BITCHES.

Active

Actress

Airy

Audible

Baneful

Bashful

Bauble

Beauty

Beldam

Blameless

Blithesome

Blowzey

Bluebell

Bonny

Bonnylass

Boundless

Brimstone

Busy

Bucksome

Captious

Careless

Careful

Cautious

Charmer

Chearful

Comely

Comfort

Crafty

Crazy

Credulous

Croney

Cruel

Curious

Dainty

Daphne

Darling

Dauntless

Dianna

Diligent

Doubtful

Doubtless

Doxy

Easy

Echo

Endless

Fairmaid

Fairplay

Famous

Fancy

Favourite

Fearless

Festive

Fickle

Fidget

Flighty

Flourish

Fretful

Frisky

Frolic

Fury

Gambol

Gamesome

Gamestress

Gaylass

Ghastly

Giddy

Gladsome

Graceful

Graceless

Gracious

Grateful

Guilesome

Guiltless

Guilty

Hasty

Handsome

Harlot

Harmony

Heedless

Helen

Heroine

Hideous

Hostile

Jollity

Joyful

Joyous

Laudable

Lavish

Lawless

Lightning

Lightsome

Lively

Lofty

Lovely

Luckylass

Madcap

Magic

Matchless

Merrylass

Minion

Mischief

Music

Needful

Nimble

Noisy

Notable

Novice

Pastime

Patience

Phœnix

Phrenzy

Placid

Playful

Pleasant

Pliant

Positive

Precious

Prettylass

Priestess

Prudence

Racket

Rally

Rantipole

Rapid

Rapine

Rapture

Rarity

Rattle

Ravish

Reptile

Restless

Rhapsody

Riot

Rival

Rummage

Ruthless

Sappho

Skilful

Specious

Speedy

Spiteful

Spitfire

Sportive

Sprightly

Strumpet

Symphony

Tattle

Telltale

Tempest

Termagant

Terrible

Testy

Thoughtful

Toilsome

Tragedy

Trifle

Trollop

Tuneful

Vengeance

Venomous

Venus

Vicious

Vigilance

Vixen

Vocal

Volatile

Voluble

Wanton

Wasteful

Watchful

Welcome

Whimsey

Wishful

HOUNDS are constantly liable to those distressing disorders the

DISTEMPER and CANINE MADNESS, as well as to that vexatious and

troublesome disease called the MANGE. As well with hounds as with

horses, _prevention_, in all cases, is preferable to CURE:

unfortunately, there is as yet no mode discovered by which either of the

former can be prevented. The _distemper_, if attended to upon its

_first_ appearance, may with as much certainty be counteracted, in the

severity of its symptoms, by medical interposition, as the variolus

matter is divested of its malignant miasma by the alleviating

preparatives previous to inoculation. The only specifics by which a

purpose so desirable can be effected, are the preparations of MERCURY

blended with small proportions of EMETIC TARTAR, as the judicious

practitioner may find applicable to the predominant appearances of the

case. It has been observed, and with great reason, that as the

universality of the _distemper_ has evidently increased during the last

twenty or thirty years, so the more destructive calamity of MADNESS

amongst the _species_ has evidently declined.

As it is certain the _distemper_ may be arrested, in the severity of its

progress, by timely intervention, so the first symptoms of its

appearance cannot be too perfectly explained. It is preceded by a husky

dryness in the throat; as if a small bone, or some similar obstruction,

was fixed there, from which the animal, by an incessant kind of

straining and half cough, seems constantly endeavouring to relieve

itself. This is soon followed by a slimy discharge from the nostrils;

and an adhesive gummy matter exudes from the eyes: food of every kind is

refused; the eyes become sunk and glassy: the carcase, behind the ribs,

is invariably contracted, and a stricture is to be observed upon the

abdominal muscles, as if bound with a cord. As the disorder becomes more

inveterate in its progress, other symptoms ensue; every day demonstrates

additional debility and emaciation; eternal strainings to vomit, and

those severe and violent, producing nothing more than a mere viscid

phlegm or slimy mucus from the glands: a frequent tenesmus, or straining

to evacuate by stool, without effect, is also attendant: to this

succeeds a distressing weakness of the loins, occasioning a twisting and

distortion of the hinder extremities, as if a disjunction of the

vertebræ had taken place. If the disorder is not counteracted at or

before its CRISIS, spasms and twitchings become perceptible about the

head and neck; the discharge from the nose and eyes assume a _dry_ and

_barky_ appearance, forming a kind of matted eschar upon the surface;

the eyes become more and more sunk, till nearly closed: a ropy slime

oozes from each side the jaws, which seem nearly fixed; a drooping

dizziness, and frequent disposition to turning round, is commonly seen

during this stage; and fits soon follow, which, more or less, continue

till, during some one of these paroxysms, DEATH closes the SCENE.

In the earlier stages of the distemper, the well-known powder of DOCTOR

JAMES has been brought into use with success. It may, however, be

necessary to premise, that no good effect is to be expected from small

and ineffectual doses; they must be large to be efficacious: no relief

can be obtained, but by taking off the general stricture, removing the

obstructions, promoting the various secretions, and constituting

revulsion. When it is so evidently ascertained, that all dogs labouring

under the distemper, have both the stomach and intestinal canal

disordered, and in a state of extreme irritation, it is natural to

advert a little to the _filth_, _dirt_, _gravel_, _sand_, _dry grass_,

_straw_, and various other extraneous particles, young DOGS and PUPPIES

ravenously swallow with the chance food they happen to pick up: and it

is equally worthy attention, that the prelude to visible amendment is

generally the discharge of an indurated MASS or PELLET from the ANUS,

which, when broken to pieces is found to consist of the before-mentioned

articles; and, beyond a doubt, by retarding some secretions, and

obstructing others, contributes in no small degree to increase the

inveteracy of disease. For explanatory remarks upon CANINE MADNESS and

HYDROPHOBIA, see DOGS.

The MANGE, when it has once found its way into a kennel, is a most

troublesome, loathsome, and infectious disorder: if it has not been

introduced by the latter, it must have originated in an _acrimonious_

and vitiated state of the BLOOD, arising from too long a perseverance in

some impoverished or _putrified_ kind of food; a want of proper AIR or

EXERCISE; or a culpable deficiency in _cleanliness_; without all which,

health and strength need not long be expected. The mange is a disorder

too well known not only in HOUNDS, but every other _kind_ of DOG, to

require description; and for the cure of which, AUTHORS, COMPILERS, and

EDITORS, of every class, have furnished means in abundance, sulphur

vivum, oil of turpentine, gunpowder, ginger, train oil, foot, and a

tedious COMBINATION of COMBUSTIBLES, (with various alternatives, in

cases of failure,) are recommended to extirpate what may be completely

eradicated without half the nastiness or trouble. All that _externals_

can do, may be expected from three plentiful bastings of a very cheap

and easily-procured composition, consisting of sulphur vivum, four

ounces; white hellebore powder, two ounces; black pepper, very finely

powdered, one ounce; sal armoniac, (finely powdered likewise,) half an

ounce; oil of tartar, one ounce; and common olive oil, one pint; with

which the diseased subject should have every affected part _fully_ and

_forcibly_ impregnated with the hand at three different times, three

days apart during which process, at the same equal distances of time,

three MERCURIAL PURGING BALLS of a proper strength (proportioned to the

_age_, _size_, and _strength_, of the dog) should be administered, if a

sure and speedy cure is to be expected.

