox-hunting. Every minute you lofe is precious, and in- 
 creafes your difficulties ; and while you are (landing ftill, 
 the fox is running miles. It is a fatisfaftion to a hare- 
 hunter to be told where his game was feen, though a long 
 while before; but it is melancholy news to a fox-hunter, 
 whofe game is not likely to flop. — I believe I mentioned 
 to you, in a former letter on hare-hunting, a great fault 
 which I had obferved in fome harriers from being let too 
 much alone, — that of running back the heel. — I have feen 
 a pack of high-bred fox-hounds do the fame, for the fame 
 reafons. 
 
 When hounds flag from frequent changes, and a long 
 day, it is neceflary for a huntfman to animate them as 
 much as he can ; he muft keep them forward, and prefs 
 
 them 
 
ayZ THOUGHTS N 
 
 them on, for it is not likely, in this cafe, that they fhould 
 over-run the fcent : at thefe times the whole work is ge* 
 nerally done by a few hounds, and he fliould keep clofc 
 to them : here I aljo fear the hare-hmiter will fail : if they 
 come to a long fault, it is over, and you had better then 
 go home. 
 
 G 
 
 The many chances that are againft you in fox-huntingj 
 the changing frequently 3 the heading of the foxes; 
 their being courfed by llieep-dogsj long faults j cold 
 hunting, and the dying away of the fcent; make it ne- 
 ceflary to keep always as near to the fox as you can j 
 which fhould be the firft, and invariable principle of 
 fox-hunting. Long days do great hurt to a pack of fox- 
 hounds. I fet out one day laft winter from the kennel, 
 at half pafl feven, and returned home a quarter before 
 eight at night, the hounds running hard the greateft part 
 of the time. The huntfman killed one horfe, and tired 
 another, and the hounds did not recover it for more than 
 a week : we took them off at laft, when they were running 
 
 with a better fcent than they had the whole day. 
 
 I remember, after it was quite dark, to have heard a 
 better view halloo from an owl, than I ever heard from a 
 
 fportf- 
 
HUNTING. 279 
 
 fportfman in my life, though I hope that I fhall never 
 hear fuch another. — A long day, neverthelefs, once or t'wice 
 in a feafon, is of ufe to a huntfman ; — it fhews the real 
 goodnefs and ftoutnefs of his hounds. 
 
 1 AM glad to hear that your huntfman knows the coun- 
 try which he is to hunt : nothing, in fox-hunting, is more 
 cflential than that j and it may make amends for many 
 faults.— Foxes are not capricious, they know very well 
 what they are about j are quick, I believe, at determining, 
 and refolute in perfeverance. They generally have a 
 point to go to i and, though headed and turned direcfbly 
 from it, feldom fail to make it good at the laft ; thist 
 therefore, is a great help to an obferving huntfman. 
 
 Suffer not your huntfman to encourage his hounds 
 too much on a bad fcenting day ; particularly in covers, 
 where there is much riot. Hark^ hark, hark, which inju- 
 dicious huntfmen are fo fond of upon every occafion, 
 muft often do mifchief, and cannot do good 3 whilfl 
 hounds are near together, they will get fooner to the 
 hound that challenges, v/ithout that noifc, than with it. 
 If it be a right fcent, they will be ready enough to join j 
 
 O o and 
 
28o THOUGHTS ON 
 
 and, if it be a wrong one, provided you let them alone, 
 they will foon leave iti — injudicious encouragement, on 
 a bad day, might make them run fomething or other, 
 right or wrong. 
 
 I KNOW of no fault fo bad in a hound, as that of running 
 falfe ', it fhould never be forgiven : fuch as are not ftout, 
 that are fliflF nofed, or that have other faults, may at times 
 do o-ood, and at their worft, may do no harm ; whilft fuch 
 as run falfe, moft probably will fpoil your fport. A 
 hound capable of fpoiling one day's fport, is fcarcely 
 worth your keeping. — Indifferent ones, fuch as I have 
 above defcribed, may be kept till you have better, to fup- 
 ply their places. 
 
 A HUNTSMAN ftiould know how to marfhal every hound 
 in his pack, giving to each his proper rank and prece- 
 dence i for, without this knowledge, it is not pofTible he 
 fliould make a large draft, as he ought. There are, in 
 moft packs, fome hounds that aflift but little in killing 
 the fox, and it is the judicious drafting off of fuch hounds 
 that is a certain fign of a good huntfman. 
 
 My 
 
HUNTING. 281 
 
 My huntfman is very exaft ; he carries always a 
 lift of his hounds in his pocket, and when in a diftant 
 country, he looks it over to fee if any of them are miffing. 
 He has alfo a book, in which he keeps a regular account 
 where every fox is found, and where he is killed. 
 
 Your huntfman, you fay, knows perfectly the country 
 he has to hunt, let him then acquire as perfeft a knowledge 
 of his hounds : good fenfe and obfervation will do the reft, 
 at leaft will do as much as you feem to require of him j 
 for I am glad to find you had rather depend upon the 
 goodnefs of your hounds for fport, than on the genius of 
 your huntfman. — It is, believe me, a much furer de- 
 pendance. 
 
 O o 2 LET. 
 
282 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XXII. 
 
 A 
 
 RE not your expeftations fomewhat too fanguinc, 
 when you think you Ihall have no occafion for bag-foxes, 
 to keep your hounds in blood the firft feafon ? It may 
 be as well, perhaps, not to turn them all out, till you arc 
 more certain that your young pack will keep good and 
 fleady without them. When blood is much wanted, and 
 they are tired with a hard day, one of thefe foxes will 
 put them into fpirits, and give them, as it were, new 
 ilrength and vigour. 
 
 You defire to know, what I call being out of blood ? In 
 anfwer to which, I muft tell you, that, in my judgment, 
 no fox-hound can fail of killing more than three or four 
 times following, without being vifibly the worfe for it. 
 When hounds, are out of blood, there is a kind of evil 
 genius attending all they do j and though they may feem 
 to hunt as well as ever, they do not get forward, whilft 
 
 a pack 
 
HUNTING. 283 
 
 a pack of fox-hounds well in blood, like troops fluflied 
 with conqueft, are not eafily withftood. What we call 
 ill luck, day after day, when hounds kill no foxes, may 
 frequently, I think, be traced to another caufe, namely, 
 their being out of blood \ nor can there be any other rea- 
 fon afligned why hounds, which we know to be good, 
 fhould remain fo long as they fometimes do without kil- 
 ling a fox. Large packs are leaft fubjeft to this in- 
 convenience i hounds that are quite frefh, and in high 
 fpirits, leaft feel the want of blood. The fmalleft packs, 
 therefore, fhould be able to leave at leaft ten or twelve 
 couple of hounds behind them, to be frefh againft the 
 next hunting day. If your hounds are much out of 
 blood, give them reft : take this opportunity to hunt 
 with other hounds, to fee. how they are managed, to ob- 
 ferve what ftallion hounds they have, and to judge your- 
 felf, whether they are fuch as it is fit for you to breed 
 from, or not. If what I have now recommended fhould 
 not fucceed \ if a little reft and a fine morning do not put 
 your hounds into blood again, I know of nothing elfe 
 that willi and you muft attribute your ilifuccefs, I fear, 
 to another caufe. 
 
 You 
 
284 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 You fay, you generally hunt at a late hour : after a tole- 
 rably good run, try not to find another fox. Should you be 
 long in finding, and fhould you not have fuccefs afterwards, 
 it will hurt your hounds: fhould you try a long time, and 
 not find, that alfo will make them flack. Never try to find 
 .a fox after one o'clock j you had better return home, and 
 hunt again on the next day. Not that I, in general, ap- 
 prove of hunting two days following with the fame hounds : 
 the trying fo many hours in vain, and the being kept fo 
 long off' their food, both contribute to make them flack, 
 and nothing iurely is more contrary to the true fpirit of 
 fox-hunting i for fox-hounds ought always to be above 
 their work. This is another particular, in which hare- 
 hunting, and fox-hunting totally differ \ for harriers can- 
 not be hunted too much, as long as they are able to 
 hunt at all. The flower they go, the lefs likely they will 
 be to over-run the fcent, and the fooner, in all probabi- 
 lity, will they kill their game. I have a friend, who 
 hunted his five days following, and afllired me, he had 
 better fport with them the laft; day, than he had had the firfl. 
 
