274 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



not pass through it, although he often does through 

 other sorts of covers, which do not impede him ; 

 consequently, a fox lying in a wood and hearing 

 hounds running through it, or near it, will be off: 

 therefore they have more exercise than many are 

 aware of. Independent of this, foxes get regularly 

 every night sufficient to keep them in wind ; and 

 some even in better than hounds, which are old 

 foxes that have been hunted, and are too cunning 

 to over-fill themselves with food, although it does 

 sometimes happen, probably by picking up a 

 wounded bird, or something just before they go to 

 their kennel for the day. But these are accidental 

 circumstances ; and when in such a state, foxes are 

 shortly killed, although the day before it would 

 have taken the same pack four hours to kill, even 

 if they did at all, and with a good scent ; for, as 

 before asserted, there are foxes which, when fit to 

 go, can beat any hounds ; and that these foxes are 

 not known, is to be accounted for by their stealing 

 away, and hounds not being on terms do not know 

 much about them as to their stoutness. 



Many foxes are also often abused, and pro- 

 nounced great brutes, etc., and that the sooner they 

 are killed the better, in order that they may go 

 and find a good one, merely because the fox hangs 



