FOX-HUNTING IN THE HIGHLANDS 



CHAPTER XXX 



Fox-hunling in the Highlands 



I HAVE very little to say on this most momentous of all 

 sporting subjects ; and that little will, I fear, be sadly 



" Unmusical to Melton ears. 

 And harsh in sound to Quorn." 



But what are a set of poor fellows like us to do, living here 

 amongst mountains, and ravines, and torrents, and deep water- 

 courses, and morasses, against none of which the best horse 

 that ever put foot on turf could contend for five minutes ? It 

 took me, I must confess, some time before I could get over all 

 the finer tone of my Leicestershire feelings ; and I have no 

 doubt that I blushed a perfect scarlet the first time that I 

 doubled up a fox ^ with a rifle-ball ; but now, rendered callous 

 by use and necessity, I can do execution upon him without a 

 pang. 



' The fox is still common in Scotland, but the enmity of farmers and shepherds, 

 together with guns and traps, have reduced its numbers of late years. Mr. J. Colquhoun 

 in The Moor and the Loch, vol. ii. , has a good chapter on the Highland fox. It lives 

 much on sheep and lambs, whereas an English fox only kills lambs in times of scarci ty or 

 when it has ciibs, But there is no reason to suppose the two are of different species. 



