_--Study the change in the appearance of the fox between the
beginning and the end of a run; a fresh fox slips away with his brush
straight, whisking it with an air of defiance now and then; a beaten fox
looks dark, hangs his brush, and arches his back as he labours along.

With the hounds well away, it is a great point to get a good start; so
while they are running in cover, cast your eyes over the boundary-fence,
and make up your mind where you will take it: a big jump at starting is
better than thrusting with a crowd in a gap or gateway--always presuming
that you can depend on your horse.

Dismiss the moment you start two ideas which are the bane of sport,
jealousy of what others are doing, and conceit of what you are doing
yourself; keep your eyes on the pack, on your horse's ears, and the next
fence, instead of burning to beat Thompson, or hoping that Brown saw how
cleverly you got over that rasper!

Acquire an eye to hounds, that is, learn to detect the moment when the
leading hound turns right or left, or, losing the scent, checks, or,
catching it breast high, races away mute, "dropping his stem as straight
as a tobacco-pipe."

By thus studying the leading hounds instead of racing against your
neighbours' horses, you see how they turn, save many an angle, and are
ready to pull up the moment the hounds throw up their heads.

Never let your anxiety to be forward induce you to press upon the hounds
when they are hunting; nothing makes a huntsman more angry, or spoils
sport more.

Set the example of getting out of the way when the huntsman, all
anxious, comes trotting back through a narrow road to make his cast
after a check.

Attention to these hints, which are familiar to every old sportsman,
will tend to make a young one successful and popular.

When you are well up, and hounds come to a check, instead of beginning
to relate how wonderfully the bay horse or the gray mare carried you,
notice every point that may help the huntsman to make his cast--sheep,
cattle, magpies, and the exact point where the scent began to fail. It
is observation that makes a true sportsman.

As soon as the run has ended, begin to pay attention to the condition of
your horse, whose spirit may have carried him further than his strength
warranted; it is to be presumed, that you have eased him at every check
by turning his nose to the wind, and if a heavy man, by dismounting on
every safe opportunity.

The first thing is to let hi