 I REMEMBER to havc heard, that a certain pack of fox- 
 hounds, fince become famous, were many weeks from a 
 
 mixture 
 
HUNTING. i85 
 
 mixture of indifferent hounds, bad management, and 
 worfe luck, without killing a fox. However, they killed 
 one at laft, and tried to find another. — They found him 
 — and they loft him — and were then, as you may well 
 fuppofe, another month without killing another fox.— • 
 This was ill judged j they Ihould have returned home 
 immediately. 
 
 When hounds are much out of blood, fome men pro- 
 ceed in a method, that muft neceffarily keep them fo ; 
 they hunt them every day, as if the tiring them out was 
 a means to give them ftrength and fpirit i this, however, 
 proceeds more from ill-nature and refentment, than 
 found judgment. As I know your temper to be the reverfe 
 of this, without doubt you will adopt a different me- 
 thod -, and, fhould your hounds ever be in the ftate here 
 defcribed, you will keep them frefh for the firft fine day ; 
 when, fuppofing they are all perfedly fteady, I do not 
 queftion that they will kill their fox. 
 
 When hounds are in want of blood, give them every 
 advantage : go out early ; choofe a good quiet morning ; 
 and throw off your hounds where they are likely to find, 
 
 and 
 
286 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 and are leaft likely to change : if it is a fmall cover, or 
 furze-brake, and you can keep the fox in, it is right to 
 do it; for the fooner that you kill him, when you are in 
 want of blood, the better. 
 
 When hounds are in want of blood, and you get a 
 fox into a fmall cover, it muft be your own fault, if you 
 do not kill him there : place your people properly, and 
 he cannot get off again. You will hear, perhaps, that it 
 
 is impoflible to head back a fox. No animal is fo Ihy, 
 
 confequently no animal is fo eafily headed back by 
 thofe who underfland it. When it is your intention to 
 check a fox, your people muft keep at a little diftance 
 from the cover fide, nor Ihould they be fparing of their 
 voices ; for, fince you cannot keep him in, if he be de- 
 termined to come out, prevent him, if you can, from 
 being fo inclined. — All kind of mobbing is advifeable, 
 v/hen hounds are out of blood -, and you may keep the 
 fox in cover, or let him out, as you think the hounds 
 will manage him beft. 
 
 Though I am a great advocate for blood, fo neceffary, 
 in my judgment, to a pack of fox-hounds j yet, I by no 
 
 means 
 
HUNTING. 287 
 
 means approve of it, to the extent to which it is fome- 
 times carried. I have known three young foxes chopped 
 in a furze brake in one day, without any fport. A wan- 
 ton deflru<5lion of foxes, fcarcely anfwering the purpofe 
 of blood, fince that blood does hounds moll good, that is 
 mod dearly earned. Such fportfmen richly deferve blank 
 days ; and, without doubt, they often meet with them. 
 Mobbing a fox, indeed, is only allovv^able, when hounds 
 are not likely to be a match for him, without it. One 
 would almofl be inclined to think blood as necefTary to 
 the men, as to the hounds, fince the befb chace is flat, 
 unlefs you kill the fox. When you aflc a fox-hunter 
 what fport he has had, and he replies, it was good; I think, 
 the next queftion generally is, did your hounds kill ? If he 
 fays they did not, the converfation ends j but if, on the 
 contrary, he tells you that they did, you then afk a hun- 
 dred queftions, and feldom are fatisfied, till he has told 
 you every particular of the chace. 
 
 When there is fnow on the ground, foxes will lie at 
 earth. Should your hounds be in want of blood, it will, 
 at that time, be eafy to dig one to turn out before them, 
 when the weather breaks -, but I feem to have forgotten a 
 
 P p new 
 
288 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 new doftrine which I lately heard, that blood is not ne- 
 cefTary to a pack of fox-hounds. If you alfo, (houid have 
 taken up that opinion, I have only to wifli, that the good- 
 nefs of your hounds may prevent you from the changing 
 of it again, or from knowing the truth of it. 
 
 Before you have been long a fox-hunter, I expeft to 
 hear you talk of the ill luck, which fo frequently attends 
 it. — I afTure you, it has provoked me often, and has 
 made a Par/on fwear. . It was but the other day, we 
 experienced an extraordinary inftance of it. We found, 
 at the fame inftant, a brace of foxes in the fame cover, 
 and they both broke at the oppofite ends of itj the hounds 
 foon got together, and went off very well with one of 
 them ', yet, notwithflanding this, fuch was our ill luck, 
 that, though the hunted fox took a circle of feveral miles, 
 he, at laft, crofled the line of the other fox, the heel of 
 which we hunted back to the cover, from whence we 
 came : it is true, we perceived our fcent worfted, and 
 were going to flop the hounds ; but the going off of a 
 white froft deceived us in that alfo. 
 
 Many 
 
HUNTING. 289 
 
 Many a fox have I known loft by running into hoiifes 
 and ftables. It is not long fince my hounds loft one, 
 when hunting in the New Foreft j and, after trying the 
 country round, had given him up, and were returned 
 home ; v/hen, juft as they were going to be fed, in rode 
 a farmer, full gallop, with news of the fox j he had found 
 him, he faid, in his ftable, and had ftiut him in. The 
 hounds returned ; the fox, however, ftood but a little 
 while afterwards, as he was quite run up before. 
 
 Some years ago, my hounds running a fox acrofs an 
 open country, in a thick fog, the fox fcarcely out of view, 
 three of the leading hounds difappeared all of a fudden, 
 and the whipper-in, luckily, was near enough to fee it 
 happen. They fell into a dry well near an hundred feet 
 deep : they and the fox remained there together till the 
 next day ; when, with the greateft di^iculty, we got them 
 all four out. 
 
 Anothitr time, having run a fox a burft of an hour 
 and quarter, the fevereft, I think, I ever knew, the 
 hounds, at laft, got up to hirn by the fide of a river, 
 where he had ftaid for them. One hound feized him as 
 
 P p 2 he 
 
'igo THOUGHTS ON 
 
 he was fwimming acrofs, and they both went down toge- 
 ther. — The hound came up again, but the fox appeared 
 no more. — By means of a boat and a long pole, we got 
 the fox out. — Had he not been feen to fink, he would 
 hardly have been tried for, tmder zvater, and without 
 doubt we fhould have wondered what had become of him. 
 
 Now we arc at the chapter of accidents, I mud 
 mention another, that lately happened to me on crofHng 
 a river, to draw a cover, on the other fide of it. The 
 river Stower frequently overflows its banks, and is alfo 
 very rapid, and very dangerous. The flood, that morn- 
 ing, though fudden, was extenfive. The neighbouring 
 .meadows were all laid under water, and only the tops of 
 hedges appeared. There were polls to direft us to the 
 •bridge, but we had a great length of water to pafs before 
 we could get at it -, it was, befides, fo deep, that our 
 horfes almoft fwam 5 and the fhorteft legged horfes, and 
 
 longeft legged riders, were worft off. The hounds 
 
 daflied in as ufual; and were immediately carried, by 
 the rapidity of the current, a long way down the flream. 
 The huntfman was far behind them; and as he could go 
 Ibut flow, he was conftrained to fee his hounds wear 
 
 them- 
 
HUNTING. 291 
 
 themfelves out in an ufelefs contention with the current, 
 in endeavouring to get to him. It was a Ihocking fcene; 
 many of the hounds, when they reached the fhore, had 
 entirely lofi: the ufe of their limbs -, for it froze, and the 
 cold was intolerable. Some lay as if they were dead, and 
 others reeled, as if they had been drinking wine. Our 
 diflrefs was not yet complete -, the weakell hounds, or 
 fuch as were mod affeiSted by the cold, we now faw en- 
 tangled in the tops of the hedges, and heard their la- 
 mentations. Well-known tongues ! and fuch as I had 
 never before heard without pleafure. It v/as lliocking to 
 fee their diftrefs^ and not know how to relieve them. A 
 number of people, by this time, were affembled by the 
 river fide, but there was not one amongft them that 
 would venture in. However, a guinea, at lafr, tempted 
 one man to fetch out a hound that was entangled in a 
 bufli, and would othcrwife have perifhed. Two hounds 
 remained upon a hedge all night, yet they got toge- 
 ther before the morning; when, the flood abating, they 
 v/ere found clofely clafping each other, and without doubt, 
 it was the little heat they could affbrd each other, that 
 kept both alive. We lofl but one hound by this unlucky 
 expedition, but we loft all our terriers. They were fcen 
 
 to 
 
292 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 to fink, their ftrength not being fufficient to refift the 
 two enemies they had to encounter, powerful, when 
 combined, — the feverity of the cold, and the rapidity of 
 the flream. 
 
