THE TREATMENT OF CUBS 143 



from one part of it into the other : it is what I frequently do myself, and 

 find it answer. 1 A fox-court is of great use : it should be airy, or I cannot 

 advise you to keep them long in it. I turned out one year ten brace of 

 cubs ; most of which, by being kept till they were tainted before they 

 were turned out, were found dead in the covers, with scarcely any hair 

 upon them ; whilst a brace which had effected their escape, by making 

 a hole in the sack in which they were brought, lived, and showed excellent 

 sport. Should the cubs be large, you may turn them out immediately : 

 a large earth will be best for that purpose ; where they ought to be regu- 

 larly fed with rabbits, birds, or sheep's henges, 2 whichever you can most 

 conveniently get. I believe when a fox is once tainted he never recovers. 

 The weather being remarkably hot, those which I kept in my fox-court 

 (and it at that time was a very close one) all died, one after the other, 

 of the same disorder. 



Where rabbits are plentiful, Nature will soon teach your cubs how to 

 catch the young ones ; and, till that period of abundance arrives, it may 

 be necessary to provide food for them. 3 Where game is scarce, wet weather 

 will be most favourable to them : they can then live on beetles, chaffers, 

 worms, etc., which they will find great plenty of. I think the morning 

 is the best time to turn them out : if turned out in the evening, they will 

 be likely to ramble ; but if turned out early, and fed on the earth, there 

 is little doubt of their remaining there. 4 I also recommend to you to 

 turn them into large covers and strong earths : out of small earths they 

 are more liable to be stolen ; and from small covers are more likely to 

 stray. Your game-keepers, at this season of the year, having little to 

 do, may feed, and take care of them. When you stop any of these earths, 

 remember to have them opened again, as (I have reason to think) I lost 

 some young foxes one year by not doing it. For your own satisfaction, 

 put a private mark on every fox which you turn out, that you may know 

 him again. Your cubs, though they may get off from the covers where 

 they were bred, when hunted will seldom fail to return to them. 



Gentlemen who buy foxes do great injury to fox-hunting ; for they 



1 Though turned-out foxes may sometimes answer the purpose of entering young hounds, 

 yet they seldom show any diversion : few of those I have turned into my woods, have I ever 

 seen again ; besides, the turning out of foxes, and alarming the neighbourhood, may hasten 

 their destruction. Foxes will be plentiful enough where traps are not set to destroy them : 

 should they do any injury to the farmer, make satisfaction for it : encourage the neighbouring 

 game-keepers to preserve them, by paying them handsomely for every litter of cubs that they 

 take care of for you. If you act in this manner, you may not have occasion to turn any out. 



* 2 Also written hanges : the ' pluck,' or liver, lungs and heart. 



3 If a sheep die, let it be carried to the earth, and it will afford the cubs food for some 

 time. 



4 A more certain method, perhaps, might be to pale in part of a copse which has an earth 

 in it. It might be well stocked with rabbits ; the young ones of which, the cubs would soon 

 learn to catch. You might have menses in the pale, and let them out when capable of getting 

 their own food. Foxes turned out answer best, when left to breed. 