The disorder called the RED MANGE does not appear to be nearly allied to

what is so well known by the common appellation of MANGE, but to be a

species of disease within itself, seated in the skin, and not always

infectious amongst dogs laying together, but almost invariably

communicated by a BITCH to her LITTER of WHELPS, particularly if she had

it upon her during the time she was in pup. This disorder is most

malignant in its effect; the incessant and severe itching, which, from

all observation, seems accompanied by a _burning heat_, and this too

increased by the perpetual biting and scratching of the tortured animal,

gives such parts of the frame as are severely affected, the appearance

of having been _scalded_ by some boiling liquor, with a consequent loss

of hair. It is this distinct kind of MANGE that so constantly baffles

DOG-DOCTORS and _dog-mongers_ of every description, and reduces them to

their _ne plus ultra_, where the fertility of invention can go no

further. It is, perhaps, the most deceptive disorder to which any part

of the animal world can become unluckily subject; for when it has

(seemingly and repeatedly) submitted to, and been subdued by, some of

the combination of combustibles before described, it has as suddenly, as

repeatedly, and as unexpectedly, made its reappearance with all its

former virulence. Great care, nice attention, and long experience, can

discover but one infallible mode of perfect eradication. Let half an

ounce of CORROSIVE SUBLIMATE be reduced in a glass mortar to an

impalpable powder; to this, by a very small quantity at a time, add two

ounces (half a gill) of spirits of wine; and, lastly, one pint of rain

or river water, and, with a sponge dipt in the solution, let every part

palpably affected be well washed, every third day, till thrice

performed; then leave three clear days, and repeat the former ceremony

of thrice as before; letting three MERCURIAL PURGING BALLS be given at

the equal distances stated in the common mange, and no doubt of cure

need be entertained, if the mode prescribed is properly and judiciously

attended to.

However opinions may vary upon the manner of FEEDING hounds, as well in

respect to time, as the occasional changes in, and _property_ of, the

FOOD best adapted to the purpose of nutritious SUPPORT, no opposition

whatever can arise to the general inculcation of CLEANLINESS, as

indispensibly conducive to the preservation of HEALTH, and consequent

exclusion of DISEASE. In the acceptation of the word _cleanliness_, may

be included the true intent and meaning of both internal and external

circumspection and attention, as well in PHYSIC, and in FOOD, as in the

neat and judicious arrangement of the KENNEL; where the conjunctive

force of which is wanting, what a train of _disease_, _misery_, and

wretchedness, frequently ensues! To avoid all which, at the times and

seasons found most proper for their introduction, ANTIMONIAL

ALTERATIVES, and MERCURIAL PURGATIVES, should be brought into use. Upon

this practice MR. BECKFORD has given his opinion in the following words.

"I am not fond of _bleeding_ hounds, unless they want it; though it has

long been a custom to _physic_ 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 service to

them. If a hound be in want of physic, I prefer giving it in balls.[3]

It is more easy to give in this manner the quantity he may want, and you

are more certain that he takes it. In many kennels, they also bleed them

twice a year, and some people think that it prevents madness. The

anointing of hounds, or _dressing_ them, as huntsmen call it, makes them

fine in their coats: it may be done twice a year, or oftener, if found

necessary."

The necessity of introducing something medicinal for the preservation of

health, and prevention of disease, is thus admitted upon the best of all

foundations, practical experience; but as medical precision cannot be

expected from those who have not made the profession their study, so MR.

BECKFORD seems to have applied "_physic_" in a general sense to every

kind of MEDICINE, as well to ALTERATIVES as to PURGATIVES; though the

term, when used technically, is conceived to imply the latter only.

According to this construction, it is to be presumed, Mr. Beckford

administered the balls as "physic," when, in fact, they can only be

termed antimonial alteratives, calculated to obtund acrimony, and alter

the property of the blood. Mercurial purgatives perfectly cleanse the

intestinal canal, and correct morbidity at the same time. External

applications, called "_dressings_," are more particularly directed to

bodily eruptions, and cutaneous diseases of the skin: in all these,

SULPHUR is a principal ingredient, and looked upon as a specific: in

fact, its efficacy is too well known to admit of a doubt upon the

occasion.

HOUNDS, as well as HORSES, are rendered subservient instruments to the

support of Government, and exigencies of the State. Persons keeping them

pay a tax of THIRTY POUNDS per annum.

[Footnote 3: One pound of antimony, four ounces of sulphur, and syrup of

buckthorn a sufficient quantity to give it a proper consistence. Each

ball to weigh about seven drachms.]

HOUZING.—The houzing of a horse is a part of military paraphernalia

appertaining to officers of cavalry in general, and the privates of the

King's horse guards in particular; consisting of scarlet trappings

ornamented with gold lace, fringe, and some part of the insignia of the

crown. They are fastened to the hinder part of the saddle, and suspended

from the loins, so as to cover the flanks, and a part of the

hind-quarters on each side. GENERAL and FIELD OFFICERS have their

houzings principally manufactured of lions, tigers, or leopard's skins,

giving additional magnificence to the stately grandeur of the MILITARY

CHARGER.

HUMOURS.—All chronic disorders in the horse, arising from an impure

state of the blood, are with the inferior classes in general denominated

"HUMOURS;" as a concise mode of avoiding scientific investigation, or

medical ambiguity, and bringing the case immediately home, as they

think, to _every_ comprehension. With people of the description alluded

to (whether SMITHS, FARRIERS, COACHMEN, or GROOMS) the word _humours_ is

conceived so wonderfully comprehensive, that it is _by them_ supposed to

convey an infinite idea of _every thing_, at the very moment it is

known, by their superiors and employers, to imply no definite or certain

meaning at all. If a horse has swelled legs, they are the effect of

"_humours_." If an inflammation of and defluxion from the eyes, they are

equally produced by "_humours_." Should cracked heels appear (the

evident effect of idleness, and want of attention) they too are brought

on by "_humours_." Even thrushes, occasioned in general by equal neglect

and want of cleanliness, are also frequently attributed to "_humours_;"

and to sum up the intrinsic value of this professional GEM, even

lameness, in a variety of cases, whether behind or before, above or

below, is most _sapiently_, if not SCIENTIFICALLY, attributed to that

_ne plus ultra_ of definition, denominated _humours_.

Thus far upon what HUMOURS are _supposed_ to be; now to what they are.

