belleth; a buck growns or troats; a roe bellows; a hare beats or taps; an otter whines; a boar freams; a fox barks; a badger Shrieks; a wolf hoals; a goat rattles. 4. For their copulation: -A hart or buck goes to rut; a roe to tourn; a boar to brim; a hare or coney to buck; a fox to clickitting; a wolf to match or make; an otter hunts for his kind. 5. For the footing and treading:-Of a hart, they say the lot; of a buck, and all fallow-deer, the view; of all deer, if, on the grafs, and scarce vifible, the foiling; of a fox, the print; and of other vermin, the footing; of an otter, the marks; of a boar, the track; the hare, when in open field, is faid to fore; when the winds about to deceive the hounds, the doubles; when the beats on the hard highway, and her footing comes to be perceived, the pricketh; in fnow, it is called the trace of the hare. 6. The tail of a hart, buck, or other deer, is called the fingle; that of a boar, the wreath; of a fox, the brush, or drag; and the tip at the end, the chape; of a wolf, the fern; of a hare and coney, the fcut. 7. The ordure of a hart and all deer, is called femets or fexumishing; of a hare, crotiles or crotising; of a boar, leffes; of a fox, the billiting; and of other vermin, the fuants; of an otter, the praints. 8. As the attire or parts of deer, thofe of a ftag, if perfect, are the bur, the pearls, the little knobs on it, the beam, the gutters, the antler, the fur-antler, royal, fur-royal, and all at top the croches; of the buck, the bur, beam, bros antler, black antler, advancer, palm, and fpellers. If the croches grow in the form of a man's hand, it is called a palmed head. Heads bearing not above 3 or 4, and the croches placed aloft, all of one height, are called crowned heads; heads having double croches, are called forked beads, because the croches are planted on the top of the beams like forks. 9. Of the young, they fay, a litter of cubs, a neft of rabbits, a fquirrel's dray. 10. The terms uted in refpect of the dogs, &c. are as follows. Of greyhounds, two make a brace; of hounds, a couple; of greyhounds, three make a leafh; of hounds, a couple and half They fay, let flip a greyhound; and, caft off a hound. The ftring wherein a greyhound is led, is called a leash; and that of a hound, a lyome. The greyhound has his collar, and the hound his couples. We fay a kennel of hounds, and a pack of beagles. 11. The following terms and phrafes are more immediately used in the progrefs of the iport itself. When the hounds, being caft off, and finding the fcent of fome game, begin to open and cry, they are faid to challenge; when they are too bufy ere the scent be good, they are faid to babble; when too bufy where the fcent is good, to bawl; when they run it endwife orderly, holding in together merrily, and making it good, they are faid to be in full cry; when they run along without opening at all, it is called running mute; when spaniels open in the ftring, or a greyhound in the courfe, they are faid to lapfe; when beagles bark and cry at their prey, they are faid to yearn; when the dogs hit the fcent the contrary way, they are faid to draw amifs; when they take freth fcent and quit the former chafe for a new one, it is called hunting change; when they bunt the game by the heel or track, they are said to hunt counter; when the chafe goes off, and returns again, traverfing the fame ground, it is called hunting the foil; when the dogs run at a whole herd of deer, inftead of a fingle one, it is called running riot; dogs fet in readiness where the game is expected to come by, and caft off after the other hounds are paffed, are called a relay. If they be caft off ere the other dogs come up, it is called vauntlay; when, finding where the chafe has been, they make a proffer to enter, but return, it is called a blemish; a lesson on the horn to encourage the hounds, is named a call, or recheat; that blown at the death of a deer, is called the mort: the part belonging to the dogs of any chafe they have killed, is the reward; they fay, take off a deer's fkin; ftrip or cafe a hare, fox, and all forts of vermin; which is done by beginning at the fnout, and turning the skin over the ears down to the tail. (8.) HUNTING, MODERN METHOD OF. Hunting, as practifed among us, is chiefly performed with dogs; of which we have various fpecies, accommodated to the different kinds of game, as greyhounds, blood-bounds, terriers, &c. See CANIS, I. N° vi.; HOUND, &c. In the kennels or packs they generally rank them under the heads of enterers, drivers, flyers, tyers, &c. On fome occafions, nets, fpears, and inftruments for digging the ground, are alfo required; nor is the hunting horn to be omitted. The ufual chafes among us are, the bart, buck, roe, hare, fox, badger, and otter. Hunting is practised in different feafons and manners, and with different apparatus, according to the nature of the beasts which are hunted. (See § I.