ENEMIES OF THE PARTRIDGE 165 



then she darted through the gap, and with long, 

 easy strides hastened across the pasture towards 

 the wheat. For a moment, the fox-cub stood 

 bewildered ; then, reahsing the situation, he 

 cleared the gap, and, keenly excited by the 

 prospect of a chase, dashed after the fleeing 

 creature. Breathless from his impetuous rush, 

 he halted in the middle of the pasture, and was 

 about to return in a direct course to the hedge 

 when, suddenly, ahnost beneath his fore-feet, 

 he smelt the sleeping partridges. With hght 

 footfall, he turned for an instant, to make sure 

 that his senses had not been deceived ; but as he 

 moved the shght crackle of a mthered leaf awoke 

 the covey, and, with a low twitter of alarm, the 

 cock-bird, followed closely by his mate and all 

 but one of the young partridges, flew up in the 

 darkness. As the hesitating " cheeper " ran 

 forward to gather momentum for flight, the fox 

 leaped sv/iftly, and with a single blow struck it 

 to the earth. 



Confused by the sudden disturbance of the 

 young fox, the survivors of the covey separated 

 from one another ; but, helped by the gentle 

 breeze of the sunmier night to direct their 

 course, they all eventually reached the root- 

 crop, and, still scattered, sought refuge here 

 and there among the turnips and the potatoes, 

 and in the barley that grew at the lower end 



