2 20 HISTORY OF THE YORK AND AINSTY HUNT. 



they eventually marked their fox to ground, warmed us up 

 after the somewhat dodging run of the morning. 



In the early part of January Mr. Lycett Green found it 

 necessary to approach the Hunt Committee on the subject 

 of the increasing scarcity of foxes in the country, the 

 following being a quotation from his letter : — 



' For the first time during' the eight years I have liad the 

 ' hounds, I am sorry to report a scarcity of foxes in the 

 ' country. 



' I did not find tlie litters of cubs I expected during 

 ' tlie cub-liunting, nor liave they turned up since. 



'At the same time I feel sure I have only to make an 

 ' appeal to the land-owners and covert-owners, by whom 

 ' I have been so well supported, to be sure that they will 

 'do all in their power to remedy this, however gloomy the 

 ' prospect may be at present. We have had mange now 

 ' for three years, and no doubt this must partly account 

 ' for the dearth of foxes. Various means have been tried 

 ' to stamp it out, without avail. It is fto use going into the 

 ' causes as to why mange is with us ; it is here, and we 

 ' must get rid of it. The only plan left I can now think 

 ' of is for all land-owners, covert-owners and others, to 

 ' co-operate, and permanently stop all their earths before 

 ' the breeding season. 



' In cases where mangy foxes have been known to use 

 ' the earths, to destroy, and disinfect the soil with lime. 

 ' By this I hope the healthy foxes will make new earths, 

 ' and the mangy ones will be easily killed.'* 



* Mange in foxes is not got rid of in a hurry ; and it is as well to note 

 that it springs from various causes, and there are apparently several kinds of 

 the disease. The means adopted by IVIr. Lycett Green undoubtedly did good, 

 but no amount of stamping out will eradicate the disease in a season or two. 

 It is worth while to point out that every fox that is void of hair is by no means 

 irrecoverably mangy ; and I have seen foxes myself with short hair all over 

 their bodies, or over parts of their bodies, which showed conclusively that they 

 had been suffernig from some sort of skin disease from which recovery was 

 possible. Mr. Tom Smith, who hunted the Craven hounds so successfully for 

 many years, tells of foxes recovering from mange, but he says it takes them 

 quite two years to get their fur up again. So it is necessary for people to be 

 very careful when putting down mangy foxes, as it is possible that they may 

 destroy a fox that is only suffering from some mild form of eczema, or has 

 even recovered from the disease, 