It may readily be conceived by those not professionally informed on the

subject, that the BLOOD (which is the very mainspring of existence) must

have preserved such kind of equality, consistency, or uniformity, in its

component parts, as to constitute a precise standard, necessary to the

enjoyment and preservation of HEALTH. This incontrovertible position

being admitted beyond all possible ground of controversy, what does it

evidently demonstrate? Why, that as much as the BLOOD is enriched

_above_, or impoverished _below_, that STANDARD, in its _property_, so

in proportion must it approach the kind of disease appertaining to the

one extreme or the other. To those whose intellectual rays are open to

conviction, not a single line more would be required in explanation; but

that the most _incredulous_, the most _obstinate_, and the most

_illiterate_, may have equal opportunity of information, let the two

different states of the blood, (as just explained,) with their effects,

be adverted to. When it has, by a superabundance of food and ease, a

neglect of exercise, and a want of the necessary evacuations, acquired a

degree of consistence (or thickness) above the criterion already

described, it then becomes too _heavy_ and _sluggish_ for its purpose of

regular CIRCULATION, and is proportionally inadequate to the task of

propelling the perspirative matter to the surface, which being thus

compulsively returned upon the blood, adds to its siziness, and promotes

its viscidity, jointly tending to such partial stagnation, as soon

displays itself in some one of the many disorders to which horses are

incident, in the hands of those where prevention is not attended to.

Having taken a survey of the state of the BLOOD, by which swelled legs,

grease, foulness, inflammatory tumours, formations of matter in various

parts, and one species of farcy, may be produced, it will be necessary

to take a short view of it in its contrasted state, when, by a continued

series of _hard_ work, with _bad_ keep, a constant supply of unhealthy

provender, in _musty_ oats, _mouldy_ hay, or any other article

distending the body, without adequate nutriment to the frame, as well as

the want of a proper supply, in proportion to the necessary SECRETIONS

and EVACUATIONS, will either, or all, tend to _diminish_ the

CRASSAMENTUM, or adhesive property of the blood, and in a greater or

less degree (according to the cause) reduce it to a serous or weak and

watery state, below the standard of mediocrity so clearly explained;

when acquiring acrimony in proportion as it has been reduced, the effect

seldom rests upon emaciation only, but soon displays itself in some

cutaneous eruption, so constantly dependent upon, and appertaining to,

an impoverished state of the blood.

This distinction has been introduced, not more to throw some

satisfactory light upon the ambiguity of the expression, which it seems

so few understand, than to prove the necessity for paying such attention

to the general state of a HORSE'S HEALTH and appearance, as may at least

be the means of preventing disease, anxiety, trouble, expence, and

probably the eventual loss of a useful, or even a valuable, animal,

which too often happens for want of a little humane circumspection; when

it is then experimentally found REPENTANCE comes too late. As the

_fertile_ idea of HUMOURS frequently originates in error, so the error

is continued in the medical mode of counteraction; for let the

derangement in the animal economy have happened from whichever of the

causes described, the system adopted is much the same in all cases, and

with all classes, rendering sometimes the remedy worse than the disease.

Those, however, who wish to blend instruction with entertainment,

deriving advantage from both, will do well to recollect, that whatever

DISORDERS (alias _humours_) originate in plethora, fulness of the frame,

and viscidity of the blood, must be subdued by repeated BLEEDINGS,

moderate PURGING, regular exercise, a great deal of stable discipline,

(wisping, leg-rubbing, &c.) and, if necessary, a concluding course of

MILD DIURETICS. Disorders arising from a weak and impoverished state of

the blood last described, must be counteracted by an extra addition of

nutritive aliment, as mashes of ground malt and bran nightly, as well as

the usual supplies of corn by day: an invigorating cordial ball daily

should assist the intent; and a course of ANTIMONIAL ALTERATIVES be

lastly introduced, to give a new complexion to the property of the blood.

HUMBLES.—The articles so called are some of the internal _trimmings_

obtained in breaking up a DEER, which are always a perquisite of the

keeper.

HUNTER.—A hunter, in its strictest implied signification with the

SPORTING WORLD, is a horse or mare of superior description and

qualifications, appropriated to no other purpose whatever than the

enjoyment of the chase. As it is the highest ambition of every SPORTSMAN

to be in possession of a HUNTER, numbers are so called, who are by no

means entitled to that distinction. Various opinions are entertained

respecting the more minute properties of a horse destined to the

particular purposes of the field, and this diversity can only be

justified by an allusion to the kind of hounds with whom he is intended

to hunt. Horses of an inferior description, cross bred, and without a

point of perfection, or the property of speed, may be called HUNTERS

with _harriers_; but prove mere roadsters, when brought into the field

with either STAG or FOX. One third of a century since, moderate horses

were called hunters; and those about HALF BRED went tolerably well up to

_most_ hounds; but during the last twenty years, so great has been the

rage for improving their speed, that in the present day, any horse may

_follow_ the hounds; but BLOOD HORSES only can go by the side of them.

The horses now denominated HUNTERS, are mostly three parts and full

bred; for the great number of blood horses not turning out WINNERS, as

well as those not trained for the turf, come of course to the hunting

stables, and keep up a constant supply. Under the head HORSE, three

distinct kinds are mentioned generally, and the purposes to which they

are assigned; but no particular description is made of a HUNTER, whose

qualifications are properly reserved for this place. A hunter for

constant use with fleet hounds, should be well bred on both sides; not

less in age than five years old off; from fifteen hands and an inch, to

fifteen three and sixteen hands, but not to exceed it: large and heavy

horses, in _deep_ or _hilly_ countries, frequently tire themselves. To

be handsome, he should be strong in the frame and formation, short in

the joints, firm in his fetlocks, quick in the eye, and agile in action.

He should have a light airy head, wide nostrils, prominent lively eye,

slight curve in the crest, long in the neck, wide in the breast, deep in

the chest, high in the withers, straight in the spine, short in the

back, round in the barrel, full in the flank, (the last rib coming well

up to the point of the hip-bone,) his loins wide, and rather circular

than flat; the summit of the hind-quarters, between the fillets and the

tail, should nearly form one section of an oval; the tail should be

high, and well set on, in nearly a direct line from the back, and not in

a drooping degree below the rump: there should be perceptible strength,

uniformity and substance in the thighs, and a prominent muscular swell

in the exterior of the gaskins; a great length from the hip-bone to the

hock, short from thence to the fetlock, which should be nearly round,

and well united; the pasterns rather short than long; fore-legs

straight, and upright; hoofs, black, and of a strong firm texture; great

courage, good temper, and pliability of disposition.

These are the rules by which thousands will admit a HUNTER should be

chosen; and they will also as readily admit, the very great difficulty

with which horses of such description are to be obtained. However, as

such an accumulation of perfections is so rarely to be found in the same

object, the most emulous and judicious will be the more anxious to come

as near to such criterion as circumstances will permit; but as it is not

to be expected the young, any more than the inexperienced, can retain

the minutiæ of a description to which they have been so little

accustomed, as well as recollecting the force EXAMPLE is said to have

beyond _precept_, the PORTRAIT of a HUNTER is introduced, who, for all

the qualifications already described, was repeatedly in the field (with

his MAJESTY'S STAG HOUNDS) honoured with the royal approbation. He was

got by _Eclipse_, dam by _Blank_, and possessed every requisite in the

field to render himself an object of universal attraction: after HUNTING

two seasons, and COVERING one, he was purchased, and taken to America as

A STALLION.

