THOUGHTS UPON HUNTING. 299. 



to find it ; and when he knows their haunt, he 

 fhould continue to feed them there : nothhig dc- 

 llroys fo much the breed of foxes as buying them 

 to turn out, unlefs care be taken of them after '■ 

 wards. 



Your country being extenfive, probably it may 

 not be all equally good ; it may be worth your 

 while, therefore, to remove fome of the cubs 

 from one part of it into the other; it is what I 

 frequently do myfelf, and find it anfwer.* A 

 fox-court is of great ufe ; it ihould be any, or I 

 cannot advife you to keep them long in it. I 

 turned out one year ten brace of cubs, moft of 

 which, by being kept till they were tainted before 

 they were turned out, were found dead in the 

 covers, with fcarcely any hair upon them ; whilft 

 a brace, which had made their efcape by making 

 a hole in the fack in which they were brought, 

 lived and fhewed excellent foort. Should the 



* Though turned out foxes may fometimes anfwer the pur- 

 pofe of entering young hounds, yet they feldom fiiew any di- 

 verfion I few of thofe I have turned into my v/oods have I 

 ever feen again : belides, the turning out of foxes, and alarming 

 the neighbourhood, may hajien their deflru6lion. Foxes v.'iij. 

 be plentiful enough where traps are not fet to deftroy them ; 

 ^ Ihould they do any injury to the farmer, make fatisfa6tion fof 

 it ; encourage the neighbouring gamekeepers to preferve them 

 by paying them handfomely for every litter of cubs that they 

 take care of for you : if you a£l in this manner you may not 

 have occafion to turn any out. 



cubs 



