FOX-HUNTING ABROAD
CHAPTER XXIX
THE hunting man who leaves England on a visit to the Colonies or other countries abroad, naturally wonders if he will still be able to follow his favourite pursuit. In many instances he will find himself almost as well off in this respect as he was at home, for there are numbers of foreign packs which show capital sport.
It would, of course, require more than one volume to describe all these Hunts, so we can but touch on the fringe of the subject in the space of a single chapter. Beginning with the United States, there are 39 or 40 American Hunts, the majority of which devote their attention to fox. Hunting has been held in more or less high esteem in America, particularly in the Southern States, for a great number of years, and some of the more fashionable Hunts are conducted on up-to-date English lines. In quite early times English hounds found their way to the States, and a number were imported from France. The first pack of French hounds was sent over by Lafayette, and to-day one still sees native-bred American hounds which greatly resemble the French breed. As far back as the Revolutionary War, gentlemen in the Southern States kept their own private packs, and though they were of the rough and ready sort, they seem to have enjoyed much good sport.
The old-time native-bred foxhounds were in all probability blood-hounds or at any rate hounds of that type, and it was not until the introduction of English and French blood that an improvement in type took place. There is still a good deal of controversy as to the respective merits of English and American-bred hounds, some people favouring the one and some the other. In the majority of recognised packs, the American hounds appear to find most favour, while others are composed of cross-breds. The Hunts which use English hounds are decidedly in the minority. Much of the country hunted in America is wilder and rougher than in England, with large coverts, and dry and rocky ground. The States of course cover a vast extent of territory, so that in addition to the extremely provincial types of hunting countries, there are many others eminently suited to fox-chasing.
The methods and customs of hunting in America, differ considerably according to locality. In the South fox-hunting has always held first place, whereas in the East drag-hunting is frequently indulged in. In some districts a good deal of hunting by scratch packs is done at night, the field enjoying the cry of hounds rather than an actual view of the chase. This night hunting is indulged in because scenting conditions are then much better than during the heat of the day.
The first properly organised Hunt Club in America to be run on English lines was inaugurated in 1877 on Long Island. Ten couples of hounds were imported from England, and a drag was run. Being then a new thing, the members of the Hunt were held up to ridicule and caricatured in the Press, but by degrees the idea took firm root, and to-day the Meadowbrook, started in 1881, and kennelled on Long Island, is the most fashionable Hunt in America. In addition to the recognised Hunts there are many scratch packs throughout the country.
Many of these packs are followed on foot, or ridden to in a perfunctory manner. Very often several owners of hounds join forces for the day, and so get together a sizeable pack. A good deal of competition takes place under these circumstances, for individual owners are jealous of the reputation of their local hounds.
In 1894 the National Fox-hunters’ Association was organised, with a membership extending from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It has done a great deal of good for American hounds, by starting a stud book, and organising field-trials. The Brunswick Hunt Club was started in 1889, annual trials being held at Barre, Mass. This organisation has done much towards encouraging hound breeding in New England. In the South, too, there are many Clubs which hold field-trials, giving awards to the best working hounds in the various classes.
It is here that English Masters would do well to take a leaf out of the Americans’ book. If annual field-trials for hounds were held in this country, there would be a cessation of the present inflated prices for hounds of show type, for in order to win trials in hot competition, hounds must be bred more for work than for intensified show points. If such trials ever were held we venture to think that the upholders of the Peterborough stamp of hound will receive rather a rude awakening, when it comes to allotting the awards for nose, tongue, drive, and pace.
Some seasons ago, in pre-war days, Mr. Harry Worcester Smith, then Master of the Grafton hounds near Worcester, Mass., brought his pack of American hounds over to Ireland. These hounds were not unlike our fell type, and looked like killing foxes in any sort of country. Being less under control than English hounds, and not so used to disregarding riot, they took some time to settle down in a strange country, and unfortunately they were not long enough in Ireland to show what they could do. The best American hounds have wonderfully good noses, are self-reliant, persevering, give plenty of tongue, and are extremely fast. There are no better hounds to be found than the Walker breed, which is about the best known strain in America to-day. A good many English hounds have been imported from time to time, in order to increase the bone of the various American packs. Both fell hounds and hounds of Peterborough type have been sent out, the majority of American breeders much preferring the former, as they cross well with the native-bred ones.