 You afk, at what time you fliould leave off hunting ? 
 It is a queflion which I know not how to anfwer ^ as it 
 depends as well on the quantity of game that you have, 
 as on the country that you hunt. However, in my opi- 
 nion, no good country fliould be hunted after February, 
 nor Ihould there be any hunting at all after March. 
 Spring hunting is fad deftrudion of foxes : in one week 
 you may deflroy as many, as would have Ihewn you 
 fport for a whole feafon. We killed a bitch-fox one 
 morning, with feven young ones, which were all alive : 
 I can affure you, we miffed them very much the next year, 
 and had many blank days, which we need not to have 
 had, but through our own fault. I fhould tell you, that 
 this notable feat was performed literally on the firft of 
 April. If you will hunt late in the feafon, you fhould, 
 at leaft, leave your terriers behind you. — I hate to kill 
 any animal out of feafon. — A hen-pheafant with eggy 1 
 have heard, is famous eating j yet I can affure you, I 
 
 never 
 
HUNTING. 293 
 
 never mean to tafte it : and the hunting a bitch-fox, big 
 with young, appears to me cruel and unnatural. A gen- 
 tleman of my acquaintance, who killed moll of his foxes 
 at this feafon, was humouroufly called, midzvife to the 
 foxes. 
 
 Are not the foxes heads, which are fo pompoufly 
 expofed to view, often prejudicial to fport in fox-hunting? 
 How many foxes are wantonly deftroyed, without the 
 leafl fervice to the hounds, or fport to the mafter ; — that 
 the huntfman may fay, he has killed fo many brace ? How 
 many are digged out and killed, when blood is not wanted, 
 for no better reafon ? — foxes that, another day, perhaps, 
 the earths well flopped, might have run hours, and died 
 gallantly at lafl. I remember, myfelf, to have feen a 
 pack of hounds kill three in one day ; and though the 
 lafl ran to ground, and the hounds had killed two before, 
 therefore could not be fuppofed to be in want of blood, 
 the fox was digged out and killed upon the earth. — How- 
 ever, it anfwered one purpofe you would little expeft : — 
 it put a Clergyman prefent in mind that he had a corpfe to 
 bury, which, other wife, had been forgotten. 
 
 1 SHOULD 
 
294 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 I SHOULD have lefs objection to the number of foxes 
 heads that are to be feen againft every kennel door, did it 
 afcertain with more precifion the goodnefs of the hounds; 
 which may more juflly be known from the few foxes they 
 lofe, than from the number that they kill. When you 
 enquire after a pack of fox-hounds, whether they are good 
 or' not, and are told, they feldom mifs a fox; your mind 
 is perfectly fatisfied about them, and you enquire no fur- 
 ther: — it is not always fo, when you are told the number 
 of foxes they have killed. If you aflc a Frenchman what 
 age he is of, he will tell you that he is in good health. — 
 In like manner, when I am aiked, how many brace of 
 foxes my hounds have killed, I feel myfelf inclined to 
 fay, the hounds are good ; an anfwer, which, in my opinion, 
 goes more immediately to the fpirit of the queftion, than 
 any other I could give ; fince the number of foxes heads 
 is at bed but a prefumptive proof of the goodnefs of the 
 hounds. In a neighbouring country to mine, foxes are 
 difficult to kill, and not eafy to find ; and the gentlemen, 
 who hunt that country, are very well contented, when 
 they kill a dozen brace of foxes in a feaibn. My hounds 
 kill double that, number ^ ought it to be inferred from 
 
 thence that they are twice as good ? 
 
 All 
 
HUNTING. 395 
 
 All countries are not equally favourable to hounds, 
 1 hunt in three, all as different as it is poflible to be; 
 and the fame hounds that behave well in one, fometimes 
 appear to behave indifferently in another. Was the 
 mofl famous pack, therefore, to change their good 
 country, for the bad one I here allude to, though 
 without doubt they would behave well, they certainly 
 would meet with lefs fuccefs than they are at prefent ufed 
 to : our cold flinty hills would foon convince them, that 
 the difference of ftrength betwixt one fox and another;— 
 the difference of goodnefs betwixt one hound and another; 
 — are yet but trifles, when compared with the more ma- 
 terial difference of a good fcenting country, and a bad 
 one. 
 
 I CAN hardly think you ferious, when you afk me, if 
 the fame hounds can hunt both hare and foxj however, 
 thus far you may affure yourfelf, that it cannot be done 
 with any degree of confiftency. As to your other quef- 
 tion of hunting the hounds yourfelf, that is an undertak- 
 ing, which, if you will follow my advice, you will let 
 alone. It is your opinion, I find, that a gentleman might 
 
 Q^q make 
 
296 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 make the beft huntfman ; I have no doubt that he would, 
 if he chofe the trouble of it. I do not think there is any 
 profeffion, trade, or occupation to which a good edu- 
 cation would not be of fervice -, and hunting, notwith- 
 flanding it is at prefent exercifed by fuch as have not had 
 an education, might, without doubt, be carried on much 
 better by thofe that have.— I will venture to fay, fewer 
 faults would then be committed i nor is it probable the 
 fame faults would be committed over and over again, as 
 they now are. — Huntfmen never reafon by analogy, nor 
 ^re they much benefited by experience. 
 
 Having told you, in a former letter, what a huntfinan 
 ought to be J the following, which I can aflure you is a 
 true copy, will fliew you in fome inftances at leall, what 
 he ought not to be, 
 
 S I R 
 
 OURS I received the 24th of this prefent Inflant 
 June and at your requeft I will give you an impartial 
 
 account 
 
HUNTING. 297 
 
 account of my man John Grey's Charailer. He is a Shoe- 
 maker or Cordwainer which you pleafe to call it by trade 
 and now in our Town he is following the Carding Bufinefs 
 for every one that wants him he ferved his Time at a 
 Town called Brigftock in Northamptonfhire and from 
 thence the great Addington Journeyman to this Occu- 
 pation as before mentioned and ufed to come to my houfe 
 and found by rideing my horfes to water that he rode a 
 horfe pretty well, which was not at all miftaken for he rides 
 a horfe well and he looks after a kennel of hounds very 
 well and finds a hare very well he hath no judgment in 
 hunting a pack of hounds now tho he rides well he dont 
 with difcretion for he dont know how to make the mod 
 of a horfe but a very harey ftarey fellow will ride over a 
 church if in his way tho may prevent the leap by hav- 
 ing a gap within ten yards of him and if you are not in 
 the field with him yourfelf when you are a hunting to 
 tutor him about riding he will kill all the horfes you have 
 in the ftablc in one month for he hath killed downright 
 and lamed fo that will never be fit for ufe no more than 
 five horfes fince he hath hunted my hounds which is two 
 years and upwards he can talk no dog language to a 
 
 Qjq 2 hound 
 
^98 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 hound he hath no voice fpeaks to a hound juft as if his 
 head were in a drum nor neither does he know how to 
 draw a hound when they are at a lofs no more than a 
 child of 2 years old as to his honefty I always found him 
 honeft till about a week ago and have found him difhoneft 
 now for about a week ago I fent my fervant that I have 
 now to fetch fome fheep's feet from Mr. Stanjan of 
 Higham Ferrers where Grey ufed to go for feet and I 
 always fend my money by my man that brings the feet 
 and Stanjan told my man that I have now that I owed 
 him money for feet and when the Boy came home he 
 told me and I went to Stanjan and when I found the truth 
 of the matter Grey had kept my money in his hands and 
 had never paid Stanjan he had been along with nae once 
 for a letter in order for his charadler to give him one but 
 I told him I could not give him a good one fo I would 
 not write at all Grey is a very great drunkard cant keep 
 a penny in his pocket a fad notorious lyar if you fend him 
 upon a mile or two from Uppingham he will get drunk 
 flay all day and never come home while the middle of 
 the night or fuch time as he knows his mafter is in bed 
 he can nor will not keep any fecret, neither hath he fo 
 
 much 
 
HUNTING. 299 
 
 much wit as other people for the fellow is half a fool for 
 if you would have bufinefs done with Expedition if he 
 once gets out of the town or fight of you Ihall fee him 
 no more while the next morning he ferves me fo and fo 
 you muft expert the fame if you hire him I ufe you juft as 
 I would be ufed myfelf if I defired a character of you of 
 a fervant that I had defigned to hire of yours as to let you 
 know the truth of every thing about him. 
 
 I am Sir 
 Your moft humble fervant to command 
 
 **** ***#** 
 
 P. S. 
 
 He takes good care of his horfes with good looking 
 after him as to the drefling e'm but if you dont take care 
 he will fill the manger full of corn fo that he will cloy 
 the horfes, and ruin the whole ftable of horfes. 
 
