106 THE HUNTING FIELD 



drains, we may here quote what he says on the 

 subject of stopping, in his " Diary of a Hunts- 

 man." 



"Hunting countries," says he, "which abound 

 with fox-earths are very liable to have blank days, 

 according to the usual method of arrangements ; for 

 where there are earths, foxes at times will be in them 

 when they are wanted elsewhere, even when the 

 Earth-stoppers do their duty; but the first question 

 to put is, whether it is likely that a man can be 

 depended on to get up long before daylight in the 

 coldest and most dreary part of the winter, to stop 

 a cold earth and leave the warmer clay by his side. 

 It's all very well for men to say " yes ! " and that they 

 know they do their duty properly, for they have sent 

 down to ascertain it. Ascertain what? that the 

 earths were stopt before it was light. What matter 

 that ? how long before light does a fox go to ground 

 at this time, when it is not light much before eight 

 o'clock, this being three hours later than at other 

 parts of the season ; and they are consequently more 

 often stopt after the fox has gone in than before, and 

 a very little ingenuity will extort this fact from an 

 Earth-stopper, that he has often found his stopping 

 removed by a fox scratching out when he has gone 

 to take it out himself next morning, which accounts 

 for many blank days." 



Some amusing productions used to be published a 

 few years ago, under the title of " Sporting Almanacks," 

 and assuredly, as far as making sport went, they were 

 rightly named. In them the commencement of 

 hunting used to be fixed as accurately as Horncastle 

 Fair or Doncaster Races. Such a day of September 

 harehunting commenced — such a day of October 

 foxhunting began, without any reference whatever to 

 the seasons. Earth-stopping is dealt with in a similar 

 way by certain sporting compilers — between such an 

 hour and such an hour the Stopper is directed to be 



