LETTER XXX. 333 



saved by going to ground ; and thus a foundation was 

 laid, which lasted the many years I kept hounds, and 

 perpetuated a good, hard-running race of foxes. 



The second season these foxes afforded us extraordinary 

 sport, for, being ear-marked, we knew them when brought 

 to hand. For many seasons I continued to turn down two 

 or three litters of these foxes, to add to the stock, treat- 

 ing them in the same manner as the first. I could have 

 procured French, or the small species of red fox, at half 

 the expense and trouble ; but, except for the purpose of 

 blooding hounds, I would have nothing to do with them. 

 To prove how necessary it is to infuse fresh blood of the 

 true sort, I may add, that since my relinquishing the 

 country, few of this true breed now remain, having since 

 been mixed with the red fox, and that is now the pre- 

 vailing fox of the country. The true greyhound fox is 

 of a light grey colour, bushy about the head, long in the 

 body, and stands high upon his legs. The bulldog fox 

 is the next in size — of a reddish grey, and common in 

 most fox-hunting countries. These will afford good runs 

 also ; but the greyhound breed is far superior to them in 

 every respect. 



On one occasion I met with a large dark coloured 

 fox, with a yellow breast, instead of white, at the ex- 

 treme point of our country, which ran about eighteen 

 miles, but not straight. We found him on a bad scent- 

 ing day, with a hot sun and keen wind, in the month of 

 February ; running was out of the question, but we held 

 on to him for about six miles into a large covert in the 

 centre of our country, where we got upon better tenns, 

 and after a turn or two round the big wood, he turned 

 his head for home again, which he nearly reached, when 



