OBSERVATIONS ON FOX-HUNTING 97 



In modern times, hunting early is unnecessary ; 

 the breed of hounds, the feeding, and the whole 

 system is so much improved, that the majority 

 of foxes are found and killed in the afternoon, 

 (I mean after twelve o'clock). In former times, 

 the only advantage of finding a fox earhj must 

 have been that his belly was full ; for perhaps 

 he had scarcely finished his repast by that time 

 in the morning. In the present day, we are 

 anxious to find a stout fox ; and, instead of his 

 being full, we wish him to be as empty as pos- 

 sible, and to stand one hour and twenty minutes, 

 the best pace, before the hounds. 



A celebrated writer on fox-hunting, the late 

 Mr. Beckford, (if I remember right, not having 

 read his book for many years,) is of opinion that 

 break of day is the most desirable time to hunt, 

 and that you have a better chance of sport early 

 in the morning. For the reason I before stated, 

 there is certainly a greater probability of killing 

 your fox ; and in cub-hunting, in the end of 

 August and beginning of September, the weather 

 is often so warm, you cannot hunt after ten 

 o'clock ; but if it is not too hot, and the ground 

 too dry, I never thought there was any great 

 advantage gained by hunting so very early. — 

 Sometimes the scent is better early in the 

 morning, but very often it is worse ; and, on 

 8 



