"THE BITER BIT." 073 



cunning, you sometimes find the biter is literally bit. 

 " One morning, some years ago, a man perceived a 

 fox on the Shetland coast, and although the tide was 

 coming in it seemed heedless, and busily engaged with 

 something. The man, after observing him for a little 

 time, went to his hut for his gun, and forthwitli down 

 to the shore and shot the fox, which was as careless of 

 his ajiproach as that of the coming tide. On going to 

 pick him up he was found to be held fast by the tongue 

 between the shells of one of the large mussels, which 

 are sometimes seven inches long, and adhere firmly to 

 the crevices of the rocks or larger stones below the 

 sands. Had not the fox been killed by the man it 

 would probably have been drowned by the no less 

 merciless tide." The female brings forth four or five 

 cubs at a litter, about April, and which arrive at maturity 

 in about eighteen months.* While they are helpless she 



* When hunting with the late Mr. Humphrey Stiu-t's fox-hounds in 

 Dorsetshire, about 50 years ago, we drove a fox to earth, late in the day 

 (December), which Mr. Sturt determined to have dug out, being anxious 

 to blood his hounds. Some labourers performed this operation, and 

 about eight o'clock the fox was secured. All the field had left Mr. 

 Sturt, excepting the late Colonel Cheney and myself. Wood, the hunts- 

 man, held the fox up in the air, and we aU cheered the hounds, that 

 had been lying asleep. The huntsman then threw the fox in the middle 

 of them, when, to our astonishment, we heard no fighting amongst 

 the hounds in tearing him to pieces, and on putting down a lantern to 

 see what they were about, most of them were looking up, and sly 

 Eeynard had actually made his escape from the middle of them. Mr. 

 Stiu't wished to pursue him, but as the huntsman, Col. Cheney, and my- 

 self objected, the hounds went home, and we had ten miles to ride to our 

 barracks. My fi-iend Colonel Cheney commanded the Greys at the 

 battle of Waterloo after their colonel was killed. He had two horses 

 killed and two wounded under him He was a most gallant oiRcer, and 

 died about seven years ago. In a charge at the battle of Waterloo my 

 late old and gallant friend had his horse severely woimded, which 

 T 



