HUNTING ON THE FELLS 85 



light-coloured, silky hair on their heads. Silky 

 body covering is not wanted on a fell terrier, for if 

 the coat is too fine, the dog is unable to withstand 

 wet and cold properly. These terriers vary con- 

 siderably in size, but a very short-legged dog is 

 handicapped on rough ground or in the snow. 

 A biggish terrier is decidedly useful in places where 

 he can work up to his fox, but in the majority 

 of Lakeland borrans or earths, a smaller dog is 

 to be preferred. A fox always takes good care 

 to choose his defensive position underground, and 

 a terrier has to attack him from below, and is thus 

 at a disadvantage. Sometimes the positions are 

 reversed, and the fox squeezes himself into a 

 narrow crack, where he is unable to turn, thus 

 exposing himself to a rear attack. As a rule, 

 however, he is " head on " to his canine enemy, 

 and then if he refuses to bolt, a battle royal ensues. 

 A big dog-fox is no mean foe, and the combatants 

 on both sides often get severely mauled. A sure 

 sign that a fox is shifting his quarters underground 

 is when the terriers cease marking, and the hounds 

 begin to rush about the borran. It is surprising 

 how a fox will bolt and escape his foes on such 

 occasions. He creeps quietly to some convenient 

 outlet, pauses an instant, then slips away, often 

 unseen until he has placed some distance between 

 himself and the hounds. Even after a mauling 

 he will often beat hounds uphill on rough 



