WHEN HUNTING SHOULD CEASE. 293 



all our terriers. They were seen to sink, their 

 strength not being sufficient to resist the two 

 enemies they had to encounter — powerful when 

 combined, — the severity of the cold, and the 

 rapidity of the stream. 



You ask, at what time you should leave off 

 hunting ? It is a question which I know not 

 how to answer ; as it depends as well on the 

 quantity of game that you have, as on the 

 country that you hunt. However, in my 

 opinion, no good country should be hunted 

 after February, nor should there be any hunt- 

 ing at all after March. Spring hunting is sad 

 destruction of foxes : in one week you may 

 destroy as many as would have shown you sport 

 for a whole season. We killed a bitch-fox one 

 morning, with seven young ones, which were all 

 alive : I can assure you we missed them very 

 much the next year, and had many blank days, 

 which we need not to have had, but through 

 our own fault. I should tell you, that this 

 notable feat was performed literally on the first 

 of April. If you will hunt late in the season, 

 you should, at least, leave your terriers behind 

 you. I hate to kill any animal out of season. 

 A hen-pheasant with egg, I have heard, is fa- 

 mous eating; yet I can assure you I never 



