HUNTING THE FOX 235 



and foot-people, to go through or to circumvent the 

 crowd, and with a whisk of the brush to defy those 

 whom they know well not to be really dangerous at 

 all. In one respect it is possible that foxes are more 

 likely to give long runs now than, say, a century ago. 



Foxhunting countries in general, and Leicester- 

 shire in particular, are far more closely fenced than 

 they were, and this is much in favour of the fox by 

 giving him time and delaying his pursuers. Given 

 an open country and a fox too suddenly awakened out 

 of his sleep, and a terrier can catch him. A fast collie 

 can certainly do so, and everyone knows how the 

 innumerable wandering curs of grass countries inter- 

 fere with sport. I remember seeing in Mr. Fernie's 

 country a running fight between a fox and a sheep- 

 dog. The dog rushed at the fox and rolled him 

 over, the fox bit the dog, which drew off, only, how- 

 ever, to renew the attack. This went on until the 

 hedge was reached, when the fox slipped through and 

 the dog was baffled. The fences help the foxes im- 

 mensely : I never realised how much until I watched 

 a pack of hounds scrambling through a West-country 

 fence in single file. If anything the chances are more in 

 favour of the fox than they were. 



There is another point which shows incidentally 

 that long runs must generally take place with strange 



