in both departments, you may rest assured you have a rare and a valuable animal.

Especial care should be taken to enter hounds intended for otter at no other game, in the first place, as it will afterwards save a vast deal of rating and trouble. Once they become cognizant of the scent, you may then enter them at what you please, it matters not, they will always return with cheerfulness to the otter. The use of foxhounds in the pursuit of the otter is becoming yearly more prevalent throughout England; indeed I have frequently joined a very distinguished pack, and have seen them find and kill many an otter, but, to my mind, "it a'nt the real article." On a trail they carry head with such impetuosity as constantly to pass over the wild animal without coming to a mark; whereas a steady, oldfashioned pack will make everything good as they go; not a hover is passed carelessly or drawn in a hurry; speed is not required, and with the game before them they are never too blown to give the listener a full benefit of their deep-toned melody. On two or three occasions I have met the foxhounds just alluded to on a large and rapid river that abounds with otters from the sea to its source, and a headlong trail was invariably carried for 6 or 8 miles without checking; it would seem that no sooner were they over the trail of one otter than they flung upon that of another, and you had to ride at no trifling pace, to keep your eye upon the leading hounds. I may add, that on this river I never saw them find an otter. But, while referring to this pack, I must not forget to mention as a tribute to his memory, that it boasted of a noble, thoroughbred foxhound called "Waterloo," that as a chase-hound when the otter was moved, I never saw equalled in any pack, and ne'er shall see again. His sagacity was beyond the common brute-faculty in recovering his game, for when the water had been foiled by bungling men and the other hounds, and the chase was apparently at a stand-still, he would land, trot quietly on the bank down stream, take water, and heading back, slowly and carefully swim up, trying each bank in a zigzag fashion, until he came to a fresh mark again, and when he threw his tongue you might take your oath that there was the animal. Neither deep water nor the coldest and longest days ever beat him, and his excellence was such that he was kept exclusively for this sport. It is with sorrow I say it, this invaluable hound was killed by eating a rat or rats that had been poisoned near his kennel.

Undoubtedly by crossing the foxhound with the southern hound, some properties might be gained from the former that would be highly advantageous to the latter-constitution, for instance, which preeminently belongs to the foxhound, and consequently more power for enduring long, cold days; but, on the other hand, if you do cross them you entail the almost certain and hereditary loss of that fine manly tongue that is so much to be prized; at least it has always been so in my experience.

We e come now to the terriers (or earth-dogs, as the name implies), which form a very important branch of the otter-hunting establishment, and therefore should be carefully bred and educated. They should be white or light-coloured, for it does not unfrequently happen that hounds in coming upon a mark will destroy by mistake

a dark terrier just emerging from a holt, and perhaps tainted with the scent of the otter; the colour deceives them, and the mischief is done in an instant: they should be small and short in the leg in order to fulfil their functions cleverly, as the underground gutters or drains, above the cover-stones of which the animal finds a dry and quiet refuge, are often partly choked, generally half-filled with water, and always difficult of passage. If they are wiry, especially about the muzzle, they do not suffer quite so much from the cruelly sharp teeth of the otter, and they must have thorough pluck and good tempers. It is necessary, too, that they be staunch from rats and rabbits, which otherwise would often cause bitter disappointment to the expectant field. On no account let a terrier be entered at otter before he is a twelve-month old at least. His confidence should be somewhat established ere he be brought to face so formidable a foe, or the chances are that his first punishment produces a sulky fit which will defy all encouragement for the future to make him serviceable. I make a point of buying, not breeding terriers, when I know their character to be good and undeniable, and by so doing am convinced I save myself much disappointment.

As a general rule, it is a bad plan to allow more than one terrier to go to ground at the same time. They are a jealous race, and in close quarters will fight desperately with each other ere they get to their common foe. Young terriers are frequently ruined in this way.

No sportsman crops a terrier's ears, or points his tail: for the former he knows shields the delicate recesses of the auditory passage from the loose earth or gravel that is always crumbling about his head when at work, and the latter is useful in handling or catching at him when at ground and barely within reach. Town-terriers, bull-terriers, and curs of low degree" are cropped; it is a fancy they have for mutilating nature without a purpose, and being just as serviceable to their owners in this form as any other, e'en let them indulge in it.

