2 Game and Foxes. 



Upon his good friends the gamekeepers of the 

 United Kingdom the author has nothing but praise 

 to bestow, for they hold the balance between foxes 

 and game most cleverly, and that this book may 

 assist them in such good work is his earnest wish. 

 To judge by what is commonly said, a keeper 

 might be supposed never to do justice by foxes, 

 but it is only necessary to point to the rarity of a 

 blank day with hounds to prove that there is little 

 ground for such insinuations. On the one hand, 

 they are accused of accomplishing the destruction 

 of foxes by every means in their power, and, on the 

 other, of shutting foxes in the earths when hounds 

 are expected ; but why keepers should destroy 

 them on the one occasion, and strive to save them 

 on another, is a question which needs explanation. 



The majority of gamekeepers do their duty well, 

 but one and all should remember that there is no 

 greater proof of skill on the part of a keeper than 

 his ability to show both game and foxes, and 

 plenty of them, on the same estate. The men 

 who are capable of doing this deserve every 

 encouragement and due recompense and they in 

 the near future will most certainly command the 

 best situations. 



