140 COVERS. 



risk of breaking their limbs at some great boundary 

 fence, or other impassable barrier ; let small wooden 

 bridges be thrown over the worst of the larger dykes 

 or ditches ; let the rides be kept well trimmed, the 

 rackways, trigs, or small bye-rides kept open, and the 

 earth-stopping department properly attended to, and 

 it will be seen that sport of the first order may be had 

 provided that the rest of " the means and apperti- 

 nences," be in equally good keeping. To the neglect 

 of the above management, and to the well-known fact, 

 that the generality of masters of hounds would rather 

 at any time draw the open under an uncertainty of 

 finding, than run the risk of a long day in the woods, 

 and to the destruction of foxes by unfair means con- 

 sequent to such neglect, may, in nine cases out of ten, 

 be attributed the odium attached to woodland-hunting. 

 I can only add upon this point, that if more days were 

 devoted to rummaging the woodlands than the modern 

 systemallows, there would be fewer blank days, and 

 more clipping runs in the open, and the necessity of 

 going to Messrs. Herring and Baker, would be alto- 

 gether done away with. The large woods and cliflfs 

 before mentioned, were undoubtedly natural covers, 

 and to these may be added brakes, composed chiefly 

 of blackthorn and the briar, or blackberry ; these are 

 the favourite resort of foxes, and indeed all other wild 

 animals, from the almost impenetrable nature of the 

 plants which compose them ; and although not nearly 

 so numerous as they were thirty years ago, when 

 agriculture was not attended to as it now is, they are 

 occasionally to be met with, particularly in open fields ; 

 and where the land is what may be termed "fox 



