HARELIP, _s._ A fissure in the upper lip, with want of substance.
HARNESS, _s._ The leather gear, &c., used to attach horses to
carriages.
HARNESS, _v._ To fix horses in their traces.
HARPOON, _s._ A bearded dart with a line fastened to the handle,
with which whales are struck and caught.
HARQUEBUSS, _s. obs. Fr._ Arquebuse. A handgun; a musquet.
HARRIER, HEN HARRIER, (_Circus Pygargus_, FLEMING), _s._ A small
sized hawk. It is generally believed by ornithologists to be the
same species as the Ringtail.
HARRIER, _s._ A dog for hunting hares.
[Illustration]
This dog is now almost universally used in Great Britain for hare
hunting. He was originally generated in a double cross, between the
small beagle, the southern hound, and the dwarf fox.
There are, however, various harriers produced by crosses introduced in
breeding, dictated by knowledge and experience, and depending on the
kind of country they hunt in, and the wish or fancy of the owner of the
pack; all of which are a great alteration in the blood.
The harrier pursues the hare with great eagerness and speed, allowing
her but little time to breathe or double. The keenest sportsmen often
find it difficult to keep up with this dog, and with a strong hare it is
rather fatiguing work. There is a great deal of melody and cheerful
harmony in the voices of harriers during the chase.
Mr. Beckford, who was justly esteemed one of the best judges of dogs in
Britain, endeavoured, as far as possible, to breed his harriers with
much bone and strength within a small compass, and, at the same time, of
a handsome make. These respective qualities he obtained; and his hounds
ran remarkably well together, went fast, had all the alacrity that could
be desired, and would hunt the coldest scent.
Although the harrier is the best adapted for hare hunting, yet there are
situations where he is too weak, being ill-suited for swampy and marshy
lands, such as those of Lancashire and Lincolnshire, and many other
places. The large low southern hound seems best calculated for such
localities. Harriers which are of a larger description, and crossed for
the purpose of speed, are only superior in open countries, where, for
want of covert, the hare will run five or six miles right out without a
single turn. In such cases the pleasure of the chase may be compared to
those of fox-hunting.
Harriers, in Mr. Beckford’s judgment, to be good, must be kept to their
proper game. Hounds cannot be perfect unless used to one scent, and one
style of hunting; to run fox with them teaches them to skirt, and is of
great disservice to them. The high scent which a fox leaves, the
straightness of his course, the eagerness of the pursuit, and the
hallooing that usually accompanies it, all contribute to spoil a
harrier.—_Brown_—_Daniel._
HARRY, _v._ In Scotland, signifies to rob, plunder, or oppress;
destruction of game by birds of prey.
HART, _s._ A he-deer of the large kind; the male of the roe.
HARTSHORN, _s._ A volatile alkali, originally drawn from the horn of
a stag, called by modern chemists subcarbonate of ammonia.
HASLET, or HARSLET, _s._ The heart, liver, and lights of a hog, with
the windpipe and part of the throat to it.
HATCH, _v._ To produce young from eggs; to quicken the eggs by
incubation.
HATCH, _s._ A brood excluded from the egg; the act of exclusion from
the egg; the half-door; in the plural, the doors or openings by
which they descend from one deck or floor of a ship to another.