FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



up their quarry, as the hare when killed was 

 distributed between the occupiers of the land on 

 which the kill took place, the members of the 

 field, and the huntsman. 



It is perhaps just as well that the fell hounds 

 refrain from breaking up their quarry, for if they 

 did mighty few trophies of the chase would be 

 secured, seeing that the field are all afoot, and 

 the hounds often kill long before anyone can get 

 to them. As it is many a fox is run into on the 

 fells without a soul being there to see, and after 

 waiting about a bit hounds either turn their 

 heads homewards, or get on to the line of a fresh 

 fox. We recently witnessed an incident which 

 showed how easy it is for hounds to kiU and 

 nobody be any the wiser. After an early morn- 

 ing meet hounds struck a good drag which they 

 quickly worked out until they unkennelled their 

 fox, the latter jumping up close in front of them. 

 The fox struck straight down hill with the pack 

 running in view. We expected a kill at any 

 moment, but the fox drew clear and unsighted his 

 pursuers just before he reached the bank of a 

 rocky beck. The bed of the stream was full of 

 boulders and the fox jumped in and turned sharply 

 as he did so. The pack, all but one hound, 

 flashed over the beck, and checked well beyond 

 the further bank. The single hound met the 

 fox in the river-bed, promptly rolled him over, 

 dropped him, and went on after the others. 

 Eventually the pack cast back, and found their 

 fox in the river-bed, where it was lying dead, half 

 under water. Had there been nobody there to 

 see, hounds would soon have been on the line of 

 a fresh fox, and there would have been one mask 

 less to go towards the season's total. By using 



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