^5 MAMMALIA. 



vances devised by man for his capture, and avoids them all, eluding 

 and circumventing his pursuer with an intelligence and promptness 

 that command our wonder and respect. 



The pastime (?) of Fox hunting is largely practised everywhere along 

 the border-lands of our Wilderness, and two or three men, with one 

 or two fox-hounds, commonly constitute a hunting party. As soon 

 as a fresh track is found the dog is allowed to follow it, which he 

 does with great joy and alacrity. The men now separate, each pro- 

 ceeding, without further delay, to some ravine, hill-side, or other 

 point that is known to be one of the " run-ways" of the Fox. Oc- 

 casionally the Fox, on being started, makes a round on one of these 

 courses, and is shot while passing the first station. More commonly, 

 however, he makes off. taking a tolerably straight course, and runs 

 several miles before commencing to circle and wind about among the 

 hills. Therefore the hunter is, on these interesting excursions, generally 

 obliged to walk many miles over the deep snow, and night frequently 

 overtakes him, tired and hungry, far from the cheerful fireside of his 

 pleasant home. And he may, or may not, have been rewarded by 

 securing the object of the chase. 



It sometimes happens, especially during a thaw, when the snow 

 " slumps," that the dog catches up with the Fox. At such times both 

 pursuer and pursued are commonly well-nigh exhausted, and the weary 

 hunter lags far behind. The resulting scene, to which I have myself 

 been an eye-witness, is so graphically depicted by Audubon and 

 Bachman that I take pleasure in reproducing their account of it here : 

 ". . . . every bound and plunge into the snow, diminishes the dis- 

 tance between the Fox and his relentless foe One more 



desperate leap, and with a sudden snappish growl he turns upon his 

 pursuer, and endeavors to defend himself with his sharp teeth. For 

 a moment he resists the dog, but is almost instantly overcome. He 

 is not killed, however, in the first onset; both dog and Fox are so 

 fatigued that they now sit on their haunches facing each other, rest- 

 ing, panting, their tongues hanging out, and the foam from their lips 



