222 THE FOX 



would stand still and remain silent far more foxes 

 would be killed than now fall victims to the hounds. 



The fox has thus many advantages on his side, 

 and he may often be observed to make use of them 

 with great intelligence and resource. 



Reynard, however, has two very dangerous 

 enemies. One is the huntsman who understands 

 the necessity of condition for foxhounds, and how to 

 give it to them by long, steady summer and autumn 

 work on the roads. This is the kind of official whose 

 labours are so hard out of the season that, as a famous 

 representative of the profession once remarked, ' I 

 look upon the season as a sort of holiday.' The bright- 

 ness and movement of the regular season was a relief 

 after the slow, long grind of the preparatory weeks. 

 Consequently, the foxes found that they could not run 

 his hounds out of scent nearly so often as those of 

 his predecessor. 



The other is the man who does not get the 

 hounds' heads up on a bad scenting day. When 

 scent is bad, hounds cannot be left too much alone ; 

 even a heel line they will often work out for them- 

 selves, discover what they are doing, and coming 

 back, pick up the forward line again. Another 

 enemy the fox might well dread is the man who is 

 quick at bringing his hounds out of covert. The 



