reynaud's inveterate foes. 315 



will tell vou, that there is not the least rea- 

 son to think that she could have had any 

 knowledge of it. 



Besides the digging of foxes, by which 

 method many young ones are taken, and old 

 ones destroyed, traps, &c. too often are fatal 

 to them. Farmers, for their lambs, (which, 

 by the by, few foxes ever kill,) gentlemen 

 for their game, and old women for their 

 poultry, are their inveterate enemies. I must, 

 however, give an instance of civility I once 

 met with from a farmer. — The hounds had 

 found, and were running hard : the farmer 

 came up in high spirits, and said, " I hope, 

 sir, you will kill him ; he has done me much 

 damage lately : he carried away all my ducks 

 last week. I would not gin him, though : — 

 too good a sportsman for that." — So much for 

 the honest farmer. 



In the country where I live, most of the 

 gentlemen are sportsmen ; and even those who 

 are not, show every kind attention to those 

 who are. I am sorry it is otherwise with you ; 

 and that your old gouty neighbour should 

 destroy your foxes, I must own, concerns me. 

 I know some gentlemen, who, when a neigh- 

 bour had destroyed all their foxes, and thereby 

 p2 