 Great Addington 
 June the iSth 1734. 
 
 LET- 
 
300 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 LETTER XXIII. 
 
 I 
 
 Told you, I believe, at the beginning of our corref- 
 pondence, that I difliked bag foxes i I fhall now tell you, 
 what my objections to them are : — the fcent of them is 
 different from that of other foxes : it is too goody and makes 
 hounds idle i befides, in the manner in which they gene- 
 rally are turned out, it makes hounds very wild. They 
 feldom fail to know what you are going about, before 
 you begin, and if often ufed to hunt bag-foxes, will be- 
 come riotous enough to run any thing. A fox that has 
 been confined long in a fmall place, and carried out after- 
 wards many miles perhaps, in a fack, his own ordure 
 hanging about him, mufl needs, ftink extravagantly. You 
 are alfo to add to this account, that he mod probably 
 is weakened for want of his natural food, and ufual ex- 
 ercife j his fpirit broken by defpair, and his limbs ftiffened 
 by confinements he then is turned out in open ground, 
 without any point to go to : he runs down the wind, it is 
 
 true 
 
HUNTING. 301 
 
 true ; but he is fo much at a lofs all the while, that he 
 lofes a deal of time in not knowing what to do ; while 
 the hounds, who have no occafion to hunt, purfue as 
 clofely, as if they were tied to him. I remember once 
 to have hunted a bag-fox with a gentleman, who not 
 thinking thefe advantages enough, poured a whole bottle 
 of anijeed on the foxes back. — I cannot fay I could have 
 hunted the fox, but I aflure you, I could very eafily have 
 hunted the anifeed. Is it to be expeded that the fame 
 hounds will have patience to hunt a cold fcent the next 
 day o'er greafy fallows, through flocks of fheep, or on 
 ftony roads ? However capable they may be of doing it, 
 I fhould much doubt their giving themfelves the trouble. 
 If, notwithftanding thefe objedions, you ftill choofe to 
 turn one out, turn him into z.Jmall cover, give him what 
 time you judge neceflary, and lay on your Jiounds as 
 quietly as you can •, and if it be poflible, let them think 
 
 they find him. If you turn out a fox for blood, I 
 
 fhould, in that cafe, prefer the turning him into a large 
 cover, firft drawing it well, to prevent a change. The 
 hounds fhould then find him themfelves -, and the fooner 
 he is killed, the better. Fifteen or twenty minutes is as 
 
 long 
 
302 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 long as I fhould ever wifh a bag-fox to rurt, that is dc- 
 figned for blood : — the hounds fhould then go home. 
 
 Bag -FOXES always run down the wind;— fuch fportfmen> 
 therefore, as choofe to turn them out, may at the fame 
 time choofe what country they fliall run. Foxes, that are 
 found, do not follow this rule invariably. Strong earths 
 and large covers are great inducements to them, and it is 
 no inconfiderable wind that will keep them from them. 
 A gentleman, who never hunts, being on a vifit to a friend 
 of his in the country, who hunts a great deal, heard him 
 talk frequently of hag-foxes \ as he was unwilling to betray 
 his ignorance, his difcretion, and curiofity, kept him for 
 fome time in fufpence, till at laft he could not refrain 
 from afking " what kind of an animal a hag-fox was T' — and 
 if it was not " afpecies of fox peculiar to that country ?'^ 
 
 A PACK of hounds having run a fox to ground imme- 
 diately after he was found, he was dug and turned out 
 again 3 and that the operation of turning him out might 
 be better performed, the mafter of the hounds undertook 
 it himfclf. — You will hardly believe me, when I tell you, 
 
 you. 
 
HUNTING. 301 
 
 you that he forgot the place where he turned him out, 
 and they never once could hit upon the fcent* 
 
 If you breed tip cubs, yOii will find a fox-court necef- 
 fary : they fhould be kept there till they are large enough 
 to take care of themfelves. It ought to be open at the 
 topj and walled in : I need not tell you that it mufl be 
 every way well fecured, and particularly the floor of it, 
 which muft be either bricked, or paved. A few boards 
 fitted to the corners will alfo be of ufe to flicker and to 
 hide them. Foxes ought to be kept very clean, and have 
 plenty of frefli water ; birds and rabbits are their befl: 
 food ; horfe-flefli might give them the mange, for they 
 are fubjeft to this diforder. — I remember a remarkable 
 infl:ance of it. Going out to courfe, I met the whipper-in 
 returning from exerciflng his horfes, and afl^ed him if he 
 had found any hares ? — No, Sir, he reply'd, but I have 
 caught a fox. — I law him funning himfelf under a hedge, 
 and finding he could not run, I drove him up into a 
 corner, got ofi^ my horfe, and took him up, but he is 
 flnce dead. — I found him at the place he direfted me to, 
 and he was indeed a curiofity. He had not a fingle hair 
 on his brufli, and very few on his body, 
 
 R r I HAVE 
 
3oa THOUGHTS ON 
 
 I HAVE kept foxes too long : I alfo have turned them 
 out too young. The fafeft way, I believe, will be to 
 avoid either extreme. When cubs are bred in an earth 
 near you, if you add two or three to the number, it is 
 not improbable that the old fox will take care of them. 
 Of this you may be certain j — that if they live, they will 
 be good foxes ; for the others will fhew them the country. 
 Thofe which you turn into an earth fhould be regularly 
 fed. If they are once negledted, it is probable they will 
 forfake the place, wander away, and die for want of food. 
 When the cubs leave the earth (which they may foon do) 
 your game-keeper Ihould throw food for them in parts of 
 the cover where it may be moll eafy for them to find it ; 
 and when he knows their haunt, he fhould continue to 
 
 feed them there. Nothing deflroys fo much the breed 
 
 of foxes, as buying them to turn out, unlefs care is taken 
 of them afterwards. 
 
 Your country being extenfive, probably it may not be 
 all equally good j it may be worth your while therefore 
 to remove fome of the cubs, from one part of it into the 
 other ; it is what I frequently do myfelf, and find it an- 
 fwer. A fox-court therefore is of great ufe : it Ihould be 
 
 airy. 
 
HUNTING. 303 
 
 airy, or I would not advife you to keep them long in it. 
 I turned out one year ten brace of cubs ; moft of which, 
 by being kept till they were tainted before they were 
 turned out, were found dead in the covers, with fcarce 
 any hair upon them ; whilft a brace, which had made 
 their efcape by making a hole in the fack in which they 
 were brought, lived, and Ihevved excellent fport. If the 
 cubs are large, you may turn them out immediately : a 
 large earth will be befl for that purpofe, where they 
 fhould be regularly fed with rabbits, birds, or fheep's 
 henges, which ever you can moft conveniently get. I 
 believe, when a fox is once tainted, he never recovers 
 it. The weather being remarkably hot, thofe that I kept 
 in my fox-court, (which at that time was a very clofe one) 
 all died, one after the other, of the fame diforder. 
 
 Where rabbits are plentiful, nature will foon teach 
 them how to catch the young ones ; and, till that period 
 of abundance arrives, it may be neceflary to provide food 
 for them. Where game is fcarce, wet weather will be 
 moft favourable to them ; they can then live on beetles, 
 chaffers, worms, &c. which they Will find great plenty 
 
 R r 2 of 
 
304 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 of. I think the morning is the beft time to turn them 
 out : if turned out in the evening, they will be more 
 likely to ramble, but if turned out early, and fed on the 
 earth, I think there is little doubt of their remaining 
 there. I alfo recommend to you, to turn them into large 
 covers and ftrong earths •, out of fmall earths they are 
 more liable to be ftolen, and from fmall covers are more 
 likely to wander away. Your game-keepers, at this time 
 of the year, having little elfe to do, may feed and take 
 care of them. When you flop any of thefe earths, re- 
 member to have them opened again -, as I have reafon to 
 think I loft fome young foxes one year by not doing it. 
 For your own fatisfa6tion, put a private mark on every 
 fox which you turn out, that you may know him again. 
 Your cubs, though they may get off from the covers 
 where they were bred, when hunted will feldom fail to 
 return to them. 
 
