46 ACCESSIBLE FIELD SPORTS. 



the royal troops to suppress the revolution. This noble 

 old soldier was doubtless a hard-riding and enthusi- 

 astic foxhunter. The little grey fox indigenous to the 

 country did not suit his exalted ideas of the noble sport 

 as he had enjoyed it at home, and to remedy the evil 

 he went to the trouble, and doubtless, in those days, 

 great expense, to import the larger, gamer, and more 

 lasting animal. The result was the success he so emi- 

 nently deserved. The first arrivals were turned down 

 in Maryland, not far from Baltimore. From there 

 they have gradually extended north, south, and west, 

 marking their advent by the gradual annihilation of 

 the grey species. I have had the pleasure for some 

 years of enjoying the friendship of Colonel Skinner, 

 son of the old postmaster- general ; from him I learn 

 that he frequently heard his father speak on this sub- 

 ject, and that he has often visited the spot where the 

 first English or red foxes were turned down. From 

 my own personal experience I can state a circumstance 

 corroborative of the fact, that with the entree of the 

 red fox into any section of country the grey species 

 either migrates or perishes. Some years since I lived 

 in a hilly portion of Southern Illinois. On my arrival 

 the little grey foxes were so numerous that with a 

 moderate pack of hounds two or three could be killed 

 daily. I had not been there over a year when, to my 



