96 THE HUNTING FIELD 



Tlie Earth-stopper is generally a popular man in the 

 country, and many of them are as good hands at finding 

 their ways into the earths of farmers and gentlemen's houses, 

 as they are at finding the fox earths. Besides ascertaining 

 the breeds and probable number of foxes, they have also to 

 hear evidence as to their ravages, and keep a check on the 

 poultry account. Here they act 'as middle men between the 

 Master and the hen farmer, and in this department we would 

 advise them to give the cast of the scale in favour of the 

 farmer. Never mind if the hunt does pay for a few more 

 hens and geese than reynard really consumes. Foxhunters 

 pay nothing for field damage, hedging, rail-mending, and so 

 on ; and, moreover, the poultry is generally the perquisite of 

 the ladies, to whom foxhunters are always ready to do suit 

 and service. Indeed, were we a Master — which had we to 

 make out a catalogue of wishes instead of one of objections — 

 we should place at the head of the list — we should always be 

 glad to hear of a good lot of poultry damage. We should 

 regard the ravages of reynard much as we regard the appetite 

 of our friend Peter Pigskin, who it does our heart good to see 

 feed. The more damage say we the more foxes, at least we 

 would flatter ourselves so, though some ungentlemanly foxes 

 certainly will commit waste as well as proper plunder. These, 

 however, are the shabby dogs of the country, who generally 

 die ignominiously in cover, their distended bellies " with fat 

 capon lined." 



In no instance is the popularity or unpopularity of a Master 

 more apparent than in the abundance or scarcity of foxes. 

 The man who can command a country full of foxes without 

 the aid of a superintendent Earth-stopper, resembles a monarch 

 who can trust himself among his people without a body guard. 

 There is no criterion — in a hunting country at least — so in- 

 fallible as a goodly show of foxes. It shows that the farmers 

 and the country people are pleased — rank, wealth, large 