-XVIII.) With regard to the feafons, that for hart and buck-hunting begins a fortnight after midfummer, and lafts till Holy-rood day; that for the hind and doe, begins on Holyrood day, and lafts till Candlemas; that for foxhunting begins at Chriftmas, and holds till Ladyday; that for roe-hunting begins at Michaelmas, and ends at Chriftmas; hare-hunting commences at Michaelmas, and lafte till the end of February; and where the wolf and boar are hunted, the feafon for each begins at Christmas, the first ending at Lady-day, and the latter at the Purification. When the fportfmen have provided themfelves with nets, fpears, and a hunting-horn to call the dogs together, and likewife with inftruments for digging the ground, the following directions will be of ufe to them in the pursuit of various forts of game, British and foreign: I. HUNTING THE BADGER. Seek the earths and burrows where he lies, and in a clear moonshine night go and stop them all, except one or two, and therein place fome facks, faftened with drawing ftrings, which may fhut him in as soon as he strains the bag. Some only fet a hoop in the mouth of the fack, and fo put it into the hole; and as foon as the badger is in the fack and ftraineth it, the fack flippeth off the hoop and follows him to the earth, where he lies tumbling till he is taken. Thefe facks being thus fet, caft off the hounds, beating about all the woods, coppices, hedges, and tufts, round about, for the compafs of a mile or two; and fuch badgers, as are abroad, being alarmed by the hounds, will foon betake themfelves to their burrows. He who is placed to watch watch the facks, must stand close, and upon a clear wind; otherwife the badger will discover him, and will immediately fly fome other way into his burrow. But if the hounds can encounter him before he can take his fanctuary, he will then ftand at bay like a boar, and make good sport, grievoufly biting and clawing the dogs, for the manner of their fighting is lying on their backs, ufing both teeth and nails; and by blowing up their skins, defend themselves againft all bites of the dogs, and blows of the men upon their nofes. For the prefervation of the dogs, put broad collars about their necks made of grey fkins. When the badger perceives the terriers begin to yearn him in his burrow, he will stop the hole betwixt him and the terriers, and if they ftill continue baying, he will remove his couch into another chamber or part of the burrow, and fo from one to another, barricading the way before them, as they retreat, until they can go no further. If you intend to dig the badger out of his burrow, you must be provided with the same tools as for digging out a fox; and should have a pail of water to refresh the terriers, when they come out of the earth to take breath and cool themfelves. It will alfo be neceffary to put collars with bells about the necks of the terriers, which making a noife may cause the badger to bolt out. The tools ufed for digging out the badger being troublefome to be carried on men's backs, may be brought in a cart. In digging, confider the fituation of the ground, by which you may judge where the chief angles are; for elfe, inftead of advancing the work, you will hinder it. In this order you may befiege them in 'their holds, and work to them with mines and countermines until you have overcome them. Having taken a live badger, if you would make sport, carry him home in a fack, and, turn him out in your court-yard, or fome other inclofed place, and there let him be hunted and worried to death by your hounds. The flesh, blood, and greafe of the badger, though not good food, yet are ufeful in laboratories for making oils, ointments, falves, and powders for fhortnefs of breath, cough, the ftone, fprained finews, colt-aches, &c. and the fkin, when well dreffed, is warm, and good for old people who are troubled with paralytic diftempers. i II. HUNTING THE BOAR. See BOAR, $ 3. III. HUNTING THE BUCK. Here the fame hounds and methods are used as in running the ftag. (See XI.) To facilitate the chafe, the game-keeper commonly felects a fat buck out of the herd, which he fhoots in order to maim him, and then he is run down by the hounds. The company generally go out very early. Sometimes they have a deer ready lodged; if not, the coverts are