HOME AND HAUNTS OF THE FOX 97 



which may be lightly stopped with earth so that the 

 fox can scratch his way out. This exit should be 

 concealed by some bushes, so that if fox-stealers or 

 a wandering terrier invade the covert, the fox may be 

 able to slip away unobserved. Idle lads have been 

 known to spend Sunday afternoon disturbing earths 

 to try their terriers, or for the sake of sport. 



The various forms of artificial earth are as follows : 

 I. A badger is caught, penned into a covert — 

 which, by the way, is not very easy to do — and kept 

 there till he has dug an earth. This sounds better and 

 is much easier in theory than it would be in practice. 

 I know of no instance of a badger so confined making 

 an earth, though badgers' earths are common enough, 

 and there are two within a mile and a half of the place 

 where I am writing. But they are rather a nuisance, 

 as they are difficult to stop, and as a matter of fact 

 two foxes went to ground in one the last time we 

 drew the neighbouring coverts. 



II. The * Field ' in 1877 gave the following method 

 of making an artificial earth, which, except that no 

 dimensions are given, seems to be practical. The 

 writer advises that a deep trench should be dug on 

 the sunny side of rising ground in the chosen covert. 

 The trench should be four feet deep and the same 

 width, being in a semi-circular form, with two entrances, 



H 



