408 HUNTING. 



the whole over with earth. The reason why this 

 last operation is not done at first is, that in conse- 

 quence of the fox-earth being smoked with brim- 

 stone, a fox may, if in, not come out the first night; 

 but by waiting three days he will by that time find 

 his way out, and consequently, the earth may be 

 stopped without fear of stopping him in. After this 

 is done, the earth-stoppers are to understand that 

 the earths are to be kept stopt the whole winter, 

 until they have orders to open them in the spring, 

 for the vixens to lay up their cubs in — to be open- 

 ed the last week in February." 



" The advantages gained by this plan," says Mr. 

 Smith, " are so numerous, that it has always ap- 

 peared most strange that it has not been known to 

 have ever been adopted by any other master of 

 hounds. He (Mr. Smith) will have no difficulty 

 in proving, that it is a certain way to get better 

 runs, because they are straighter, as the foxes do 

 not run the rings they used to do — in trying every 

 earth in the country where they are found — as they 

 have already discovered that they are all blocked 

 up, and therefore often go straight away. But. 

 according to the old plan of merely stopping the 

 earths in a certain quarter of the country, the day 

 it is hunted, when a straight good run does hap- 

 pen, and the hounds deserve their fox, he goes to 

 ground beyond the distance stopt for the day." In 

 the next place, continues Mr. Smith, stopping at 

 once for the season " is the best preventive against 

 blank days, for, as before stated, many foxes nearly 

 alwavs lay under ground, in bad weather particu- 

 larly." 



