The Jasper weekly courier., 1915-11-12
ENGLAND'S SACRED BEAST.
unwritten Law Against Shooting Ever
Hen Eating Foxes.

unwritten Law Against Shooting Ever
Hen Eating Foxss.
"Down in the country the other
day There was a village sensation in
which / was called upon to adjudi-
cate for the farmers assembled In
the parlor of the only village inn,
writes the London correspondent Of
Town and Country. Zone Of their
number had shot a fox which had
prowled about among the fowls for
SO many nights that fowl keeping
was becoming a risky business.
"The ordinary farmer does not
mind losing an occasional hen, but
reynard is "a greedy beast and 6lls
] for the mere pleasure Of the thing,
and the hunt does not always pay
! up promptly. So here was q fnc
point in sporting etiquette to bS
settled. The farmer had shot fox
He did not deny it, In fact, he pre-
ferred to th66H<snt his chest with
pride, as if IN defiance Of all the un-
written laws of British sport
"Now, custom from time imms-
mortal has decreed that the fox
shall be as safe from gun and trap
a. if he were sacred. BE belongs to
the hounds and must be allowed to
roam through the covers and farm
yards at will, devouring what may
Happen in his way. Custom, too,
demands that the hunt shall pay
the damages. The hunt generally
pays, though in innumerable cases
the secretary is well aware that no
is being swindled.
"But this particular farmer said
The had hunted for many years him.
self and had never made n claim for
lost hens. \ year or two ago, how
lever, fox had paid a nocturnal
visit to his fowl yard and had played
havoc with the feathcrcd denizens.
/ \ night OF two after it happened
fagain. A third time the fox came
Ieround and made most deplora5ls
Imess of lot of fine Wyandottes
land some expensive Buf Orping-
lions.
"Then the farmer wrote 10 tho
IHunt secretary and asked for dam
lagos. The reply was that the claim
would be attended to shortly, and
lat Christmas The settlement came
lin the form ola nam. Thereupon
1.-The farmer declared war on all foxes
and killed them ruthlessly. And
this was the p int which puzzled tho
Farmers on Saturday night.
! "Jim Crawford shot q fox last
year. said one of the men, and no
good has come to him since. 1t
|ain't lucky and it amt spertsmanr
like. Let 'em kill your hens. Thstr
what they are therT for, and II enc
hunt secretary 10 mean there ars .
hundred who are generous.
"There you have it. Sport Il
lsport and its rules are adsmsnt lt
must, however, be put to the credit
Iof British hunt clubs that thsy
Ispend millions of pounds . year In
IEngland, Wales and Ireland tpe the
upkeep of the sport.
"Think of the hunters That arv
bred and sold annually, the packs
Of hounds, the huntsmen, the stable
Ipeople, the dozens Of Hangers on
5 vho make living out of I'll With
, Eout the hounds certain districts sf
kEngland would be depopulsted.
J lLeicestershire and ths midland
Icounties would be almost impover-
Iished if law were suddenly put In
Iforce to make an end to the rich
mans psstime. Country houses IN
nonhunting districts may bs had q.
most for the price Of cottage In
Leicestershire, whereas In the
Quorn and Pytchley country . coun-
TRY house Is as expensive, II not
more so, than q London mansion
Instead of diminishing, hunting b.
Egrown in popular favor"