BLOOD THAT IS DEARLY EARNED 243 



I have known three young foxes chopped in a furze- 

 brake in one day, without any sport ; a wanton de- 

 struction of foxes, scarcely answering the purpose of 

 blood ; since that blood does hounds most good which 

 is most dearly earned. Such sportsmen richly deserve 

 blank days ; and, without doubt, they often meet with 

 them. Mobbing a fox, indeed, is only allowable when 

 hounds are not likely to be a match for him without it. 

 One would almost be inclined to think blood as ne- 

 cessary to the men as to the hounds, since the best 

 chase is flat, unless you kill the fox. When you ask a 

 fox-hunter, What sport he has had ? and he replies, It 

 was good ; I think the next question generally is, Did 

 yotcr hounds kill? If he should say, They did not, the 

 conversation ends ; but if, on the contrary, he tell you 

 that they did, you then ask a hundred questions, and 

 seldom are satisfied till he has related every particular 

 of the chase. 



When there is snow on the ground, foxes will lie 

 at earth. 1 Should your hounds be in want of blood, 

 it will at that time be easy to dig one to turn out 

 before them, when the weather breaks ; but I seem to 

 have forgotten a new doctrine which I lately heard, 

 that blood is not necessary to a pack of fox-hounds. 2 

 If you also should have taken up that opinion, I have 

 only to wish, that the goodness of your hounds may 



1 Earths should be watched when there is snow upon the ground ; for 

 foxes then will lie at earth. Those who are inclined to destroy them, can 

 track them in, and may dig them out. 



[ 2 This doctrine has its advocates in these days, but it is generally 

 amongst the lookers-on, and not those who have the management of 

 hounds. Blood, as the author says, is all-important, and no pack will 

 show good sport unless they get plenty of it.] 



