HUNTSMAN 9 



to rattle covers, and stay in them for the purpose 

 of making all the foxes fly, it should be done 

 before regular hunting begins, or have a by-day 

 for it now and then ; otherwise, a whole season 

 may pass without a run from this cover, for there 

 are foxes that never will break cover. Of course, 

 if no fox goes away, these must be killed if you 

 can. But such covers as these generally do hold 

 a stranger that has probably been hunted so much 

 in his native covers that he is on a quiet visit 

 only, and goes home at the first notice when he 

 hears the huntsman's voice. After the first of 

 February it should be a rule to get away with the 

 first fox, as you may otherwise get on a vixen ; 

 indeed most of the good runs are from large covers, 

 and generally with a dog fox. 



The writer not long since met the pack belong- 

 ing to a noble Duke when they were drawing a 

 large cover. His Grace politely expressed his 

 regret that it was a bad cover to get away from 

 with hounds ; the reply was that generally the 

 best runs are from such covers, as the fox can get 

 away without being headed as they are in small 

 covers, when every tailor out wishes to get a 

 view of him. During this conversation a fox 

 broke away from the other side, and they got 

 well settled to him and after a good run killed, 

 which is not often the case when found in this 



