GROUND VERMIN 307 



acquaintance with the habits and characteristics of the 

 fox in a state of nature should have the hardihood to 

 aver that this animal does no harm to game. Such 

 haphazard assertion will do the foxhunter's cause little 

 good, for, most assuredly, the fox does harm, and at 

 times his depredations may prove truly exasperating to 

 the game-preserver. On the principle of live and let 

 live, of give and take in the matter of our sports, annoy- 

 ances of the kind should be largely tolerated by game- 

 preservers in districts where the fox is regularly and 

 effectively hunted. On the other hand, the fox-hunter 

 should remember that the " take " is mostly on his side 

 and the " give " on that of the covert-owner. The latter 

 will do well to bear in mind that one of his surest safe- 

 guards as against any serious damage from foxes, is the 

 keeping up a goodly stock of rabbits, these rodents 

 forming a favourite food of the fox. 



There are certain places in Great Britain where it is 

 permissible, or, in the interests of game-preservation, 

 even imperative, to kill foxes. Such places may, for 

 instance, be found in several hilly fastnesses in Wales 

 and in Scotland. There the hunting of foxes by orthodox 

 means is totally impracticable, owing to the nature of the 

 ground, or to the extreme density or extent of the coverts 

 or natural shelter afforded these animals. In such situa- 

 tions gun and trap are the safest and most effective 

 means to employ in the thinning out of the superabundant 

 foxes. 



THE OTTER, Lutra vulgaris. The natural food of 

 this shy and retiring animal is fish. It gives little 

 trouble to the gamekeeper, whose sole charge is the 

 winged and ground game upon an estate, and he, there- 

 fore, may well leave the otters upon his beat to the 



