A FOX IN A NEST 65 



which occurred with the justly celebrated Mr. Meynell's 

 hounds, which shows the great patience, perseverance, 

 talent, and keen-sightedness for which he was so 

 eminently distinguished, and also what extraordinary 

 places foxes will sometimes seek for refuge. They were 

 drawing a gorse covert when a single hound, that could 

 be relied upon, spoke. " That will do," exclaimed 

 Mr. Meynell ; but the hounds could make nothing of it. 

 They were drawn round again to the place where the 

 single hound had spoken; but they could not "roust 

 him out." Still persevering, I believe upwards of two 

 hours, the field became impatient and the greater portion 

 went home. At length, holding a consultation with 

 Raven, his huntsman, he enquired the exact spot where 

 the hound spoke, which was close to a bush that he 

 pointed to. " Then get off and examine it," said Mr. 

 Meynell. It was a low bush or stump of a tree which 

 leaned over the gorse and in which was an old magpie's 

 nest, where the fox had rolled himself up and was peep- 

 ing over the side of the nest at the proceedings below. 

 Raven whipped him out, laid on the hounds, and, with 

 a good scent, had a capital run, and killed the intruder 

 on the magpie's forsaken property near the kennel. 



It does not very frequently occur that opportunities 

 offer of watching the movements of foxes when they 

 are chased by hounds ; but a circumstance of this kind 

 happened to me on the 22nd of January 1839. I was 

 staying at Cheltenham at the time, and not having a 

 horse to ride on that day walked out to call on a friend 

 near to where Lord Fitzhardinge's hounds met, which 

 was at Norton Village. While sitting in my friend's 

 dining-room I saw a fox crossing a meadow in front of 

 the house. We immediately went out, and heard the 

 hounds at a considerable distance, but evidently not 

 running towards us. Our attention was turned to the 

 wily animal, and we scrupulously observed his motions, 

 in which he favoured us by running in the direction of 

 where we stood. He stopped occasionally, as if to 

 listen, and then trotted on again, quietly reconnoitring 



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