Having explicitly laid down the rules by which a horse should be

selected for the purpose particularly expressed, some farther hints

become necessary for his general management, if a wish is entertained to

preserve him in a state of purity; for it is well known, there cannot be

a greater stigma annexed to the character of a professed sportsman, than

his having a GOOD horse in _bad_ condition. The next great qualification

to SPEED and TEMPER in a hunter, is the property of leaping, both

_standing_ and _flying_; without those (in an enclosed country) his

leading perfections are very much reduced in the estimation of the

field: on the contrary, if he is in the full and unrestrained possession

of these additional, and, indeed, indispensible requisites to complete

and confirm his character, a purchaser may always be commanded at any

price. One great error is generally prevalent in teaching horses to

LEAP, by the young, petulant, and hasty, when _first_ they are brought

to the BAR, particularly in and round the Metropolis, where an assistant

is frequently seen with a _whip_ to expedite what cannot be proceeded

upon with too much kindness and circumspection. Young horses driven to a

bar with a whip, and once _alarmed_, are sometimes prevented from

becoming good standing leapers during their existence. Instances are

very rare of well-bred horses being bad FLYING LEAPERS, particularly

with hounds; few, _if any_, have ever been seen willing to stay _behind_

when the pack were before them; they of course require no other

instructions, than what the experience of the field affords them. When

horses are intended for the field, they should be brought and accustomed

to the bar, previous to their being put upon their mettle, and flurried

with hounds; when there, the bar should never be less than three feet

from the ground; if lower, it only induces the horse to attempt it with

one foot, as if to walk or scramble over it; and this is a bad habit to

acquire: he should never be permitted to make an effort, till taught to

rest entirely upon his haunches, and to raise slowly and gradually both

his feet before at the same moment.

Nothing can be more contemptibly ridiculous, than the absurd practice of

clothing the BAR with _bushes of furze_; and this is generally

introduced, under the plausible pretence of making the horse _clear his

leap_; although it is a fact, that almost every horse is terrified in

approaching it; and when compelled to take it, or is rather _driven

over_, it is in a JUMP of _fear_ and _agitation_; not in a cool,

temperate, and steady leap of safety, fit to qualify a HUNTER for the

FIELD. A horse can only be made a good standing leaper, by affording him

ample time to measure his leap before he attempts it; that is, to

observe its height, and take the space necessary for the bend of his

knees, the contraction of his legs, and his own altitude to cover the

leap with certainty; and this a well-taught horse, of tolerable temper,

will generally do, if permitted to adopt his own plan, and use his own

exertions: but if unnaturally hurried by the petulance, impatience, or

inhumanity, of those about him, _failure_, _injury_, and _disgrace_,

frequently ensue. The proper covering for a leaping-bar should either be

fern, or clean wheat straw, well secured by a strong packthread, bound

transversely and longitudinally in a kind of net-work, (bracing equally

every way,) which is not only exceedingly durable, but being composed of

articles to which the horse is so accustomed, he naturally approaches

it, if gently used, and patiently encouraged, without the least fear or

agitation.

The proper stable discipline, and general management, of hunters, are so

perfectly understood in the present state of equestrian emulation, and

universal improvement, that a few experimental maxims only are required,

as mementos to shield the young, inconsiderate, and unwary, from

unthinkingly encountering various foundations of vexation, trouble,

expence, and disappointment. Those of immense fortunes, and adequate

establishments, are not so liable to this aggregate of ills, as those

whose more humble and confined possessions restrain them within a much

smaller sphere of gratification. To the latter, therefore, it is, such

hints of utility are more particularly addressed and submitted, who not

having the good fortune to be surrounded with a profusion of

subordinates, by whom such offices are generally executed, feel the

necessity, and enjoy the happy opportunity, of sometimes personally

superintending their own concerns. The great exertions in respect to

speed, labour, and durability, of which the well-bred hunter is so

evidently capable, are almost beyond belief; and eminently entitle him

to every adequate tenderness, care, and attention, that can be possibly

bestowed in return. When it is within the compass of the reflecting

mind, that an animal of this description is frequently most laboriously

engaged for the whole of a dreary winter's day, encountering and

surmounting difficulties in succession almost beyond description, (till

in many instances nature is nearly exhausted,) no doubt can arise, but

the frame must sometimes stand in need of extra assistance upon such

occasions.

Of this greater proof need not be adduced, than the deaths of horses

which have recently happened, (particularly with the King's stag

hounds,) some in the field, and many within a few days after different

chases of singular severity; one instance of which is so truly

remarkable, that it lays claim to record in the annals of sporting, to

prevent its being buried in oblivion. The DEER was turned out at ASCOT

HEATH, and, after making BAGSHOT PARK, crossed the whole of the heath

country, to Sandhurst, through Finchamstead Woods, Barkham, Arborfield,

Swallowfield, and the intervening country, to Tilehurst, below Reading

in Berkshire, where he was taken unhurt after a chase of FOUR HOURS and

TWENTY MINUTES; horsemen being _thrown out_ in every part of the country

through which they passed: one horse dropt _dead_ in the FIELD; another,

after the chase, before he could reach a stable; and _seven_ more within

the WEEK: of such speed, and almost unprecedented severity, was this

run, that _tired_ horses in great danger were unavoidably left at the

different inns in the neighbourhood. A tolerable idea of the powers of

an English hunter may, from this description, be formed by those who are

not sportsmen, and have consequently a very imperfect conception of the

task he has to perform; of which incredulity MONS. SAINBEL, professor of

the VETERINARY COLLEGE, gave sufficient proof, treating the subject with

the utmost indifference, very little short of contempt; declaring, "it

was all _chimerical_, and that no horse could be found to continue a

chase of that kind _four hours_ in succession."

That such exertions may be continued till nature itself is totally

exhausted, must be admitted beyond a doubt; but that they in general

happen to horses by much _too slow_ for the CHASE, and to those in

_improper condition_, is as clearly ascertained. The result of which

facts clearly demonstrate the truth of observations previously made, and

forcibly inculcate the indispensible necessity of selecting horses

properly formed for the purpose; and as forcibly urge the propriety

(indeed the safety) of getting them into condition for the field. When

taken up from his summer's run at grass (which every perfect hunter is

entitled to) he should go through his regular course of physic; the

strength and number of doses to be regulated by the accumulated flesh,

and general appearance of the horse: if in a fair, good, clean state,

not loaded in substance, and perfectly clean in the skin, more than TWO

doses may be superfluous; if labouring under a weight of flesh, flabby,

and fluctuating under pressure, less than THREE will prove insufficient;

which should be preceded by BLEEDING in _either_, according to the state

of the horse. During the operation of physic, the subject should undergo

moderate exercise, and great friction in the stable; both which tend to

remove and circulate the stagnant fluids, that they may be carried off

by the evacuations. Great, regular and patient leg-rubbing is not only

absolutely necessary at all times, but more particularly during physic;

it braces the solids, and preserves them in a proper state of

elasticity; for want of which, they frequently acquire a degree of

flaccidity; the legs swell, and, if brought into work _too soon_,

continue in that state, _more_ or _less_, during the season.