 Gentlemen who buy foxes, do great injury to fox-hunt- 
 ing : they encourage the robbing of neighbouring hunts ; 
 in which cafe without doubt the receiver is as bad as the 
 thief. — It is the intereft of every fox-hunter to be cautious 
 how he behaves in this particular j indeed, I believe moft 
 
 gentlemen 
 
HUNTING. 305 
 
 gentlemen are foj and it may be eafy to retaliate on fuch as 
 
 are not. 1 am told, that in fome hunts it is the con- 
 
 ftant employment of one perfon to watch the earths at 
 the breeding time, to prevent the cubs from being llolen. 
 Furze-covers cannot be too much encouraged for that 
 reafon, for there they are fafe. They have alfo other 
 advantages attending them 3— -they are certain places to 
 find in.— p-Foxes cannot break from them unfeen; — nor 
 are you fo liable to change as in other covers. 
 
 Acquainted as I am with your fentiments, it would be 
 needlefs to defire you to be cautious how you buy foxes. 
 The price fome men pay for them might well encourage 
 the robbing of every hunt in the kingdom, their own not 
 excepted. But you defpife the Joi dijant gentleman who 
 receives them, more than the poor thief who takes them. — 
 Some gentlemen afk no queftions, and flatter themfelves 
 they have found out that convenient mezzo termino to fettle 
 their confciences by. 
 
 With refpe<5t to the digging of foxes that you run to 
 ground j what I myfelf have obferved in that bufmefs, 
 I will endeavour to recoiled. My people ufually, I think, 
 
 follow 
 
3o6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 follow the hole, except when the earth is large, and the 
 terriers have fixed the fox in an angle of it i for they then 
 find it a more expeditious method to fink a pit as near to 
 him as they can. You (hould always keep a terrier in at 
 the fox, for if you do not, he not only may move, but 
 alfo, in loofe ground, may dig himfelf further in. In 
 digging, you fhould keep Foom enough -, and care fhould 
 be taken not to throw the earth where you may have it 
 to move again. — In following the hole, the furefl way 
 
 not to lofe it, is to keep below it. When your hounds 
 
 are in want of blood, flop all the holes, left the fox (hould 
 bolt out unfeen. It caufes no fmall confufion, when this 
 happens. The hounds are difperfed about, and afleep in 
 different places : the horfes are often at a confiderable dif- 
 tance j and many a fox, by taking advantage of this fa- 
 vourable moment, has faved his life. 
 
 If hounds are in want of blood, and they have had a 
 long run, it is the beft way, without doubt, to kill the fox 
 upon the earth j but if they have not run long, if the fox 
 is cafy to be digged, and the cover is fuch a one as they 
 are not likely to change in, it does the hounds more good to 
 turn him out upon the earth, and let them work for him. 
 
 It 
 
HUNTING. 307 
 
 It Is the blood that will do them moft good, and may 
 be ferviceable to the hounds, to the horfes, and to your- 
 felf. — Digging a fox is cold work, and may require a 
 gallop afterwards to warm you all again. Before you 
 do this, if there are any other earths in the cover, they 
 fhould be flopped, left; the fox fhould go to ground again. 
 
 Let your huntfman try all around, and let him be 
 perfe6lly fatisfied that the fox is not gone on, before you 
 try an earth j for want of this precaution, I dug three 
 hours to a terrier that lay all the time at a rabbit : there 
 was another circumfl:ance which I am not likely to forget, 
 — " that I had twenty miles to ride home afterwards." A 
 fox fometimes runs over an earth, and does not go into 
 it i he fometimes goes in and does not ft:ay j he may find 
 it too hot, or may not like the company he meets with 
 there : I make no doubt that he has good reafons for 
 every thing he does, though we are not always acquainted 
 with them. 
 
 Huntsmen, when they get near the fox, will fome- 
 times put a hound in to draw him. This is however a 
 cruel operation, and feldom anfwers any other purpofe 
 
 than 
 
3oS T H O U G H T S O N* 
 
 than to occafion the dog a bad bite, the foxes head gencj' 
 rally being towards him ; befides, a few minutes digging 
 will make it unnecefTary. If you let the fox firft feizc 
 your whip, the hound will draw him more readily. 
 
 You fhould not encourage badgers in your woods-; 
 they make ftrong earths, which will be expenfive and 
 troublefome to you to flop, or fatal to your fport if you 
 do not. You, without doubt, remember an old Oxford 
 
 toaft. 
 
 Hounds ftout, and horfes healthy. 
 Earths well ftopp'd, and foxes plenty. 
 
 All certainly^ very defirable to a fox-hunter; yet I ap- 
 prehend the earths flopped to be the mod neceflary, fof 
 the others, without that. Would be ufelefs. Befides, I anl 
 not certain that earths are the fafeft places for foxes to 
 breed in ; for frequently, when poachers cannot dig them, 
 they will catch the young foxes in trenches, dug at the 
 mouth of the hole, which, I believe they call tunning 
 them. A few large earths near to your houfe are certainly 
 defirable, as they will draw the foxes thither, and after 
 a long day, will fometimes bring you home, ' 
 
 if 
 
HUNTING. ^11 
 
 If foxes are bred in an earth which you think unfafe, 
 you had better flink them out: that, or indeed any dif- 
 turbance at the mouth of the hole, will make the old one 
 carry them off to another place. 
 
 In open countries, foxes, when they are rriuch dif- 
 turbed, will lie at earth. If you have difficulty in find- 
 ing, (linking the earths will fometimes produce them 
 again. The method which I ufe to ftink an earth is as 
 follows : — ^Three pounds of fulphur, and one pound of 
 affafoetida are boiled up together s matches are then made 
 of brown paper, and lighted in the holes, which are af- 
 terwards flopped very clofe. — Earths, that are not ufed by 
 badgers, may be flopped early, which will anfwer the fame 
 purpofe; but where badgers frequent, it would be ufelefs, 
 as they would open them again. 
 
 Badgers may be caught alive in facks, placed at the 
 mouth of the hole ; fetting traps for them, would be dan- 
 gerous, as you might catch your foxes alfo. They may 
 be caught by ftinking them out of a great earth, and 
 afterwards following them to a fmaller one, and digging 
 
 them. 
 
 S f Your 
 
312 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Your country requires a good terrier ; I Ihould prefer 
 the black or white terrier j fome there are fo like a fox, 
 that aukward people frequently miftake one for the other. 
 If you like terriers to run with your pack, large ones, at 
 times, are ufeful j but in an earth, they do but little 
 good, as they cannot always get up to the fox. You had 
 better not enter a young terrier at a badger : young 
 terriers have not the art of fhifting, like old ones j and, 
 if they are good for any thing, moll probably will go up 
 boldly to him at once, and get themfelves moll terribly 
 bitten ; for this reafon, you fhould enter them at young 
 foxes when you can. Before I quit this fubje6l, I muft 
 mention an extraordinary inftance of fagacity in a bitch- 
 fox, that was digged out of an earth with four young 
 ones, and brought in a fack upwards of twenty miles to 
 a gentleman in my neighbourhood, to be turned out the 
 next day before his hounds. This fox, weak as fhe muft 
 have been, ran in a ftrait line back again to her own 
 country, crofTed two rivers, and was at laft killed near 
 to the earth fhe was digged out of the day before. Foxes 
 that are bred in the cliffs, near to the fea, feldom are 
 known to ramble any great diftance from them j and 
 fportfmen, who know the country where this fox was 
 
 turned 
 
HUNTING. 313 
 
 turned out, will tell you, that there is not the leaft reafon 
 to think that Ihe could have had any knowledge of it* 
 
 Besides the digging of foxes, by which method many 
 young ones are taken, and old ones deftroyed, traps, &c* 
 too often are fatal to them. Farmers, for their lambs, 
 (which, by the bye, few foxes ever kill) gentlemen for 
 their game, and old women for their poultry, are their 
 inveterate enemies. I mull, however, give an infbance 
 of civility, I once met with from a farmer. — The hounds 
 had found, and were running hard j the farmer came up 
 in high fpirits, and faid, " I hope, Sir, you will kill him j 
 " he has done me much damage lately -, he carried away 
 " all my ducks laft week : — I would not gin him though — 
 " too good a fportfman for that."—- — So m.uch for the 
 honeft farmer. 
 
 In the country where I live moft of the gentlemen are 
 fportfmen ; and even thofe who are not, Ihew every kind 
 attention to thofe who are ; I am forry it is otherwife 
 with you ; and that your old gouty neighbour fhould de- 
 ftroy your foxes, I mufl own, concerns me. I knov/ fome 
 
 S f 2 gentle- 
 
314 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 gentlemen, who, when a neighbour had deftroyed all 
 their foxes, and thereby prevented them from purfuing a 
 favourite amufement, loaded a cart with fpaniels, and went 
 all together and deftroyed his pheafants. I think they 
 might have called this very properly, lex ialionisj and it 
 had the defired efFe<5t; for as the gentleman did not 
 think it prudent to fight them all, he took the wifer me- 
 thod, — he made peace with them. He gave an order that 
 no more foxes fhould be deftroyed, and they never after- 
 wards killed any of his pheafants. 
 