One word more as to their management at home. Let your terriers be "trencher dogs," that is to say, let them have the run of your kitchen and chimney corner, or have access to the boiling house, where a fire should always be lighted against they return from hunting. Rheumatism, deafness, and incapacity will come upon them prematurely, if, after their chilly and wet-gutter vocation, artificial heat be denied to them. Let it be understood, however, that I hold all petted terriers as utterly valueless for the purposes of all wild sporting, and have seen many a good one, like Hannibal's soldiers at Capua, spoiled by luxury and indulgence. Turkey and Kidderminster have the same tendency to enervate the brute, depend upon it but once dried and thoroughly warmed, they may be "turned up" for the night in their own lodging house. The advantage of heat to the tired dog is very evident work, for instance, a team of strong spaniels every day for a week in a rough cocking country, and each night let them enjoy the comforts of a good fire ere they go to kennel; and work the same team on the same terms, barring the fire, you will find that in the former case they will continue fresh and ready for work up to the last day, while in the latter they will be found dull and slack, and usually off their feed

before the end of the fourth day. If I am asked to assign a cause for the beneficial effect I ascribe to heat, I answer, "that long and continued friction of the bones exhausts the sinovial fluid that Ïubricates the joints, the absence of which fluid induces pain and fatigue, and that artificial heat disposes it to flow again more readily, whereby the tired animal acquires rest and relief."

Having entered into a somewhat prosy description of the wild beast, with the style of hound and terrier necessary to its pursuit, I will conclude by hoping that all friends who are interested in this true British sport will be punctual at the meet on the 1st of next month, when an old dog otter will most assuredly be unlodged, and an unparalleled day's sport is confidently expected. For the present, then, adieu. G.

NOTITIA VENATICA.

BY R. T. VYNER, ESQ.

SECTION SIXTH.

ON PHYSICKING HOUNDS IN GENERAL.

We are now about to treat upon the practice of physicking hounds, which is far from being the least interesting topic embraced in kennel management, and concerning which more different opinions perhaps exist, than upon any other subject connected with condition. Food of the best quality, and properly administered, added to a well-regulated system of exercise, is no doubt the main point to be attended to in the management of not only fox-hounds, but all other animals whose corporeal exertions are required to be tried to the utmost of their abilities; but unavailing would this system of care and attention prove, without the timely execution of those medicinal auxiliaries, without which the various channels of the body, or secretions, would, from excess of stimuli, quickly become overcharged and devoid of their proper and natural tone. "It is the condition of the hound which gives him the advantage over the animal he hunts," says Colonel Cook, in his "Observations on Fox-hunting." But how is this point of condition to be attained? Not by overloading his stomach with food, and, consequently, his circulation and absorbents with grossness, but by introducing as much and no more nutriment than can be easily and thoroughlygsted. Of the feeding of hounds I have spoken sufficiently in a former chapter, and shall content myself here with making a few observations upon the medicine which is considered necessary to be used in getting a pack of foxhounds into condition. Nearly all huntsmen have their favourite receipts for physic; but, although there may be various ways of producing the effect required, still the principle upon which each plan is founded must stand the same in all cases. Large bodies of animals which are kept together, such as sheep, horses, cattle, hounds, and

even human beings, from living on exactly the same food, breathing air of the same temperature, and pursuing the same habits, become, by degrees, very similar in their constitutions; this is evident by diseases, which are not contagious, breaking out in schools, workhouses, and other places where a large body of human beings are in the habit of living together. We may also see the same thing amongst cattle, and in studs of horses, where an epizootic frequently shows itself, without the possibility of its having spread by contagion. Hounds, which have been kept together for months, and even years, eating the same food, and following in every way the same line of existence, become so much alike in their natures and constitutions, that medicine, during a general and periodical physicking, will have, excepting in a very few instances, exactly the same effect upon each individual; it may vary in the degree, but the nature of the effect will be the same, or nearly the same, in all. For this reason, the system of physicking in the trough is always pursued by good judges. Some persons may exclaim, "The greedy feeders will get a stronger dose than the rest;" but that is the very reason why the system is recommended: the hard feeders are always the foulest in their constitutions, and therefore require the most. Nothing is easier than to regulate that part of the business; and the shy and delicate may generally be coaxed into eating a sufficiency for the purpose. Occasionally old hounds are met with of so cunning and suspicious a nature, that nothing can induce them to eat that meat in which physic may have been mixed. I have known instances of them going without food for two days, rather than be thus cheated. In such cases, the best plan is to give it to them in the shape of balls, taking care to tie their heads up to a staple for an hour afterwards, to prevent their throwing them off. If the weather is warm, they may be coupled up in the drawing court; if it is in winter, let them be tied up against the wall in the boiling-house.

