PREFACE TO 'THE FOX' 



MUCH has been written about the fox, but his 

 varied history has never been told. A book on 

 the fox might easily have been expanded into 

 a history of foxhunting. But my plan has been 

 to write the story of the animal from his own 

 point of view. Even where foxhunting is 

 touched upon, the object has been to illustrate 

 the manners and intelligence of the creature 

 rather than to dwell on the skill and courage 

 of his pursuers. 



It will be seen that the fox has been of 

 importance to man, not only since the rise of 

 foxhunting, but at all periods of history. The 

 naturalist, the sportsman, the moralist, and the 

 student of animal psychology have each and all 

 found the beast an interesting subject of thought 



and study. But when we begin to study the 



a 



