ANIMALS PURSUED IN ENGLAND AT THE PRESENT DAY. 45 



but all to no purpose, as he was dead in a few seconds." — 

 Nimrod. 



The marten-cat was, until towards the end of the last century, 

 used to enter young fox-hounds, and Beckford thus speaks of 

 them : — 



" If you have marten-cats within your reach, as all hounds 

 are fond of their scent, you wdll do well to enter your young 

 hounds in the coverts they frequent. The marten-cat being a 

 small animal, by running the thickest brakes it can find, teaches 

 hounds to run covert, and is, therefore, of the greatest use. I 

 do not appro^.^e of hunting them with old hounds ; they show 

 but little sport, are continually climbing trees ; and as the covert 

 they run seldom fails to scratch and tear hounds considerably, 

 I think you might be sorry to see your wdiole pack disfigured 

 by it. The agility of this little animal is really wonderful, and 

 though it fall frequently from a tree in the midst of a whole 

 pack of hounds, all intent on catching it,' there are but few in- 

 stances, I believe, of a marten's being caught by them in that 

 situation." 



They are now, I fear, nearly extinct, but a gentleman of my 

 acquaintance told me that, in his younger days, he had seen 

 them hunted with hounds. 



3 I have often heard of foxes escaping under similar circumstances. 

 One occurred about two years ago in Mr. Tailby's country, when the fox 

 was forced from a great height apparently into the jaws of the pack, and 

 then escaped. 



