1874-75.] A PROTEST AGAINST BUTCHERY. 157 



'' hounds (lesci'ce him.'" But, if you were a fox, and you found 

 that an idle or lukewarm earthstopper had left a favourite 

 refuge open to you, would you not gladly take advantage of it 

 without remorse of conscience, particularly when you found 

 your powers flagging? We must grant that hounds are glad 

 to get hold of their fox ; but we cannot grant that it is at 

 all necessar}-^ they should do so. In a well-stocked country 

 he must be a bad huntsman who cannot find them blood 

 enough by fair killing ; while in a badly-stocked one it is very 

 certain you cannot afford wanton bloodshed. INIoreover, it is 

 almost an allowed fact that hounds well blooded in the cub- 

 hunting season do not require it to any extent afterwards ; 

 and many authorities maintain that a good " flare-up " of 

 triumph and excitement over the mouth of an earth is just as 

 eflectual and satisfactory to hounds as an actual worry. 



Lastl}"", let us take the body of sportsmen who make up the 

 field, through whom and for whom hunting exists, and who 

 for that reason possess every claim to have their feelings 

 consulted. They hunt to enjoy themselves, each in his own 

 peculiar fashion — and many and diverse are the individual 

 opinions of each day's events. But was any one of them ever yet 

 known to come home and answer an inquiring neighbour with 

 *' Capital day ! Saw two foxes dug out ! One they caught 

 beautifull}^ — pulled him out by the brush and threw him among 

 the hounds ; the other bolted out, but they had cleverly kept 

 the pack close to the hole, and so killed him too ! Bare sj)ort, 

 and my old mare's not a bit tired ! " But, having drifted 

 unconsciously from analysis into argument, I may as well 

 assume m3'self the representative of the last-named body, and 

 state their opinion boldly. Let it, however, be clearly under- 

 stood that these remarks in no way apply to cases of exception 

 or necessity, but are directed against the too-prevalent idea 

 that digging out a fox (to eat, not to give him a fresh start) is 

 a fitting and sportsmanlike climax to a run. As a case of 

 exception we may take that of a diseased or thoroughly bad 

 fox, whose life would never conduce to sport, and who is 



