HORSES AND HOUNDS. 121 



countries the fees to keepers and eartli-stoppers form a very- 

 heavy item in the expenses of the establishment, which the 

 master has to bear. In others a separate fund is raised for this 

 purpose. In some clay districts, such as the Roothings of Essex, 

 foxes are often bred above ground, in old hollow stools, or laid 

 up in gorse coverts. These foxes are always the best and 

 straightest runners, trusting to their stoutness and knov/ledge 

 of country to beat their pursuers. 



There are three breeds of foxes common in Great Britain. 

 The large light-coloured greyhound fox, generally found in the 

 north of England, Scotland, and Wales, — also on the wild hills 

 of Devonshire, and in some other counties ; the bulldog fox, 

 dark-coloured, with a large head ; and the cur, a small red fox, 

 to which I think we are indebted to our Gallic friends the 

 other side of the Channel. There are, of course, mixed breeds 

 to be found in every county, but these three are, I think, or 

 were, distinct species. The greyhound fox has almost disap- 

 peared, where some years ago he was well known, and the large 

 importations of French foxes have certainly proved a very poor 

 substitute. They cannot or will not run, and lie down when 

 the least blown in the open, until the hounds are upon them. 

 They are also always prowling about the farm-yard, and do more 

 mischief than they are worth. 



When commencing a new country many years ago, I obtained 

 some foxes from Germany — and a hue lot of cubs they were — 

 in colour and size resembling the old greyhound fox, but much 

 thicker in their coats and larger in their heads. They came 

 over from Frankfort in the bottom of an old boat, a lid being 

 made to it, full of air-holes, and they reached me more than one 

 hundred miles from London in good health and condition. 

 After having kept them a few days in a large airy barn, I 

 had them taken into the best part of my country to some strong 

 earths, where I appointed a man to look after them and feed 

 them regiilarly every night with rabbits, at nine o'clock. These 

 my whipper-in had to cany twice a week in a sack, fifteen 

 miles, from the 1st of June to the 1st of September. 



Young foxes, if turned down in a strange place, require regular 

 feeding every night till they can catch their own prey, which is 

 not quite so soon as some people imagine. It is quite true that 

 young foxes, in their natural state, feed upon beetles and mice, 

 but cubs turned down, if not regularly fed, will wander away 

 anywhere, and be soon starved to death or killed by sheep dogs. 

 Should they, however, escape such a fate, and contrive to exist, 

 it is ten to one but they become mangy, and ruin half your good 

 foxes. The mange in foxes is very different to the mange in 



