226 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



earth- stoppers are very loth to turn out of bed in 

 the middle of a cold wintry night, and, unless the 

 earths are stopped between the hours of ten o'clock 

 at night and two o'clock in the morning, there is 

 no certainty of barring foxes out ; the other object 

 in view was to diminish the expense, by giving 

 so much per annum to the man so employed, in 

 place of the half-crown or dollar for each night's 

 work. This plan failed on both counts. Foxes 

 bred underground will lie underground, and when 

 stopped out of their old haunts will find other 

 places of refuge unknown to earth -stoppers or 

 keepers, and there remain "perdu for the season, or 

 be trapped by poachers ; and the earth-stoppers, 

 deprived of the usual emoluments appertaining to 

 their office, turned restive, and became indifferent 

 about preserving foxes. There can be no doubt as 

 to the bad policy of offending these men, upon 

 whose willing co-operation so much of our sport 

 depends, and for their work, if fairly executed, 

 they are entitled to a fair recompense. 



The earth-stopper of olden times is rarely to be 

 met with now : this man was formerly a servant 

 belonging to the establishment, to whom the super- 

 vision over a large tract of country was confided, 

 a pony being kept for him by the master, and it 

 was his duty to be continually going the rounds of 

 all the coverts in which there were any heads of 

 earths, to see that no poaching or trapping was 

 carried on, in winter and summer alike. During 

 the breeding season he had his time fully occupied 

 in visiting and looking after sundry litters of cubs. 



