BLOOD. 329 



mark a fox to ground, they should be made as much of, as 

 if they had killed him. They will then go home satisfied with 

 knowing where they have left him. If this is not done, the 

 pack will soon leave off troubling themselves to mark any of 

 their foxes to ground and will come away, much in the same 

 fashion that a London pug dog will do, when his hunted 

 cat has disappeared down an area. Sometimes it is imperative 

 in the early stages of hound tuition, to dig out a fox and give 



Fig. 226. Topped hedge, 6 ft. high. 



him to them, in order to teach them to mark. A fox for every 

 three times that a pack goes out is a fair allowance. 



" The most useful way in which hounds can get blood is, 

 when it is practicable, to open a drain so far that they can 

 draw the fox themselves, after marking him in. In such a 

 case, he should not be taken from them, and they should be 

 allowed to worry him their own way, which action on their 

 part will leave neither a brush for a lady, nor a pad for a 

 schoolboy. The hound who, after the mette, secures the fox's 

 head, should be allowed to keep it and carry it home if he 