After the chase (during the dressing in the stable) observation should

be made whether injury of any kind has been sustained during the day;

either by the heat and friction or pressure of the saddle, the loss of a

shoe, stubs, treads, over-reaches, bruises, or lameness of any kind; for

any of these once discovered, the necessary remedy should be immediately

applied; as it not unfrequently happens, that what in the first instance

would only prove a slight or trivial grievance, continues to increase in

proportion to the delay in discovery. Horses evidently distrest and

fatigued with the labour of the day, displaying lassitude, bodily

debility, and loss of appetite, should be nicely attended to; a cordial

ball becomes more applicable and useful at this time than any other;

frequent supplies of water, with the chill off, in moderate quantities,

should never be neglected; every horse is invariably thirsty after a

_hard day_; and many will take repeated supplies of water, and plenty of

hay, when they will eat no corn; in which case, a good warm mash, of

GROUND MALT and BRAN, is an excellent invigorating substitute, and in

many of the best managed establishments is _never_ omitted (particularly

with tender, delicate, or violent tempered horses) after a _long_ or

_rainy_ day, as a preventive to COLD, as well as to DISEASE.

HUNTERS, after long and severe chases, should not be brought _too soon_

into similar exertions; numbers are crippled, broke down, and

irrecoverably ruined, for want of a little precautionary patience:

brought into the field too early, with a stiff rigidity in the limbs,

and without the wonted pliability in the joints, the spirits, as well as

the frame, become affected by a consciousness of the deficiency; and the

RIDER, upon making the discovery, moves in little less _misery_ than the

HORSE, who, feeling his temporary imperfection, seems in fear of falling

at every stroke. A horse is best recovered from the visible effect of

over fatigue, by a great deal of patient walking, exercise upon the

turf, and equally patient friction in the stable: no horse perceptibly

affected in FRAME or SPIRITS, by long days or severe chases, should be

brought into exercise GALLOPS, till every degree of _stiffness_ is

previously worn away, and obliterated in gentle motion, of which they

are the first to make discovery, by a renovation of strength and action.

It is in many hunting stables an invariable practice, upon the

appearance of LAMENESS, to bleed and follow up that with a dose of

physic, exclusive of whatever local applications it may be thought

necessary to make to the part affected; and this, it must be

acknowledged, is very frequently attended with the most salutary

effects: naturally, however, leading the mind of scientific

investigation to believe, much of the advantage may be derived from the

rest obtained during the course, as from the operation of the medicine.

HUNTING,—in its general sense, implies the pleasure of the SPORT at

LARGE, without specifying any _particular kind_ of CHASE; of which there

are three, and equally well known under the different distinctions of

STAG-HUNTING, FOX-HUNTING, and HARE-HUNTING. A minor kind of sport,

called OTTER HUNTING, might formerly have been said to constitute a

_fourth_; but it is at present so little known, (and much less

practised,) that, like HAWKING, it seems nearly buried in oblivion, and

promises very little prospect of sporting resurrection.

HUNTING is the pursuit of any species of GAME (or vermin) with a

collected body of HOUNDS, sportingly termed a PACK; who, bred for, and

broke to, the chase, FIND and HUNT the particular sort to which they are

appropriated by _scent_, _drag_, or _trail_, till it escapes by the

ARTS, WILES, and SAGACITY, with which it is gifted by NATURE; or, being

exhausted, falls _a victim_ to the persevering patience, indefatigable

exertions, and instinctive impulse, of the HOUNDS. This sport, in its

different degrees, is of very great antiquity, and has been enjoyed,

through successive centuries, with gradational improvements; but at no

former period has it ever approached its present zenith of unparalleled

perfection. Some few reigns past, the enjoyment was considered so truly

extatic, that it was engrossed entirely by the NOBLES and superior

orders, to the entire exclusion of the people at large, who were then so

much in a state of vassalage, as to be held unworthy the participation

of so rich a gratification, under the most rigid proscription that

legislative and feudal LAWS could frame, or unqualified TYRANNY adopt.

Not so in the happy melioration of the present age, when every blessing,

every privilege, and every comfort of life, is equally enjoyed from the

HIGHEST to the _lowest_, according to the possessions of every

individual; under such necessary and indispensible restrictions, as it

may have been found, by the Legislature, prudent to adopt, for the

preservation of ORDER, and promotion of PUBLIC GOOD.

Nothing can more clearly demonstrate the attracting power, and

exhilarating effects, of the CHASE, than the enthusiastic rapture with

which it is enjoyed, and the constantly increasing number of its

implicit devotees. Cynical opponents will always continue to be

generated, inveterately averse to every pleasure, however sublime or

select, that is not immediately congenial to their own sensations; and

will with avidity declare perpetual war against any gratification, or

enjoyment, in which they are not eventually interested, or personally

concerned. The bewildered POLITICIAN, who erroneously suspends the

_balance_ of _power_ in his own disordered imagination; the PEDANTIC

book-worm, who derives _self-consequence_ from his closet; the MISER,

who wraps himself up in the _solitary_ consolation of his _canvas

comforts_; and those PRIGS of _puppyism_ (by SHAKESPEARE better

denominated "_poppinjays_") who exist only in their own personal

ambition, and the reflection from the silvered glass, naturally decry

pleasures, in which, from the innate sterility, and instinctive apathy,

of their own souls, they feel no disposition to engage. LOVERS of the

CHASE, who, for time immemorial, have been better known and

distinguished by the appellation of SPORTSMEN, are almost proverbial for

their mutual offices of civility and friendship; no class of men enter

more into the openness and glowing warmth of unsuspecting society, the

genial inspiration of PHILANTHROPY, and the infinite inexpressible

extent of unsullied HOSPITALITY.

HUNTING, in respect to the enjoyment, as well as the description of each

_particular_ kind of CHASE, will be found under their distinct heads of

"HARE-HUNTING," "FOX-HUNTING," and "STAG-HUNTING;" leaving nothing for

introduction here, but such general remarks, and salutary inculcations,

as appertain solely to the systematic concerns of the field. The prudent

sportsman is invariably the guardian of his own safety; for, however he

may rely upon the attachment and punctuality of an old or faithful

servant, he never declines the service of his own faculties, so long as

he can derive advantage from their evident utility. He therefore never

mounts his horse, however great his haste, however late his hour,

without taking a slight (but sufficient) survey of his apparatus: he

feels it a duty to himself to observe, and be convinced, that his SADDLE

is not fixed in an improper place, but literally in the centre, equally

free from the _withers_ as from the _hip-bones_; that his GIRTHS are not

only judiciously _tightened_, but that the buckles extend on each side

_above_ the PAD, as well as that the STIRRUP-LEATHERS are in too good a

state to hazard a chance of their _breaking_; whenever which happens, in

the very _heat_ of the CHASE, great danger (if not an accident)

certainly ensues.