Amongst the many minerals, drugs, and other medicines used amongst dogs, sulphur is the principal; and if it were ten times its price, I have no doubt it would be held in far higher esteem than it is, not only by canine practitioners, but also by those gentlemen who exercise their talents amongst the lords of the creation. Dr. Henry, in his "Elements of Chemistry," tells us that the best sulphur comes from Sicily; and that which is procured in our own island is of an inferior quality, and contains a portion of the metal from combination with which it has been separated. I am convinced that it is the best and most efficacious physic, when followed by mild doses of salts, that has ever been recommended for hounds. Some persons prefer syrup of buckthorn and jalap, but as they cannot influence nor act upon the blood-vessels and secretions, as sulphur does, nor affect the liver in any way, I am at a loss to discover why they are preferable. In cases of extreme foulness, and in liver complaints, calomel and tartarised antimony are undoubtedly indispensable; but where merely relieving the stomach of its load is the object, I should conceive that the method by which it was effected in the mildest and quickest form would be the best. For this reason, salts are the very best purgative which can be given. The practice of giving salts in human beings, is objected to on account of constipation almost in

variably following the operation of the medicine; but with dogs it has quite a contrary effect; and I never knew one single instance of hounds being confined in their bodies, even after the strongest dose.

The more general practice of administering sulphur, is to give a good large dose of it one morning in every week during the summer months, as an alterative; but if huntsmen would adopt the following plan instead, they would find the result far more salutary, and that the quantity of sulphur consumed would go twice as far:-About four or five days after giving the first dose of Epsom salts, I would commence with giving sulphur in each day's feed in very moderate quantities, just sufficient to cause the hounds to smell strong of it, for seven or eight successive mornings; then miss two clear mornings, and on the third give a dose of Epsom salts. In mixing the salts, care should be taken not to scald them, as the practice of so doing will considerably weaken their purgative powers. They should be mixed in the trough amongst some very thin, lukewarm meat: the usual allowance is one large handful for each couple of hounds.

Those who may consider buckthorn and jalap as a superior medicine, will find the following recipe a good one. I have tried it myself; and if I did not prefer that which I have recommended above, I should invariably make use of it :

Syrup of buckthorn, three quarts

Jalap, quarter of a pound;

to which add three quarters of a pound of cream of tartar, to be mixed in their food. This is sufficient for twenty couples of hounds. They should be physicked early in the morning, and they should have warm broth given them twice after during the day, to work it off kindly.

SECTION SEVENTH.

ON LAMENESS IN THE SHOULDERS AND STIFLE-JOINTS.

In a previous chapter on the kennel, I set forth in a clear light the real and only cause of kennel lameness existing in hounds. Upon the cause, I shall say no more; and even with regard to an attempt at cure, the undertaking will be useless, unless the pack are first removed to another more healthy spot. The usual remedies are blistering (which seldom does any good), putting setons in the shoulders, and turning out of the kennel to run loose; but, amongst the whole of the systems recommended, the last, namely, giving the animal his liberty for a time, may be considered the most efficacious.

Many hounds become unsound in their shoulders also from other causes, such as blows from rushing out of the kennel, and striking themselves against a door-way, and from kicks from horses, and other accidents; also from being lost, and lying out all night in a damp situation. By proper care and management, they may from such casualties eventually recover.

When you perceive a dog to travel badly and go tender before, he should immediately be examined as to the locality of his lameness. If it is situated in the knee, it may be plainly perceived by the gently bending in the knee-joint; but if the grief is in the shoulder," by pulling forward his leg, he will immediately show you, by the pain he suffers, the seat of the misery.