drawn till one is roufed; or fometimes in a park a deer is pitched upon, and forced from the herd, then more hounds are laid on to fun the chafe. If you come to be at a fault, the old ftaunch hounds are only to be relied upon till you recover him again; if he be funk, and the hounds thruft him up, it is called an imprime, and the company all found a recheat; when he is run down, every one strives to get in to prevent his being torn by the hounds, fallow deer feldom or never fanding at bay. He that firft gets in cries hoo-up, to give notice that he is down, and blow's a death. When the company are all come in, they paunch him, and reward the hounds; and generally the chief perfon of quality amongst them takes fay, that is, cuts his belly open, to fee how fat he is. When this is done, every one has a chop at his neck; and the head being cut off, is fhewed to the hounds, to encourage them to run only at male deer, which they fee by the horns, and to teach them to bite only at the head; then the company all standing in a ring, one blows a fingle death; which being done, all blow a double recheat, and fo conclude the chafe with a general halloo of hoo-up, and depart from the field to their feveral homes, or to the place of meeting; and the huntsman has the deer cast across the buttocks of his horfe, and fo carries him home. IV. HUNTING THE BUFFALO. Dr Sparrman, whofe account of this formidable animal we have already quoted (fee Bos, N° IV. § vi.), gives the following defcription of the mode of hunting him at the Cape of Good Hope. "When we advanced to within 20 or 30 paces of the beaft, and confequently were in fome degree actuated by our fears, we difcharged our pieces pretty nearly at the fame time; while the buffalo, which was upon rather lower ground than we were, behind a thin fcambling bufh, feemed to turn his head round in order to make towards us. In the mean while, however, the moment we had discharged our guns, we had the pleasure to fe him fall, and directly afterwards run down into the thickest part of the wood. This induced us to hope that our fhot had proved mortal; for which reafon, we had the imprudence to follow him down into the close thickets, where luckily for us we could get no farther. "We had, however, as we found afterwards, only hit the hindmoft part of the chine, where the balls, which lay at the diftance of three inches from each other, had been shivered to pieces against the bones. In the mean while our temeri. ty, which chiefly proceeded from hurry and ignorance, was confidered by the Hottentots as a proof of fpirit and intrepidity hardly to be equalled; on which account, from that inftant they appeared to entertain an infinitely higher opinion of our courage than they had ever done before. Several of our Hottentots now came to us, and threw ftones down into the dale, though without fuccefs, in order to find out by the bellowings of the beaft whither he had retired: afterwards, however, he feemed to have plucked up his courage; for he came up at laft out of the dale of his own accord to the skirts of the wood, and placed himself fo as to have a full view of us on the fpot where we were refting ourselves fomewhat higher up his intention was, in all probability, and in the opinion of our old fportfmen, to revenge himself on us, if we had not happened to fee him in time, and fired at him directly. What, perhaps, put a ftop to his boldness was, that we stood on higher ground than he did; for feveral veteran fportf men, have affured me of it as a fact, that they know from experience, that the buffaloes do not willingly venture to afcend any hill or eminence in order to attack any one. The third fhot, which afterwards was obferved to have entered at the belly, was fatal. This occafioned the buffalo ta to take himself down again into the vale, dyeing the ground and bufhes all the way he went with his blood. Though ftill hot upon the chafe, yet we advanced with the greatest caution, accompanied by two of our Hottentots, through the thin and more pervious part of the wood, where the buffalo had taken refuge. He was advancing again to attack fome of us, when Mr Immelman, from the place where he was pofted, fhot him in the lungs. Notwithstanding this, he had ftill ftrength enough left to make a circuit of 150 paces, before we heard him fall: during his fall, and be fore he died, he bellowed in a moft ftupendous manner; and this death-fong of his infpired every one of us with joy, on account of the victory we had gained: and fo thoroughly steeled is frequent, ly the human heart against the sufferings of the brute creation, that