The Present Day 1 1 5 



of foxes found, 17J brace killed or run to ground. 

 Hunted on sixty- four occasions, with six blank days 

 during the season — four during cubbing. 



With regard to the future of these hounds — a subject 

 which is now attracting a little incidental consideration, 

 and which we wish to treat as delicately as possible — one 

 need not cultivate pessimistic views. There is a vast 

 amount of consolation in hoping for the best, especially 

 when the worst seems to be a remote contingency. But 

 it is useless to ignore certain pressing facts. Thus, with 

 the continued increase of building operations now to be 

 noted in this district, the greater prevalence of wire, 

 changes in the sporting element, emigration of old sport- 

 ing residents farther afield, the advent of a more urban 

 class who are not necessarily good sportsmen, the destruc- 

 tion of coverts, the erection of large, unpicturesque 

 asylums which are little better than a blot on the landscape, 

 the steady growth of population, the increasing prevalence 

 of syndicate shoots — all these facts (and there is no 

 getting away from their significance) are likely to have 

 an inimical influence on the future prosperity of these 

 hounds. It is surprising, indeed, considering the difficul- 

 ties which they have to contend against, that they are 

 able to show such consistent sport as they do under exist- 

 ing circumstances. We never know when we are going 

 to be in for a " good thing " — a fast forty minutes on 

 the grass perchance with a kill in the open. If we 

 can taste that bliss occasionally we have no right to 

 complain. 



