HUNTING 67 



to the hounds. If there are too many foxes it 

 is better to stop after killing a brace, and return 

 again a few mornings afterwards and kill another 

 brace, and so on. 



On this subject Tom Smith gives the following 

 valuable advice : — 



" The early parts of cubbing should be done in 

 your strongest and largest woodlands for at 

 least the first month, so that the young hounds 

 will learn to hunt, and persevere on the line of 

 a fox without seeing riot, and then there is little 

 occasion for holding-up foxes ; afterwards you 

 can commence hunting smaller coverts, in the 

 open country. 



" I always give orders for the whippers-in to 

 let the foxes go away until the cubs have been 

 stirred up well, for an old fox may slip away 

 and you get away after him, and then the cubs 

 have been left behind quite untutored. 



" I am a great advocate for getting hounds 

 well blooded during the cub-hunting season, and 

 in fact all through the hunting season. People 

 talk about killing too many foxes, but it is an old 

 saying the more foxes hounds kill, the more they 

 will have to kill. If hounds don't kill them, 

 people will find some other means to do away 

 with them." 



Mr. J. G. Elsey's very pertinent remarks are as 

 follows : — 



" I think it wrong to whip back cubs into 

 covert in the cubbing season, and kill them in 

 covert ; let them break and get away if the 

 hounds are running another fox. If, however, 

 the fox they are running should be a cub and he 

 also breaks, let the hounds follow him, for he 

 will probably only journey to where he was bred, 



