Fox-htmting Past and Present 



the chase of the wild red deer. The strong 

 woodlands of Yorkshire or the Midlands divide the 

 early cubbing with the Meaths and Mr. ]. Watson. 



There is a peculiar charm attached to hunting 

 in the later days of summer. Nature is clad in 

 her richest hues on a fine September morn ; the 

 cleared fields are golden in the morning sun ; here 

 and there you come across ^^ sicklemen weary of 

 August," and other sounds so dear to the English- 

 man. Anything like a gallop is out of the question 

 so early in the season, even should the ground 

 be soft, which it rarely is. It is, of course, a fact 

 that in cubbing it is neither possible nor advisable 

 to evade the responsibilities of a public function. 

 Still, discipline has to be enforced on young hounds, 

 and the instinct of the hunted animal in cubs. 

 So the amount of publicity which is given to 

 cubbing appointments has frequently constituted 

 one of the hardest problems that the M.F.H. 

 has to face during the season. On the whole 

 there is a good deal to be said in favour of adver- 

 tising ; if the practice of sending out fixture-cards 

 be adhered to, a list of fixtures, with names of 

 all who should be notified, has to be kept. 



The hunting in November, and perhaps Decem- 

 ber as well, in great measure depends upon the 

 quality of the cub-hunting. When, as was the 

 case during the tropical summers lately, cubbing 



had to be postponed owing to the hard ground, 



90 



