218 THE FOX 



country is made possible to him by hunting ; and the 

 conclusion we must come to, unless we permit our- 

 selves an entirely imaginary and sentimental view of 

 the brief, rare suffering of the hunted fox, is that the 

 benefits of foxhunting even to the fox entirely out- 

 weigh any objection on the ground of humanity. To 

 put it in the way of an apologue, I am sure that if we 

 could call a parliament of foxes, and they could 

 understand the question, there would be an enormous 

 majority in favour of foxhunting. Each fox would 

 think that it would be others who would be killed. 

 He would know that he himself was alive, and intended, 

 if speed, intelligence, and endeavour availed, to 

 remain so. 



It has been said that many Englishmen, and 

 perhaps the whole English nation, would be richer 

 if they did not indulge in sport. It may be so. 

 But the money and time spent in hunting bring so 

 great an addition to the happiness of life that the 

 sacrifice, if any, is worth while. Hunting, too, comes 

 well within the definition of true sport which I believe 

 to be the most defensible : that the hunter should 

 share in a greater or less degree the fatigue and 

 danger with the hunted. 



But there is another point of view : how are we to 

 meet the wiles of the hunted fox ? The celebrated 



