his " Book of Hunting." The worst of it is, we do not know 

 how much is Turbervile, how much Du Fouillot, whom he trans- 

 lated, and how much still earlier writers from whom the Frenchman 

 borrowed. What we do know is that our ancestors dug the fox 

 and " badgerd " after the manner in which we dig them now-a-days, 

 and that they used terriers in the sport. We have also evidence 

 that terriers of various kinds existed, Turbervile writing " You must 

 understand that there are sundrie sortes of terriers, whereof wee 

 hold opinion that one sorte came out of Flaunders or the low 

 Countries, as Artoys and thereabouts, and they have crooked legges, 

 and are short beared moste commonly. Another sorte there is 

 which are shagged and streight legged ; those with the crooked 

 legges will take earth better than the other, and are better for 

 the Badgerd, bycause they will lye longer at a vermine ; but the 

 others with streyght legges do serve for twoo purposes, for they wyll 

 Hunte above the grounde as well as other houndes, and they enter 

 the earthe with more furie than the others : but they will not abide so 

 long, bycause they are too eagre in right, and therefore are con- 

 strayned to come out to take the ayre : there are both good and 

 badde of bothe sortes." 



True, good sir, even unto this day there are good and bad of 

 both sorts ; and there are good and bad sportsmen also, but I doubt 

 if our modern Nimrods are sufficiently luxury-loving to take with 

 them air cushions v/hen they go badger digging. Turbervile's 



