100 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



must be occasionally dug out and given to them 

 upon the earth. To effect this, a large rabbit- 

 burrow may be left open, which they have fre- 

 quented. When rattled about until beaten, they 

 will often seek shelter in a single pipe in the wood- 

 bank, or in a short drain under a gateway, from 

 which they may easily be bolted by the terrier, or 

 dug out. There may be said to be more honour in 

 the breach than in the performance of this act. 

 We do not advocate an unnecessary repetition of 

 it ; that necessity only exists casually in cub-hunt- 

 ing, to teach the entry where to stop when the 

 scent fails before them, and, after a hard toilsome 

 day in foxhunting, that hounds may not be disap- 

 pointed of their reasonable hope. 



We recollect rather an appalling incident con- 

 nected with digging out a cub, which made us wary 

 in prying into the hidden places of the earth. The 

 cub had found refuge in what we thought to be a 

 small drain in the covert, as we could touch him 

 with the end of a long stick. Extraction having 

 been decided upon, since the young hounds had 

 been working hard all the morning, and were at that 

 time fifteen miles from kennel, a spade was bor- 

 rowed from a labourer, and in a few minutes we 

 came upon the unfortunate cub, which was pulled 

 out by one of the old hounds, and dispatched 

 immediately. Our horror may be imagined when 

 on looking farther into the drain we made the 

 discovery that he had been standing over the 

 mouth of an old coal-pit shaft, to avoid falling 