we haftened forwards, to enjoy the pleasure of feeing the buffalo ftruggle with the pangs of death. I happened to be the fore. moft amongst them; but think it impoffible for anguish, accompanied by a favage fiercenefs, to be painted in ftronger colours than they were in the countenance of this buffalo. I was within ten fteps of him when he perceived me, and bellowing raifed himself fuddenly again on his legs. I had reafon to believe fince, that I was at the time very much frightened; for before I could well take my aim, I fired off my gun, and the shot miffed the whole of his huge body, and only hit him in the hind legs, as afterwards discovered by the fize of the balls. Immediately upon this I flew away like lightning, in order to look out for fome tree to climb up into. Notwithstanding the tedious prolixity it might occafion me to be guilty of, I thought the best and readieft method of giving my reader an idea of the nature of this animal, and of the method of hunting it, as well as of other contingent circumftances, would be to adduce an inftance or two of what occured during the chafe." V. HUNTING THE CHAMOIS GOAT. See CAPRA, XIV. From the defcription given by M. Sauffure, in his Journey on the Alps, vol. 3d. no fpecies of hunting appears to be attended with more danger than this; yet the inhabitants of Champuni are extremely addicted to it. (See CHAMOUNI.) The Chamois hunter generally fets out in the night, that he may reach by break of day the most elevated paftures where the goats come to feed, before they arrive. As foon as he difcovers the place where he hopes to find them, he furveys it with his glass. If he finds none of them there, he proceeds always afcending: when ever he defcries any, he endeavours to get above them, either by stealing along fome gully, or get ting behind some rock or eminence. When he is near enough to diftinguish their horns, which is the mark by which he judges of the diftance, he refts his piece on a rock, takes his aim with great compofure, and rarely miffes. This piece is a rifle-barelled carabine, into which the ball is thrust, and thele carabines often contain two charges, though they have but one barrel; the charges are put one above another, and are fired in fucceflion. If he has wounded the chamois, he runs to his prey, and for fecurity he hamstrings it; then he confiders his way home: if the road is difficult, he fkins the chatnois, and leaves the carcafe; but, if it is practicable, he throws the animal on his fhoulders, and bears him to his village, though at a great diftance, and often over frightful precipices: he feeds his family with the flesh, which is excellent, efpecially when the creature is young, and he dries the skins for fale. But if, as is the most common cafe, the vigilant chamois perceives the approach of the hunter, he immediately takes flight among the glaciers, through the fnows, and over the moft precipitous rocks. It is particularly difficult to get near thefe animals when there are feveral together; for then one of them, while the reft are feeding, ftands as a centinel on the point of fome rock that commands a view of the avenues leading to the paťture; and, as foon as he perceives any object of alarm, he utters a fort of hifs, at which the others inftantly gather round him to judge for themfelves of the nature of the danger: if it is a wild beaft, or hunter, the moft experienced puts himfelf at the head of the flock, and away they fly, ranged in a line, to the most inacceffible retreats. It is here that the fatigues of the hunter begin: inftigated by his paffion for the chafe, he is infenfible to danger; he paffes over fnows, without thinking of the horrid precipices they conceal; he intangles himfelf among the moft dangerous paths, and bounds from rock to rock, without knowing how he is to return. Night often furprises him in the midst of his purfuit; but he does not for that reafon abandon it; he hopes that the fame cause will arreft the flight of the chamois, and that he will next morning overtake them. Thus he paffes the night, not at the foot of a tree, like the hunter of the plain; not in a grotto, foftly reclined on a bed of mofs, but at the foot of a rock, and often on the bare points of fhattered fragments, without the fmalleft shelter. There, all alone, without fire, without light, he draws from his bag a bit of cheese, with a morfel of oaten bread, which make his common food: bread fo dry, that he is fometimes obliged to break it between two ftones, or with the hatchet he carries with him to cut out fteps in the ice. Having thus made his folitary and