414 SYSTEM OF KENNEL AND 



your friend Reynard amongst vermin. Until now 

 that you have enlightened me upon the subject, I 

 was not aware of the benefit this little animal 

 confers upon mankind. For the future, however, 

 his claims to protection shall not be overlooked by 

 me ; and, as I was about to proceed when that 

 unfortunate epithet fell from my lips, if any fox 

 should inadvertently be trapped by my keepers, he 

 shall be immediately conveyed to your friend's 

 house ; and should a litter of cubs be laid up in my 

 home preserves, which are small coppices only, they 

 shall be dug out alive with their mother, and sent 

 also to the kennel. In the larger woods, lying about 

 a mile distant, I am not so particular about game, 

 generally killing all pretty closely down by the end 

 of the season. No steel-traps shall be set again; 

 and jouv friend is most welcome to hunt them as 

 often as he pleases — in moderation, of course; and 

 there also the cubs, as well as the foxes, shall be 

 protected for his amusement and that of our neigh- 

 bours who prefer hunting to shooting.'^ 



Our very grateful thanks were tendered for the 

 kind compliance with our request. Less we had 

 anticipated — more we had no reason to expect. To 

 turn a game preserver, with all his prejudices 

 strongly enlisted against our game, into a fox 

 preserver all at once, or at all, we foresaw would be 

 a very difficult, if not impossible, undertaking. 



A man convinced against his will, 

 Is of the same opinion still. 



Game preservers and gamekeepers appear to have 

 a natural antipathy to foxhunting. Yet is it not 



