FOX-HUNTING 173 



consists, in the main, of farmers who take 

 a neighbourly delight in riding over each 

 other's holdings. Whenever you see a hunt 

 where wheat and seeds are ridden over more 

 ruthlessly than usual, you may be sure it is 

 a farmer's country. 



There are as many ways of hunting a 

 country as there are styles of riding a horse. 

 The object of one huntsman is to kill foxes, 

 of another to give his field a run, of another 

 to see hounds work. The character of the 

 country itself decides in some degree 

 whether hounds are to be left to themselves 

 or handled. The great points and fine runs 

 are for the open countries where coverts are 

 few and foxes sufficient, but not too plentiful. 

 In wild or rough countries, or in high-banked 

 counties like Devonshire and Cornwall, 



