18 FOX-HUNTING IN NEW ENGLAND , 



— the hare depending on its doublings to elude 

 the dogs, the deer on running to water. 



The reason for this nice distinction lies, per- 

 haps, in that deference to English usage which 

 still exists among us. In this case it is most sense- 

 less, for even if fox-hunting in English fashion were 

 practicable here, it would not be tolerated by our 

 farmers, who would never endure the trampling of 

 their cultivated fields and the destruction of the 

 fences by a score or more hard-riding horsemen. 

 But it is not practicable, for no horse could pos- 

 sibly follow the course of the hounds and fox 

 among our hills and mountains, where the chase 

 often leads up declivities to be surmounted only 

 by the stanchest and most active hounds, and 

 through thick forests and almost impassable 

 swamps. 



In New England the hunt is for the red fox and 

 his varieties, the silver and cross foxes. The gray 

 fox of the South and West is almost, if not quite, 

 unknown. From the tip of his nose to the root of 

 his tail, the red fox measures about twenty-eight 

 or thirty inches, his tail sixteen to eighteen inches 

 including hair, and his height at the shoulders 

 thirteen inches. His long fur and thick, bushy tail 

 make him look larger and heavier than he is. Of 

 several specimens which I have weighed, the 

 largest tipped the beam at twelve pounds; the 

 least at seven pounds. The general color is yellow- 



