90 FOX-HUNTING 



foxes are killed in this way, but no one hears any- 

 thing about them. I should like to see a breed 

 of sheep-dogs limited to a height of fifteen inches, 

 which would be quite big enough for work in an 

 enclosed country, and they would not be a con- 

 tinual source of danger to foxes and hares. It 

 would be very much to their interests if the hunt 

 gave prizes for the best sheep-dog under fifteen 

 or sixteen inches, and made each shepherd work 

 his own dog in the competition. The sheep-dog 

 nuisance^ is felt chiefly in grass countries and 

 where the holdings are small. The fox has many 

 other enemies : the hostile keeper, the aggrieved 

 owner of poultry, the farmer who does not want 

 the hounds, and the sporting navvy with a game 

 terrier. All these men get opportunities of 

 destroying at times, and it is to be feared they 

 seldom miss a chance when it comes to them. 



I am not sufficiently scientific to know the 

 different varieties of mange that affect the fox, 

 but I am quite sure they are more numerous 

 than is generally allowed. The same disease may, 

 I imagine, assume different forms. The variety 



1 Quite true : this nuisance is increasing, and from a hunting and 

 game-preserving point of view is to be deprecated. — Eds. 



