70 FOX-HUNTING 



footed animal that cannot climb. They are 

 evidently bitter enemies, however, and a beaten 

 fox will be followed for miles by rooks, mobbing 

 him and jeering at his distress. 



The marten-cat, once an honoured beast of chase, 

 has now become practically extinct, but we still have 

 the badger and the otter. I am afraid that our 

 brothers of the rod are sworn enemies of the otter, 

 and I expect many fall victims to fish-keepers ; but 

 they are still fairly plentiful, and will not be easily 

 exterminated. Master Brock is in our midst 

 more often than people imagine, and owing to 

 his strong digging powers he is able to make 

 himself a home from which it is not easy to dis- 

 lodge him. Unfortunately, he does not afford us 

 much sport, as I certainly do not call it sport for 

 a terrier to draw him out of a box, and he has 

 too much advantage of the terrier in his own 

 earth. When there is snow on the ground in the 

 spring, you may have a very enjoyable day by 

 going to some well-known earths and tracking 

 one as he wandered the previous night ; but in 

 mid-winter they will very often sleep for a week 

 or more at a time. 



The badger is occasionally accused of killing 



