HISTORY OF THE KILDARE HUNT 



anxious to know if it was a dog fox or a vixen, and 

 seeing a native on the same side as the hounds who 

 were breaking up the fox he shouted, "Is it a 

 vixen? " The native made no attempt to see and 

 was obviously afraid of the hounds. The master 



shouted again. " Is it a vixen? " " How the h 



can I tell? " shouted back the man. *' Sure, the 

 dogs have eaten the gender out of it." 



The wrecker is a peculiar product of Irish hunt- 

 ing districts, the loafing half tramp, half corner 

 boy, who runs after the hounds and catches loose 

 horses and picks riders out of ditches. Many stories 

 are told of the impudence and address of these 

 men, as, for instance. Dean De Burgh of Old Town 

 would never allow a tree to be felled in his demesne. 

 When his son, Mr De Burgh, succeeded him he 

 very properly began to thin out the plantations. 

 When in Naas one day he was pestered for money 

 by an old wrecker clad in an old scarlet hunting 

 coat, well known as old Joe. After repeated impor- 

 tunities all up the long street, he was at last told to 

 go to a warm climate. " Ah! " said old Joe, " if I 

 go there Master Tom, I'll be shure to see the ould 

 Dane, and I'll tell him ye 're cutting down all the 

 timber." 



A story of a different flavour perhaps claims a 

 place. A very well-known and popular legal gentle- 

 man was a regular follower of the Kildare hounds. 

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