66 MANAGEMENT OF HOUNDS. 



cubs to be bred in. They are, however, seldom laid 

 up in such places. The vixen generally deposits her 

 young in some bye earth or large rabbit pipe, away 

 from the main earths, to which, when a month or two 

 old, they will often remove. Foxes which have been 

 bred underground will find earths somewhere, or use 

 drains, from which they may be much more easily taken 

 than from a large head of main earths. Stopping up 

 these large places of refuge for the whole season, as 

 suggested by some writers on fox hunting, is, in my 

 humble opinion, a very objectionable plan ; your foxes 

 will then go wide away into your neighbour's country, 

 or seek shelter in less secure places. The larger a head 

 of earths is the better. They should all and always be 

 kept open, unless when required to be stopped the night 

 before hunting, and invariably be opened again the same 

 evening, and every pipe cleaned out. 



The earth-stopper or keeper who has the charge of 

 these main earths should be well paid for his trouble in 

 looking after them, and it is the business of the whipper- 

 in to pay them a visit occasionally, to see that no tricks 

 are played. It is no such easy matter to get a fox out 

 of a strong head of earths. Poachers do bolt them into 

 purse nets with a good dog, and sometimes,. a large net 

 is set up all round the earths with sticks and bells ; but 

 it takes time to do all these things, and a good earth- 

 stopper should visit the earths once a day, either going 

 or returning from his work. A man who has a large 

 head of earths to attend to ought to receive five shillings 

 at least for each stopping out at night, and half-a-crown 

 for putting them to in the morning. As all our sport 

 depends so much upon this work being don« properly, 



