It is usual, when the fox-hounds are to go out, to send out the earth-stoppers during the preceding night : these re pair to the several haunts, and close the entrances while the foxes are abroad in search of prey. The cunning animal, finding the work of man about his pre mises, retires to some furze, Nether, or coppice, not far off, where he is sure to be started by the dogs; and to be fol lowed, indeed sometimes pointed out, by the jays, blackbirds, crows, magpies, and other birds, which consider him as their common enemy. When attacked, he fights in silence, but with astonishing courage, regardless of pain, and rarely quitting his hold. When seized by the bounds it is rarely that be cries out; though he snarls and snaps with peculiar expression and indescribable ferocity.
It is highly necessary in training fox hounds, to keep them entirely to the pursuit of foxes ; if suffered once to fol low a hare, their staunchness will be in danger of diminution. A hound for this sport should be of rather a large size, full of blood, light, but strong in the limbs, great speed, and of distinguished perseverance. If deficient in either of these requisites, he must be drawn. He may make a good harrier, under certain circumstances, but will be a great detri ment to the fox-pack. Nor is the keen ness of scent an object of less import ance ; indeed, it is of more moment than among harriers ; for the fox will play off an infinity of devices, especially that of running on a dusty road, crossing broad waters, springing over ditches, pass ing along the copings of park-walls, &c.
that require an acute sense of smelling to defeat : add to this, he is often a mile a-head of the hounds, whereby the trail loses greatly of its strength.
In following foxhounds, the sports. man has little time for deliberation : he must keep up as well as he can, taking care to keep the cry in hearing, and avoiding leaps and scrambles as much as i he can. It is true, this doctrine is by many held to be effeminate, and unbe coming the keen hunter ; but it is the way to be in at the death, and to enjoy the chase without injuring the horse. Fox-hounds spread much more than harriers, on account of the diversity of country they run through : hence there is often a mile, or more, between the first and last dog ; considering even the hindmost as well laid in, and rejecting such as are faulty. With regard ,to the extent of riders, no computation can be offered ; it sometimes reaching from the place where the game started to where it died, or was lost.
Foxes are wonderfully sagacious ; they have been carried sixty and seventy miles in hampers, for the purpose of be ing hunted by some distant pack ; and after escaping, in various successive in stance, havekeen retaken at their origi nal haunts. This seems to prove that fox es are great ramblers, and are in gene ral well acquainted with a very large tract around their usual haunts. Perhaps the following may show their great cun ning better than any instance hitherto offered to the public : it is taken from Daniel's " Rural Sports," and is consider ed to be strictly correct. " A fox, being hard run, took shelter under the covering of a well, and by the endeavours used to extricate him, was precipitated to the bottom, a depth of one hundred feet. The bucket was let down, he laid hold of it, and was drawn up for some way, when he again fell. The bucket being let down a second time, he secured his situation in it, was drawn up, again turned off, and fair ly beat the hounds." This occurrence is said to be well known at Inther, in Wilt: shire, where the well is often shown to the curious.
fortunately for the inha bitants of Britain and Ireland, is now be come obsolete, by the total extinction of that animal among us. are, however, retained by some gentlemen as curiosities : they are said to be the most faithful animals of the canine race, and possessed of wonderful powers in regard to hitting off a cold scent.
Poar-hunting forms no part of the Bri tish field sports, though pursued in some parts of the continent with the utmost keenness, and on a grand scale. hi Ger many, especially, the chase after the wild boar harms a grand feature of national sports, and is attended with great prepa ration and expense. The haunts of those animals are first ascertained, after which a host of hunters throng to the woods, some mounted, and some on foot, to rouse and attack the bristled game. AR are armed from head to foot, and take care to have some lusty trees at hand, behind which they may take refuge when the boar charges. The danger arises, however, less from the animal, than from the number of random shots fired at him, without any attention to what persons may be in the line of aim ; numbers are thus wounded, and even killed outright, in this desperate species of pastime.