frugal repaft, he puts a stone below his head for a pillow, and goes to fleep, dreaming on the route which the chamois may have taken. But foon he is awakened by the freshness of the morning; he gets up, benumbed with cold; furveys the precipices which he muft traverse to overtake his game; drinks a little brandy, of which he is always provided with a fmall portion, and fets out to encounter new dangers. Hunters fometimes remain in these folitudes for feveral days together, during which time their families, their unhappy wives in particular, experience a state of the most dreadful anxiety: they dare not go to reft for fear of feeing their hufbands appear to them in a dream; for it is a received opinion in the country, that when a man has perished, either in the fnow, or on fome unknown rock, he appears by night to the perfon he held moft dear, defcribes the place that proved fatal to him, and requests the performance of the laft duties to his corpfe. "After this picture (fays M. Sauffure) of the life which the chamois bunters lead, could one imagine that this chafe would be the object of a patlion abfolutely unfur mountable? tangle him with ftrong ropes; they fetter his legs and trunk; they bring two or three tame elephants to pacify and reconeile him to his condition. In a word, they reduce him to obedience in a few days, by a proper application of torture and careffes. There are many other methods of catching elephants. Inftead of making large inclofures with palifades, like the kings of Siam, and other monarchs, the poor Indians content themselves with a very fimple apparatus: they dig deep pita. in the roads frequented by elephants, covering them over with branches of trees, turf, &c. When an elephant falls into one of thefe pits, he is unable to get out again. mountable? I knew a well-made, handfome man, who had juft married a beautiful woman:- My grand father, faid he to me, loft his life in the chafe; fo did my father, and I am perfuaded, that I too fhall die in the fame manner: this bag which I carry with me when I hunt I call my grave-cloaths, for I am fure I will have no other; yet if you fhould offer to make my fortune on condition of abandoning the chafe of the chamois, I could not confent.' I made fome excurfions on the Alps with this man: his ftrength and addrefs were aftonishing; but his temerity was greater than his ftrength; and I have heard, that, two years afterwards, he miffed a step on the brink of à precipice, and met with the fate he had expected." VI. HUNTING THE DEER. The method of hunting the deer in the island of Ceylon is very particular. The huntsmen go out in the night, and only two ufually go together: the one of thefe carries upon his head an earthen veffel, in which there is fome fire burning and flaming; the ingredients are generally small sticks cut into pieces, and common rofin. Of this the other man carries a fupply about him to replenish the pot. The perfon who has the fire upon his head, carries in one hand a staff, on which there are fixed 8 bells; and the larger thefe are the better. This man goes first into the woods, and the other follows clofe behind with a fpear in his hand. As foon as the deer hears the noise of the bells, he turns towards the place whence the found comes; and feeing the fire, he eagerly runs up to it, and ftands gazing at a small distance: the fecond man has then nothing to do but to kill him with the fpear; for he fees neither of them. Not only deer, but even elks and hares, are thus taken; for they gaze at the fire, and never fee the men. The profits of this fort of hunting are very large, and the danger nothing; for, though there are numbers of tigers, elephants, and wild boars, in these woods, the huntsmen are in no danger from them while the fire burns, as they all run away from it. VII. HUNTING THE ELEPHANT. In forefta and fuch places as are frequented by elephants, the Indians choose a spot and inclofe it with ftrong palifades; they use the largest trees as the principal stakes, to which are fixed smaller ones in a tranfverfe direction. These cross trees are fixed fo as to allow a man to pass eafily through. There is likewife a large port left for the elephant, over which is fufpended a strong barrier, which is let down as foon as he enters. In order to decoy him into the inclosure, the hunters take along with them a tame female in feason, and travel about till they come fo near as that the cry of the female can reach a male, whom they previously obferve in the foreft; then the guide of the female makes her give the cry peculiar to the feafon of love: the male instantly