FELL HUNTING 



character of its hill-country. Such well known 

 strongholds as Birkfell Earth overlooking Ulls- 

 water Lake, High Holes Earth on Harter Fell, 

 Dove Crag borran, and Broad Howe in Troutbeck, 

 have harboured many a fox, and been the scenes 

 of countless underground battles with the terriers. 

 Certain quarry " rubbish heaps," such as that at 

 Petts' Quarry on Red Screes, Applethwaite 

 Quarry, and Park Quarry are difficult and 

 dangerous places to work, often more so than a 

 natural earth, as directly the stuff is at all under- 

 mined the overhanging material is liable to slip 

 and rush in at any moment. 



If an earth is not altogether impregnable and 

 the fox is not too hard run, he may elect to bolt 

 directly the terriers bring pressure to bear. At 

 another time he may pick his position, generally 

 on a ledge, and give battle to the terriers which 

 are forced to meet him face to face. Sometimes 

 he will creep into a crevice or " clink " where the 

 terriers cannot get at him, and if the rock is sohd, 

 no amount of work with hammer and bar makes 

 any impression on his stronghold, and the workers 

 are fain to acknowledge themselves beaten. 

 Occasionally, however, if a fox in a crevice is 

 beyond reach, he will come out of his own accord 

 if hounds are taken some distance away, and 

 everybody keeps perfectly quiet. Sometimes, 

 too, but not often, he will get ' ' out of that " 

 if a boulder is sent crashing down across the 

 earth. It is not always the biggest earths which 

 give the most trouble when a fox gets to ground. 

 All the well-known strongholds have been worked 

 time and again, but a fox may elect to creep 

 into what on the surface appears a simple spot, 

 but on close investigation proves practically 

 impregnable. It is seldom possible to unearth 

 a fox without the aid of tools, and as a rule it 



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