Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-02-08
HIGHLAND FOX HUNTING
SCOTCH TERRIERS ARE HEREDI-
TARY FOES OF REWARD.
Kindly Dogs That Are Fierce I'm Bas.
tle-Country Too Rough
for Horses.
From the London Exnress.

Ben Buie and the wild glen Il overlooks|
have never been glad with the cry OF theI
! bounds, as that phrase is understood Of the
shires, yet the district is the home OF theI
hill fox and OF one man and many dogs forI
whom fox hunting is the serious pursuit OIL
life. Ben Buie never saw scarlet; II neverS
knew meet. True. IL has seen the chase
but 1t has been the pursuit of Highland
war or the following OF the red deer in theI
old days with horn and hound: yet moreI
foxes are killed each year by the hunter
and his dogs than fall to the busiest Cd
packs In the best OF countries" south IN
the Tweed. Up here on the hill the onlyI
sounds coming to the ear are the faintI
murmuring of the dwindled river and The
yeIplng Of the terriers somewhere dowuI
there where the stream joins the sea YouI
are in land OF wild, dark frown. ng hills
dotted with the cairns In which the forI
loves to make his home-a land OF sheer,
descents, of clin and scaur. OF torrents tina q
nave cleft deep ways, Of precipices and bari
rier rocks.
Fox hunting in the ordinary sense is OBJ
Eiousiy impossible. Nor is IL attempted
In the Highlands they have a short wsv
with the fox; They Go not hunt him with
whole aim is kill" The hin foxes be III
observed, are not as the foxes OF the plain
1hey are larger, stronger and hercer rnoreI
IKE II1 wolf than fox as beast OF prey.
IN autumn, summer and winter the foNez}
are hunters merely of such animals as ard
the spoil OF southern foxes. As destroyersI
OF saine-often as wanton among birds as
an otter among hsh-there is war betweenl
them and the keepers. and to shoot a fox]
Is not sporting crime. but a good serviceI
TO the whole hill"
Kill Lambs as Wolves wouId.
In spring other interests are involved
The hill fox, from Eskdale on the borders|
to dark Loeb EriboIl" in the far north, 81
the enemy Of the sheep farmer. for he preyd
on the young lambs and grim and great
would be the slaughter IL there were no Tod
hunters to follow him to his Businesses inl
me Wild Hills. and there with dogs OF high
and low degree make him pay the penalty
Oh MS misdeeds down to his last cub InI
some districts the tod hunter" 10 give him
his border name. is a person of considerable
Importance. Among the green PASTORAL
mis- OF the southwest of Scotland the prol
Iesslonal Killer Of foxes is usually a breeder
OF those mustard and pepper terriers to|
nHLch Dandle Dnmont gave his nameI
mere IN the highlands other terriers are
employed, and each fox hunter has his speJ
claI breed, which is superior to those %
al his rivals.
The fox hunter. whose terriers are even
now waking the echoes of the glen WITH
thelr impatient yelpIng, is one of the bestI
known In the north. His occupation is praoJ
ScaLy heredltary, Tor he is the fourth %
serve the district In the capacity of a paid
slayer OF foxes. In the old days he Wa
pala IN KIND, and had grant per head ID
LoXes killed; today he has his fixed Waesl
from the estate, and a fee from the farml
ers. For nearly two centuries for an i'm
broken sequence of 200 springs he ana ~
1orbears have hunted all the wild countryI
that lies between Glen Falloch and the Pasl
OF Brander, the Springs OF Shlra and I'D
lone places Of Appin. For all these year3
'hey nave waged war on the hill foxes.
Traits of the Terriers.
Like the hunter, the terriers are the
hereditary foes Of the fox. Two hundred
years ago their direct ancestors trotted ND
the hill slopes, hunted the cairns, and yor-
ried the progenitors Of those very foxes
with whom they will join issue when the
March winds Of the second year of the cen
fury are roaring down the glens The fesi
has descended from generation to genera
tlon OF dogs, from generation to generation
of foxes.
In field near the sea you note the fox
hunter, out before he can answer your cal !
ana come down to the road the whole pacl{
are upon you. Their greeting is noisy bu}
hAnoiy. Every one of the twelve gives
Tongue as they come running toward YOU
There Is nothing Of menace in their bark
the Highland terrier. Each dog is more
fussy than the other. All their bodies
ali their tails, and all their tongues ar,
gong at once, and each dog Is a rival o
the other for your notice. One OF two are
lttle shy OF the strangers hand but no
one is hostile. They are nice dogs these
hereditary foemen Of the fox