 LET" 
 
HUNTING. 315 
 
 LETTER XXIV. 
 
 X Am now, my friend, about to take leave of you -, and 
 at the fame time that I give repofe to you, let me intreat 
 you to fhew the fame favour to your hounds and horfes. 
 It is now the breeding feafon, a proper time, in my opi- 
 nion, to leave off hunting ; fince it is more likely to be 
 your fervants amufement, than yours ] and is always to the 
 prejudice of two noble animals, which we fportfmen are 
 bound in gratitude to take care of. 
 
 After a long and tirefome winter, furely the horfe de- 
 ferves fome repofe. Let him then enjoy his fhort -lived 
 liberty, and as his feet are the parts which fuffer moft, 
 turn him out into a foft pafture. Some there are, who 
 difapprove of grafs, faying, that when a horfe is in good 
 order, the turning him out undoes it all again. — It cer- 
 tainly does. — ^Yet this, at the fame time, I believe, that 
 no horfe can be frelh in his limbs, or will laft you long 
 
 without 
 
3i6 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 without it. — Can Handing in a hot flable do him any 
 good ? — and can hard exercife, particularly in the fum- 
 mer, be of any advantage to him ? — Is it not loft ground 
 and long reft that will beft refrefh his limbs, while the 
 night air, and morning dews will invigorate his body ?— 
 Some never phyfic their hunters ; only obferving, when 
 they firft take them up from grafs, to work them gently j 
 fome turn out theirs all the year. It is not unufual for 
 fuch as follow the latter method, to phyfic their horfes at 
 o-rafs ; they then are taken up, well fed, and properly 
 exercifed to get them into order; this done, they arc 
 turned out for a few hours every day when they are not 
 ridden. The pafture ihould be dry, and fhould have 
 but little grafs ; there they will ftretch their limbs, and 
 cool their bodies, and will take as much exercife as is 
 necefiary for them. I have remarked, that thus treated 
 they catch fewer colds, have the ufe of their limbs more 
 freely, and are lefs liable to lamenefs than other horfes. 
 Another advantage attends this method, which, iri 
 the horfes you ride yourfelf, you will allow to be very 
 material -.—your horfe, when once he is in order, will 
 require Icfs llrong exercife than grooms generally give 
 
 their 
 
HUNTING. 
 
 317 
 
 their horfes ; and his mouth, in all probability, will not 
 be the worfe for it. 
 
 The Earl of Pembroke, in his Military Equitation, is, 
 I find, of the fame opinion j he tells us, — " It is of the 
 " greateft confequence for horfes to be kept clean, regu- 
 " larly fed, and as regularly exercifed: but whoever choofes 
 ** to ride in the way of eafe and pleafure, without any fa- 
 " tigue on horfeback, or in fhort, does not like to carry 
 " his horfe, inftead of his horfe's carrying him, muft not 
 " fufFer his horfe to be exercifed by a groom i flanding 
 " up on his llirrups, holding himfelf on by means of the 
 " reins, and thereby hanging his whole dead weight on 
 " the horfe's mouth, to the entire deftrudlion of all that 
 
 " is good, fafe, or pleafant about the animal." And 
 
 in another place he fays, — " Horfes fliould be turned 
 *' loofe fomewhere, or walked about every day, when 
 " they do not work, particularly after hard exercife : 
 " fwelled legs, phyfic. Sec, will be faved by thefe means, 
 " and many diflempers avoided." He alfo obferves that, 
 " it is a matter of the greateft confequence, though few 
 " attend to it, to feed horfes according to their work. 
 ** When the work is hard, food fhould be in plenty ; when 
 
 it 
 
3iS THOUGHTS ON 
 
 " it is otherwife, the food Ihould be diminifhcd immcdi-» 
 " atelyj the hay particularly." 
 
 I HAVE no doubt that the noble author is pcrfecftly 
 right in thefe obfervations : I am alfo of opinion that a 
 handful or two of clean wheaten flraw, chopped fmall, 
 and mixed with their corn, would be of great fervice to 
 your horfes, provided that you have intereft enough with 
 your groom to prevail on him to give it them. 
 
 Such of my horfes as are phyficked at grafs> have two 
 dofes given them when they are turned out, and three 
 more before they are taken up. Grafs phyfic is of fo 
 mild a kind, that you will not find this quantity too muchi 
 nor have I ever known an accident happen from it, 
 though it has been given in very indifferent weather. I 
 ihould tell you, that my horfes are always taken in the 
 night after they, take their phyfic, though the printed 
 dirccftions, I believe, do not require it. Such horfes as 
 are full of humours fliould be phyficked at houfe, fince 
 they may require flronger dofes than grais phyfic will 
 admit of, which, I think, is more proper to prevent 
 humours, than to remove them. The only ufe I know 
 
 in 
 
hunting; 319 
 
 in phyficking a horfe that does not appear to want it, is 
 to prevent, if poflible, his requiring it at a time when 
 you cannot fo well fpare him, I mean the hunting feafon : 
 - — lliould an accident of this kind happen, Stibiums balls, 
 of which I fend you the receipt^ you will find of the 
 greateft ufe. 
 
 Crocus Metallorum, levigated 2 0zs. 
 Stibiums ditto - - 2 
 
 Flower of brimftone - i 
 
 Caftile foap - >- i 
 
 Liquorice powder - - j 
 Honey q. f. to make it into apafte* 
 
 A ball of one ounce weight is to be given three morn- 
 ings following. — The horfe muft be kept falling for two 
 hours after he has taken it : he then may have a feed of 
 corn, and, foon after that, moderate exercife. The fame 
 fhould be repeated four days afterwards. — Thefe balls 
 purify the blood, and operate on the body by infenfible 
 perlpiration. 
 
 I FREQUENTLY givc nitre to fuch of my hunters as are 
 not turned out to grafsj — it cools their bodies, and is 
 of great fervice to them. It may be given them either 
 
 T t in 
 
gao THOUGHTS ON 
 
 in their water, or in their corn ; I fometimes givt an 
 ounce in each. 
 
 I THINK you are perfeftly in the right to mount your 
 people well ; there is no good oeconomy in giving them 
 badhorfesj they take no care of them, but wear them 
 out as foon as they can, that they may have others. 
 
 The queftion you aflc me about fhoeing, I am unable 
 to anfwer. Yet I am of opinion, that horfes fhould be 
 fhod with more or lefs iron, according as the country 
 where they hunt requires ; but in this, a good farrier will 
 beft direft you. Nothing certainly is more neceflary to 
 a horfe than to be well fhod. The Ihoe fhould be a pro- 
 per one, and it fhould fit his foot. Farriers are but too 
 apt to make the foot fit the fhoe. My groom carries a 
 falfe fhoe, which juft ferves to fave a horfe's hoof, when 
 he lofes a flioe, till it can be put on again. In fome 
 countries you fee them loaded with faws, hatchets, &c. 
 I am glad that the country in which I hunt does not re- 
 quire them. In the book I have jufl quoted, you will 
 find the fhoeing of horfes treated of very much at large. 
 
 I beg 
 
HUNTING. 321 
 
 I beg leave, therefore, if you want further information on 
 that head, to refer you to it. 
 
 Having declared my difapprobation of fummer hunt- 
 ing, on account of the horfes, I muft add, that I am not 
 lefs an enemy to it on account of the hounds alfo -, fhey, 
 I think, Ihould have fome time allowed them to recover 
 the ftrains and bruifes of many a painful chace ; and their 
 diet, in which the adding to their ftrength has been, 
 perhaps, too much coniidered, fhould now be altered. 
 No more flefh fhould they now eat; but in its ftead, fhould 
 have their bodies cooled with whey, greens, and thin meat : 
 without this precaution, the mange, mofl probably, would 
 be the immediate confequence of hot weather, perhaps 
 madneCs : — direful malady ! 
 
 As a country life has been recommended in all ages, 
 as much for the contentment of the mind, as health of 
 the body, it is no wonder that hunting fhould be conii- 
 dered by fo many as a neceflary part of it, fince nothing 
 conduces more to both : a great genius has told us, that 
 it is 
 
 T t 2 Better 
 
32^ 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 Better to hunt in fields for health unbought. 
 Than fee the doftor for a naufeous draught. 
 
 With regard to its peaceful ftate, a modern poet tells us : 
 
 } 
 
 No fierce unruly fenate threatens here. 
 No axe, or fcafFoId, to the view appear, 
 No envy, difappointment, and defpair. 
 
