FOXES 95 



purpose ; and some wire netting rolled into this 

 shape makes as good a tool as anything else, and 

 will last for years if carefully laid by when not 

 required. 



One of the late Sir Charles Slingsby's maxims 

 (the famous Master and huntsman of the York and 

 Ainsty, who was drowned in the terrible hunting 

 accident at Newby Ferry on February 4, 1869) 

 was that a blown fox always lies down as soon 

 as he can find an opportunity of getting out of 

 sight ; while a fox that has caught his second 

 wind, but is getting beaten, struggles on as long 

 as he can possibly do so. The first fox, for 

 instance, lies down on reaching a covert within 

 ten yards of the hedge, but the other fox will go 

 well into the wood before he stops, and even 

 then generally keeps moving about. The pursu- 

 ing hounds most often flash over the blown fox, 

 dashing on into the covert expecting the fox has 

 gone on, and thus giving him an opportunity, 

 frequently availed of, of slipping back the way 

 he came in as soon as he has recovered his wind ; 

 while the hounds either rouse a fresh fox and 

 change on to him, or else are so long in coming 

 back the scent has grown stale in the meantime, 

 and our cunning friend is given up. In the 

 same way a blown fox seldom goes far into an 

 earth or hole, as he knows he must have plenty 

 of air ; but the tired fox can do with less, and 

 goes further into the haven of refuge as soon as 

 he has reached it. I have more than once, when 

 a fox has been suddenly lost after a racing ten or 

 fifteen minutes, proceeded to search all the rabbit 

 holes in the vicinity large enough for a fox to 

 get into, and seen the tip of its brush sticking out 

 of the one he was in, though as soon as he knew 



