FOXES FOXHOUNDS & FOX-HUNTING 



coloured handkerchief out of his pocket, and the 

 change in that wolf was instantaneous. I^ike a 

 flash it sprang straight at the bars, and I was 

 very glad the latter were sound and strong. 



At times the vocal sounds made by foxes, more 

 particularly cubs, are a curious mixture of cat and 

 dog noises. 



Although the fox does most of his hunting and 

 wandering about under cover of darkness, it is not 

 uncommon to see him on the move by day. 

 As befits a night prowler, his powers of scent and 

 hearing are very keenly developed, whereas his 

 eyesight is by no means so acute. When out 

 hunting with the fell packs on the mountains of 

 the Lake District, I have often found myself 

 peculiarly well situated for viewing hunted foxes 

 and others which had been disturbed. I have 

 no hesitation therefore in saying that a fox 

 depends chiefly on his nose to warn him of danger, 

 while his ears are almost as useful, so acute is his 

 sense of hearing. His eyesight, like that of most 

 wild animals, is quick enough to pick up a moving 

 object, but if the wind is right, and you sit or 

 stand absolutely still, a fox will pass very near you 

 without being aware of your presence. He acts 

 in exactly the same way as a stag when you are 

 stalking it. So long as you move only when 

 the beast is feeding or looking in another direction, 

 and " freeze" when he turns his gaze towards 

 you, it is often possible to get in, on comparatively 

 open ground. 



Mention has previously been made of a fox 

 lying asleep on the breast of a Lakeland mountain. 

 When I first saw this fox, he was stretched at 

 full length on a grassy ledge, enjoying the warmth 

 of the sun. He was some two hundred yards 

 below me, and what little wind there was blew 



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