THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 283 



blank, days; and, without doubt, they often meet 

 with them. Mobbing a fox, indeed, is only al- 

 lowable when hounds are not hkely to be a 

 match for him without it. One would almoil 

 be indined to think blood as neceiFary to the men 

 as to the hounds, iince the bell chacc is flat, un- 

 lefs you kill the fox. When you alk a fox-hunteu 

 what fport he has had, and he replies, it was 

 good^ I think the next quefiion generally is, Did 

 your hounds kill? If he fhould lay they did 7iot, 

 the converfation ends ; but if, on the contrary, 

 he tell you that they did, you then aik a hundred 

 queftions, and feldom are fatisfied, till he has re- 

 lated every particular of the chace. 



When there is fnow on the ground, foxes will 

 lie at earth.* Should your hounds be in want of 

 blood, it will at that time be eafy to dig one to 

 turn out before them, when the weather breaks; 

 but I feera to have forgotten a new do6\rlne 

 which I lately heard, that blood is not neceflary 

 to a pack of fox-hounds. If yoii alfo Ihould 

 have taken up that opinion, I have only to wifli, 

 that the goodnefs of your hounds may prevent 



* Earths Ihould be watched when there is fiiow upon the 

 ground, for foxes then will lie at earth. Thofe who are in- 

 clined to deftroy them can track them in, and may dig thera 

 out. 



you 