In the majority of American hunting countries, earth-stopping is not done, nor are foxes dug when they go to ground. For this reason the average of kills is not high. The American red fox is a very tough customer, and takes a tremendous lot of killing; for he leads a purely wild life, with no hint of artificiality about it, and has any amount of stamina.
In the wilder forest districts of the States and Canada, foxes are hunted by hounds to guns stationed on the various passes or runways. In Maine there is a special breed of hounds used for this purpose, known as the Buckfield Blues, from their blue mottle colour. We have often indulged in this form of fox-hunting in the dense woods of Ontario, where it is impossible to kill foxes in the ordinary way with a pack, One or two steady hounds with plenty of tongue were employed, the foxes circling round the woods without going very far away.
A good many foxes are killed in winter by tracking and stalking in the snow. Where the country is rough and there are no hounds, it is quite good fun. You pick up the overnight tracks of a fox, and follow them until you eventually unkennel your quarry, or “jump” him, to use the American expression. One has to use great care, otherwise the fox takes warning, and slips quietly away without offering a shot.
When we were living in the Canadian woods, every good fox skin fetched a matter of $5.00, about £1, so there was some incentive to combine sport with business in the matter of pelts. We have shot foxes from a canoe when duck hunting in the marshes through which a river ran. The foxes used to prowl round the reed-beds and banks of the stream on the loo-out for wounded wild fowl.
Crossing from the States into Canada, we find four Hunts, i.e., the Montreal, London, Ottawa, and Toronto. The Montreal is the oldest Hunt in North America, having been established in 1826. The hounds hunt fox on two days per week from mid-September until stopped by frost. Cub-hunting begins in August. It is a country of small enclosures, fenced with rails and stone walls. There is a good deal of woodland, and some wire in parts. The London Hunt, established in 1884, at one time hunted fox in Middlesex county, but owing to the spread of wire they now run a drag. The Ottawa, established in 1906, hunt fox from September to December, in Gloucester township, and part of Gower and Osgood east of the Rideau river. The Toronto hounds are a drag pack, meeting two days a week in the vicinity of Toronto.
In India, there are some ten or eleven packs of hounds which hunt jackal and fox. The Indian fox does not afford much sport, as it leaves little scent, and is very difficult to keep above ground for any length of time. The jackal on the other hand leaves a good scent and being possessed of great endurance will stand up well before hounds. He is a bigger animal than our English fox, but his brush is not to be compared with Reynard’s
The recognised Indian Hunts of course use fox-hounds for chasing the jackal, but in some parts of the country he is coursed with grey-hounds, or hunted with a “bobbery” pack. Grey-hounds are generally too fast for jackal, but a good deal of sport can be had with a “bobbery” pack composed of hounds, terriers, and a mixture of other breeds. In India, the jackal is the hero of fable and folk-tales just as the fox is in this country. Like the fox too, the jackal is a cunning beast, and will “play possum” in order to save its life. We have often seen an apparently dead fox get on his legs again and attempt to make off, and a jackal will do the same thing. Having a very tough hide, hounds have difficulty in breaking up a jackal, and though they may shake him and leave him for dead, it is no unusual thing for the supposedly defunct quarry to come to life again.
Like the fox, the jackal has his own particular beat, and usually turns when he reaches the boundary. He is very partial to coverts, and during the course of a run will try to evade hounds by making use of all available cover. Once in covert, a dead-beat jackal is not easy to bring to hand, for he is an adept at twisting and crawling about. He is harder to kill than our English fox, owing to his stamina, and the fact that hounds cannot be got into the same hard condition in India as they can in this country. Owing to the heat, hunting in India is an early morning sport. Most Indian packs are kept up to strength by annual drafts from England, and owing to the climate hounds require careful management in kennel.
