THE NOBLE SCIENCE. 273 



which no one knows of," &c. Admitting the possibiHty, 

 which I am much disposed to question, that the whole 

 vulpine race would so far forego their nature as to 

 breed entirely above ground, instead of drawing out 

 every rabbit-burrow, or hole of any kind, or setting 

 themselves again to the work of excavation on their 

 own account; the alternative of "finding drains wJiicli 

 no one knows of" would be ten times more prejudicial to 

 sport, than all the evils which could possibly result from 

 the regular earths. Foxes would constantly lie there ; 

 the drains to which I have before alluded, as requiring 

 gratings, or stakes, to oppose the ingress of foxes, are 

 objectionable enough, when they are known, and " a 

 drain which no one knows of" &c., must prove an incon- 

 ceivable nuisance. It is certainly to be regretted that, 

 where earths are known, every vulpecide may know, to 

 a certainty, when to trap a fox ; but it is no less true, 

 that the main earths are the salvation of the many who 

 are too deep for their enemies. Unless coverts are well 

 guarded, a litter of cubs is, probably, nowhere so safe 

 from molestation as within the bowels of the earth, 

 where even those bred above ground are often removed 

 by the vixen, when she may flee thither for sanctuary. 

 We must, therefore, weigh well the pros and cons, 

 before deciding upon the demolition of such places of 

 refuge. I had serious thoughts of attaching to the 

 hunting establishment, an earth-stopper for a whole 

 2n 



