[45] 



she met with, whether game, fowl, or rabbit, 

 I should be making a false statement ; but 

 if there are plenty of the latter, Foxes will 

 destroy but little game ; and I am certain 

 game preservers may have it in quantities to 

 their heart's content, and Foxes also, if they 

 will but pay their keepers' wages in argent 

 comptant, and not in rabbits. As a proof 

 of this, I will mention an instance which 

 happened to me: — I was requested some 

 years ago, at the time I hunted the Thur- 

 low country, to meet at Chippenham, near 

 Newmarket, the owner of which and his 

 keeper said we might by chance find a Fox, 

 but they were certain no Foxes had been 

 bred there, as they had not lost a single 

 head of game. I never in my life saw so 

 many pheasants of every sort, and hares 

 innumerable ; and, to the astonishment of 

 all present, in the very middle of the pre- 

 serve, and lying with the pheasants, so near 

 that they must have almost touched each 



