68 FOX-HUNTING 



of the animal you are pursuing. It is for this 

 reason that the paid servants, the huntsman and 

 the gamekeeper, very often get more pleasure out 

 of the sport than those who employ them. I 

 should advise any one who is just commencing 

 to hunt, to study the ways of a fox, and he will 

 then find a far greater interest in every run than 

 if he knew nothing about the animal. Of course, 

 those who intend to hunt hounds themselves must 

 be close observers of the fox's habits, if they 

 ever hope to become successful either as amateurs 

 or professionals. Therefore, you budding fox- 

 hunter, allow me to suggest that you cultivate a 

 habit of observation, and let nothing within the 

 range of your vision ever escape your eye. Any 

 one bred in the country, and who calls himself an 

 all-round sportsman, should not only be familiar 

 with every species of wild animal in his district, but 

 should be able at once to recognise the impression 

 of its footmarks on the ground. He should also 

 know every wild bird and the smaller vermin that 

 are beneath his notice for sport. The man who 

 goes about a country with his eyes shut misses 

 much that would give him pleasure. You see 

 a rabbit dodging in and out of a fence in what 



