1 6 THE MASTER OF HOUNDS 



thinking, the two sports of these islands (unless we 

 have to reckon with angling). While there are 

 hundreds — I may say thousands — of men who shoot 

 and never hunt, there are very few who hunt and 

 never shoot. One might think by this we would 

 have more complaints from shooting-men than from 

 huntsmen, but such is not the case. Huntsmen seem 

 to think that, after the preserver has spent thousands 

 of pounds in making game coverts, and hundreds 

 annually preserving game, these coverts are to be 

 kept for the sole enjoyment of the M.F.H. and his 

 followers. The preserver is not to authorise that 

 horrible creature, the gamekeeper, to look after foxes 

 as well as winged game (my opinion is, when in a 

 hunting country, foxes might be considered game). 

 According to * G. F. U.,' the gamekeeper should see to 

 nothing ; his coverts and game are to be left at the 

 mercy of the earth-stopper, who, ' if foxes are about, 

 should see the coverts are not drawn blank.' So 

 much for your correspondent's knowledge of foxes. 

 Oh ! those wily creatures, how they can baffle some 

 of our present-day authorities ! 



" Perhaps the few darts thrown at the shooting- 

 tenant were made for the purpose of putting them 

 on their guard of their dishonest servants ; but the 

 majority of these gentlemen are men of clear under- 

 standing, sportsmen to boot, and hold a higher opinion 

 of their fellow man than the pot-hunter or cockney, 

 and require no dictation from onlookers. Should 

 they require advice they seek it from their keepers, and 

 who should know more about the preserve on which 



