152 THE FOX 



taste venison, and know what a wounded stag means. 

 They stalk the stalkers, as we have already seen that 

 they haunt the steps of the pheasant-shooters, and 

 thus no doubt pick up many a rich meal of venison. 

 Occasionally, too, fawns and red-deer calves fall 

 victims to the fox. 



In Wales there are many more packs of hounds 

 than in Scotland, but in the mountainous districts 

 a price is often set on foxes' heads. In those parts 

 where there is no regular hunting the farmers sub- 

 scribe to a fox fund. In Wales, as in Scotland, there 

 is often a professional fox-catcher, who receives 

 about five shillings a head for foxes. Two of the 

 most successful Welsh fox-catchers were women. One, 

 Margaret Evans, is said to have slain more foxes than 

 all the confederate hunts put together. Her hunting- 

 ground was round Snowdon. 



Another famous Welsh huntress was Catherine 

 Thomas, who gained her livelihood by thinning down 

 foxes in Carnarvonshire and Merionethshire. She 

 used two or three couple of small Welsh terriers of 

 the old breed. Catherine kept the score of her kills 

 by notches cut in the mantelshelf of her cottage. At 

 her death there were 175 nicks. 



As in Scotland, so in Wales, foxes are sometimes 

 bolted by terriers when the earth is accessible, and 



