154 THE FOX 



where he is diminishing in numbers, even in hunting 

 countries. In England the fox can hardly exist unless 

 he is preserved, and it has come about that he has 

 fewer friends than he used to have in some districts. 

 This has come about by changes in the country 

 life of England which have brought in their train 

 alterations of sentiment about foxes in many a country- 

 side. In the first place, a resident landlord was an 

 influence in favour of the fox. Even if he did not 

 hunt, his neighbours did, and each man respected 

 the other's sport. The hunting squire preserved his 

 game in the rough fashion of those days, for the sake 

 of his shooting neighbour, who in his turn respected 

 the foxes, and, what is more important, obliged his 

 keeper to do so too. Game was much scarcer for- 

 merly, and men were content with bags that would 

 now be regarded as absurdly insignificant. I have 

 seen in the game-book of a great estate that when 

 the Prince Regent and Beau Brummell were shoot- 

 ing the bag was sixty-three pheasants. Game being 

 scarcer, foxes were fewer also than they are to-day, 

 for if undisturbed, the quiet and plenty of a care- 

 fully preserved covert are very attractive to them. 

 When there are more than a certain number of foxes 

 in a covert they are difficult to kill with hounds. 

 But in the days when there were but few pheasants 



