EARTH-STOPPING 289 



would be the means of diiving all the foxes out of 

 the country, etc., which the fact of not having 

 a single blank day for a year or two erased 

 from their minds, it was no trifling addition to 

 this satisfaction, and to the proof that earths 

 are not absolutely necessary to have foxes in a 

 country, for the writer lately to have had the 

 opportunity of ascertaining that there are no 

 earths in the whole Bedfordshire country, and 

 yet foxes in abundance. It is very true, our fore- 

 fathers did not stop the earths in this way ; but 

 in former times foxes were not bought and 

 sold as they are now. 



The only persons who really lose by this, are 

 the old earth-stoppers ; and they lose three things — 

 first, their consequence by it in some measure ; 

 next, a few half-crowns for stopping ; and thirdly, 

 they lose a great deal of unpleasant work, such as 

 getting up in the middle of the night, and going 

 out in the dark, in all weathers ; independent of 

 which, they lose a gi*eat deal of abuse for not having 

 done their duty. 



u 



