第 5 节
作者:连过十一人      更新:2021-02-27 01:34      字数:9321
  '8' Or; 〃neither soft and spongy nor unyielding。〃 See Stoneh。; p。 23。
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  '9' 〃Drawn up underneath it;〃 lit。 〃tucked up。〃
  '10' Al。 〃flank;〃 〃flanks themselves。〃
  '11' Or; as we should say; 〃stern。〃 See Pollux; v。 59; Arrian; v。 9。
  '12' See Stonehenge; p。 24 foll。
  Hounds possessed   of   these points   will   be   strong   in   build;  and   at   the
  same time light and active; they will have symmetry at once and pace; a
  bright; beaming expression; and good mouths。
  In following up scent;'13' see how they show their mettle by rapidly
  quitting beaten paths; keeping their heads sloping to the ground; smiling;
  as it were to greet the trail; see how they let their ears drop; how they keep
  moving their eyes to and fro quickly; flourishing their sterns。'14' Forwards
  they  should   go   with   many   a   circle   towards   the   hare's   form;'15'   steadily
  guided by the line; all together。 When they are close to the hare itself; they
  will make the fact plain to the huntsman by the quickened pace at which
  they run;  as   if they  would let   him  know  by  their   fury;  by  the   motion of
  head   and   eyes;   by   rapid   changes   of   gait   and   gesture;'16'   now   casting   a
  glance back   and   now   fixing   their gaze   steadily  forward   to   the   creature's
  hiding…place;'17'        by   twistings     and    turnings    of    the   body;    flinging
  themselves backwards; forwards; and sideways; and lastly; by the genuine
  exaltation of spirits; visible enough now; and the ecstasy of their pleasure;
  that they are close upon the quarry。
  '13' Lit。 〃Let them follow up the trail。〃
  '14' Lit。 〃fawning and wagging their tails。〃
  '15' Lit。 〃bed〃 or 〃lair。〃
  '16' Or; 〃by rapid shiftings of attitude; by looks now thrown backward
  and    now    forwards     to  the  。  。  。〃  Reading    {kai   apo   ton   anablemmaton
  kai emblemmaton ton epi tas kathedras tou l。}; or if with L。 D。;                       {kai
  apo ton a。 kai emblemmaton eis ton ulen kai anastremmaton ton                            epi
  tas k。}; transl。 〃now looking back at the huntsman and now                          staring
  hard into the covert; and again right…about…face in the                   direction of the
  hare's sitting…place。〃
  '17' Lit。 〃form〃; 〃the place where puss is seated。〃
  Once she is off; the pack should pursue with vigour。'18' They must not
  relax their hold; but with yelp and bark full cry insist on keeping close and
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  dogging   puss   at   every   turn。   Twist   for   twist   and   turn   for   turn;   they;   too;
  must   follow   in   a   succession   of   swift   and   brilliant   bursts;   interrupted   by
  frequent doublings; while ever and again they give tongue and yet again
  till   the   very   welkin   rings。'19'   One   thing   they   must   not   do;   and   that   is;
  leave the scent and return crestfallen to the huntsman。'20'
  '18'   Lit。   〃let   them   follow   up     the   chase   vigorously;     and    not   relax;
  with yelp and bark。〃
  '19'   {dikaios};   Sturz;   〃non   temere〃;   〃and   not   without   good   reason。〃
  Al。 〃a right good honest salvo of barks。〃
  '20' Lit。 〃Let them not hark back to join the huntsman; and desert the
  trail。〃
  Along with this build and method of working; hounds should possess
  four   points。   They   should   have   pluck;   sound   feet;   keen   noses;   and   sleek
  coats。 The spirited; plucky hound will prove his mettle by refusing to leave
  the   chase;   however   stifling   the   weather;   a   good   nose   is   shown   by   his
  capacity for scenting the hare on barren and dry ground exposed to the sun;
  and that when the orb is at the zenith;'21' soundness of foot in the fact that
  the dog may course over mountains during the same season; and yet his
  feet will not be torn to pieces; and a good coat means the possession of
  light; thick; soft; and silky hair。'22'
  '21' i。e。  〃at   mid…day〃;   or;  〃in the   height   of summer〃;   al。  〃during the
  dog…days〃; 〃at the rising of the dog…star。〃
  '22' See Pollux; ib。 59; Arrian; vi。 1。