replies, and fets out in queft of her. The guide then makes the female proceed towards the artificial inclosure, repeating her cries from time to time as he goes along. She enters into the inclosure, the male follows her, and the Indians immediately fhut the port behind him. He no fooner discovers the hunters, and that he is inclosed, than his paffion for the fex is converted into rage and fury. The hunters en VOL. XI. PART II. VIII. HUNTING THE ELK. The American Indians have various methods of hunting the elk, or moofe-deer. The firft, and the moft fimple, is before the lakes or rivers are frozen. Multitudes affemble in their canoes, and form with them a vaft crefcent, each horn touching the shore. Another party perform their share of the chafe among the woods; they furround an extenfive tract, let loofe their dogs, and prefs towards the water with loud cries. The animals, alarmed with the noife, fly before the hunters, and plunge into the lake, where they are killed by the perfons in the canoes, prepared for their reception, with lances or clubs. The other method is more artful. The favages inclose a large space with stakes hedged with branches of trees, forming two fides' of a triangle: the bottom opens into a fecond inclosure, completely triangular. At the opening are hung numbers of fnares, made of flips of raw hides. The Indians affemble in great troops, and with all kinds of noises drive into the first inclosure not only the moofes, but the other species of deer which abound in that country: fome, in forcing their way into the fartheft triangle, are caught in the fnares by the neck or horns; and thofe which efcape the fnares, and pass the little opening, find their fate from the arrows of the hunters, directed at them from all quarters. They are often killed with the gun. When they are firft unharboured, they squat with their hind parts and make water, at which inftant the sportsman fires; if he miffes, the moose fets off in a moft rapid trot, making, like the rein deer, a prodigious rattling with its hoofs, and will run for 20 or 30 miles before it comes to bay or takes the water. But the ufual time for this diverfion is the winter. The hunters avoid entering on the chafe till the fun is ftrong enough to melt the frozen cruft with which the fnow is covered, otherwise the animal can run over the firm furface: they wait till it becomes foft enough to impede the flight of the moofe; which finks up to the fhoulders, flounders, and gets on with great difficulty. The sportsman pursues at his ease on his broad rackets, or fnow-thoes, and makes a ready prey of the diftreffed animals. IX. HUNTING THE Fox makes a very pleasant exercife, and is either above or below ground. i. HUNTING THE FOX ABOVE GROUND. To hunt à fox with hounds, you must draw about groves, thickets, and bushes near villages. When you find one, stop up his earth the night before you defign to hunt, about midnight; while he is out to prey. This may be done by laying two Yyy white white sticks across in his way, which he will imas gine to be fome trap laid for him; or they may be ftopped up with black thorns and earth mixed. The pack fhould confift of 25 couple. The hounds fhould be at the cover at fun-rifing. The huntsman should then 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 escape them; let them be atten. tive to his halloo, and let the sportsmen be ready to encourage or rate as that directs. The fox ought on no account to be hallooed too foon, as in that cafe he would moft certainly turn back, and spoil all the sport.-Two things Mr Beckford particularly recommends, viz. the making all the hounds fteady, and making them all draw. "Many huntsmen (fays he) are fond of having them at their horfe's heels; but they never can get fo well or foon together as when they spread 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. Much depends upon the first finding of your fox: for I look upon a fox well found to be half killed. I think people are generally in too great a hurry on this occafion. There are but few inftances where sportsmen are not too noify, and too fond of encouraging their hounds, which feldom do their bufinefs fo well as when little is faid to them. The huntfman ought to begin with his foremost hounds, and keep as close to them as he can. No hounds can then flip down the wind and get out of his hear ing; he will alfo fee how far they carry the fcent, neceffary requifite; for without it he never can make a caft with any certainty. You will find it not lefs neceffary for your huntfman to be active in preffing his hounds forward when the fcent