A re Foxe* Clever? 



assistance of the fox and help him to retain his reputa- 

 tion for cleverness. A sudden change of wind to the 

 dry, harsh, easterly variety, may leave his scent practi- 

 cally non-existent. Even without such atmospheric 

 vagaries there are a host of other circumstances which 

 come to his aid and puzzle his pursuers. Rabbits, hares, 

 weasels and other creatures of the fields may cross his 

 line. Normally, hounds will ignore such animals, but 

 all of them possess scents of some sort, and if there be 

 too much interference from such sources, especially if 

 hounds are a long way behind their quarry, the fox's 

 life is saved, not by his own cleverness, but by the 

 interfering smells of these animals. Similarly, house- 

 dogs, cattle, sheep and farm animals may unwittingly 

 come to his assistance by polluting his line, making it 

 impossible for hounds to unravel it. Even the steam 

 from the sweating horses of those riding with hounds 

 may transform a temporary check into a permanent 

 defeat. The presence of manure on grassland or a 

 recent application of artificial land fertilisers may obli- 

 terate his scent completely. Though the fox is probably 

 quite unaware of it, modern transport is his best friend. 

 Should a motor car travel along a road after he has 

 crossed over he should feel grateful to its driver. If 

 the vehicle has had a recent re-fill of new oil, the fox 

 should go back and thank the driver personally. The 

 pungent odour emitted by a motor exhaust plays havoc 

 with the sensitive membranes of hounds' noses. If the 

 interference is caused by some particularly foul-smelling 

 motor-oil, a clever huntsman will have to cast his hounds 

 forward, well clear of the contaminated area, and will be 



73 