  As to the colour proper for a hound;'23' it should not be simply tawny;
  nor    absolutely     black    or   white;    which    is  not   a   sign   of  breeding;     but
  monotonousa simplicity suggestive of the wild animal。'24' Accordingly
  the red dog should show a bloom of white hair about the muzzle; and so
  should   the   black;   the   white   commonly   showing   red。   On   the   top   of   the
  thigh the hair should be straight and thick; as also on the loins and on the
  lower portion of the stern; but of a moderate thickness only on the upper
  parts。
  '23' See Stonehenge; p。 25; Darwin; op。 cit。 ii。 109。
  '24'   But   see   Pollux;   ib。   65;   who   apparently  read   {gennaion   touto   to
  aploun   alla   therides};   al。   Arrian;   vi。   See   Jaques   de   Fouilloux;            〃La
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  Venerie〃       (ap。    E。    Talbot;     〃Oeuvres      completes       de    Xenophon;〃
  traduction; ii。 318)。
  There is a good deal to be said for taking your hounds frequently into
  the mountains; not so much for taking them on to cultivated land。'25' And
  for this reason: the fells offer facilities for hunting and for following the
  quarry without interruption; while cultivated land; owing to the number of
  cross roads and beaten paths; presents opportunities for neither。 Moreover;
  quite apart from finding a hare; it is an excellent thing to take your dogs on
  to rough ground。 It is there they will become sound of foot; and in general
  the   benefit   to   their   physique   in   working   over   such   ground   will   amply
  repay you。'26'
  '25' Or; 〃pretty often; and less frequently over。〃
  '26' Lit。 〃they must be benefited in their bodies generally by working
  over such ground。〃
  They   should   be   taken   out   in   summer   till   mid…day;   in   winter   from
  sunrise to sundown; in autumn any time except mid…day; and in spring any
  time before evening。 These times will hit the mean of temperature。'27'
  '27' Or; 〃You may count on a moderate temperature at these times。〃
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  V
  The tracks of hares are long in winter owing to the length of night; and
  short   for   the   opposite   reason   during   summer。   In   winter;   however;   their
  scent does   not   lie   in   early   morning;   when the   rime   is   on   the   ground;   or
  earth is frozen。'1' The fact is; hoar frost by its own inherent force absorbs
  its heat; whilst black frost freezes it。'2'
  '1' Or; 〃when there is hoar frost or black frost〃 (lit。 〃ice〃)。
  '2'   Or;   〃the   ice  congeals     them;〃    〃encases     as   it  were   in  itself  the
  heat;〃 i。e。 the warm scent; aliter; 〃causes the tracks to freeze                        at the
  top。〃
  The hounds; moreover; with their noses nipped by the cold;'3' cannot
  under these conditions'4' use their sense of smell; until the sun or the mere
  advance of day dissolves the scent。 Then the noses of the hounds recover;
  and the scent of the trail begins to exhale itself perceptibly。'5'
  '3'   Reading   {malkiosai};   Cobet;   〃N。   Lect。〃   131。   〃Mnem。〃   3;   306;
  Rutherford;       〃N。   Phry。〃    p。  135。   =   〃nipped;     or  numb     with    cold。〃   For
  vulg。 {malakiosai} = 〃whose noses are tender;〃 see Lenz ad loc。
  '4' Lit。 〃when the tracks are in this case。〃
  '5'   As   it   evaporates。   Aliter;   〃is   perceptible   to   smell   as   it   is   wafted
  by the breeze to greet them。〃
  Heavy dews also will obliterate scent by its depressing effect;'6' and
  rains   occurring   after   long   intervals;   while   bringing   out   odours   from   the
  earth;'7' will   render   the soil bad   for scent until it dries   again。  Southerly
  winds      will  not   improve      scentbeing     moisture…laden       they    disperse    it;
  whereas      northerly     winds;    provided     the  scent    has   not   been   previously
  destroyed; tend to fix and preserve it。 Rains will drown and wash it away;
  and   so   will   drizzle;   while   the   moon   by   her   heat'8'   especially   a   full
  moonwill   dull   its   edge;   in   fact   the   trail   is   rarestmost   irregular'9'at
  such times; for the hares in their joy at