LETTER XXVI. 281 



down before a regular pack of foxhounds, such practices 

 being confined to scratch packs of curs, the proprietors 

 of which think it a good thing to wind up the hunting 

 season with some long-winded misrepresentation in Bell's 

 Life, with having found a wdld fox at Noman's Land, 

 and run him at least forty miles without a check in about 

 fifty minutes. The scent of a bag fox is so very different 

 to that of a wild one, that a good pack of foxhounds will 

 not own it. Although this may appear strange, it is, 

 nevertheless, true. 



I had once an opportunity of testing it. We had run 

 a fox to ground in a drain, which was dug out, after the 

 hounds had left the place, by some labourers, and carried 

 to one of our hunt, who, of course forwarded him to me, 

 at the same time requesting that he might have the 

 pleasure of a gallop after him. The fox was put away 

 into a large building, and, when meeting with the gen- 

 tleman the next day out hunting, I expressed to him my 

 doubts that the hounds would run this fox, if let loose 

 before them, and that I did not approve of such prac- 

 tices. He said, for once it could do no harm, and he 

 should like, of all things, to see if hounds could discern 

 the difference between two scents, which he very much 

 questioned. Then, I said, you shall have an oppor- 

 tunity of judging yourself. Accordingly, at our next 

 fixture, this fox, which had only been caught three days, 

 was taken to a covert which we generally drew first, and 

 there turned loose about half an hour before we began 

 drawing, my friend and self being the only persons privy 

 to the transaction. 



The wood into which the fox was turned was a small 

 one, so that a fox could not break unseen from any part 



