ANECDOTES OF FOXES 



61 



which I expected was the case ; but at that moment the 

 horn was heard back in covert, and the under- whip 

 being at hand immediately turned the hounds to the 

 huntsman, who, not being then aware of this circum- 

 stance, made his cast. From what I saw, and the 

 result, I was quite convinced the fox had crossed 

 through the water and laid himself up on one of the 

 rough tumps of earth and sedges; but the scent being 

 bad, the hounds scarcely owned it up to the water, 

 although the single hound that spoke to it knew the fox 

 was very near to him. When the hounds had left that 

 point, and while they were working to recover the scent 

 in the covert, the fox got upon his legs again and was 

 fortunately viewed, and finally after two hours * running 

 was killed on a similar spot within a short distance. 

 This fox had no doubt found by experience that in such 

 situations he was not pursued with the same ardour he 

 was on dry land. The place abounds with wild ducks 

 and other birds of aquatic habits, and most probably 

 it was in search of them that he first became acquainted 

 with its locality. 



Another circumstance, illustrative of this argument, 

 occurred with the Duke of Beaufort's hounds on the 

 llth of April 1853. They met at Newark Park and 

 commenced operations by drawing the covert close to 

 the lodge gates, where they found immediately. Being 

 on the outside I viewed the fox away and observed 

 that he ran along the top of a wall more than twenty 

 yards. It was a fine, bright, warm day, and the scent 

 far from being good. They ran him on the surrounding 

 hills, which abound with coverts, for some time, and, 

 after taking a ring, he pointed over the open for Tiley, 

 and I had an opportunity of observing, by the manner 

 in which the hounds picked up the scent by some of the 

 walls, that the fox had resorted to his manoeuvre of 

 running along the top of them when the nature of the 

 walls permitted him, descending, as he was compelled 

 to do, at gate-ways and other spaces, where the line 

 was broken. In this way he reached Tiley, when, being 