Thus safely seated, in the full confidence of his own prudent

precaution, he never suffers himself, by the persuasions of the weak or

inconsiderate, to be diverted from his invariable purpose of proceeding

SLOWLY to the place of meeting, or throwing off the HOUNDS; he well

knows, not only the manly propriety, but the sporting necessity, of

letting a horse unload the carcase before he is brought into brisk

action or strong exertion. Upon joining company in the field, he enters

into little or no conversation beyond the friendly salutations of the

morning; experimentally knowing, the _frivolities_ sported upon such

occasions, by the young, the confident, and the inexperienced, are only

calculated to excite the _silent curses_ of the HUNTSMAN, and the

contempt of the company, by attracting the attention of the HOUNDS. The

judicious sportsman, whether the hounds are _drawing_ or RUNNING, is

never seen in a place to incur disgrace, by _heading_ the GAME, or

_obstructing_ the HOUNDS; it is a business in which he is a proficient,

and he is never at a loss in the execution. From an instinctive

attachment to the sport, and an implicit observance of custom, he is

totally insensible to the _less_ attentive part of the company, but

"tremblingly alive" to every _tongue_ of a HOUND. Not a _whimper_, a

_challenge_, or _hit_, but vibrates upon his anxious ear; and his whole

soul seems absorbed in the eager hope of transmitting the enlivening

signal of A VIEW to his distant friends, in equal expectation.

The CHASE thus commenced, he lays as well in with the hounds as the

speed of his horse, and the contingencies of the country, will permit;

he stands upon no paltry ceremony with, or servile subservience to,

local superiors; this alone is the happy spot where all are equal, where

personal pride can assume no consequence, dignity can claim no

precedence, and an immensity of property is of no avail. Ever attentive

to the sport, he ruminates upon no other object than the object of

pursuit: his mind is eternally intent upon the GAME, or the _leading

hound_; the latter of which he makes it a point never to _lose sight

of_, unless by COVERT obscured from his view; when, with the advantage

of the WIND, (which he is sure to avail himself of,) and that unerring

directory the EAR, he is _seldom_ far from the hounds, or _ever_ thrown

out. In every chase there are plenty of _slow goers_ behind, who,

prompted by ENVY, are never wanting in the vociferous exclamation of,

"Hold hard!" without knowing why; and from no other motive, than not

being themselves at the _head_ of _the hounds_. To these clamours he

pays not the least attention, if having viewed either the GAME, or the

_leading_ hound, and observed the chase going on without interruption;

experimentally convinced, those who are the most _forward_, must best

know the state of the SCENT by the _check_, or breast-high running of

the hounds.

As there is so frequently a jealous clamour about being too _forward_,

the zealous sportsman will never condescend to be too far _behind_. He

knows his place, and he keeps it. He is never seen in the _body_ and

_bustle_ of the _crowd_, riding in a direct line with, and pressing

upon, the HEELS of the HOUNDS, but parallel with the last _two_ or

_three_ couple of the PACK; where his horse is not only enabled to keep

his ground with ease, but the rider enjoys the advantage of observing

most minutely every winding of the chase, as well as the various

struggles, and enchanting emulative efforts, of the LEADING HOUNDS. In

this situation he is sure of seeing where they _throw up_, and knows to

a certainty how far they have carried the SCENT; consequently those only

who are FORWARD, and know the state of the chase, are properly QUALIFIED

to give the signal of "_Hold hard!_" to those _behind_; and not, as is

too commonly the case, for those behind to transmit the petulant

exclamation to those before. The moment hounds are at fault, he

invariably keeps a proper distance, that they may not be obstructed in

making _their casts_, or get interspersed amongst the _legs_ of the

HORSES. Upon a _hit_ being made, he attends to the hound who made it,

and, upon a recovery of the SCENT, goes instantaneously on with the

chase; for a loss of ground at so critical a moment, he well knows it is

sometimes difficult to regain.

Notwithstanding his enthusiastic attachment to the sport, the SAFETY of

his HORSE preponderates over every other consideration; and this

inflexible determination is supported by a few invariable rules, which

are never broken in upon under any plea, persuasion, or perversion,

whatever. No temptation can induce him to deviate from a plan so

prudently adopted, and persevered in with such laudable resolution. He

is never seen to enter into the _spirit_ of _racing_ during the CHASE,

thereby distressing his horse, and wasting the strength that may be

found necessary before the conclusion of a _long day_: he scorns the

idea of taking _high_ or _large_ leaps when they are truly unnecessary,

merely to attract attention, or display his own VALOUR, well knowing,

"the better part of valour is discretion." He regulates the speed of his

horse by the nature of the country he is engaged to go over, and is

never known to ride _hardest_ in the _deepest_ ground. Experience, and

attentive observation, having long before convinced him, that whatever

distance may have been unavoidably lost under temporary obstacles, may

with less difficulty be recovered when the horse's WIND (as well as his

strength) is preserved, till he can go more at his ease. Whatever may

have been the fate of the day, and whatever the _length_ of the CHASE,

it is no sooner concluded, than the same steady and cool deliberation

with which he started in the morning accompanies him home: no rash or

juvenile example induces him to reduce the estimation of his HUNTER to

the standard of a _post-horse_; superior to the instability, and

impatient impetuosity, of the majority, he neither TROTS with _one_, or

GALLOPS with the _other_; but, regardless of the distance, humanely

walks his horse to the place of his destination, where he _sees_, or

_knows_, he undergoes the attentive comforts so fully described under

the last head.

HUNTING-CAP—is a cap made of leather, and covered with black velvet,

fitting close to the head behind, and having a semicircular peak before,

for the protection of the face in case of falls, as well as in passing

through strong coverts during the chase. In the sporting world it is

termed A DASHER, and is supposed to confirm a generally received

opinion, that the wearer never swerves from any difficulty that may

occur, or refuses any LEAP in the field, but takes them all _in stroke_.

HUNTING-WHIP.—The whip so called, is of different lengths in the handle

or stock; having at one end a long thong and lash, to assist

occasionally in managing the hounds; and at the other, a HOOK, HAMMER,

or CLAW, for the purpose of holding or opening gates.