 And for the contentment which is fuppofed to accompany 
 a country life, we have not only the beft authority of our 
 own time to fupport it, but even that of the beft poets of 
 the Auguftan age. Virgil furely felt what he wrote, 
 when he faid, ^^ fortunati nimium/uafi bona norintj agri- 
 '* coU i' and Horace's famous ode, " Beatus Hie quiprocul 
 " negotiisj' feems not lefs to corne from the heart of a 
 man, who is generally allowed to have had a perfed know- 
 ledge of mankind ; and this, even at the time when he 
 was the favourite of the greateft emperor, and in the 
 midft of all the magnificence of the greateft city in the 
 world. 
 
 The elegant Pliny alfo, in his epiftle to Minutius 
 Fundanus, which is admirably tranflated by the Earl of 
 Orrery, v/hilft he arraigns the life he leads at Rome, fpeaks 
 
 witli 
 
HUNTING. 323 
 
 with a kind of rapture of a country life :— " Welcome," 
 fays he, " thou life of integrity and virtue ! welcome 
 " fweet and innocent amufement ! Thou that art almoft 
 " preferable to bufinefs and employment of every kind." — 
 And it was herej we are told, that the great Bacon expe- 
 rienced his truefl felicity. With regard to the Ottum cum 
 dignitatej fo much recommended, no one, I believe, un- 
 derftands the true meaning of it better, or praflifes It 
 more fuccefsfully than you do, 
 
 A RURAL life, I think, is better fuited to this country 
 than to any others becaufe the country in England affords 
 pleafures and amufements unknown in other countries j 
 and becaufe its rival, our Englilli town (or ton) life, 
 perhaps is a lefs pleafant one than may be found elfewhere. 
 If this, upon a nice inveftigation of the matter, fhould 
 appear to be llri(5lly true, the conclufion that would ne- 
 ceflarily refult from it might prove more than I mean 
 it fhould i therefore we will drop the fubjecl. Should 
 you, however, differ from me in opinion of your town 
 life, and difapprove what I have faid concerning it, you 
 may excufe me, if you pleafe, as you would a lawyer who 
 
 does 
 
324 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 does the befl he can for the party for whom he is re- 
 tained. I think you will alfo excufe any exprefTions 1 may 
 have ufed, which may not be current here j if you find, 
 as I verily believe you may, that I have not made ufe 
 of a French word, but when I could not have exprefled 
 my meaning fo well by an Englifh one. — It is only an 
 unneceflary and affeded application of a foreign language, 
 that, in my opinion, is deferving of cenfure. 
 
 To thofe who may think the danger which attends on 
 hunting a great objection to the purfuit of it, I muft 
 beg leave to obferve, that the accidents which are occa- 
 fioned by it are very few. I will venture to fay, that 
 more bad accidents happen to fhooters in one year, than 
 to thofe who follow hounds in feven. You will remind 
 
 me, perhaps of the death of T k, and the fall of 
 
 D 1 ; — but do accidents never happen on the road ? 
 
 the moft famous huntfman and boldeft rider of his time, 
 after having hunted a pack of hounds for feveral years 
 unhurt, lofl his life at laft by a fall from his horfe, as 
 he was returning home. — A furgeon of my acquaintance 
 has afTured me, that in thirty years pradlice, in a fporting 
 
 country. 
 
HUNTING. J25 
 
 country, he had not once an opportunity of fetting a 
 bone for a fportfman, though ten packs of hounds were 
 kept in the neighbourhood. This gentleman, furely, 
 muft have been much out of luck, or hunting cannot be 
 fo dangerous as it is thought. — Befides they are all timid 
 animals that we purfue, nor is there any danger in attack- 
 ing them : — They are not like the furious beaft of the 
 GevaudaUj which, as a French author informs us, twenty 
 thoufand French ChalTeurs went out in vain to kill. 
 
 If my time in writing to you, has not been fo well- 
 employed as it might have been, you at leafl will not find 
 that fault with it : nor fhall I repent of having employed 
 it in this manner, unlefs it were more certain than it is, 
 that I fhould have employed it better. It is true, thefe 
 letters are longer than I firft intended they lliould be : 
 they would have been Jhorterj could I have beftowed more 
 time upon them.— -Some technical words have crept in 
 imperceptibly, and with them, fome expreffions better 
 fuited to the field, than to the clofet ; nor is it necef- 
 fary, perhaps, that a fportfman, when he is writing to a 
 fportfman, fhould make excufes for them. In fome of 
 
 my 
 
316 T H O U G Fi T S (3 N 
 
 my letters you will have found great variety of mattef j-*-^ 
 the variety of queftions contained \n yours, made it fome- 
 times unavoidable. I know there muft be fome tauto- 
 logy; it fcarcely is poflible to remember all that has been 
 faid in former letters •, — let that difficulty, if you pleafe, 
 excufe the fault. I fear there may be fome contradiftions 
 for the fame reafon, and I doubt there Ihould be many 
 exceptions. I truft them all to your candour, nor can 
 they be in better hands. I hope you will not find that 
 I have at different times given different opinions ; but 
 fhould that be the cafe, without doubt you will follow 
 that opinion which coincides mod with your own. If on 
 any points I have differed from great authorities, I am forry 
 for it : I have never hunted with thofe who are looked 
 up to as the great matters of this fcience; and, when 
 I differ from them, it is without defign. — Other methods, 
 without doubt, there are, to make the keeping of hounds 
 much more expenfive j which, as I do not practice myfelf, 
 I fhall not recommend to you -, — treated after the manner 
 here defcribed, they will kill foxes, and fhew you fport. 
 I have anfwered all your queftions as concifely as I have 
 been able, and it has been my conftant endeavour to fay 
 
 no 
 
HUNTING. 327 
 
 no more than I thought the fubjefl required. — The time 
 may come, when more experienced fportfmen, and abler 
 pens, may do it greater juflice^ till then, accept the obfer- 
 vations that I have made: — take them •, — read them ; — 
 try them. — There was a time when I fhould readily have 
 received the information they give, imperfect as it may 
 be ; for experience is ever a flow teacher, and I have had 
 no other. With regard to books, Somervile is the only 
 author whom I have found of any ufe on this fubjeftj you 
 will admire the poet, and eileem the man -, yet I am not 
 certain that you will be always fatisfied with the lefTons 
 of the huntfirran. Proud of the authority, I have quoted 
 from him as often as it would fuit your purpofe, and for 
 your fcike have I braved the evident difad vantage that 
 attended it. I wifli this elegant poet had anfwered all 
 your qucilions ; you then would have received but one 
 letter from me — to refer you to him. That no other 
 wr.ter fliould have followed his fteps, may thus, I think, 
 be accounted for:' — thofe gentlemen who make a profef- 
 fion of wricing, live chiefly in town ; confequently can- 
 not be uippofed to know much of huntings and thofe 
 who do know any tiling of it, are either fcrvants who 
 
 U u cannot 
 
328 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 cannot write, or country gentlemen who will not give 
 themfelves the trouble. However, I have met with fome 
 curious remarks, which I cannot help communicating to 
 you. One author tells us, that " courfing is more agree- 
 
 " able than hunting, becauje it is Jooner over :''' " that a 
 
 ''terrier is a mungrel greyhound:" — and ^^ that dogs have 
 *' often coughs from eating fifio honest— r 
 
 Another, (a French author) advifes us tp give a horfe, 
 after hunting, " a foup made of bread and wine, and an 
 onion." — 1 fear an Englifh groom would eat the onion, 
 and drink the wine. 
 
 The fame author has alfo a very particular method of 
 catching rabbits, which you will pleafe to take in his own 
 words, he calls it — Chajfe du lapin a fecrevijfe. ^^ Cette 
 " chajfe convient aux perfomies qui ne veulent employer ni fiirets 
 " ni armes a feu : on tend des poches a'une extrimite d'un 
 " terrier, et a V autre on glijfe une ecrcvijfe \ cet animal arrive 
 " peu-a-peu aufond de la retraite du lapin,' le pique ., s'y attache 
 '^ avec tant de force, que le quadrupede eft oblige de fuir, em- 
 ^^ port ant avec luifon ennemi, et vient fe fair e prendre dans le 
 ^^ filet quon hi a tendu a Vouverture du terrier. Cetie chajfe 
 
 " demande 
 
HUNTING. 329 
 
 " demande heaucoup de patience: les operations de Vecrevijfefont 
 ^^ lentesj mais aujji elks font quelque fois plus fures que cellcs 
 " du furet" 
 
 This gentleman's fingular method of hunting rabbits 
 with a lohjleVi reminds me of a method harlequin has of 
 killing hares, not lefs ingenious, with Spanifh fnufF. 
 Brighella tells him, that the hares eat up all his mailer's 
 green wheat, and that he knows not how to kill them j 
 " nothing more eafy," replies harlequin — '■'■ I will engage 
 " to kill them all with two-pennyworth of fnufF. They 
 " come in the night, you fay, to feed on the green wheat; 
 " — ftrew a little fnufF over the field before they come, — 
 " it will fet them all a fneezing j — nobody wdll be by to 
 " fay God blefs you, and of courfe they will all die." 
 
