HOUND 315 on a scent, and the lighter northern hound ; and as all animals improve under the care and guidance of man, until they assume the character of a distinct breed, it is clear that such has been the case with foxhounds, the earlier breeders of which did their part towards the attainment of perfection, by breeding with much care and judg ment from the best specimens at their disposal. Older breeders were satisfied if the result of their crossings possessed good noses, and were up to the standard of beauty of those days ; but the time came, in the days of the great Meynell, when pace had to be added to the list of foxhound virtues, owing to the use of better bred horses in the hunting field, and at the present day the development of pace without sacrificing nose is one of the greatest diffi culties a breeder has to contend with. The mastership of a pack of foxhounds is an undertaking of great responsibility. In the article HUNTING mention is made of the difficulties which beset a master when he takes the field ; but after all, the greatest exercise of judg ment is called for in relation to the kennels, for upon the master, in conjunction to a greater or less extent with the huntsman or kennel huntsman, rests the responsibility of selecting suitable sires and dams for the young hounds he intends to breed ; of drafting such hounds as it is thought desirable to part with owing to their being over or under sized, or possessed of some failing ; and of obtaining drafts from other establishments. More than one opinion exists as to what is the proper size for a foxhound, but some of the greatest authorities having expressed their conviction that from 21 to 22 inches for bitches and from 23 to 24 inches for dogs is the proper standard, a master could hardly do wrong in adopting it. A hound s head should not be too large, nor, on the other hand, should it be too narrow, or else, like the greyhound, he will possess speed, butbe deficient in nose. There was much truth in Mr Warde s remark, who, on overhearing a stranger finding fault with his hounds for having such large heads, said, " Their knowledge boxes (as he called them) are large, but size has this advantage, that when they once put their noses down to the ground they cannot get their heads up again." The neck should be neither too short nor throaty; that is to say, there should be no dewlap. The shoulder should slope like that of the horse, and there should be plenty of muscle in the arm. Below the knee a hound should be quite straight, and the distance should be short between the knee and the foot, which must be short and round like a cat s foot. So, too, with the hind legs ; speed and strength alike call for great length from the hip to the hock, and as little as possible from the hock to the foot ; the haunches or gaskins should be wide and well furnished with muscle. A flab-sided hound should be drafted at once, as he is sure to be a bad winded one ; so should one that stands over at the knee when looked at sideways. How to combine all the good points in one hound requires no little judgment, but appearance is not all that must be thought of ; the breeder must have an eye to nose, pace, stoutness, nnd the avoidance of certain faults in the field. In order to produce a good- looking puppy, dams and sires, perfect enough as regards make and shape, are often selected before they have taken the field long enough to have their good or bad points developed. Three years is quite early enough to begin to breed from any hound, male or female, and by that time it will be pretty well known what are the hunting capabilities of each. Out of every litter of whelps it may be necessary to destroy some, four or five are quite enough for a mother to rear, but a diversity of opinion exists amongst hunts men as to which should be kept. As the points of a very young puppy cannot be seen, the selection is really one of colour ; some men prefer light colours, others dark ; the majority are in favour of the latter, light-coloured hounds and horses being popularly supposed to have weak consti tutions and uncertain tempers. When the puppies are three or four days old the dew- claws should be severed with a small and sharp pair of scissors, and after another day or two it is usual to cut off about an inch of the tail. Rounding is the last operation that foxhounds are subjected to, and generally takes place as soon as the puppy has quite recovered from the distemper ; it consists in cutting off the ends of the ears so that they may not be torn in going through cover. When about ten or twelve weeks old puppies are sent out to walk, and are not again received at the kennel till the beginning of the following April, soon after which date the distemper may be looked for. At this crisis the great aim should be to keep the body in a healthy condition, and not to feed hounds too highly, whey and porridge only being given. After the return from walks, the huntsman and whips should give the young entry plenty of gentle exercise, at first in the couples ; and nothing more need be done in the way of training until about eight or nine weeks before cubbing begins, when the young hounds, who should hitherto have been exercised by themselves, should be put into the company of some older ones, and the exercise should be gradually extended until they can keep up for 2 or 3 miles with a horse going at half speed. The first day or two of cub-hunting is certain to be a somewhat unsatis factory performance ; the young entry are sure to run riot ; it cannot be helped at first, but they will soon learn better manners under the watchful eyes of the huntsman and whips, and in company of the old hounds, about a dozen of the latter being taken out with twice that number of young ones. The sooner the puppies taste blood the better; it will help to teach them to stick to their proper game. Huntsmen therefore make every effort to bring a brace of cubs to hand the first day they go out, but this thirst after blood should not be indulged to any great extent afterwards, or the stock of foxes in the country may be much impaired, and sport thereby diminished. There is perhaps nothing connected with hunting of more importance, and, it may be added, of greater interest, than good kennel manage ment. First of all it is shown in the formation of a level pack for where things are done properly it is not enough to get together a lot of hounds that are good in themselves, they must also be, as nearly as possible, of one size. Then again, they must all be equally fast to use a common expression, a sheet should cover them when running. Lastly, they must be free from certain faults, such as muteness, babbling, and skirting. A mute hound is a terrible nuisance. A fox is found and goes away unper- ceived ; some time afterwards news is brought to the hunts man that a single hound has been seen running hard a mile from cover. This is our mute friend, which got on to the line by himself and gave no notice to anybody. But a young hound that is reticent with his tongue should not be too hastily set down as mute; he may have been flogged for proclaiming a scent, under the mistaken idea that he was running riot, and if so it would have the effect of checking his music. " Babbling " consists in a hound being too free with his tongue : after a fox hi.s been found, the babbler announces the fact for the next ten minutes, and repeats his refrain whenever the least opportunity presents itself. A hound may give tongue too much without being an absolute babbler, but a noisy hound is pretty sure to become a babbler, and when he is so he should be drafted at once. A "skirter " is a hound that will not run with the pack, but is always taking a line of his own ; like the babbler he should have every chance, but, if gentle as well as severe measures fail in effecting a reclamation, he too must be sent away. It goes without saying that where good
kennel management exists, the hounds will be well
