32 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



sandy slopes of the Solway. 1 This is so far correct, that Fou- 

 marts often visited the sand dunes in search of rabbits, and even 

 now occasionally do so. I have a note of one shot very recently 

 under such circumstances. But the Foumart does not make 

 its home among the sandhills permanently. It prefers to lie 

 up in damp woods and mossy flows, in rough meadow lands, 

 or on the skirts of the salt marshes, generally near water. The 

 sexes live entirely apart. Foumart-hunting, be it understood, 

 does not originate in dislodging a Foumart from its stronghold, 

 and then following the animal in hot pursuit across the country. 

 The Foumart has generally left its hole some hours before the 

 dogs are put on to the scent. Hence the runs are frequently pro- 

 longed. Mr. Coward on one occasion laid the hounds on to the 

 scent at five a.m., and the run lasted until half-past one in the 

 afternoon, the distance covered in following the trail of the 

 animal being about forty miles. 



The largest number of Foumarts that Mr. Coward ever knew to 

 be killed in this district in a season was thirty-nine. 2 Their skins 

 were sold to be sent to London for the use of the furriers, who 

 converted their pelage into boas and muffs. They used to fetch 

 about half-a-crown a piece, and were sold for the poorest of the 

 hunters. Old Storey once assisted in killing forty-two Foumarts 

 in a season, but that was fifty years ago, when Foumarts were 

 common even in the neighbourhood of Carlisle. Mr. Coward 

 has seven fine Foumarts of the local breed, two of which, being 

 bitches, are considerably smaller than the rest. A bitch Foumart 

 in good condition weighs about If lbs., whereas an average dog 

 weighs about 2f lbs. Mr. Coward possesses the head of an 

 enormous Foumart, which weighed 4f lbs. This was a dog of 

 exceptional size, the largest and finest that he ever saw. 



1 Field, May 5th, 1883. 



2 Mr. T. Lindsay, who has had a large experience of Foumarts, 

 remarked to me the other day that there were no Foumarts left in 

 Lakeland, except in the Abbey Holme : ' It was steel traps that killed 

 Foumart.' He generally killed about a score of Foumarts in a season 

 during the 'fifties.' He had leave to trap, and got 'many out of 

 Muncaster Woods.' As for Muncaster Fell, ' it was never clear of them.' 

 Drigg Common was a stronghold of the species. Five Foumarts were 

 trapped there on the first night that traps were set for rabbits. 



