122 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



she draws into the drain all the chain. The cubs 

 to be put in with her. They will remain with 

 the vixen until they have found their way about 

 the country ; and by Christmas they will have 

 found out the nearest covers, and will soon after 

 take to them. But the vixen is to be still kept 

 chained up as long as she lives, and she will breed 

 a litter of cubs every year, for the dog foxes will 

 be sure to find her out. The situation most 

 desirable would be near a pond or stream of water, 

 when it would not be necessary for any person 

 to carry a supply of water, and it should be in 

 some open place, within sight of a cottage where 

 the person who takes care of her lives. A butcher 

 should be engaged to supply some sheep's paunches, 

 or offal of some sort, twice a week ; this, and the 

 remains of poultry, etc., from the great houses 

 near, will be food for her. The advantages of this 

 plan over that of turning down and feeding cubs 

 without a vixen, is that, when these cubs are 

 found or frightened after they take to the woods, 

 they will come straight to the vixen where they 

 were bred, and be safe until they are old enough to 

 show sport, when the earth could be stopped by 

 an iron grating the day the hounds were expected. 

 Not so with those turned down and fed by hand, 

 if they are hunted before Christmas, or before 

 they have learnt the country and how to find 



