110 THE DIARY OF A HUNTSMAN 



was expected, and the only chance was a sharp 

 brush at first. 



The two sketches of a fox are intended to repre- 

 sent one that is quite fresh, and one that is rather 

 beaten. Few men have opportunities to observe 

 the difference, and consequently mistake a fresh 

 fox for a hunted one, and often declare most 

 positively that the fox they have seen is the hunted 

 one ; and the huntsman is induced to go away with 

 him, but finds, to his regret, that it is a fresh one, 

 when all the horses are dead beaten, as well as the 

 fox which is left behind. If this hint should be 

 the means of making men more cautious how 

 they give so decided an opinion, it will be a point 

 gained. It is worthy of notice, when a fox is 

 beaten he goes very high, with his back up, etc. 



It may be that some of these observations on 

 this animal are not generally known, but they 

 have been ascertained by experience to be correct. 

 In the first place, that a fox breeds but one litter 

 of cubs in a year, and that all the vixens in the 

 country lay up their young about the same time, 

 that is, within six weeks, or thereabouts, making 

 the 25th of March about the middle of the breeding 

 season. Old men and sportsmen who have paid 

 the greatest attention to the habits of the fox 

 appear to agree on that point. One solitary 

 instance has come to the knowledge of the writer 



