THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 213 



any new light, to cub-hunting in the dark, or in those 

 hours of shade consecrated to love-sick poets, and to 

 " maids that love the moon," I conceive that one 

 reason why it has not been common to take the pack 

 out on an evening, is, that in most countries, where 

 cub-hunting is necessarily delayed till September, it 

 would be dark an hour after there could be sufficient 

 dew. If it be cool, rainy weather, any hour in the day 

 will answer the purpose equally. There is little dew, or 

 moisture, on the surface of the earth before sun-set, 

 v^^hich, on the first of September, takes place about a 

 quarter before seven. It is true, that if you find your 

 fox at five o'clock, every half hour becomes more 

 favourable, instead of the reverse, which is generally the 

 case in the morning; but you have no drag up to a 

 fox ; you will probably be longer in finding, and may 

 have to whip off, for fear of being actually benighted, 

 and losing your hounds ; whereas, in the morning, you 

 care not how many hours they run, so long as they can 

 stick to him, being often in covert from daybreak till 

 long after noon ; and it is thus that you will be able to 

 arrive at an opinion as to the stoutness of your entry. 

 It must be very agreeable when woodlands are handy 

 to the kennel, as it need not in any way discompose 

 the order of things. Lord Yarborough assures me that, 

 so far from finding inconvenience in the practice, he has 

 himself, for the last fifteen years, preferred it to morning 



