336 THE SPORT OF KINGS 



termination. Country gentlemen who want the 

 sport and visitors who come to hunt will go where 

 they can get it, and some countries which have 

 hitherto had a reputation second only to the Shires, 

 will be hunted in very different fashion — if at all. 

 What this would mean to a rural population, 

 already harassed by low prices, it is difficult to 

 calculate ; but I may say that no one knows the 

 amount of money circulated in a good hunting 

 country, and that it amounts to more thousands 

 per annum than outsiders would think it does 

 hundreds. 



And I cannot but think that the only reason 

 for the scarcity of foxes which prevails in some 

 parts is due to nothing but the over-preservation 

 of game, or the desire to over -preserve game, 

 which is, perhaps, another thing. A man has 

 coverts which would carry 200 pheasants well, but 

 he wants to have 400, and tells his keepers so. 

 He overstocks his coverts — Mr. Keeper, perhaps, 

 takes a few for himself — and when the day of the 

 big shoot comes there is nothing like the show the 

 master expects, and the keeper tells him that it is 

 all " they blessed foxes." Then says the master, 

 "Don't keep too many foxes, Velveteens. I don't 

 want the coverts drawing blank, but have foxes in 

 moderation." At which Velveteens puts his tongue 

 in his cheek, and the last fox on the estate is 

 " molested." What causes the scarcity of foxes is 

 meddling with them in the breeding season, and 

 until this is put a stop to foxes will continue to be 

 scarce. A keeper of my acquaintance, who has a 

 wide experience, and who has always plenty of 

 foxes on the estate under his charge, and an in- 

 finitely better head of game than is to be found on 