is good, than to be prudent in not hurrying them beyond it when it is bad. It is his bufinefs to be ready at all times to lend them that affiftance which they fo frequently need, and which, when they are first at a fault, is then moft critical. A hound at that time will exert himself moft; he afterwards cools and becomes more indifferent about his game. Thofe huntfmen who do not get forward enough to take advantage of this eager nefs and impetuofity, and direct it properly, feldom know enough of hunting to be of much ufe to them afterwards. Though a huntfman cannot be too fond of hunting, a whipper-in eafily may. His bufinefs will feldom allow him to be forward enough with the hounds to fee much of the fport. His only thought therefore should be to keep the hounds together, and to contribute as much as he can to the killing of the fox: keeping the bounds together is the fureft means to make them fteady. When left to themselves they feldom refufe any blood they can get; they become con ceited; learn to tie upon the fcent; and befides this they frequently get a trick of hunting by them felves, and are feldom good for much afterwards. Every country is foon known; and 9 foxes out of To, with the wind in the fame quarter, will follow the fame track. It is eafy therefore for the whipper-in to cut fhort, and catch the hounds again. With a high fcent you cannot push on hounds too much. Screams keep the fox forward, at the fame time that they keep the hounds together, or let in the tail-hounds: they also enliven the sport; and, if difcreetly ufed, are always of fervice; but in cover they fhould be given with the greatest caution. Halloos feldom do any hurt when you are running up the wind, for then none but the tail-hounds can hear you: when you are running down the wind, you should halloo no more than may be neceffary to bring the tail-hounds forward; for a hound that knows his business seldom wants encouragement when he is upon a fcent.-Moft fox-hunters wish to fee their hounds run in a good Style. A pack of harriers, if they have time, may kill a fox, but I defy them to kill him in the ftyle in which he ought to be killed; they muft hunt him down. If you intend to tire him out, you muft expect to be tired alfo yourself; I never with a chafe to be less than one hour, or to exceed two: it is fufficiently long if properly followed: it will feldom be longer unless there be a fault fomewhere, either in the day, the huntfman, or the hounds. Changing from the hunted fox to a fresh one is as bad, an accident as can happen to a pack of fox-hounds, and requires all the ingenuity and ob fervation that man is capable of to guard against it. Could a fox-hound diftinguish a hunted for as the deer-hound does the deer that is blown, foxhunting would then be perfect. A huntsman thould always liften to his hounds while they are running in cover; he should be particularly attentive to the headmost hounds, and he should be conftantly on his guard against a skirter; for if there be two fcents, he must be wrong. Generally speaking, the best scent 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 hallooed early in the day, they are all fresh foxes. The hounds moft likely to be right are the hard-running line-hunting ones; or fuch as the huntfman knows had the lead before there arofe any doubt of changing. With regard to the fox, if he break over an open country, it is no fign that he is hard run; for they feldom at any time will do that unless they are a great way before the hounds. Alfo, if he run up the wind, they feldom or never do that when they have been long hunted and grow weak; and when they run their foil, that alfo may direct him. All this requires a good ear and nice obfervation; and indeed in that confifts the chief excellence of a huntfman. When the hounds divide in two parts, the whipper-in, in ftopping, must attend to the huntfman and wait for his halloo, before he attempts to ftop either: for want of proper management in this, I have known the hounds ftopped at both places, and both foxes loft. If they have many fcents, and it is uncertain which is the hunted fox, let him ftop thofe that are fartheft down the wind; as they can hear the others, and will reach them fooneft: in such a cafe there will be little ufe in topping thofe that are up the wind. When hounds are at a check, let every one be filent and stand till. Whippers-in are frequently at this time coming on with the tail-hounds. They fhould never halloo to them when the hounds are at fault; the leaft thing does them harm at fuch a time, but a halloo more than any other. The huntímar, |