HUNTSMAN.—The huntsman is a person whose entire business it is to

superintend every department of a hunting establishment, as well as to

hunt the hounds. As it is an office of considerable trust and

responsibility, so it requires no inconsiderable share of those

qualifications which constitute some part of the approach to human

perfection. It is indispensibly necessary he should be possessed of a

comprehensive mind, a clear head, and humane heart; of affable and easy

manners; not prone to peevish petulance, or rude brutality. He should be

of consistent sobriety, ready observation, quick conception, great

personal fortitude, patience, and activity; have a good constitution, an

excellent ear, and a sonorous voice. As, however, it may not be

inapplicable to have the necessary qualifications more forcibly depicted

from the very words of the best experimental authority extant, the

opinion of MR. BECKFORD is literally introduced, who says,

"I will endeavour to describe what a good huntsman should be. He should

be young, strong, active, bold, and enterprising; fond of the diversion,

and indefatigable in the pursuit of it: he should be sensible and

good-tempered: he ought also to be sober, exact, civil, and cleanly: he

should be a good groom, and an excellent horseman: his voice should be

strong and clear; and he should have an eye so quick, as to perceive

which of his hounds carries the scent when all are running; and should

have so excellent an ear, as always to distinguish the foremost hounds

when he does not see them. He should be quiet, patient, and without

conceit. Such are the excellencies which constitute a good huntsman. He

should not, however, be too fond of displaying them, till necessity

calls them forth. He should let his hounds alone, whilst they _can

hunt_; and he should have genius to assist them, _when they cannot_."

Although the qualifications of a HUNTSMAN, upon the great scale of

universality, should be precisely the same, yet there is an infinite

contrast in the various points of execution. No distinct difference of

_light_ and _shade_ upon the CANVAS, no effect of the ELEMENTS upon the

_human frame_, can be productive of more opposite sensations, than the

requisites necessary to form a proper distinction between the modes of

hunting HARE or FOX; for the very means calculated for the successful

promotion of the one, would in a few minutes prove the evident

destruction of the other: from which it is natural to infer, that a

huntsman eminently qualified to hunt _either_, would never be likely to

acquire CELEBRITY for hunting _both_; for as the accustomed spirit,

speed, and dashing impetuosity, of the FOX-HUNTER would soon lose a

HARE, so the philosophic patience, and constitutional tardiness, of the

HARE-HUNTER would never kill a FOX.

Of this, corroborative proof may be adduced in a subsequent passage from

the before-mentioned AUTHOR, where he observes, "It may be necessary to

unsay, now that I am turned hare-hunter again, many things I have been

saying as a fox-hunter; as I hardly know any two things of the same

genus (if I may be allowed the expression) that differ so entirely. What

I said, in a former letter, about the huntsman and whipper-in, is in the

number. As to the huntsman, he should not be young; I should most

certainly prefer one, as the French call it, _d'une certain age_, as he

is to be quiet and patient: for patience he should be a very grizzle;

and the more quiet he is, the better. He should have infinite

perseverance; for a hare should never be given up whilst it is possible

to hunt her: she is sure to stop, and therefore may always be recovered.

Were it usual to attend to the breed of our huntsmen, as well as to that

of our hounds, I know no family that would furnish a better cross than

that of the _silent gentleman_ mentioned by the Spectator: a female of

his line, crossed with a knowing huntsman, would probably produce a

perfect hare-hunter."

The _scent_ of the STAG, the FOX, and the HARE, is so exceedingly

different in the duration of _each_, that it requires a method as

proportionally different in the pursuit of _either_; all which is

practically known to huntsmen, who have no alternative, but to render

their endeavours applicable to the kind of chase they are destined to

pursue. The scent of the FOX is well known to be the most powerful, as

well as the most _volatile_, of any; the scent of the STAG is equally

_grateful_ to hounds, but is known to evaporate sooner than the scent of

the HARE. In the two first, clamorous exultation _upon view_, is more

customary, and more to be justified, than in the latter. STAG or FOX

breaks away with the most undaunted fortitude, seeking safety in a

rapidity of flight to even a distant and unknown country; in both which

the hounds cannot be too fleet; nor can they be laid on _too close_ to

the GAME; both deer and fox run the better for it. Not so with the

latter; where a general silence should prevail, and the industrious

endeavours of the pack should never be obstructed by the busy tongues of

officious obtruders; and upon this well-founded position, if they

receive no assistance, they encounter no interruption. HARRIERS (as well

as their huntsman) should never be permitted to hunt FOX: the strong

scent which he leaves, the difference of his running, the indescribable

eagerness and noise of the pursuit, all contribute to spoil a harrier,

and render no service to the huntsman when they return to HARE again. It

is a very prevalent error of the present time, to have bred and crossed

harriers to too much speed: the hare is but a mere inoffensive, timid

animal, and fully entitled to all the little artifices she can avail

herself of to shield her from destruction.

When found, she cannot be permitted to go off too silently before the

hounds; her own extreme timidity frequently occasions her _heading_, and

the pack are as repeatedly liable to _over-run_ the _scent_. The

huntsman, by not pressing _too close_ upon the hounds _himself_, will

keep the company at a proper distance also; and when they are thus left

to a proper and free use of their own faculties, they are but little

likely to over-run it much. The author whose judgment and celebrity has

been so frequently mentioned, has something so applicable, and so truly

just, in every page upon this subject, that it is impossible to resist

the temptation of quoting a few occasional passages, where the

intentional meaning is so emphatically and sportingly exprest. He not

only accords with every systematic principle of the chase, but so

constantly strengthens his opinion with the embellishment of applicable

anecdote, that it is impossible to peruse his "Thoughts" without both

amusement and instruction. He holds it a rule, "that hounds, through the

whole chase, should be left almost entirely to themselves, and not be

much hallooed: when the hare doubles, they should hunt through those

doubles; nor is a hare hunted fairly when hunted otherwise. They should

follow her every step she takes, as well over greasy fallows, as through

flocks of sheep; nor should they ever be cast, but when nothing can be

done without it."

Making every possible allowance for the diversities of the different

chases already alluded to, there are leading rules characteristically

annexed to the OFFICIAL DEPARTMENT of the HUNTSMAN, from which hardly

any possible circumstance can justify a deviation. In addition to the

invariable and indispensible _duties_ of the KENNEL, a strict and

regular discipline in the stables (so far as his own and the horses of

the whippers-in are concerned) should fall under the eye of his

inspection; by well knowing the state of which, he best can tell of what

work they are capable. And this is the more necessary, because it is

impossible for him to relax from his _duty_ in the _field_: he is the

GENERAL OFFICER, having the supreme command, and whom _all_ must obey.

Persevere and conquer, should be his motto in the chase. VENI, VIDI,

VICI, at his return. This, however, becomes more applicable to the

spirit of the huntsman whose good fortune it is to preside over a

fox-hunting establishment, where every energetic nerve of emulative

sensibility is so constantly roused into action. How different from the

languid enjoyment, and frigid apathy, of what is so admirably adapted to

the opposite extremes of youth and age! upon which no _two_ opinions can

arise: the best authorities admit the _good find_ of a FOX to be

preferable to a _bad run_ with the HARE.