The oldest Hunts in India are the Madras, Ootacamund, and Peshawar Vale. The earliest records of the Madras hounds date back to 1776. The hunting countries in India vary from grass downlands and woodland to irrigated fields with ditches, and mud or stone walls. Scenting conditions of course differ as they do in this country, some land being better in this respect than other parts.
The visitor to Australia can enjoy sport with three Hunts, i.e., the Adelaide, Melbourne, and Oakland. The Adelaide originally hunted carted deer, but now they are a drag pack. The Melbourne hunt fox in the country round the city of that name, and the Oakland hunt fox and hare. The fences in Australia consist of stiff posts and rails, some hedges and walls, also wire fences.
In New Zealand there are some fourteen or fifteen Hunts. There are no foxes, so hares are hunted, with an occasional drag. The fences consist chiefly of wire and post and rails, Australian and New Zealand horses are schooled to jump wire. In some districts there are gorse fences and banks.
Turning to Africa we find four Hunts, i.e., the Cape, Gwelo and District (Rhodesia), Masara (Nairobi), and the Salisbury (Rhodesia). The Cape Hunt was founded in 1820. Hounds hunt jackal from May to September in the district round Durbanville. The Masara hunt jackal and duiker. Hounds are kennelled at Masara, near Nairobi. The Salisbury likewise hunt jackal in the district from which they take their name. There are no fences in the above countries, the going consisting chiefly of heath, grass, and sand, with watercourses, or bush and open veldt. Parts of the countries are hilly.
One of the oldest Hunts abroad is the Royal Calpe, established in 1813. The hounds hunt fox in the neighbourhood of Gibraltar, from November to March. The going consists of cultivated hills, gorse and cork woods. There are no regular fences, but some streams and open ditches.
One of the best known of the foreign Hunts is the Roman. These hounds hunt fox in the Campagna Romana, within a radius of some 35 miles of Rome. The going is practically all grass, with some large woodlands. The fences consist of stiff timber, and high and wide stone walls. A well-bred horse is necessary to negotiate the country.
Another well known Hunt is the Pau. These hounds hunt fox three days a week within a radius of 25 miles of Pau. The going consists of gorse, bracken, small enclosures, and big banks, The Hunt was established in 1847.
Probably few people realize that our French neighbours are a really sport-loving people, and that hunting is very keenly indulged in across the Channel. Just prior to the beginning of the war, there were some 330 packs of hounds in France with recognised establishments, and no doubt several private packs could be added to that number.
Although France is a Republican country, there are still some hundred or more of the old nobility who maintain packs of hounds on their own estates. Much of the going is of a woodland nature, and the pomp and ceremony of the chase is still religiously kept up as in the days of old.
French sportsmen have six recognised beasts of chase, i.e., the red deer, roe deer, wolf, boar, fox, and hare. Some Hunts devote their attention solely to hare, these being in the majority. Fifteen or sixteen packs hunt red deer, and about twice that number devote their attention to wild boar. Other packs hunt hare and fox, red deer and roe, or deer and boar alternately, while others hunt anything that turns up from hare to boar. Wolves are now scarce in France, and only some seven or eight packs hunt them in addition to other quarry. The wolf is one of the hardest animals in the world to run down with hounds in woodland country, the chase lasting anywhere from three to seven hours.
French hounds have less dash and drive than English fox-hounds, but they are renowned for their nose and determination in sticking to a line. The fox does not of course hold the same position in France that it does in England, being more often shot than legitimately hunted. Still, it finds more favour in that country year by year, and there are some thirty or more French packs hunting fox in alternation with other beasts of chase. As most of the hunting in France is done amidst extensive woodlands, it is necessary for hounds to throw their tongues freely. Horn music too is much indulged in, in order that followers shall be able to keep in touch with the chase and know what is going on.
