THE FOX IN SUMMER 137 



out over green pastures grazed by many sheep. My 

 lawn is divided from these pastures by a sunk fence, 

 and by the side of this sunk fence is a favourite 

 " run " of Reynard in his rambles from the adjacent 

 gorse. 



Often and often have I seen him appear, attended 

 by fluttering magpies, and, nose to ground, hunt 

 slowly, like a setter, through the pastures. The sheep 

 when he is near wheel away, and, with heads erect, 

 follow him at a respectful distance, but betray no 

 more alarm than they do when lepus timidus wanders 

 shyly into the field and limps and squats alternately, 

 as is his custom of an afternoon. Evidently the fox 

 is considered no mortal foe by the flock ; but mark 

 the hurried flight, the awful panic caused by the 

 sight of the most harmless of lap dogs, even though 

 he be on my side of the sunk fence. Ewes and 

 lambs are off in a mad stampede, terror is betrayed 

 in every motion, they squeeze in a huddled mass 

 through a gap in the fence beyond and are lost to 

 view. They know too well the canine fondness for 

 mutton. 



Nevertheless, it is certain that a weakly and newly 

 dropped lamb is now and then carried off by a fox 

 when the vixen has maternal cares on hand ; for 

 when the cubs are very young the forays on farm- 

 yard and hen-roost are most frequent. It is at this 

 season, then, that the country sportsman can do much 

 to lessen those "bills of mortality" which assume such 

 terrible proportions when they are presented to poor 

 M.F.H. A stroll with the gun in the evening and 

 morning in the neighbourhood of the covert will 



