MY apologies for carrying on the debate about hunting, but blatant inaccuracies cannot be ignored. I refer to the letter from Wm Thom, published January 25.

It may seem a minor point to some, but false statements put out by "experts" such as R W F Poole are too often accepted without question.

His assertion, quoted by Mr Thom, that the scent left by the fox and followed by the hounds emanates from the gland at the base of the fox's tail, is false. Hounds pick up the trail left by the glands on the quarry's feet and Mr Thom must have seen hounds casting about on the ground for the scent trail that is soon picked up in warm, damp conditions, but frequently lost when the ground is hard from frost.

There are, incidentally, at least five sources of scent employed by the fox for communication all different, all with a different purpose.

It would appear that Mr Thom is making a very strong case for draghunting when he claims that hounds chase the scent, not the fox all the fun of the chase, but no gruesome bloody end.

Until that inevitable day when hunting wild animals is banned, and in preparation therefore, Mr Thom could buy or borrow one of the many extremely readable books, written by genuine, but unbiased experts such as Dr David Macdonald's "Running with the fox", and learn some real facts about the animal that hunters enjoy demonising and killing for sport.

Bea Bradley

Cuxham Road

Watlington