HOU
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H O U
HOTTS, or Hutts, the Pounces and round Balls oi Leather {luffed, or ty'd on the fharp End of fighting Cocks Spurs s to keep them from hurting one another in {barring or breathing ttiemfelves.
HOUGH, the Joint of the hind Leg of a Bealh i>ee Ham. . TT
To Hwgb t or cut the Houghs, is to ham-pwg. See Ham- string,
Hough frmw, is a hard round Swelling or Tumor grow- ing upon the Tip or Elbow of the Hoof or Hough.
It generally proceeds from fomc Stroke or Bruife ; and it neglected tilt the Subftance of the Swelling becomes hard like Glue, proves difficult to cure.
HOUND, CamsFenaticus, a Hunting Dog. See Hunt-
Hounds may be diftinguifh'd, with regard to the Manner of their Hunting, into iuch as find out and puriue the Game by Sight, and theQuicknefs and Swiftnefs of their Motion; of which Kind are the Gam Bounds Agafei^ 5 and Grey Hound, Cants Grams ; the Terrier, &c. and thole which find and purfue the Game by the Goodneis of their Smell.
The Species of fcentihg Dogs may be divided farther into Hounds, Amply fo call'd, and 'Blood Hounds, each where- of admits of fome Diversities.
i'\ As to Hounds, (imply thus call'd, in Latin, Canes le- naiici, Odoratores, Sagaces, Sec. —Thole which are all ot one Colour, as white, black, £$c. are the mod valu'd ; then thole fnotted with red: Thole fpotred with dun are little priz'd, as wanting Courage and Hardinefs.— Fallow Hounds are of good Scent^ and hardy, not fearing the Water : They keep the Chafe well without Change ; but not lb fwift as the white: They love the Hart above any other Chafe, having little Stomach for the Hare, &c. whence they are not (b fit for private Gentlemen 5 befide that, they are apt to run at tame Beads.
The dun Hounds are of more general Ufe, being fit for all Chafes.— Their Sagacity and Fidelity in knowing and flicking to their Matter's Voice and Horn, and none elie, are much admir'd : They alfo underftand each other, and know which are Babblers, which Lyers, &c. — They are of different Sizes and Qualities in the feveral Countries, $$C. Mountainous and Woodland Parts breed a tall heavy Sort, caWdJIow Hounds : Moderate Soils, where the Champaign and Covert fhare pretty equally, produce a middle-fized Hound of a nimbler Make.
The Marks of a good and fair Hound are, to be of a middle Proportion, rather long than round 5 the Noftrils wide ; Back, bowed ; Fillets, great ; Haunches, large 5 Ham, flraight; Tail, big near the Reins, and the reft (len- der to the End 5 the Leg, big 3 the Sole, dry 5 and Claws, large.
For the Terms ttfed in refyeft of Hounds, their Noifes, ckc. See Hunting.
To enter a young Hound ; after having taught him to know the Hollow and the Sound of the Horn, at about eighreen Months old he may be taken into the Field. The beft Method to initiate him, is to take a live Hare, and trail her upon the Ground, this Way, then that ; and, at length, hide her at a proper Diftance. Then fetting the Hound near the Trail, he will take Wind, and run to and fro about the Fields, Woods, Paths, {$c. till he find which Way Jhe had gone : As he approaches nearer the lodged Hare, he will mend his Pace, and at laft leap on his Prey, which he mull be fuffer'd to kill, and bringing it to his Matter with Triumph, mult be rewarded and encourag'd. — This done, he may be let run in a Pack of old Hounds to confirm and perfect him.
lr ought to be noted, that whatever young Hounds are firft enter'd at and rewarded with, they will ever after covet moftjfothat if they be intended, e.gr. for the Hart, they muft not be enter'd at the Hind.
2. The Grey-hound might deferve the firft Place, by rea- fon of his Swiftnefs, Strength, and Sagacity in purluing his Game ; fiich being the Nature of this Dog, that he is well fcented to find out, fpeedy and quick of Foot to follow, fierce and ftrong to overcome, yet lilent, coming upon his Prey unawares.
The Make and Proportions requir'd in a good Grey-hound, are, that he have a long Body, ftrong, and pretty large, a neat fharp Head, fparkling Eyes, a long Mouth, and fharp Teeth, little Ears, with thin Griftles in them, a flraight, broad, and ftrrng Bread, his fore Legs ftra'ight and fhort, his hind Legs long and ftraight, broad Shoulders, round Ribs, fie my Buttocks, but not fat, a long Tail ftrong and full of Sinews.
