I02 Game arid Foxes. 



the unwise turning down of half- tame cubs on 

 their estates, and, as far as the sport they afford is 

 concerned, the foxes they develop into are not 

 worth the loss of the most humble supporter of 

 the Hunt. 



Another precaution which Hunt authorities might 

 observe on behalf of their shooting allies is to 

 keep cubbing fixtures quite secret. These take 

 place while game, especially hand-reared pheasants, 

 is young and inexperienced, and the roughs who 

 make the coming of hounds an excuse for 

 assembling are able to secure a lot of birds 

 with little trouble. Besides, when cubs are the 

 quarry, hounds linger in covert a long time, and 

 roughs of poaching inclinations have an excuse 

 for lingering on the scene also. Regular 

 hunting fixtures may be made public, for game 

 in November is mature, better able to look after 

 its own safety, the pack is soon away on the line 

 of a fox, and the keeper in a position to order 

 off the roughs. A portion of the Field and some 

 of the Hunt servants might do worse than act as 

 keepers on these occasions, and they should at 

 once check any attempt of roughs to penetrate 

 into the more sacred parts of a preserve. The 

 drawing of coverts, too, might be conducted less 

 noisily, with an absence of horn-blowing and loud 