From the moment of throwing off, as well as during every progress of the

chase, it is the peculiar province of the HUNTSMAN to be at the HEAD of

the HOUNDS; once convinced of the abilities of his subordinates, he has

nothing to do with what is going on _behind_. The place he should

endeavour to keep, when circumstances and unavoidable obstacles do not

occur to prevent it, is parallel with the leading BODY of the HOUNDS; in

which commanding situation he has unobstructed opportunity to observe

what hounds carry the scent; and if it fails, to know to a certainty how

far they brought it: as well as ample scope for the exertion of his

proper authority, to prevent the horsemen pressing too _eagerly_ upon

the HOUNDS (at a moment so truly critical) by the emphatic injunction of

"_Hold hard_!" a signal that never can come with so much propriety from

any other voice as his own, nor will it be so implicitly obeyed. A

huntsman is naturally anxious to obtain _blood_, not only to support the

reputation but the excellence of his hounds: he should, however, avoid

killing his game _unfairly_, by lifting his hounds too much, or taking

them from CHASE to _view_, which is a most cruel, unfeeling, and

unsportsman-like practice. If the hounds cannot kill by fair and

equitable efforts, the object of pursuit is justly entitled to its

escape.

As in hare-hunting it is impossible to press on the hounds too little,

so in fox-hunting it is impossible to press them on too much, at least

while the scent is good; that failing, much must be left to their own

industrious endeavours; those not soon succeeding, the proper casts

should be made with judgment, and that without delay. Five minutes lost

in hesitation, frequently loses every promised pleasure of the day. It

is proverbially asserted, that in a multitude of counsellors there is

safety; this is the very moment that proves an _exception_ to the

_rule_; for, amidst the variety of obtruded opinions, a huntsman should

_think_ before he ACTS; and once determined, abide by his _own_

stability, regardless of the frivolities with which he is so frequently

surrounded. If courage is thought a necessary qualification in a

huntsman, philosophic patience, upon many occasions, is much more so;

for, whilst he sees a number of experienced sportsmen in the field ready

to assist his own judicious exertions, he has the mortification to

observe double the number moving in a retrograde direction, doing every

thing but the thing they should do; riding directly where they should

not; probably _heading_ the _game_ into COVERT, at the very moment they

ought to be standing still "as silent as the grave." A proper degree of

modesty, blended with a little good sense and reflection, would soon

prevent those confident inconsiderates from such glaring and absurd acts

of indiscretion. It is a maxim resulting from observation in the chase,

that those who do not seem anxious, and take pains, to do _good_, are,

as it were, habitually unfortunate in doing the very reverse, and

becoming (perhaps undesignedly) the almost perpetual instruments of

_mischief_; and to this tribe of _misnamed_ sportsmen, a huntsman has in

general the most unqualified aversion; convinced that those who mean to

render him service, and prolong the sport, know in what particular place

they _ought to be_ upon every emergency; and if they are repeatedly

elsewhere, to where they should be, he soon knows how to estimate their

judgment in the field, and ability in the chase.

The instant a huntsman observes his hounds come to a check, is the

moment when his assistance is most wanting; then is the time to enjoin

an equal check and silence of the company; every _eye_ and every _ear_

may be anxiously and inquisitively employed, but not the sound of a

tongue is necessary upon the occasion. Those who are inclined to

_babble_ in a moment of so much doubtful expectation, lay claim to, and

generally obtain, a most _contemptuous sneer_ from the HUNTSMAN, and not

unfrequently what is called a _blessing_ into the _bargain_. He should

at no time be too ready to avail himself of a HALLOO when hounds are at

_fault_; they are very often deceptive, and occasion disappointment;

exclusive of which, after they have been taken from the spot to which

they know they brought the scent, they become less strenuous in their

endeavours, when they do not recover it elsewhere, even where they were

encouraged to expect it. Boys keeping birds, as well as rustics, from

sympathetic enjoyment, frequently lead the huntsman from his point. Mr.

Beckford is therefore of opinion, that when a doubt arises, it is better

for a whipper-in, or one of the company, to ride forward, and inquire;

it is only the loss of a little time; whereas if you gallop away to a

_halloo_, and are obliged to return, the hounds become very indifferent,

and it is a chance if they make another effort to recover the scent

afterwards.

Not the least attention should be paid by a HUNTSMAN to any halloo

unless the hounds are at _fault_; a huntsman taking his hounds from the

chase (when running with a good scent) to a halloo, without much more

than a _common_ cause, ought to be dismissed as a _fool_ or a madman.

Hounds are sometimes hallooed too much, and too frequently permitted to

obey it; the consequence is, they are no sooner at _fault_ than they

expect it: huntsmen hurt their hounds by availing themselves of such

advantage, it makes them indifferent; they are always upon the listen,

become more and more slack, particularly in COVERT. So long as hounds

can _carry on_ the scent, it must be admitted a very poor and

paradoxical practice to take _them off_; but when, with all their fair

and indefatigable exertions, it cannot be recovered, it then becomes a

duty to render them every assistance. Cases sometimes occur in

opposition to every effort (particularly in covert) where the leading

hounds, in running, get a head of the huntsman, and much before the

principal body of the pack; in such situation, he must strenuously

surmount intervening difficulties, with all possible resolution, and get

to them as fast as he can, with what he can collect of the PACK, and

leave the remainder to be _hallooed forward_, and brought along by the

whipper-in.

HUNTSMEN who have too much _dash_ themselves, dash with so much rapidity

in drawing from one covert to another, that they frequently leave hounds

behind; and the whipper-in (where there is but _one_, and there ought

always to be _two_) being no less eager than the huntsman to be forward,

renders what was an _error_ in the _first_ instance, a confirmed fault

in the next. It would be more sportsman-like to get the hounds

collected, and bring them away all together; it might sometimes prevent

the return of a whipper-in for even a _single skirter_, more

particularly at the conclusion of the day, when hounds are hallooed off

for home. Left behind, they become liable to loss as well as accident:

when once addicted to _skirting_, it becomes a growing vice, and is

seldom discontinued; they acquire confidence in hunting by themselves,

which they never relinquish, and would rather dwell upon their _own_

tongue, than give proper credit to another: in which persevering

obstinacy they continue, till the pack, drawn off, and evening coming

on, they are left to make their weary way through a dreary country; or,

exposed to the inclemency of a winter's night, take up their lodging

upon the ground, with the additional chance of being attacked and

worried by every dog they see in exploring their way the following

morning.

HURLE (OR WHIRL) BONE—is situate in the centrical part of the

hind-quarter, midway between the hip-bone and the gaskin, and is more

known now by the appellation of ROUND-BONE, than the former, which is

almost obsolete, unless in particular country districts. Notwithstanding

the singular strength of its formation, and peculiar junction with the

lower extremity of the hip-bone, it is liable to injury from sudden

turns or twists in too confined a space, and should be the more

particularly guarded against; as being deep seated, no relief can be

obtained, but by long and patient daily FOMENTATION, followed by

stimulative strengthening EMBROCATION.