 I BELIEVE, during our prefent correfpondence, that I 
 have twice quoted the Encyclopedic with fome degree of 
 ridicule y I mufl, notwithftanding, beg leave to fay, in 
 juftice to myfelf, that I have great efrcem for that moil 
 valuable work. 
 
 On opening a very large book called the Gentleman s 
 Recreation^ I met with the following remarkable palTage: — 
 
 U u 2 Many 
 
330 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 *' Many have written of this fiibje6l, as well the antients 
 " as moderns, yet but few of our countrymen to any 
 " purpofe j and had one all the authors on this fubjedl 
 " (as indeed on any other) there would be more trouble 
 ** to pafs by, than to retain, mofl: books being fuller of 
 *^ words than matter, and of that Vv'hich is for the moft 
 " part very erroneous." — All who have written on the 
 fubjeft of hunting feem to agree in this at leall — to fpeak 
 indifferently of one another. 
 
 You have obferved in one of your letters, that I do 
 not always follow my own rules -, and, as a proof of itj 
 you have remarked that many of my hounds are oddly 
 
 named : 1 cannot deny the charge. 1 leave a 
 
 great deal to my huntfman j but if you aim at per- 
 feftion, leave as little as you can help to yours. It is 
 eafier, I believe, in every inflance to know v/hat is right, 
 than it is to follow it •, but, if the rules I have given are 
 good, what does it fignify to you, whether I follow them 
 or not ? A country fellow ufed to call every direfling 
 poft he faw a do£for. He was aflced, v/hy he called them 
 fo ? " Why, mafter, faid he, I never fee them but they 
 ^^ put me in mind of the parfon of our parifli, who con- 
 
 *' ftantlv 
 
HUNTING. 331 
 
 " Handy points out a road to us he does not follow 
 " himlelf." 
 
 If I can add to the amufement of fuch as follow this 
 diverfion, I fhall not think that I have been ill employed j 
 and, if the rules which are here given may any ways tend 
 to preferve that friendly animal the hound from one unne- 
 ceflary lafh, I lliall not think that they have been written 
 in vain. It never was my expedtation to be able to fend 
 you a complete treatife : — Thoughts on Hunting, in ajeries 
 of familiar Letters j were all I propoied to myfelf the plea- 
 fure of fending to you :— the trouble I have taken in 
 writing them, intitles me to fome indulgence; nor need I, 
 therefore, whilft I endeavour to render them of ufe. Hand 
 in any dread of criticifm. Yet, if any man, as idle as I 
 have already declared myfelf to be, fhould take the trou- 
 ble to criticife thefe letters, tell him this : — 'An acquaint- 
 ance of mine, who had bellowed much time in improving 
 his place, whenever he heard it found fault with, " afked 
 " where the critic lived ? wliether he had any place of his 
 '^ own ? whether he had attempted any improvements ? 
 " and concluded with promifing a peep at it." — The 
 gentleman here alluded to had lefs humility than your 
 
 humble 
 
332 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 humble fervant. Take therefore my fentiments in the 
 following lines : 
 
 -Si quid novijli re5lius ijiisy 
 
 Candidus imperii -^ fi yion^ his tit ere mecurn. Hor. 
 
 Farewell. 
 
 The inclofed curious manufcript was called by its author 
 
 a hunting Jong y it is worth your notice. Once more 
 
 farewell.— 
 
 Hark ! hark to the notes of the melodious French horn 
 
 How fweetly fhe calls you out in the morn 
 
 She tells you Jemme is mounted on Tarter his Heed 
 
 And invites you all to the cover with fpeed 
 
 Of all pleafures or paftimes ever heard or feen 
 
 There's none in the world like to merry hunting 
 
 Hark ! cover hark ! the hounds are all in 
 The fox they have found and to his kennel they fling 
 He's forced now thorow the woods for to fly 
 Tho nothing can fave him between the earth and the fky 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 Hark ! tally hark ! out of cover they all break 
 And tell you the fox they ever will feek 
 They furely will run him untill that he die 
 Unlefs fome kind earth fave him in his way 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 The 
 
HUNTING. 23^ 
 
 The fox now panting fees he muft die 
 The hounds with their ingoys refound to the fky 
 There's Stateley and Emprefs the earth fcarce touch with their feet 
 There's Chafir and Trimmer all together as fleet 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 Triumph and Driver now pufli to head the whole pack 
 Whipfter being ftole his place for to take 
 I think fuch rafcally treatment as thefe 
 Should be reproach'd by alj thofe who feek for to pleafe 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 Bold Reynard now finding his fpeed will not do 
 Betakes to the woods the hounds may not him purfue 
 But the hounds as at firft to the cover they fly 
 And fwear pld Reynard in the field of honour fhall die 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 There's Trimbufh and Chirrup and others as good 
 Ralley Cleanly and Comfort drives on thorow the wood 
 Emperor and Conqueror will never him forfake 
 But drives on full fpeed thorow every breake 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 Old Reynard finding the cover can't fave him 
 Lurkes on for the earth that us'd to preferve him 
 But Smiler he fees him and foon overtake 
 And poor Reynard his exit in the field of honour doth make 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 The 
 
334 
 
 THOUGHTS ON 
 
 The hounds now eager to enjoy their reward 
 The huntfman as eager checks them with a word 
 He beheads old Reynard and takes of his brufli 
 And to the hounds gives his karcafs a tofs 
 Of all pleafures 
 
 The hounds now well pleafcd wallow on the ground 
 The huntfman as well pleafed to fee his company around 
 He buckles Reynard's head to his faddle with a ftrap 
 And with his ribbon tyes the brufli to his cap 
 Of all pleasures 
 
 Our fport being ended and our horfes full jaded 
 
 We return home well pleafed with our fport quite amazed 
 
 Saying was their ever fuch hounds as thefe 
 
 Or ever fuch hunting on weares 
 
 Of all pleafures or paftimes ever heard or feen 
 There's none in the world like to merry hunting 
 
 THE END. 
 
 ERRATA. 
 
 'dgc 3. 1 
 
 . 19. 
 
 dele thnt. 
 
 
 Page 123. 1. 5. dele and. 
 
 14. 
 
 1. 5. 
 
 for few read _/>/w//. 
 
 
 143. 1. 21. dele too. 
 
 27. 
 
 .20. 
 
 for the read a. 
 
 
 j6o. 1. 10. for hut rezi yet. 
 
 28. 
 
 1. I. 
 
 for of lezd from 
 
 
 170. 1. 9. for ether fide read other fde of, 
 
 4^. 
 
 • 5- 
 
 dele proper. 
 
 
 176. 1. ult. for is read are. 
 
 48. 
 
 . I. 
 
 de\iJhoulJ. 
 
 
 177. 1; 16. (or fok read chief. 
 
 76. 
 
 1. 4. 
 
 dele the. 
 
 
 224. 1. 3. for ceraitt read certain. 
 
 81. 
 
 1. 12. 
 
 for inJlruEl'iom read 
 
 'nflruEion. 
 
 231. 1. 5. and 6. no italic. 
 
 85. 
 
 1. 12. 
 
 after cunning infert 
 
 it. 
 
 297. 1, 6. for the read in. 
 
 108. 
 
 1. 2. 
 
 dele the. 
 
 
 
w 
 
 ^ ^ ^ ^ 
 
 t^^ 
 ^>^>i> 
 
 
 ^ '^ ^ "^ ^^ i§ '^i' ^' ^' 
 
 ^5^ 
 
 
 t 
 
 J^ 
 
 1 
 
 
 S^i 
 
 A 
 
 ^ « rt Xi d ^ p pq" ^ Pm 6 rt H 
 
 
^m,^ 
 
 
 
 -^^^:^.:! 
 
 ,^'^" 
 
 ■#' ^*^ 
 
 
 Ak 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 ^. V »ii 
 
 «»'^ 
 \^;^ 
 
 *v*