CHIEFLY HISTORICAL 5 



sports, compiled, I believe, chiefly from authors before 

 his time. Here are samples of the quaint Cox's lore. 

 " We say the Deer is broke up. The Fox and Hare 

 is cased." In those days it was the custom to divest 

 the hare of her skin when killed, and, the gall and 

 lights being taken away — under the impression that 

 they made hounds sick — the huntsman, who carried 

 some bread, cut up into small pieces, dipped these in 

 the blood and gave them with the entrails to the hounds. 

 The hare was after this broken up and given among 

 the pack, and if any young hound was too timid to 

 come in and take his share, he was presented with the 

 head. The modern custom of giving hounds the 

 entrails and handing the hare over to the farmer upon 

 whose land she was found, is surely a much more seemly 

 and profitable way of dealing with the dead quarry. 



To return to Nicholas Cox. Among " Terms for 

 the Footing and Treading of all Beasts of Venery and 

 Chase," he says : " Of a hare, diversely, for when she 

 is in open field she soreth ; when she winds about to 

 deceive the Hounds then she doubleth ; when she 

 beateth on the Hard Highway, and her footing can be 

 perceived, then she pricketh ; and in the snow it is 

 called the Trace of the Hare." 



Concerning tracking hares in the snow, by the way, 

 there used to be a special Statute, 14 & 15 Hen. 

 VIII. cap. 10, which provided as follows : " None 

 shall trace, destroy or kill any Hare in the Snow, in 

 pain of 6s. 8^. for every such Offence ; which penalty 

 assessed in Sessions shall go to the King ; but in a 

 Leet, to the Lord thereof." Whether this ordinance 

 has ever been repealed I know not ; probably it has. 

 An earlier Act of Richard II. 's reign — 13 Rich. II. 

 cap. 13 — set forth that " No man who hath not lands 

 of 40s. per annum, nor Clerk who hath not 10/. revenue 



