WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



mains of a rabbit-wire round his hind leg, which was cut to 

 the bone by his struggles to escape. 



When living in Ross-shire, I went one morning in July 

 before daybreak,to endeavour toshoot a stag.whohadbeen 

 complained of verymuch byan adjoining farmer.as having 

 done great damage to his crops. Just after it was daylight, 

 I saw a large fox come very quietly along the edge of the 

 plantation in which I was concealed; he looked with great 

 care over the turf-wall into the field, and seemed to long 

 very much to get hold of some hares that were feeding in it 

 — but apparently knew that he had no chance of catching 

 one by dint of running; after considering a short time, he 

 seemed to have formed his plans, and havingexaminedthe 

 different gaps in the wall by which the hares might be sup- 

 posed to go in and out, he fixed upon the one that seemed 

 the most frequented, and laid himself down close to it in an 

 attitude like a cat watching a mouse-hole. Cunning as he 

 was, he was too intent on his own hunting to be aware that 

 I was within twenty yards of him with a loaded rifle, and 

 able to watch every movement he made; I was much amazed 

 to see the fellow so completely outwitted, and kept my rifle 

 ready to shoot him if he found me out and attempted to es- 

 cape. In the mean time I watched all his plans: he first with 

 great silence and care scraped a small hollow in theground, 

 throwingupthe sandasa kind of screen between his hiding- 

 place and the hares' meuse— every now and then, however, 

 he stopped to listen, andsometimes to take a most cautious 

 peep into the field; when he had done this, he laid himself 

 down in a convenient posture for springing upon his prey, 

 and remained perfectly motionless, with the exception of an 



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