A FAMOUS I.AKEI.AND FOXHOUND PACK 



importation of foreign and other foxes into 

 countries adjoining the fells proper, the true hill- 

 breed has been contaminated, until to-day there 

 are more red foxes than grey-jacketted ones, and 

 weights are more often under than over i6 lb. In 

 the old days, with fewer foxes, long runs often 

 took place, and hounds usually killed or ran to 

 ground the fox with which they started. Now- 

 however, with a much heavier stock of foxes, 

 hounds are apt to change, or the pack gets split 

 up when several foxes are afoot. Sometimes a 

 single hound gets away with a fox " on his own," 

 and every one of the Ivakeland packs has a hound 

 or hounds which have accounted for foxes single- 

 handed. This tends to show of what stuff our 

 Fell hounds are made ; for in order to find, hunt 

 and kill a fox " on his own," a hound must 

 possess nose, pace, drive, stamina, and self- 

 reliance to a marked degree. 



In the Ullswater country — and the same in 

 other countries hunted by the fell packs — earth- 

 stopping is impossible. Cairns and rocky earths 

 — known locally as " borrans " — are everywhere 

 scattered about the hill sides, and a fox if he is so 

 minded can get in almost anywhere. To the 

 credit of the breed be it said however, they seldom 

 do so until hard pressed by hounds. Under such 

 conditions, terriers are of course a necessary ad- 

 junct to the pack. Joe Bowman, the huntsman, 

 always has a few couples of real good working 

 terriers, "hard bitten" customers which he 

 can rely on to bolt a fox, or make an end of him 

 underground if he refuses to face the open. These 

 terriers of the " Patterdale breed" have a good 

 deal of Bedlington blood in them, and weigh from 

 I4tb. to i6ib. Joe likes them a bit " on the leg " 

 so that they can surmount the ledges under- 



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