CUBDOM. 67 



enough to shift for themselves ! And I realised 

 then it was better to leave the vixen to 

 cater for her cubs herself ! Keepers often shoot 

 rabbits and leave them near the earth for the 

 vixen to find and bring to her cubs, hoping that 

 by doing so they will save a pheasant or two 

 This is a mistake. It is much better to let 

 a vixen catch the rabbits for herself and to risk 

 the pheasants. 



The vixens remain with, and look after, their 

 cubs right up to the cubhuntmg season, which 

 •usually commences early in September, though 

 some packs start in the latter end of August. 

 They are then almost full grown and w^ell able to 

 •look after themselves — in fact, unless a very 

 late litter, they are more or less independent of 

 the vixen by the end of June or beginning of 

 July. The old vixens now become very cunning, 

 and it is extraordinary how they hide away for 

 the greater part of the season, being seldom 

 found by the hounds, and rarely showing any 

 sport. They supply us, however, with the raw 

 material, and that is all we should require of 

 them. 



A fox, if left to die a natural death from old 

 age, would probably live for some twelve or 



P 2 



