THE EARTH-STOPPER 107 



at his work, without reference to weather, season, 

 localities, moon, or anything, just as if foxes had their 

 dressing and dinner bells, and went to feed with the 

 punctuality of their pursuers. " We may be wrong," 

 as Mr. Meynell used to say, but we take it foxes 

 resemble a gay club living bachelor, much more than 

 a punctual six o'clock family man. They like their 

 chicken, or lamb chops, just at their own time, with- 

 out the restraint of specified hours. Reynard may 

 have fallen in with something dainty in the middle of 

 the day, and may not feel inclined to turn out on the 

 grand prowl till a later or earlier hour in the morning. 

 He may put his nose out and find it raining, and 

 having neither cloak, macintosh, or clogs, may decide 

 that he is not hungry, or that he has a little something 

 in his larder in the neighbourhood that he can get 

 when the weather improves. 



From an hour before midnight, till about three 

 o'clock in the morning, is the prescribed time of 

 the authorities, though should it be moonlight, and 

 reynard hungry, we don't see what is to detain him 

 at home so late. Better, however, to be late than 

 too early, for it is unpleasant, both to fox and followers, 

 to have him in the "lock-up house" when he is 

 wanted at large. 



Mr. Smith was an advocate — indeed the inventor 

 of the system of walling up earths at the beginning 

 of the season, the duties of the Earth-stoppers being 

 to see that the fagots, or whatever the barrier was 

 made of, were not removed until the spring, when 

 the vixens were let in to a lay up. A deduction was 

 made from the pay of a man for each time a fox got 

 to ground in his district. 



Mr. Smith, indeed, considers the disadvantages of 

 having earths are so much greater than the advantages, 

 that if every earth in the country were done away 

 with, it would be a benefit to foxhunting, even as 

 respects the breeding of foxes, for the vixens would 



