he pace is great hounds are mute, they have no breath
to spare; but a hound that is always mute is as useless as a rich
epicure who has capital dinners and eats them alone. Hounds that do
not help each other are worthless.

_Noisy._--To throw the tongue without scent is an opposite and equal
fault to muteness.

_Open._--When a hound throws his tongue, or gives tongue, he is said
to open.

_Owning a scent._--When hounds throw their tongues on the scent.

_Pad._--The foot of a fox.

_Riot._--When the hounds hunt anything beside fox, the word is "Ware
Riot."

_Skirter._--A hound which is wide of the pack, or a man riding wide of
the hounds, is called a skirter.

_Stroke of a fox._--Is when hounds are drawing. It is evident, from
their manner, that they feel the scent of a fox, slashing their
stern significantly, although they do not speak to it.

_Sinking._--A fox nearly beaten is said to be sinking.

_Sinking the wind._--Is going down wind, usually done by knowing
sportsmen to catch the cry of the hounds.

_Stained._--When the scent is lost by cattle or sheep having passed
over the line.

_Stooping._--Hounds stoop to the scent.

_Slack._--Indifferent. A succession of bad days, or a slack huntsman,
will make hounds slack.

_Streaming._--An expressive word applied to hounds in full cry, or
breast high and mute, "streaming away."

_Speaks._--When a hound throws his tongue he is said to speak; and
one word from a sure hound makes the presence of a fox certain.

_Throw up._--When hounds lose the scent they "throw up their heads." A
good sportsman always takes note of the exact spot and cause, if he
can, to tell the huntsman.

_Tailing._--The reverse of streaming. The result of bad scent, tired
hounds, or an uneven pack.

_Throw off._--After reaching the "meet," at the master's word the pack
is "thrown into cover," hence "throw off."

There are many other terms in common use too plain to need explanation,
and there are a good many slang phrases to be found in newspaper
descriptions of runs, which are both vulgar and unnecessary. One of the
finest descriptions of a fox-hunt ever written is to be found in the
account of Jorrocks' day with the "Old Customer," disfigured,
unfortunately, by an overload of impossible cockneyisms, put in the
mouth of the impossible grocer. Another capitally