Of this Kind, thofe are always fir reft to be choien among the Whelps that weigh lighted ; for they will be fooner at* the Game, and ib hang upon it, hindering its Swiftnefs, till the heavier and ftrong Ho'inds come in to offer their Afliftance 5 whence, befide what has been already (aid, 'tis requifite for a Grey-hoUrd to have large Sides, and a broad
Midriff, that he may take his Breath in and out the taore eafily j his Belly fhould alio be fmall, which otherwife would obftrucl the Swiftnefs of his Courie 3 his Legs long, and his Hairs thin and (oft,
The Huntfman is to lead thefe Hounds on his left Hand, if he be on Foot, and on the Right if on Horfeback. — The beft Time to try and train them to the Game, is at twelve Months old, tho' fbme begin fooner, with the Males at ten, and the Females at eight Months old, which laft are gene- rally more fwift than the Dogs : They iliould be kept in a Slip, while abroad, till they fee their Courfe 5 neither ihould you loofen a young Dog 'till the Game has been a confiderable Time on Foot, being apt, by over Eagernefs at the Prey, to ftrain his Limbs.
5 . The Gaze-hound, or Beagle, is a Dog more beholden to the Sharpnefs of Sight, than his Nofe or Smelling; by Virtue whereof, he makes excellent Sport with the Fox and Hare.- -He is alio noted as exquifite in chufing of one that is not lank or lean, but full, fat and round, which, if it hap- pen to return, and be mingled again with the Refidue of rhe Herd, he will loon fpy out, and leave the reft untouched, never ceafing, after he has (eparatcd it from its Company, till he has weary'd it to Death.
Thefe Dogs are much us'd in the North of England, and on Champion Ground, rather than bufhy and woody Places, and by Horfemen more than Footmen. — If at any time he happen to take a wrong Way, upon the ufual Sign made by his Maftcr, he immediately returns, takes the right and. ready Courie, beginning his Chafe afrefh, with a clear Voice and fwift Foor, following the Game with as much Courage as at firft.
4 . The Blood-hound differs nothing in Quality from the Scottip Sl?/t Hound, faving that it is more longly fiz'd, and not always of the fame Colour ; but fometjmes red, landed, black, white, and fpotted, &c. tho' molt common- ly either brown or red.
Their Nature is, that being fet on by the Voice and Words of their Leader, to caft about for the Setting of rhe prefent Game, and having found it, they will never ceafe purluing it with full Cry till it is tir'd, without changing for any other.
They ieldom bark, except in their Chafe, and are very obedient and attentive to the Voice of their Leader. — Thofe that are really good, when they have found the Hare, make Shew thereof to the Huntfman by running more fpee- dily, and with Gefture of Head, Eyes, Ears, and Tail, winding to the Form or Hare's Mule, never giving over Profecution, with a Gallant Noife,
They have good and hard Feet, and ftately Stomachs $ and are very properly denominated fanguinary or Blood- hounds, by reafon of their extraordinary Scent; for if their Game be only wounded, fo that it efcapes the Huntfman's Hands, or if it bekiil'd, and never fo cleanly carry d away, thefe Dogs, by their exquifite Smell, will betray it, and not be wanting, either by Nimblenefs or Greedinefi, to come at it, provided there be any Stains of Blood. — Nay, tho' by all the Cunning and Fotefight imaginable, a Beaft be convey'd away without Spot or Blood, yet through the rougher! and moil crooked Ways and Meanders, will this Dog find out the Deer-ftealer, and even in the thickeft Throng, will, by his Smell, feparate and pick him out. See Blood- hound.
5 , The Terrier, or Harrier only hunts the Fox or Badger 5 being thus call'd, becaufe, after the Manner of a Ferret in fearching for Coneys, he leaps into the Ground, and affrights or arracks the Beafl, either tearing them in Pieces, or hating them out by Force; or, at lead, driving them out of their Harbours, to be taken in a Net, or other- wife.
The Huntfmen have commonly a Couple of Terriers, that they may put in a frefh one, as Occafion ierves. to re- lieve the other.
The Time of entering the Terrier, is when he is near a Twelve-Month old : If it be not done within that Time, they will hardly be brought to take the Earth. This en- tering and flefhing of them may be perform'd feveral Ways. — Firft, when the Foxes and Badgers have young Cubs, take an old Terrier, fet him into the Ground, and when he begins to bay, hold the young one at the Hole or Mouth of the Earth, that he may liflen and hear the old ones Bay.
The old Fox or Badger being taken, fo that nothing re- mains within but the Cubs, couple up the old ones, and put in the Young in their Stead, encouraging them by crying, To him, To him. — If they take any Cub within, let them do with it what they lift 5 not forgetting to give the old Ter- riers their Reward, which is Biood and Livers fry'd with Cheele and fome of their Greafe ; ihewing them Heads and Skins to encourage them.
HOUR, Bora, an aliquot Part of a natural Day, ufually a 24th, fbmetimes a 12th, See Day.
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